I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 67

Chapter 67

“The Lady likes me?”

Fieldram, who always managed to miss the point by a beat, had once again jumped to the wrong conclusion.  

“There’s no way that’s true, so could you please shut your mouth for once?”

Freesia could already see it: by morning, the entire estate would be buzzing with his nonsense about her liking him. And nothing could feel more unjust to her.  

Luckily, it was Madame Benoit’s intervention that finally untangled the confusing mess of conversation.  

“Wil, you poor boy. You seem so unfamiliar with the idea of being loved by someone.”  

“…I have no idea what you mean.”

Wilfred’s expression was now stiff and humorless.  

The same boy who melted so easily before the woman he liked was oddly impenetrable when it came to everyone else. That was part of his charm, though.  

No one had expected that a child like him, who had shown no interest in inheriting the title, would come this far.  

“So smart in everything else, yet so foolish when it comes to your own affairs.” 

“This isn’t jealousy.”  

“Sure sounds like it.”

“Anyway, I know for certain it’s not Fieldram.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, but as long as it doesn’t concern me, I guess I’m fine.”

Sensing the tension in the air, Fieldram quickly mapped out his escape route.  

Once the awkward third wheel was gone, Wilfred spoke up.  

“I heard you went out.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Where did you go?”

Madame Benoit smiled radiantly, showing not a hint of disturbance, even though she knew Wilfred had already figured everything out.  

“Surely I don’t need your permission to leave the house at my age.” 

“So, was it you who summoned Freesia’s parents to the capital?”  

It was no coincidence that her parents had come.  

Sending them honey in Naphier’s name and ensuring the butler’s supervision was relaxed at just the right time—none of it could be dismissed as mere coincidence.  

“Why do you think it was me?”

“Did you really think I’d let this slide?”

“I’m hungry. I had them prepare Freesia’s favorite dishes for dinner.” 

“Madame Benoit.” 

“Is this really something to glare at me about as if you want to kill me?”  

Faced with her audacious composure, Wilfred gritted his teeth.  

It takes two to clap, but when one person is shamelessly brazen, words lose their power.  

“You’ve grown up so much, really.”

As she reached out to stroke his head, Wilfred pushed her hand away, not bothering to hide his irritation.  

“What are you plotting?”

“Don’t be so reserved. You couldn’t sort things out properly, so I had to step in and do my duty as a mother.”  

“What a ridiculous excuse.” 

“If you don’t want to regret it, you’d better listen to me.”  

Her seductive whisper made Wilfred’s gaze waver.  

Later that evening, Freesia, who had finally returned from her little rebellion, still looked annoyed. When their eyes met, she was quick to avert her gaze.  

“You have no idea how lonely the estate was without our Freesia. Next time, take me with you.”  

“Of course”

How could anyone be so brazen? With an infuriatingly smug smile, Madame Benoi attached herself to Freesia’s side like an inseparable shadow.  

—

Freesia’s attempt to run away was chalked up to nothing more than a brief visit to her family home.  

In the end, life between her and Wilfred resumed as if nothing had changed. After dinner, Freesia tucked Luca into bed and returned to her room.  

“He’s not here.”

She glanced around but saw no sign of Wilfred. Relieved that he must be in the study, she happily curled up on the bed.  

“Phew, thank goodness.” 

“Thank God for what?”

“Eek!” 

Thinking she was alone, Freesia shrieked when she saw Wilfred appear from the terrace, a glass of wine in hand.  

“What are you doing out there?”

“Did you put the little guy to bed?” 

“Uh, yeah. He was upset, thinking I left because of him.”  

“And?”

“I told him to sleep well. I almost considered staying with him overnight…”  

Before she could finish, she caught a glimpse of his displeased expression and clamped her mouth shut.  

Holding the wineglass, which glimmered red under the moonlight, Wilfred sat down at the edge of the bed and locked eyes with her.  

“Almost, huh?”

“If I had, you’d have said something, wouldn’t you?”  

“You know me well.”  

Wilfred took a sip of the wine, then leaned in to pour the bittersweet liquid between Freesia’s lips.  

She swallowed instinctively, the sharpness of the wine leaving her cheeks flushed after just a sip.  

“Don’t think you can get off that easily.”  

“I warned the princess to leave you alone. I didn’t like the way she was acting toward you.” 

“You warned her?”  

“That’s the only reason I escorted her. After that, I went with Fieldram to check on the training of the newly acquired wyverns.”  

Hearing his clumsy explanation, Freesia blinked in disbelief. Was this really the same man? It was surprising to hear him explain himself like this, and yet, for some reason, it was oddly endearing.  

“Are you… explaining yourself right now?”  

“I don’t want misunderstandings to create problems between us.”  

“I suppose so.”  

