I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 24

Chapter 24

An appointed time. A scheduled meeting.

Externally, it was a tender moment between engaged individuals, but in reality, it was a time akin to the monthly gathering of war deities.

Such was the nature of the meetings between Ricardo and me.

It was a time to discuss the impending marriage arrangements for our respective households or to select the social events we must attend, similar to some form of monthly ceremonial gathering.

The time allocated for one another amounted to no more than the initial greeting of ‘Hello’ and the final farewell of ‘Take care,’ much like a routine.

However, today was somewhat different.

As Ricardo, as usual, entered the Croft mansion’s reception room alone, he sat gracefully on the sofa, sipping his tea with his usual poise.

And just as usual, he’d inquire, ‘Is there anything special happening?’

But today, he did not utter those words.

“We will soon formally discuss the marriage between the Croft and the Winkaiser houses.”

His words were different from the usual routine, leaving me perplexed.

I was flustered by the unexpected deviation in pattern and the content of his words.

This development was not favorable. I had yet to inform Maria that Ricardo and I were engaged.

There was no good reason for her to know about my previous engagement or that it involved him. It would be better if she found out much later.

Preferably, after I had received Ricardo’s favor generously, and after our engagement had been broken off.

If she learned about it, it would be too late for her to hold any grudges. Moreover, Ricardo and I would no longer be engaged, so there would be no reason for her to feel burdened or grateful.

“Ricardo.”

Despite the turmoil in my mind about how to persuade him, I calmly called his name.

“I’ve been digging through my oldest memories, and I don’t know if you remember.”

Like an athlete ready to strike, Ricardo began the conversation before I could, saying,

“What memory?”

“I’ve looked back on how our engagement came about.”

While he spoke as if there was an intriguing story behind it, in reality, it was an ordinary tale.

A naive girl pondering her marriage with her dying father and a balance between the power and influence of the two families, leading to a contractual engagement that was more akin to a business transaction than a romantic affair.

“Perhaps it was summer. After finishing sword training with my master and feeling utterly exhausted, I entered my room only to find my mother waiting for me. She spoke with a smile, saying that my marriage partner had finally been decided.”

Ricardo chuckled a bit, somewhat bitter.

“The term ‘finally’ wasn’t quite appropriate. I hadn’t even considered marriage at that time. I was just sixteen.”

Indeed, he was a sixteen-year-old boy dreaming of becoming a knight.

“At that time, you were only ten years old.”

And I was a ten-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a lady.

“There was no intention on my part. You probably felt the same way. Promises made by adults became orders for children, and the agreed terms were for the organic connection of the two families.”

However, there was a difference between us.

The ten-year-old girl dreaming of becoming a lady had secretly harbored feelings for the sixteen-year-old boy dreaming of becoming a knight.

It was just a six-year age difference, but that boy felt much older and cooler to her. So, she liked him.

The boy was unaware of this fact, and he would remain ignorant in the future.

Now, it was a fact that wasn’t particularly important.

“Why are you bringing up that story all of a sudden?”

“Since the engagement itself was arranged without considering our intentions, I wondered if the marriage could proceed similarly, ignoring our preferences.”

“Ricardo.”

“So, I’m considering going ahead with the marriage, slightly disregarding your wishes.”

He was discussing the matter I had brought up earlier about breaking off the engagement. There would be no such thing.

“Such a marriage might be unhappy, don’t you think?”

“Unhappy? Why do you think there’s no love?”

For a moment, I was speechless.

Why do I think there’s no love? Does that mean there is?

As if understanding my hesitation, Ricardo stared at me intently.

It almost seemed like he was waiting for me to ask such a question.

“We’re planning to host a ball next month.”

Pretending to appreciate the color of the tea, I lifted my teacup, avoiding Ricardo’s gaze.

As I redirected the conversation, Ricardo smiled faintly, raising his own teacup.

“I hope you’ve kept some time open to attend.”

“Sure.”

***

“Today, there are… three matters to discuss.”

Seeing the director about to brew tea, I quickly corrected myself.

“Three matters?”

She paused and looked at me.

“First, the first one.”

I gestured to Panya, sitting next to me, and she placed something she had bought from a shop before coming here on the table.

