I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 27

Chapter 27

We are sitting in the cool shade of a tree.

Although we could have gone into the director’s office to drink the tea I brought, choosing the outdoors might have been instinctual. The story I am about to bring up could potentially touch Ricardo’s emotions or annoy him.

“Lara and you always seem to get along well,”

Ricardo said, looking at Lara playing with dolls in the distance.

“No one dislikes a cute child,” I replied.

“Did you come all this way to find me on purpose?”

“Yes.”

“Well, if you’re here to bring up the breakup again because of the letter I sent to Croft, I think I’d better go and watch the kids.”

“If it’s about that topic,” Ricardo said, as if to cut him off in advance.

Of course, there was plenty I wanted to talk to him about.

If only we could talk about it.

I’ve known Ricardo for 10 years, and I know he’s a man of few words, a man who doesn’t bullshit.

He’s a man of his word.

So there was no point in repeating myself.

“No, I’m talking about something else.”

“All right. What is it?” Ricardo asked, setting his water down and looking at me intently.

“Do you remember when I told you about the charity ball I’m organizing next month?” I began.

“Yes, I remember, and I’ve cleared my schedule for it,” Ricardo replied.

“In fact, that ball is a charity event for this orphanage. We’re planning to move to a new building, and we’re raising funds for the construction.”

“I heard that from the director.”

“Also, we plan to have a debutante at the ball.”

“That’s fine, but what’s your request?”

“Well, there’s a girl in the orphanage who dreams of debuting at the ball. It’s her dream to perform at the event, and she has been working hard towards it.”

“What kind of dream is that?”

“Her dream is to become a professional singer, to sing and bring joy to many people.”

“A professional singer?”

“Yes.”

“Isn’t that a bit… unreasonable?”

“It may seem so, but she can earn enough to live independently with her singing. Besides, if she succeeds, the proceeds from the ball will increase.”

“Do you know what songs she sings?”

“No. I don’t. However, the girl enjoys making sounds, and she seems happiest when singing. That’s why I thought if it happens, she could have a chance to perform at the ball.”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Really?”

“However, what is your request to me?”

Ricardo stared at me intensely, and his eyes held a strange light as if he saw something unfamiliar.

“Well, last time I mentioned selecting a debutante at the ball. I was wondering if Ricardo could teach the chosen girl a song or two?”

Ricardo continued to gaze at me with a piercing look.

“Teach her to sing?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t know how skilled she is, but I’m not sure if my teaching can improve her abilities.”

“Well, at least you could teach her the basics. And just having your guidance could be a significant help to her.”

“Did you talk to the girl about this?”

“No, not yet. I haven’t told her. I wanted to discuss it with you first.”

Ricardo continued to look at me, his gaze penetrating and contemplative.

“Well, tell me what you think,” I said, awaiting his response.

“To teach her a song,” Ricardo said thoughtfully. “I don’t mind, but I’m not sure if it will be of any use.”

“Thank you, Ricardo. Your assistance means a lot,” I expressed my gratitude.

We continued our conversation, discussing the details of the charity ball and the potential debutante’s singing lessons.

“Have you heard about the story of Wensbury?”

“What happened there?”

As nonchalant as Ricardo could be about social matters, he seemed to know nothing.

“They say that Lord Wensbury has an illegitimate child.”

“Lord Wensbury?”

Ricardo responded as if genuinely surprised.

He was renowned as an amiable person who loved people, but there was never a mention of him as a womanizer. In his younger days, he had dedicated himself solely to swordsmanship, earning the title of the Empire’s top swordsman.

In a way, it resembled Ricardo. In his youth, he showed no interest in anything other than swordsmanship. Only after putting down the sword did Wensbury turn his attention to other pursuits, particularly interactions with people.

Given this, Ricardo’s unexpected reaction to the news of Lord Wensbury having an illegitimate child was not entirely unreasonable.

“Not long ago, Lord Wensbury found out about this fact and brought the child to the capital. He plans to formally adopt the child and incorporate them into the Wensbury family.”

“I see.”

Ricardo nodded after hearing my explanation. While initially surprised by the revelation of Lord Wensbury having an illegitimate child, he quickly accepted the information.

“Of course, Lady Wensbury seems reluctant to welcome the illegitimate child. Therefore, she has no intention of debuting the child in society. Lord Raintar asked me to look after the child,” I continued.

“Lord Raintar?”

Seeing Ricardo lose interest in the story about illegitimate children and high society, his face suddenly became stern, and he looked at me with a frown.

Did he have a bad relationship with Raintar?

As the first and second commanders of the knights, Ricardo and Raintar could appear as rivals at first glance. Similar in age and both becoming commanders at a young age, it might seem that way.

However, upon closer examination, that wasn’t the case at all.

Ricardo’s overwhelming skills made it nearly impossible to find a rival within the Empire.

