I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 12

Chapter 12 

“Bianca.”

The moment I tried to enter alone, a familiar voice called me from behind.

As soon as I heard that voice, I stood still. For a moment, I considered pretending not to hear.

If I just walked in quickly and mingled with the crowd…

“Don’t pretend you didn’t hear me. It’s hurting me.”

…like a ghost.

“Lady Bianca of Croft, I present to you His Royal Highness Prince Aselbrant Cardisento of the Sprendo Empire.”

Turning around with a grin, I courteously bent my knee and greeted Asel, who had entered.

“It’s been a while.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Asel appeared when I lifted my head.

With pink hair that only appeared in the noble lineage of the Sprendo Empire and violet eyes, fitting for the Crown Prince.

“There’s no need for such formality between us. Feel free to call me anything.”

“I can’t afford to do that, Your Highness.”

“We used to call each other that way.”

“That was a very, very, very long time ago, Your Highness.”

“Right. Since we’ve known each other for a very, very, very long time, call me what you used to, Asel.”

Asel said it with a cheeky smile.

“Your Highness, for what reason did you call me?”

I smiled slightly and asked.

“Well, not as Your Highness but just Asel.”

He chuckled and said, “Just Asel.”

I also maintained a smiling expression and continued to look at him.

For a moment, we exchanged smiles without saying anything, or rather, we unilaterally shared smiles.

I never accepted smiles sent by the other person. At least, that’s what I did.

“If you don’t have any business, I’ll take my leave.”

“Well, then. Just make up something, right?”

Asel quickly approached and stood in front of me, sensing that I was about to leave.

“Would you like to dance?”

He smiled broadly and extended his hand.

Indeed, it was a matter simple enough yet perfectly fitting for the current situation. A dance request at the ball was quite appropriate.

Furthermore, unless there was a special reason, no woman would refuse the dance of a prince. I was no exception; I couldn’t reject him simply because I didn’t particularly like the prince.

“Oh, well…”

“Bianca.”

With the words ‘Oh, well,’ I was about to take Asel’s hand to accept the dance. At that moment, a familiar voice called my name from the other side. The voice was also one I knew well.

“Ricardo?”

Turning my head slightly, I saw Ricardo’s face at the entrance of the corridor leading away from the hall.

“Oh!”

Asel also turned his head to look at Ricardo.

“Ricardo, Duke of Winkaiser, greets His Royal Highness Prince Aselbrant Cardisento.”

“Oh, no need to kneel.”

Asel waved away Ricardo’s attempt to show respect and smiled faintly.

“Long time, no see, Ricardo.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Is that all?”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Okay, then.”

Asel shrugged his shoulders once and turned his body to look at me again.

“Well, Bianca?”

He extended his hand towards me again, intending to dance, as mentioned before.

“Yes, Your Hig…”

“Your Highness.”

Just as I was about to place my hand on Asel’s again and answer, Ricardo’s voice intervened once more.

“Bianca is my partner for today.”

It was a rather unexpected revelation.

Since we became engaged ten years ago, in all social gatherings, I have always been accompanied by Ricardo, and he by me. This was a well-known fact in Sprendo’s social circles, and Asel must have been aware of it.

“I see.”

Asel seemed somewhat puzzled by this unusual announcement.

“But?”

“We are planning to dance together.”

“Weren’t you dancing earlier?”

“We were.”

“Isn’t it customary in Sprendo that the first dance of the day is with one’s partner, and afterward, it’s free? Did Sprendo’s customs change without my knowledge?”

“As my partner, don’t I have priority?”

“Don’t talk to me like we have some kind of priority.”

Asel chuckled as if it were trivial, patting Ricardo’s shoulder lightly.

“I rarely come out unless it’s a royal ball, and it’s been a while since I had the time to come out. So, put the priority aside and understand, will you?”

“It’s inconvenient.”

“What’s inconvenient again?”

“Bianca is going to dance with me.”

“No, she agreed to dance with me before you came. Right, Bianca?”

“It seemed like an almost complete agreement. You touched my finger slightly. Isn’t that right, Bianca? Didn’t your middle finger touch my palm earlier?”

“…”

Asel tapped his own palm while looking at me, and Ricardo silently stared at me.

And I was puzzled.

I couldn’t understand why these two men were so fixated on dancing with me.

“I…”

When I hesitated to say something, the gazes of the two men became even more persistent. Then, I felt even more uneasy.

What should I do?

“Your Royal Highness Aselbrant.”

“Ah, darn it.”

A dignified voice that couldn’t take anyone’s side was called Asel. At the same time, Asel closed his eyes and muttered a curse under his breath.

“It’s time for you to leave, Your Highness.”