“What is this?”

“It’s my favorite tea. I’ll drink this when I visit here.”

“Ah! I see. I was not thinking of you. To present such a thing to a noble lady.”

The director blushed and discreetly put away the tea she was about to brew.

Quick-witted Panya picked up the tea she brought and walked to where the director was standing, taking over the task of brewing tea.

Still wearing a slightly arrogant expression, I smiled gently while looking at the director, who had seated herself.

“It’s just that I’m a bit picky about tea. And I like that about you.”

As if not understanding what I was saying, the director looked at me.

Her hair, with sparse streaks of gray, and the face of a middle-aged woman without any makeup were far from beautiful.

The clothes she was wearing were neat and clean, but they were outdated, proving that she had worn them for a very long time.

The director’s office was no different.

A sofa that had no idea what cushioning was, a bookshelf with a sagging middle, a teapot with signs of rust, and tea that tastes like boiled water.

Everything was the same.

Despite having paid a considerable amount of money to the orphanage, the office and the director sitting in front of me were just the same as before.

Instead, what has changed is that Lara bragged about eating a stew with plenty of meat, and the children, who used to wear clothes with worn sleeves, knees, and elbows patched, now have new clothes.

“And the second matter is about the urgency of finding out what happened to the teacher we discussed last time.”

“I’m looking into it. There are about three or four people who have contacted me now, so I’ll choose among them.”

“Is it progressing well?”

“Yes. Since we’ve already bought books, school supplies, desks, and chairs for the children, we can start education as soon as we find a good teacher.”

“Good.”

As expected, the director was not being lazy. It was just that I was feeling a bit impatient.

“And the last thing is that I’m planning to host a charity ball.”

“I see.”

Although she nodded, the director’s expression indicated that she didn’t understand why I was telling her this.

“It’s a charity event to help this orphanage.”

“Yes? We’re already grateful for everything you’ve done for us.”

“I know. But I want to help more.”

Finally, Panya brought the tea, and I could look at the headmistress with a more relaxed gaze, enjoying the fragrant aroma of the tea.

“In my opinion, I hope you move.”

“Move?”

“Yes. Build a new building. This place seems a bit old.”

“Can you gather enough money with just one charity ball?”

“Of course, one event won’t be enough. However, the site for the orphanage will be sponsored by Croft, and I will cover the money needed for the building construction.”

When I mentioned that the site and the insufficient funds would be covered by me, the director’s eyes widened.

“The reason I’m here today is to ask you if you’re willing to do that, first of all, and also to ask if I can hold a charity ball in the name of this orphanage.”

I didn’t think she would refuse. Still, I thought it would be appropriate to formally seek her approval since she was the director here. And, of course, to see Lara’s face.

“Of course we’d be grateful,” she said, “the current building is old and expensive to repair, and it would be better for the children to live in a clean, new building. In fact, we have more children than we started with, so we’re running out of room.”

Naturally, the director didn’t refuse. No one would decline the opportunity for a new building for free. Moreover, Ricardo’s words revealed that the orphanage’s situation wasn’t improving much, even with the money.

“Uh… However…”

“Is there a problem?”

“We receive a bit of imperial funding, so we need permission to move if we are to relocate.”

“Then just get it. Won’t it be enough during the building construction?”

“Well… the thing is, the procedures are more complicated than you might think. We considered moving to a slightly larger building before, but we gave up because getting approval wasn’t easy.”

“Why would you need approval to move? It’s an orphanage, right?”

“Because it’s an orphanage, there are complex procedures related to where the money came from, whether the building was legally obtained, and if the children were somehow used to raise funds. Also, since people don’t like orphanage buildings, getting that approval is difficult.”

The director’s voice trailed off slightly. While the children were precious to her, the fact that society frowned upon it seemed to hurt her deeply.

Having met her a few times, I felt that she was genuinely a kind person.

“Alright.”

So, I decided to be more considerate.

“I’ll take care of it.”

“What? How can you…? I mean, I know you’re in a significant position, but it’s not that simple because it requires imperial approval.”

“I know someone.”

Even though it wasn’t someone I particularly wanted to be acquainted with.

“Smile Love”