I Become the Villain's Bride - Chapter 80

Chapter 80

To leave behind the finest bloodline, his father passed on the Crowford name to numerous children without ever officially marrying. It wasn’t until confronted with reality that he understood why the royal family had allowed such behavior so easily.  

Because all of them were going to die anyway.  

The way his father withhold affection from his children was entirely intentional.  

“I never had confidence in being a good father. I’ve vaguely felt that way since I was very young.”  

“Wil.”  

“I’m scared… that you might leave me.”  

He finally understood why he was so genuine with his sisters. It was a huge improvement that he could now naturally accept Rose’s complaints and Lily’s whims.  

“And that makes it even more painful. Because I truly love you.”  

“Wilfred.”  

“And that makes it scarier. How could I possibly live in a world without you?”  

In the vivid memories that were too real to dismiss as mere dreams, he lost the woman he loved and went mad, slaughtering countless people.  

“Do you really think I might die? I just went to the library to take a brief look into the mirror that shows the future.”  

“…How do you know about that?”  

At Wilfred’s question, Freesia gulped involuntarily.  

* * *  

She wanted to step back and make some excuse, but the arms wrapped around her waist showed no intention of letting her go. It seemed things had taken a turn for the worse.  

“Well, the thing is…”  

“Don’t look away. I’ve thought you were acting strange for a while now, but today, I need answers.”  

“It’s just that…”  

With someone this sharp in front of her, Freesia racked her brain, wondering what to say.  

I was a reader of a novel in a previous life, the one you’re in. I liked you so much that I became obsessed, and then, due to a ridiculous accident, I ended up inside the world of that story.  

Who would believe something like that? But she knew better than anyone that she wasn’t good at lying. If she kept making clumsy excuses, she’d get caught soon enough.  

She clenched her teeth and made him promise.  

“Will you believe me, no matter what I say?”  

“I won’t doubt you. You’re not someone who can lie.”  

She couldn’t shake the feeling that he already saw through everything. After hesitating for a long moment, Freesia finally spoke.  

“The truth is…”  

She told him about recovering her memories and how, even when she first received his letter, she was certain he would kill her.  

“A novel?”  

“Yes. Although the story picks up much later, with the protagonist escaping. So… the protagonist is…”  

“You mean Luca, right?”  

“How do you know that?”  

After losing his beloved wife, Wilfred burned down a village to kill the child caught up in her death. And over a thousand times since then, he committed more than five hundred heinous crimes.  

It was only natural to be afraid of someone like him—at least, at the beginning.  

“I know now that I was wrong. You’re not that kind of person.”  

“I am that kind of person. You just didn’t know it.”  

“What?”  

With a strangely forlorn expression, he gently ran the back of his hand along Freesia’s cheek. He brushed a kiss over her peach-colored lips, and before she knew it, his hands were gripping her waist.  

“I might be even crazier than you think.”  

“Wil.”  

“But you’re the one who tamed me, Frigia.”  

After his uncle’s death, he had no intention of opening his heart to anyone. He took over Crowford to survive and married for convenience. Sure, he thought his wife was a little cute, but that was all.  

“I’m the worst.”  

“I don’t like it when you say things like that.”  

It was only after they shared their hearts that the pieces started to fall into place.  

Even before the original story had been twisted, Wilfred was already plagued by the horrific nightmares the story described. Just as in the dream, he killed his brothers in the battle for the family headship after his uncle died and took the throne.  

“But you told me you fell in love at first sight.”  

“Well…”  

“And when I tried to run away, you chased me down. You’re such a fool, aren’t you?”  

“I did, didn’t I?”  

Even though he thought she was strange, her image never left his mind.  

So dear, and thus even more beloved.  

Was it stubbornness that made him hold on to what felt like a fleeting mirage?  

“I told you, I’ve liked you for a long time.”  

“Even though I was a villain?”  

“Who cares about that? As long as you’re good to me, that’s all that matters.”  

Wilfred couldn’t help but burst out laughing at Freesia’s calm response.  

Sitting down beside her, he toyed with her soft brown curls.  

“You know, it’s really strange.”  

“What is?”  

“Alster, the author. The story of Lady Margaret—it felt a lot like our story.”  

At her serious observation, Wilfred was left speechless.  

He had planned to tell her the truth after finishing  <The Plum Family’s Second Daughter>

, but since he was only halfway through the last volume, the timing wasn’t right.  

“You’re right.”  

“Be honest. Did you pay someone to write it?”  

“What do you take me for?”  

When he pinched her cheeks hard, Freesia covered her flushed face and glared at him.  

“And what about the mirror? You said it broke before you even saw the future properly.”  

