I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 75

Chapter 75

With a loud crashing sound, the man’s figure vanished.

Luca hurried over and, staring down at the shattered mirror, bit his lip repeatedly.  

“What happened?”

“This mirror. Lady Freesia collapsed right in front of it.”  

“Let’s continue this discussion back at the mansion.”  

There were too many ears listening within the palace walls.  

Once they sent everyone away, Wilfred placed the unconscious Freesia into the carriage and listened as Luca recounted the details.  

“What a …… useless thing to do.”

The shattered mirror had lost its purpose long ago.  

Wilfred knew who was responsible, but it was already too late.  

After much hesitation, Luca confessed everything about the suspicious magician to Wilfred.  

“I’m sorry. I should have returned to the library then.”  

“Thank you for being honest, Luca.”  

“Wilfred…”  

As the child on the verge of tears stood beside him, Wilfred sank into deep thought.  

This was the second time. He couldn’t let it continue.  

“Oh my, what happened?”  

“…Madame Benoit.”  

“Serial told me. The culprits have been eliminated, so you can stop worrying now.”  

Madame Benoit greeted them as they entered the duke’s estate.  

“What do you think you’re up to?”

Madame Benoit didn’t bat an eye at Wilfred, who looked as if he was about to snap at any moment.

The Duke’s four closest aides each had their priorities.  

Other than Wilfred’s personal choice, Fieldram, the other three were completely loyal to Crowford’s will. Among them, the most difficult to handle was Serial, and it was none other than Madame Benoit who placed Serial at Wilfred’s side.  

“She genuinely wishes for your happiness,” Madame Benoit said.  

“I don’t need it. Neither her concern nor kindness. Please stop.”  

“Wilfred…”  

“All I want is to keep her safe. I just want her by my side, untouched and unharmed.”  

Whenever Wilfred was tormented by nightmares as a child, he would turn to writing. He couldn’t sleep until he poured the storm of stories swirling in his mind onto paper.  

Though those days weren’t entirely unpleasant, Serial never understood his deepest wish.  

“Serial seems to have intervened.”  

“For what reason?”  

“Apparently, it’s because of a bad dream.”  

Even Wilfred had forgotten about the mirror’s existence.  

No matter how twisted the future may seem, everything happens as it’s meant to.  

Even if Serial had shattered the mirror, the predetermined future might be beyond anyone’s ability to change.  

“Serial wants to protect you.”  

“And to do so, she would get rid of Freesia without hesitation.”  

Crowford’s wealth had grown so immense that even the royal family couldn’t control it. It was the kind of power that could sacrifice blood relatives without a second thought for the sake of ambition.  

Standing before the remains of his deceased uncle, Wilfred made up his mind to put an end to this exhausting war.  

“If Freesia is carrying my child…”  

“…Rashita would be overjoyed.”  

“And Serial will do everything to stop it.”  

The first edition of Lady Margaret contained dangerously truthful elements, a result of his ignorance at the time.  

It wasn’t until he thoroughly examined its contents—events that had already unfolded—that he realized who had set everything off course.  

“In my dreams, countless people died. Even those imprisoned for defying my madness weren’t spared.”  

“And?”  

“But no matter how hard I tried, there was one person whose whereabouts I could never discover.”  

He finally understood this truth while writing the final volume of <The Plum Family’s Second Daughter>, which marked the end of his memories.  

“Who are you?”  

No matter how many times he searched his memories, Madame Benoit’s presence didn’t seem to exist at all.  

“Is that really the most important thing right now?”  

“Master! Something terrible has happened to the Lady!”  

The normally composed head maid, Ada, let out a scream that sent chills down Wilfred’s spine.  

When he rushed to Freesia’s side, she trembled in fear at the sight of him.  

“Freesia…”  

“Please… Please save me…”  

Clinging to his sleeve in a state of terror, Freesia begged repeatedly as though possessed.  

“The child inside me… It’s yours. Please, just this once, let me give birth to it. I’ll do whatever you say… So please!”  

“Freesia!!”  

Seeing her in anguish, haunted by dreadful memories, Ada spoke gently.  

“Master…”  

“Please understand. Freesia is just having a nightmare.”  

“…The same kind of dream you used to have?”  

Ada, who had cared for Wilfred since his childhood, wasn’t unfamiliar with this sight.  

Tormented by nightmares, young Wilfred would often apologize to Ada, even though he hadn’t done anything wrong.  

“How strange. The two of you have such eerily similar dreams.”  

“What did Freesia say?”  

“She told me to run.”  

Even long ago, Ada had heard the same thing from a tearful young Wilfred.  

“Did she say you would die by my hand?”  

“If that’s what you wish, I’ll accept it.”  

“Ada…”  

“My life should have ended long ago.”  

