I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 79

Chapter 79

“I’ll be heading back now.”

“Already? You’re leaving so soon?”

“Brother-in-law, come on, stay for dinner before you go.”

“Well then, I’ll excuse myself.”

“Oh, seriously. How can you do this, Brother-in-law!”

Watching her brother-in-law express his desire to leave, Lily felt a wave of frustration.

At first, she hadn’t thought much of it.  

Unintentionally, she had already shown all kinds of embarrassing sides of herself, leaving no room for pretense anymore. So she acted like her usual self, but for some reason, the crown prince seemed to find even that charming.  

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”  

“Because I like you.”  

“W-what are you saying? Honestly!”  

Even as she pushed him away, a smile crept onto Lily’s face.  

There had always been plenty of people who admired Lily, but for some reason, the crown prince’s clear and sincere gaze made her heart race without her realizing it.

“Brother-in-law, I’m coming with you!”

As they made plans for the next meeting, Wilfred personally took care of Lily. Once the formal engagement was announced, no one could predict what might happen next.

“I do feel a bit guilty, though.”  

“Guilty?”  

“About Rose. Once I leave, she’ll really be all alone.”

Lily had long declared that she would leave this house, practically marking her as the one destined to go. Unlike Lily, who was as good as independent, Freesia had been the only source of solace for their eldest sister, Rose.

As soon as they arrived at the Devlanc estate, Lily began searching for her sister.

“Sis!”  

“Lady Rose hasn’t returned yet.”  

“Really?”

“Is it true, Miss? Is our youngest lady really going to become a princess?”  

Beaming with pride in front of her emotional nanny, Lily put on airs.  

“Of course! The crown prince has fallen head over heels for me.”  

“…I see.”

“Brother-in-law!”  

Wilfred wasn’t sure whether he should be relieved or troubled by how happy she looked. After escorting Lily inside, he was on his way out when he ran into Rose, just returning home.

“Sister-in-law.”  

“I’ve heard everything. Thank you so much for today.”

He hadn’t expected any gratitude, but it didn’t feel unpleasant. Rose, looking especially tired today, briefly recounted what had happened earlier.

The words Freesia had often stressed—Be kind, no matter what—came to mind.

“Do you need anything?”  

Rose smiled faintly at his subtle offer.  

“If I asked you to give me Freesia back, would you?”

Wilfred’s expression twisted instantly, which made Rose chuckle. It seemed she was in no mood to be in good spirits today.  

“That’s not possible.”  

“Of course not. But what am I supposed to do? No matter how noble you are, to me, you’re still just a thief who stole my sister.”

Rose asked the nanny to bring some drinks, intending to share all the stories she had kept to herself.

“Tell Freesia I’ll be late tonight. There are things we need to discuss before Lily’s marriage proposal is finalized.” Wilfred told his staff.

“If it’s about my parents, I already know.”

Judging by the way she dropped formalities, it was clear Rose knew that Wilfred was aware of everything. The fact that she was acting this way meant that she truly saw him as family.

Wilfred bowed his head courteously and filled her glass.  

“Our parents don’t even know you’re their son-in-law yet.”  

Their family had once been on the verge of ruin, and in the end, the parents had abandoned everything, fleeing in the dead of night with only Freesia and Lily.

Fortunately, everyone believed Rose would return, so the servants hadn’t run off with what little was left of the family’s fortune.

“I wanted to live as a knight. But I had no choice but to come this far to protect them.”  

“You could still go back.”  

“It’s been too long. I’m not as passionate as I used to be.”

These days, managing the household left no time, and the dreams she had poured her heart into now lay buried in distant memories.

“I don’t regret it, though. In fact, I’m grateful that I was able to fix things, at least to some extent.”  

Taking a sip from his glass, Wilfred looked seriously at the woman before him.  

The three sisters resembled one another so closely that no one could mistake them for anything but family. Remembering something Lily had said earlier, he spoke up.

“I know very well how hard it’s been for you.”

“Lily just kept crying, and our parents were… well, you know. But the only reason I could endure was because of Freesia.”  

There were moments when she thought she might as well die. When things seemed utterly hopeless, even the adults around them turned their backs. The marchioness of Napier had never been particularly warm to them, a sentiment that stemmed from those memories.  

“Sometimes, it felt like Freesia was more mature than I was.”  

“Since when?”  

“Well…”  

Wilfred furrowed his brow as Rose tried to recall the year.

“Something wrong?”  

“No, it’s nothing.”  

As they continued to drink, Rose studied the man before her. When Freesia had first mentioned marrying him, Rose had hated him so much she wanted to break his legs.

“I just wanted to thank you properly.”  

“I only did what I had to.”  

