I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 17

Chapter 17

“Ricardo, it’s candy!”

Nicole, always taking care of Lara like an adult, had a slightly excited expression as she nudged Ricardo.

“Wow, candy!”

Lara, following Nicole’s lead, sparkled her eyes and looked at Ricardo.

Not only Nicole and Lara, but other kids as well, had affectionate expressions as they heard the word ‘candy.’

“Alright, I’ll buy some.”

With Ricardo’s willing words, the children cheered.

In the rush of everyone gathering, I was pushed along and ended up in front of the candy stand too.

“It must be delicious!”

Swallowing saliva, Nicole said.

I glanced at the variety in front of me, but I couldn’t understand what could be delicious.

The shapes were rough, the colors seemed overly vibrant, and somehow, it looked like it would be excessively sweet.

However, the children eagerly admired the candies, finding joy in them.

“Did you pick one?”

“I chose strawberries!”

As if the answer had been predetermined, Nicole picked a fist-sized red stick candy.

“I picked this one.”

Another boy chose a stick candy shaped like a sword. Each child picked a candy, and the shop owner was happily occupied calculating the candies the kids chose.

“Lara, you should pick only one candy, okay?”

Looking at Lara upon Ricardo’s words, the child held a candy in each small hand.

“If you eat both, Lara, all your teeth might rot.”

“But I like both…”

Lara mumbled with a pout on her face.

Her already chubby cheeks puffed up even more sadly.

The sight was so cute that I almost blurted out, “I’ll just buy the entire store for Lara!” But it wasn’t for her.

“Lara, life is a series of choices. You’re still young, but wouldn’t it be good to start learning how to make the best choices considering the opportunity cost?”

Lara seemed moved by my words, slightly opening her mouth and staring blankly.

“Princess.”

“Speak.”

“Princess, you speak foreign languages well. Wow, it’s cool!”

Lara’s eyes were sparkling.

I had no idea what foreign language I supposedly spoke.

“I think your word choice was a little difficult for a five-year-old.”

Ricardo quietly remarked from the side.

“Is it?”

“Because she can’t write yet?”

As expected, the issue was the writing. I felt the urgency to immediately press the director at the orphanage to find a teacher for the children’s education when we returned today.

“Will you pick one, too?”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

Ricardo smiled slyly as he spoke.

In response, I looked at the candies laid out on the stand.

He wants me to eat this inferior food to me, the Lady of the House Croft?

Usually, the desserts I ate were crafted by the highly skilled Croft’s exclusive pâtissiers or were the finest products purchased from the most prestigious stores.

And now, you want me to eat something from the market?

I gave him a look as if asking, “Are you serious?” He responded with a slight shrug of his shoulders, seemingly saying, “How about trying it?”

“Tastes great!”

“Sweet! Candy is the best!”

While I was hesitating to politely refuse Ricardo’s suggestion, the children had already started eating the candies, praising them.

This… is tasty?

“Take a sip!”

With her mouth full of candy, Lara mumbled while drooling.

To be honest, it was a bit strange.

“Ah, how about this?”

Ricardo was about to reach out towards the candy stand.

“Thief!”

A sharp woman’s voice mixed with a shrill scream echoed suddenly.

The abrupt sound made everyone around look anxious.

Even the children turned their heads towards the direction of the noise.

“Get out of the way!”

Pushing through the crowd, a man came running from that direction.

“Yikes!”

“Nicole!”

The man forcefully shoved Nicole, who was standing at the front, and she nearly fell towards the candy stand.

If Ricardo hadn’t quickly caught her, she might have fallen.

“Thief! Can someone catch the thief?”

The pitiful voice of the woman resonated from a distance.

“Bianca, take care of the children!”

Ricardo, holding Nicole upright, shouted loudly and began making his way through the crowd.

“Ricardo!”

The moment he rushed to catch the thief, I realized something.

The owner of the voice that asked for help catching the thief was none other than Maria.

Now Ricardo would catch the thief, and he would finally meet the love of his life, Maria.

“Wait, wait!”

I had to stop him.

I needed to prevent him from catching the thief.

Hastily, I followed Ricardo to somehow intervene in their first encounter.

“Ugh.”

“Lara!”

Perhaps due to the commotion of the people, Lara suddenly stumbled forward.