Currently, there is no one in the Empire who could compete with Ricardo, not even the young Lord Wensbury, the Second Commander of the knights and son of the former Empire’s top swordsman, Lord Wensbury. It was said that Ricardo’s father had been a worthy rival to him during the peak of his skills.

Naturally, Lord Wensbury couldn’t turn back time, and that meant there was no one within the Empire who could match Ricardo’s skills.

So, for Ricardo to feel any sense of rivalry towards the less capable Lord Wensbury would be unlikely. Yet, Ricardo’s expression turned oddly sharp when Wensbury’s name came up.

“What did he say?”

“He awkwardly entrusted his step-sister to me, saying he appreciates my support.”

“And?”

“And what?”

“Was there anything else?”

“Nothing else.”

“….”

Once he heard that there was no more information, Ricardo’s gaze seemed to lose a bit of its sharpness.

“The reason I brought up Lord Wensbury’s story, as you may have guessed, is because the debutante I plan to introduce at my charity ball is none other than Lord Wensbury’s step-sister.”

After concluding Maria’s story, I paused for a moment. The real reason for my visit began here.

“And what I’d like to ask you is if you would be the escort for this young lady’s debutante at the ball.”

“Is that your request?”

With a furrowed brow, Ricardo spoke.

From his expression alone, it was clear he wouldn’t easily agree to my request.

“Why should I do that?”

Of course.

“I am your fiancée, after all. Is it not impertinent to ask another lady’s escort from your fiancée?”

Ricardo’s expression twisted as if I had suggested something terribly rude.

While it wasn’t exactly pleasant for someone with a fiancé to ask for or offer an escort to someone of the opposite sex, the circumstances were different now. I was the one making the request, and I didn’t feel at all uneasy about it.

“Why does it have to be me?”

As expected.

“I’m your fiancée. It’s a debutante ball organized by me, and I want it to be perfect. But there’s no other man I know well enough, and entering with her father or step-brother would seem somewhat lacking.”

“Why me of all people?”

I already knew Ricardo would ask this.

“Because you are the most perfect man I know.”

So, I responded with the prepared answer. He may have smiled as if thinking you would say that, but Ricardo’s expression remained stern.

“Why do you care so much about that woman? Is it because of Lord Wensbury’s request?”

“That’s part of it, but after hearing her story, I felt the desire to help.”

“You want to help her?”

“I met her first, and she’s a very kind and beautiful person. Her heart is pure.”

With a sprinkle of sweet compliments, I finally extended Maria’s story to Ricardo.

“Actually, she would have preferred a peaceful life in the countryside, but she chose to be adopted by Wensbury to help pay for her sick mother’s medical bills.”

“Where is her mother sick?”

“She got sick after struggling as a single mother to raise her daughter. She contracted an illness due to the hardships.”

Without needing a long explanation, Ricardo nodded slightly as if he understood.

“So, I wanted to arrange a splendid debutante for her. It’s already a challenging position for an adopted child, and if her debutante were lackluster as well, it would be difficult for her to establish herself in the Sprendo social circles.”

“You’re putting a lot of effort into this.”

“As you know, social circles are ruthless. It’s like a place where cunning cats lurk, waiting to pounce at the slightest vulnerability. If you throw a helpless lamb into that place, all that will remain is bones.”

“Is that so?”

“Smiles in the front, but whispers behind. Make a single mistake, and rumors start following you like a tail. The longer the tail, the easier it is for others to trample you.”

“Were balls and social events really like that?”

The knight, who had never thought about his reputation, grinned mischievously.

Indeed, Ricardo was indifferent to such matters. That’s why he relied on me to cover the trends and connections in the Sprendo’s social circles.

The efforts I made combined with my exceptional talent earned me the title of the Flower of Sprendo High Society.

“A pitiful lamb left in such a place would be too pitiful, don’t you think? That’s why I want to help.”

One recent discovery about Ricardo was that he was more sensitive and compassionate than expected.

I meticulously explained Maria’s situation, hoping that Ricardo would find her pitiable and accept the escort.

“Did you feel the same?”

Hoping for an affirmative response, I looked at him, but what came out of his mouth was unexpected.

“You? Did you feel like a helpless lamb in your childhood?”

In the past ten years, someone who was always by my side at important social events suddenly asked me that question.

This moment made it clear that the man who held my hand and escorted me during my childhood had no interest in me whatsoever.

“Were you ever a frightened lamb? Were there times when social circles scared you?”

“No.”

Ricardo asking that question as if he knew nothing was cruel.

I never had a childhood where I felt scared and fearful like a lamb.

While the book portrayed me as Ricardo’s first love, that love was completed only after my death.

It was a poignant first love because I died, and an eternal love that could never be fulfilled because I died.

But I didn’t want a love that was completed through death.

“Because I was a lioness who fought against them and emerged victorious. A surviving and young lioness, if you will.”

“Smile Love”