I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 13

Chapter 13 

“Ricardo.”

Swallowing my anger and seething to my throat, I called his name. Until now, without my knowledge, I had thought of the worst words to say to Ricardo, who had been ignoring me. At the very least, I was determined to speak harshly enough so that he would never think of me that way again.

“Bianca.”

As I organized my thoughts in my mind, he called my name in the meantime.

“This is the first time I’ve seen you angry.”

You hadn’t seen anything yet. I was about to give him a full-fledged warning that I would be truly angry with him.

“Recently, I see a lot of different sides of you.”

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

While I was pondering what I was thinking in my head, Ricardo nodded.

Alright, then this time, I’ll give you my first warning…

“I find getting to know you new and enjoyable.”

Ricardo laughed.

Looking at me, turning his eyes, and lifting the corners of his mouth, he laughed.

Brightly.

“Bianca?”

I was staring blankly at that smile. It was the first time he smiled at me.

“Bianca?”

No, it wasn’t the first time. It was a smile I had seen once before. Ricardo was smaller, rounder, and had a bright, innocent gaze. A smile like that, which I had seen a long time ago,.

“Aren’t you feeling well?”

With a worried expression, Ricardo said he was genuinely concerned. His expression of genuine concern made my heart flutter unnecessarily.

“You should go in early today.”

Gently, Ricardo’s hand wrapped around my waist.

His escort was something I had never seen before.

It was a strange feeling indeed.

***

“Hello, Lord Wensbury.”

I greeted him with a bright smile.

“Oh, have you arrived?”

He was sitting on the tea shop’s sofa, but as soon as he heard my voice, he stood up, surprised.

Raintar, the only son of Lord Wensbury and the future Marquis Wensbury, looked very much like his father in his younger days.

There was a joke that you could simply replace the name on Lord Wensbury’s portrait from his youth with Raintar’s, and no one would notice.

However, to my eyes, young Lord Wensbury and Raintar looked completely different.

Of course, their faces were similar enough to make me smile at the joke when I first heard it.

Raintar had the same red hair and deep green eyes as young Lord Wensbury, but his slightly cocked nose and thin lips were also quite similar.

However, the stubborn, boisterous knight who was famous in the empire as Lord Wensbury and the obedient Raintar, who listened well to his father, had a completely different atmosphere.

Even though they had the same green eyes, their gaze was completely different, and the image they projected was also completely different.

“Did you wait long? I came on time, as promised.”

“Oh, no! I came early.”

“Oh my, is that so?”

Of course, I was never late for appointments. I always arrived 10 to 5 minutes early. It was the proper etiquette of a considerate lady.

“I was actually a little surprised when Lord Wensbury asked to see me alone.”

After ordering and exchanging some small talk and greetings, I got to the point.

“Oh, that… If you misunderstood, I apologize. I had no intention of committing any breach of etiquette towards Lady Bianca, the fiancee of Wensbury.”

Raintar, with a slightly red face, stumbled through his words, seemingly unaware that such a statement was even more unnatural.

Indeed, this was another difference from his father. If he were Lord Wensbury, he would have laughed heartily and smoothly transitioned to what he wanted to say.

“It’s not that. It’s about when you attended our family ball last time.”

“That ball was truly enjoyable. I sincerely thank you for hosting such a splendid ball.”

“No, no. What I heard then, and what my father heard, was that Lady Bianca has been working diligently on charitable activities these days.”

“I’m embarrassed. It’s not something grand enough to spread rumors about.”

While internally reveling in the wide spread of rumors, I maintained an outward appearance of humility.

At least within the noble social circles, it seemed that rumors had spread quite widely. I needed to check whether there were also rumors circulating among the common people.

“To be honest, I was planning to mention it back then, but I heard you left early.”

“Yes, I wasn’t feeling well at the time.”

“Oh no! Are you okay now? I invited you without knowing that.”

Raintar was surprised again, not knowing how to react.

To anyone watching, it seemed like the behavior of a man who didn’t know what to do in front of the woman he liked.

Come to think of it, he was already twenty-five years old, and yet he didn’t have a fiancee.

I heard that he was engaged to the daughter of a marquis in the past, but they broke it off for some reason. Since then, he has remained alone.

Considering that he belonged to the prestigious Wensbury family, shoulder to shoulder with the Croft Marquis, the vacancy in the position of the future marquise was a cause for concern for many.