Swiftly, I picked up the child and checked her for any injuries. Thankfully, she seemed unharmed.

“Are you okay?”

“You’re not bleeding?”

Lara asked, pursing her lips.

“It’s okay. No blood.”

I reassured Lara with a smile.

“Nicole, I’ll leave Lara to you.”

Quickly handing Lara over to Nicole, I kept my eyes on the direction where Ricardo had gone.

“Peter, take care of the children. Don’t go anywhere; stay here.”

After entrusting Peter, the oldest of the children, I jumped into the crowd.

Bumping into unknown people, getting scolded, and even hearing curses, I ran towards where Ricardo disappeared.

“Haa… haa…”

When my labored breaths reached my chin, I finally found Ricardo.

“I’ll give it back! I’ll give it back!”

He had the pickpocket pinned to the ground, twisting his hand behind his back.

The pickpocket was pleading for mercy, his face pressed against the ground, seemingly in agonizing pain from Ricardo’s relentless grip.

Quickly surveying the surroundings, there was no sign of the woman who appeared to be Maria.

Fortunately.

“Ricar…”

I quickly called out to him, intending to disappear with him from here.

“You bastard!”

However, a determined voice behind me accompanied the appearance of a woman.

“What kind of money is that?”

Her red hair was disheveled.

“It’s my mother’s hospital bills!”

Slightly tearful green eyes.

“Really, thank you so much.”

The woman, wearing a relieved and grateful expression, smiled at Ricardo.

At a glance, I recognized her.

Maria.

The female protagonist of the book.

The woman with whom Ricardo falls in love.

“Is this yours, miss?”

Ricardo held up the pouch he had taken back from the pickpocket, asking Maria.

“Yes, it’s mine. Thank you for finding it.”

Maria extended her hand again, radiating another bright smile.

“And the proof?”

Looking at Ricardo, I quietly murmured a scene and lines I had seen several times and unintentionally memorized.

“Proof?”

Ricardo, without any intention of returning the pouch to Maria, stared at her intently and asked again.

Just like the book.

Now Maria is likely to get upset.

“What? Are you accusing me of lying, saying this is mine when it’s not? I may have lived in poverty, but I’m not that kind of person!”

“I just want to make sure this pouch really belongs to the lady. I caught the pickpocket for a reason, and I don’t want to give it to the wrong person.”

“You’re right. If someone else pretended to be me and took this, I would have been really mad. That’s really important money to me.”

“So, evidence?”

“There should be my name embroidered on the pouch. My mom did it for me.”

“Oh? Then what’s the lady’s name?”

“Maria. My name is Maria.”

“Maria….”

As if etching that name into his mind, Ricardo called her.

I knew what would happen next.

Maria would ask for Ricardo’s name. She would express her desire to repay him for catching the pickpocket.

Ricardo would initially refuse, but eventually, swayed by her persistence, he raised his hand, and they would go together to have juice.

And gradually, Ricardo would fall for Maria.

That’s how they would fall in love with each other.

“Ricardo….”

I could do nothing.

In front of so many people, I could only watch the future lovers staring at each other.

No matter how I tried to intervene, wouldn’t they inevitably meet the people they were supposed to meet?

Was everything predetermined to happen this way?

If so, Ricardo, would you, too, fall in love with the woman standing before you?

And eventually, would you thrust your sword into my throat?

“Your name, please?”

“My name?”

“Yes. You’re like my savior, so I should at least know your name.”

As if eager to know, Maria smiled and asked Ricardo again for his name.

“My name is…”

The moment Ricardo was about to tell Maria his name, our eyes met. In an instant, Ricardo’s eyes widened.

“Bianca?”

Looking at Ricardo’s expression, I finally realized.

I was crying.

In front of so many people, I was shedding tears.

I felt ashamed, not realizing that I was crying in front of everyone.

I didn’t want to see them anymore.

Neither Ricardo nor Maria.

Nor myself.

“Bianca?”

Even though Ricardo called me from behind, I turned away.

And just like when I ran here, I started running again, pushing through the crowd.

As always, with anything, the first time was difficult. The second time was easier.

Pushing some people aside and colliding with others, I ran.

I wanted to escape.

But could I really escape?

What is the fate of a miserable villain?

“Smile Love”