During the first dispute between the brothers, one of Wilfred’s siblings, backed by the royal family, took Ada’s son hostage to lure her out.  

Assassins infiltrated the estate in her absence.  

Though Wilfred barely escaped with his life, thanks to his uncle’s sacrifice, the truth hidden behind the curtain was far more brutal.  

“All of this happened because I failed to raise my child properly.”  

It was Ada’s son who had threatened Wilfred’s life.  

After mocking his mother for clinging to a rotting lifeline, he was executed along with the others.  

“If staying here is too painful, I’ll send you somewhere else.”  

“…No. Being trusted and called back here is already more happiness than I deserve.”  

After Wilfred’s marriage to Freesia and the arrival of Luca, Ada’s demeanor brightened. She was a person of deep affection, and Wilfred knew that she would gladly give her life to protect Luca.  

But he also knew that their kindness wasn’t a privilege reserved for him alone.  

“This is a curse.”  

Sitting on the floor in despair before Freesia’s unconscious body on the white bed, Wilfred poured out his grief. How much longer would he have to endure this anguish?  

Ada, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder, whispered a piece of unexpected news.  

“Children sometimes throw fits just from dreams.”  

“But Freesia is already an adult.”  

“And our young master is all grown up too, isn’t he?”  

With a meaningful smile, Ada gently clasped Wilfred’s hand, which drooped with dejection.  

“Freesia  is scared.”  

“Why?”  

“That’s how it always is at first. Even I felt the same, though I never showed it. New beginnings are always unsettling.”  

“What do you mean by that?”  

“Congratulations, Wil! I heard Freesia’s pregnant!”  

Without any warning, Rashita barged in and announced the joyful news with a loud voice.  

Ada gave Rashita a sharp look of disapproval.  

“Honestly! You just ruined the moment. I was setting the mood!”  

“What? You hadn’t told him yet?”  

“Pregnant?”  

“I told you it’s still too early to say for sure! I warned you to wait a bit longer!”  

Wilfred rubbed his temple as the two women bickered in front of him.  

“Aren’t you happy?”  

If it were possible, Wilfred would have gladly drained every drop of Crowford’s cursed blood from his body.  

Even if the child bore a face that resembled his own father, could he love them?  

Maybe the child would be better off never being born—rather than being burdened with the terrible duties of Crowford’s legacy.  

Just as these thoughts began to overwhelm him, Ada gently adjusted Freesia’s pillow and spoke in an irresistibly sweet tone.  

“If the baby takes after our lady, they’ll be so adorable.”  

“…But if they’re as headstrong as my sister-in-law, that could be troublesome.”  

“Oh, no. The child will surely have our lady’s temperament. Just imagine it.”  

With Wilfred frozen in place, Ada and Rashita teamed up to paint a picture in his mind.  

“Reaching out with those tiny hands, babbling that Daddy is the best in the whole world.”  

“After all, only a father can protect his daughter.”  

“That’s…”  

“And when their front teeth fall out, won’t your heart just ache?”  

“And if they trip and fall, it’ll feel like the world is ending.”  

“They do all the cute things when they’re little, and anyone who misses out on that is truly unfortunate.”  

“You’re right… If they take after Freesia, they’ll be so gentle.”  

“That’s enough.”  

Wilfred knew it was a futile hope. Just as he turned away from Freesia—his heart heavy with uncertainty—her lips parted with a groggy groan.  

“I told you… I can’t eat any more…”  

“Freesia, are you awake?”  

“Rashita?”  

Wilfred shoved Rashita aside and hurried to kneel at Freesia’s side.  

Sitting up on the white bed, she gently traced Wilfred’s tear-streaked eyes with her fingers.  

“Have you been crying?”  

“I haven’t.”  

“Wilfred cried?”  

“I said I didn’t.”  

It was just a bit of moisture, that’s all. Crying—he would never do such a thing.  

No matter how fiercely he denied it, Rashita smirked with amusement, clearly enjoying herself.  

“If you’re happy, just admit it! Look at you, even Luca is more straightforward than you.”  

“What’s wrong with that? I think it’s cute,” Freesia chimed in with a playful grin.  

“What?”  

Only moments earlier, she had seemed distraught, but now she smiled softly as she caressed the bed.  

“Are you feeling okay?”  

Freesia gazed at him quietly, her expression unreadable, a mysterious smile playing on her lips.  

“Do you love me?”  

“Freesia?”  

“I asked if you love me.”  

Wilfred hesitated for a moment, taken aback by her directness as she grabbed him by the collar. But then, without reservation, he gave her the answer she sought.  

“I love you. With all my heart.”  

Their lips met, sealing his confession in a tender kiss.  

“You two…!”  

Watching the affectionate couple in front of her, Rashita clenched her fists, acting as if she had witnessed something too sweet to bear.