“I’m not just talking about today.”

Rose finally opened up after a few more drinks. She spoke of childhood moments, like when she scolded Freesia and Lily during one of their fights, or the time the two girls had bought her cotton candy, only for it to melt before they could give it to her—leaving their hands sticky with sugar as they cried.

“I couldn’t keep them by my side forever. This is for the best. I know that—it really is for the best.”  

Once Lily left, Rose would be the only one left in the house. That was why Freesia worried so much about her sister.

“I need to act fast. Once word of Lily and the crown prince’s engagement gets out, our parents won’t stay quiet.”

They had never cared much for the second daughter’s marriage, but if the youngest became the crown princess, both their parents and anyone else clinging to them would surely crawl back.

Wilfred listened to Rose’s bitter words, recalling memories from his own past.

“I killed my siblings to take my place as head of the family.”  

“That’s a famous story—The Crowford Survival. I know all about it.”

“It might be the opposite for you. My uncle died saving me.”  

It was his youngest uncle, a scholar, who had taken him in when even his father abandoned him.

“I’ve had the same nightmare for years.”  

“A nightmare?”  

“I lose what matters most to me, and these hands are drenched in blood.”  

If a god exists, it will surely come to punish him. With that belief alone, he committed countless atrocities. Everyone had their reasons, but no one remembers them anymore.

“It’s just a dream anyway.”

“I’m scared… scared that this happiness will disappear.”  

To gain something, one must lose something of equal value.  

Sharing their bittersweet memories, the two continued drinking, passing the cups back and forth.  

“Actually, when I was with the Order, I had someone I was serious about.”  

“And…?”  

Rose forced a bitter smile, pretending it was all in the past.  

“We broke up. We had to. No matter how uncertain my title was, I had too many people depending on me.”  

She hadn’t been able to ask him to carry all her burdens with her.  

And by the time a few years had passed and she thought about looking for him, she found out he had already married someone else.  

“That bastard… I should’ve yanked out his hair.”  

“That’s… a bit much.”  

“A bit much, what?”  

“…Nothing.”  

Rose was now almost entirely drunk, swaying as she clutched Wilfred by the collar, pouring out all the things she had never been able to say.  

“I don’t know if sending Lily to the palace is the right thing.”  

“That, you really don’t need to worry about.”  

Wilfred smirked, already determined to teach the princess Hyacinth a lesson. Apparently, Lily’s sisters had no idea just how devious their youngest sibling could be.  

Echoing Lily’s words about her heart sinking, Wilfred spoke cautiously.

“So, what about you? No thoughts of marriage?”  

“Ha! Might as well try catching stars from the sky. My investors keep piling work on me—I don’t even have time to dream about dating.”  

Wilfred hesitated, debating whether to speak or not, before finally opening his mouth.  

“I… I’m not sure what it takes to be a good father.”  

“A father?”  

“Freesia might be pregnant.”  

Rose stared at him, blinking slowly as if processing his words.  

“You’re kidding, right?”  

“I’m serious.”  

“Come on, that’s a joke.”  

“Do I look like someone who tells silly jokes?”  

Wilfred’s blunt revelation was like a bombshell, and Rose slumped to the floor, as if all the strength had left her.  

He had come seeking advice on how to be a good parent, but judging by her reaction, he’d clearly miscalculated.  

After being thoroughly scolded, he climbed into the carriage, where Jade looked at him curiously.  

“You seem to be in a great mood lately.”  

“There’s a lot to deal with… but I don’t mind it.”  

For Jade to comment on his mood meant that things really had changed.  

When Wilfred finally arrived home, Freesia was there, ready to greet him with concern.  

“Did you drink?”  

“Yeah, I had some things to discuss with your sister. Not too much.”  

“Rose, really… You didn’t get into a fight, did you?”  

Freesia helped him out of his shirt, inspecting him for any injuries. It was clear that Rose didn’t like him, but there was no avoiding that.  

After all, the palace wouldn’t let go of Crowford so easily.  

“Freesia.”  

“Yeah?”  

“There’s something I need to tell you.”  

Wilfred gathered the strength to speak, clasping her hands in his.  

In his memories, his father had always been an enigma—someone impossible to understand.  

“I wasn’t exactly a favored child. I bet it burned him up inside to learn I was the one who survived.”  

He pulled Freesia into his lap, holding her close as he tried to keep calm.  

“The position of head of the family was meant to be fought over by my brothers. No one expected it to turn into a bloodbath.”  

Many people had died.  

His uncle, who had tried to save him, had also fallen to his brothers’ swords.  

“You must survive—no matter what.”  

To keep that promise, Wilfred had no choice but to take up the sword.