There were rumors among the servants that he had a one-sided crush on the marquise’s daughter, but I wondered if he still couldn’t forget the marquise’s former fiancée.

“I left early because I felt a bit dizzy. I’m perfectly fine now.”

I reassured Raintar, picking up a piece of pastry with a sense of composure.

In response, Raintar nodded with a smile.

He was indeed a gentle man.

“Actually, what I’m going to tell you today is a little embarrassing.”

Raintar, seeming a bit tense, stuck out his tongue, licking his lips once. As if that wasn’t enough, he picked up the glass in front of him and took a sip.

“But since you, Lady Bianca, are someone I respect, I wanted to confide in you, hoping you could offer some guidance.”

While Raintar, now even more tensed than before, attempted to share his story, I gracefully smiled at him. Yet, internally, I was starting to find this situation somewhat bothersome.

My intention in setting up the counseling sessions was not to deal with such matters.

“What I’m about to say is… nothing else.”

Even after saying that much, Raintar hesitated to continue.

“If it’s difficult for you to say, you can tell me next time…”

“Oh, no! I’ll tell you.”

My plans to gracefully exit and leave the next revelation for another day failed.

“Well, you see… in our family, there is an illegitimate child.”

Thinking he would hesitate for a while longer, I reached for the teacup to take a sip, but I froze in place.

What is Raintar saying right now?

“Um, please don’t misunderstand. It’s not my child.”

Raintar urgently added, seeing my shocked expression.

I would have welcomed the news of him having an illegitimate child more than this revelation.

“Well, actually, when my father was young… it seems he had a brief relationship with a woman.”

Whispering urgently, Raintar looked around cautiously.

Only now did I realize that he had chosen the most secluded spot in the tea house.

The reason he invited me to this tea house rather than Wensbury or Croft Mansion also became apparent.

Raintar was wary of someone finding out this information.

I was very surprised, but I calmly accepted Raintar’s words.

“Of course, we considered that possibility. We investigated the woman who contacted us. It turns out my father, in his youth, received care in the countryside due to an injury.”

“Oh my, even the valiant Lord Wensbury went through such an experience.”

Pretending not to know anything, I played along with Raintar’s story.

“Yes. However, during that time, it seems my father had an incident with one of the maids from that area.”

Raintar, seemingly embarrassed to share this story, nervously spoke while wiping away his sweat.

Although I already knew which region he was talking about and the name of the maid, I nodded as if hearing this serious story for the first time.

“Could that woman be lying?”

I voiced my wish.

If Wensbury decided that this story was false, Maria, the woman in question, wouldn’t have any reason to come to the capital.

“Of course, we considered that possibility. However, when we calculated the birth date of the child backward, it perfectly matched the time when my father was receiving care.”

“I see.”

“We also considered the possibility of it being another man’s child, but…”

Raintar’s words trailed off, and he let out a small sigh.

Judging by his tone and sigh, it seemed that Wensbury had already confirmed that she was indeed his daughter.

“You’ve already met her.”

Raintar nodded weakly. At that moment, my throat felt tight.

Maria was here, so close. Breathing the same air in the same city.

“My father intends to adopt the child into the Wensbury family. Despite Mother’s strong opposition, in the end, it will be done according to Father’s wishes.”

“I see.”

“So, that’s why I wanted to meet you today. Although the child, raised in the countryside as a commoner, will now receive an education in Wensbury, she will still lack in many aspects.”

“…”

“It’s a bit late, but she will soon make her debut as a debutante and become part of Wensbury’s society. I’m worried, and that’s why I wanted to meet you—to inform you of this situation beforehand and ask for your help.”

The shock of Maria being so close rendered me speechless. Raintar continued to express his thoughts while I, unable to utter a word, listened to him.

“I see.”

I barely gathered my thoughts and managed to respond. Perhaps interpreting my response as a positive one for his request, Raintar chuckled.

“May I ask one more thing?”

“Of course.”

“The woman… What’s her name?”

Though everything was obvious, I asked with a glimmer of hope.

“Oh, my stepsister’s name is Maria Bellona. Oh, no. From now on, she’ll be Maria Wensbury.”

Raintar chuckled wistfully, and I felt a chill running down my spine.

The story was unfolding just as I had read in novels.

With the end of my throat being cut.

“Smile Love”