“What do you mean, it’s time to leave? How long has it been since I arrived?”

“It has been one hour and fifty-three minutes since you arrived, Your Highness. You are already eighteen minutes behind your originally scheduled departure time. You need to enter the palace now to fulfil the scheduled agenda.”

“Ha…”

With a sigh, a middle-aged man with a white beard, probably Asel’s advisor, spoke. At the same time, Asel sighed as if it couldn’t be helped.

“It’s time to go, Your Highness.”

Understanding the atmosphere, I curtsied slightly and bid farewell to Asel. Ricardo also made a slight bow, showing respect to Asel.

Asel didn’t seem to like it either.

Perhaps he thinks that both of us wanted to get rid of him quickly. And that was indeed true.

I was just grateful to the advisor who allowed us not to choose a definitive answer between my fiance and the prince.

“Well then, to sacrifice this fragile body for the security of the empire, I should go now.”

Asel left with a weary shake of his head.

I couldn’t help but feel relieved, even if I felt sorry for him.

“Well then.”

Ricardo spoke to me as I watched Asel’s retreating figure.

“My Fiance.”

As he said that and reached out towards me, I stiffened.

What did Ricardo just say? Fiance? Did he say fiance?

He had never called me that way before. To him, I was just Bianca. Bianca Croft.

He had always addressed me with a name that was no different from others. So where did this sweet “fiance” suddenly come from?

“Bianca?”

As I remained frozen, Ricardo called my name again.

Yeah, I’d rather it be this way.

Only then did I regain my composure, gently placing my hand on top of Ricardo’s.

“What was that just now?”

I asked Ricardo in a whisper.

“What?”

“Fiance.”

“It’s the truth.”

“Even if it’s the truth, you’ve never called me that before.”

“In that case, I’ll call you that from now on.”

“…”

Did Ricardo eat something strange?

He must have eaten something weird out there, because there’s no way they would have fed him something weird at the prestigious Winkaiser House.

“Oh my God, that tea from the orphanage! It had an unbelievable taste!”

Was it just cheap, or was it a tea that drove people insane?

“Will you dance, Bianca?”

As soon as we entered the hall, Ricardo asked me.

It was truly absurd. Ricardo requested the third dance at a single ball.

“Are you okay?”

“What?”

“You said you’d dance.”

“Isn’t dancing normal at a ball?”

You never used to say that, but I barely managed to hold back those words.

Damn the director of the orphanage! What kind of tea did he give Ricardo?

“I thought you didn’t… enjoy dancing that much?”

“I don’t particularly like it.”

“But why do you keep asking for dances?”

“If I don’t dance, it seems like you’ll dance with someone else.”

“Someone else?”

“Over there, over there, over there. They were staring the moment you came out.”

Ricardo lightly gestured to different parts of the hall.

He was brazenly pointing out the people who were checking if everyone was comfortable: Rainthar, a young knight, and… Oh my God, a viscount well over 60.

“Bianca, you seem to be quite popular.”

“That’s a surprising statement.”

“Were you always this popular?”

“That’s also very surprising.”

“Why?”

Ricardo seemed to be genuinely puzzled, his face scrunched up in thought.

And seeing him like that, I was flabbergasted once again.

“Are you saying you didn’t know?”

And now that he was acting like he didn’t know at all, he lightly furrowed his brow, as if truly pondering.

And seeing him like that, I was flabbergasted once again.

“Is this something new?”

“I have all the qualities of a perfect woman.”

He had absolutely no interest in me before.

“The renowned Croft heiress from the esteemed Croft family, celebrated for its long tradition, possessing unparalleled beauty praised throughout the empire. I’m well-versed in education, culture, connections, and so on.”

“Do you usually say those things with your own mouth?”

“Why not? They’re all true.”

I shot Ricardo a stern look, pushing back.

“You’re the only one who ever treated Bianca Croft like a pebble on the street.”

“Did I treat you that way?”

“Oh, sorry. Let me correct that. Instead of rolling on the ground like gravel, I should’ve said, “Treat you like gravel inside your pocket.”

“….”

“….”

“Are you angry?”

“Me? How could I be angry with the owner who boldly carries gravel in their pocket and treats me like that?”

“You are angry.”

Naturally, I wouldn’t appear to be giggling right now. I was angry with Ricardo, who had never shown any interest in me before, and I was angry that I didn’t even know about it.

Why should I endure this treatment?

Why did I think it was natural to marry a man who wasn’t interested in me?

Why should I be tied to a man who doesn’t love me?

For the first time, I felt grateful for that damn book.

If I hadn’t read that book, I would have lived thinking becoming the wife of a duke was my duty and right without a second thought.

I was Bianca Croft.

I did not deserve to be treated like this.

“Smile Love”