In the original story, misunderstandings had driven the duke and his wife apart. But things were different now—not just for Freesia.  

Wilfred’s changes weren’t lost on her either. And she couldn’t help but think, perhaps, she didn’t mind them so much after all.  

“You were upset? Leaving without even giving me a chance to explain—don’t you think that was a bit much?”

“Honestly, I don’t have the patience to marry someone who would blackmail me in the first place.”

“Well, I guess that’s fair, but still…”

He didn’t just cut off the possibility of misunderstanding—he pulled it out by the roots, leaving her with nothing more to say. Yet, the real issue was still the blackmail.

“I understand now—why you were blackmailed.”

“You understand?”

“It’s obvious if you follow the financial trail. Why you were blackmailed, I mean.”

Now that she had figured out he’d been blackmailed over Crowford’s secret funds, Wilfred ran a hand over his face, visibly troubled.

“Are you disappointed?”

“I don’t think it was the right thing to do.”

“…Sorry about that.”

“You don’t have to apologize to me. What’s done is done. Just use the funds for something good, and there’ll be no consequences.”

“Something good?”

“Yes, your secret funds. That’s what they blackmailed you over, right?”

Catching him off guard, Wilfred burst into sudden laughter and pulled Freesia into an embrace.

What was so amusing? She was scolding him for his misdeeds, yet he seemed genuinely happy.

“Yeah, it was such a pain, really.”

“Why are you laughing? Wait, why are you—ah!”

Before she could react, he caught the ribbon that tied the front of her clothes between his lips and gave it a playful tug. A sweet and lingering kiss followed, leaving her lightheaded.

“I’m miserable without you, Freesia.”

His voice carried the weight of sincerity as his warmth spread between them.

“Soon, I’ll visit the orphanage and make things right—”

“Do as you wish. I’ll always be by your side.”

“Don’t tempt me, or I just might.”

How was she supposed to keep scolding him when he acted so tenderly?

Unable to resist, she gently touched the corner of his moist eyes and smiled playfully.

“You missed me that much? Enough to climb over the walls?”

“I missed you.”

His large hand stroked her hair, lifting a stray lock and kissing its end. The gaze he fixed on her was filled with such affection that it felt like honey dripping from his eyes. How could she stay mad at him like this?

“Next time, give me a heads-up.”

“Were you jealous, by chance?”

“…Just go to sleep already!”

Caught off guard, she yanked the blanket up to her head and bit down on her lips in frustration.

“You should trust me by now.”

“Sure, whatever.”

Despite her denial, she didn’t push away the hand resting on her shoulder.

There was a time when just looking him in the eye had felt unbearable. Now, simply thinking of him made her smile.

Was this what love truly felt like? As she laced her fingers over his, the warmth of his breath tickled her neck.

After all, being alone was just too lonely. Nestling her head against his chest, Freesia quietly drifted to sleep, wrapped in his warmth.

“We’ve arrived.”

“It’s an honor to have you with us, Madam.”

The head of the orphanage greeted Freesia warmly, dressed neatly for the occasion. He reached out, eager to escort her inside, but Luca, standing at her side, beat him to it.

“I’ll escort the madam myself.”

The director’s face twitched with irritation, as if mistaking him for a mere servant.

“This is Luca, the son of the Earl of Bailey. My husband and I are his guardians.”

“Oh, a guest of the Bailey family, I see.”

“And this is Fieldram, my personal guard.”

The headmaster swallowed hard at the sight of Fieldram, whose sharp, unpleasant gaze left him visibly nervous.

“You’re Fieldram?”

“What are you looking at?”

“N-nothing, sir.”

Bowing quickly, the director wiped the sweat from his brow with a fine shirt sleeve, which Freesia noted with amusement. She turned her attention to the children inside.

“Madam, please have mercy on us.”

“We’re hungry.”

The children, no older than five, wore clothes patched countless times. Their tear-streaked faces showed the depth of their hunger, tugging painfully at Freesia’s heart. The director, oblivious to the children’s suffering, only made matters worse.

“As you can see, Madam, we desperately need the support of benevolent patrons.”

“Conditions here are dire indeed.”

The children pounced on the food Freesia had brought from Crowford, devouring it ravenously like starving animals.

Even as the maids tried to slow them down, the children continued to eat hurriedly, driven by hunger. Freesia squeezed her eyes shut, unable to bear the sight any longer.

“How could things come to this…?”

“These poor children live only by the grace of kind benefactors like yourself, Madam.”

The children fought over the largest pieces of bread, some even scrambling to eat what had fallen to the ground. One child, unable to swallow properly, began to choke and vomited on the spot, collapsing in tears.

“Clean that up at once! What a disgrace in front of such an esteemed guest!”

“Step aside.”

Freesia clenched her fists and pushed the director away. She could no longer stand by and watch.