“That mirror absorbs magic.”  

The protagonist, who had the buff to wield both swordsmanship and magic, was unaffected. But for an extra like Freesia, it had too great an impact.  

“I didn’t know.”  

“Please, don’t do anything reckless. Not for my sake.”  

“Wil.”  

“Don’t leave me to face the world without you.”  

Shivering from the terrible thought, he wrapped his arms tightly around her waist. Stroking his hair as he clung to her, Freesia began to tell him stories from what now felt like a distant past.  

“In my previous life, I worked on making games. Fighting with the project managers was a regular part of my job.”  

“Did you hate them?”  

“Not hate… It was just hard. In the company, even things like that could be a weakness. I guess I overreacted to people who asked too many questions.”  

“Who was that person?”  

“He was the scenario writer. The team leader said he was brilliant, but he kept teasing me, asking what I was looking at, and it drove me crazy.”  

“He probably likes you.”  

“No way.”  

“I mean it.”  

At Wilfred’s firm statement, Freesia denied it, unwilling to believe his theory.  

“But he put me on the spot all the time—it made things really awkward.”  

“And you kept avoiding him. He never had a chance to ask properly, then.”  

“I guess that’s true.”  

“Maybe he just wanted to be friends.”  

“What?”  

Until that moment, she had never even considered the possibility. What if the man she thought of as an enemy was just someone looking for a friend to share his passion?  

“No way, that can’t be true.”

“Keep an open mind to the possibility.”

“No, absolutely not.”

If that were true, then how absurdly wrong has she been this whole time?

Freesia frantically ruffled Wilfred’s golden hair, trying to erase the hypothesis she refused to accept.

“That person was really impressive. There’s no reason someone like that would be interested in someone like me.”

“What if that person was a writer?”

The moment Wilfred posed that theory, a cold sweat trickled down her spine.

“Leveling Up Because of the Antagonist.” was undoubtedly the author’s fifth novel, with three of their works already adapted into webtoons and one into a movie—a massively successful writer. She used to take pride in being a fan of this author, though she avoided mentioning it in public because of that ridiculous title.

“The author was publishing five times a week. Why would they work at a game company? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“Why do you think it’s impossible?”

Now that she thought about it, a few days before the author had started releasing two chapters a day, they had taken a vacation. At the time, Freesia thought they were just relieved to get some rest.

“Then why didn’t they say anything?”

“They were probably embarrassed. It can be awkward to admit you’re a writer.”

“I don’t get it.”

She had dismissed it as a far-fetched theory, but as Wilfred’s words sank in, the pieces of the puzzle started falling into place.

As she looked at her handsome husband, trying to deny reality, a sudden realization hit her.

“Huh?”

Despite his different hair and eye color, something about Wilfred’s face suddenly seemed uncannily similar to that blasted scenario writer.

“No way… that can’t be.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Never mind, I think I’ll just go to sleep.”

“If there’s something you want to say, say it. Especially if it’s about another man.”

“Are you jealous?”

Without denying it, Wilfred swiftly pulled Freesia into a tight hug from behind as she tried to slip away.

What good would it do to dwell on past embarrassments? Freesia smiled contentedly, knowing that her husband’s face alone could keep her happy for a lifetime.

“Honestly, before that whole incident, I actually kind of liked him. He was really handsome.”

“More than me?”

“Yeah. Much more handsome than you.”

“Freesia, you’re so mean. How can you talk about another man so joyfully when you have a loving husband?”

Whether it was the alcohol or something else, Wilfred was acting differently tonight. He lightly tugged on the ribbon tied tightly around her chest with his lips, while his large hands grabbed both of her wrists at once.

“Don’t stare at me like that. It’s embarrassing.”

“Is it okay if I touch you instead of looking?”

“What are you doing? Seriously, you’re drunk! You’re really drunk!”

“Quiet. I’m better-looking anyway.”

Completely intoxicated, Wilfred began to spill out words he would never say while sober.

“You’re always doting on your sisters, never caring about me.”

“When did I ever do that? You’re unbelievable!”

“I don’t care if it’s a lie. Just tell me I’m the most important person to you.”

His pleading voice shook her heart. Freesia embraced him tightly and whispered softly.

“You’re the most important to me. I’ve already become a villain’s bride.”

“Freesia…”

“I told you before, even before we met, you were always the best to me.”

Of course, this wasn’t exactly how she’d imagined it, but there was only one thing she truly wanted.

“I just want to make you happy.”

She doesn’t know what brought them to this point, but somehow, she has to lead this twisted story to a happy ending.

“That’s why I’m here.”

It was as if the broken threads were finally being tied together, and for the first time, something started to become clear.