I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 34

Chapter 34

The days after the charity ball and Maria’s debutante event continued like stormy preludes, seemingly tranquil on the surface, like sailing a sailboat on a calm seaside.

Outwardly, I, too, might have appeared calm, organizing the checks from the charity event, writing thank-you letters to the donors, and looking into hiring an architect and construction contractor. But, in reality, impatience was gradually gnawing at me.

I felt uneasy because I couldn’t decipher the strange expression on Maria’s face during our last encounter. Was resentment growing inside her? Did she think I deceived her? Had she already forgotten all the things I had done for her?

“Hah…”

Along with a sigh, I tried to express my concerns about Maria, but it wasn’t working. Briefly forgetting my worries about Maria led to new anxieties surfacing in my mind.

“Ricardo…”

Even though I knew I had to talk to him, and it was the right thing to do, Ricardo’s last image lingered in my mind. He looked hurt, as if betrayed when I concluded that we didn’t love each other without first assuring myself of his love.

“Hah…”

Like a habit, I exhaled. Then, I opened a drawer. It contained things that were meaningful to me – a few letters, a box with dried flower petals I received as a child, and a seemingly insignificant but sentimental red candy.

“I will throw it away.”

Even though there was no one to hear, I muttered like an excuse.

“I’ll throw it away a little later.”

When that little later would come was uncertain.

Knock, knock.

Suddenly, a knock echoed, and I hastily closed the drawer. Upon entering, Panya casually glanced at a painting hanging on the wall as if wondering when it was put up.

“Why?”

“A guest has arrived.”

“A guest?”

There weren’t any scheduled guests today, so I asked in surprise.

“Yes. Lady Wensbury, who had her debutante event at the mansion last time, has come.”

Lady Wensbury, there was only one, and even without Panya’s explanation, I knew it was Maria.

However, I was a bit surprised and embarrassed by my murmuring.

I thought it was a stormy prelude, but it was right at the doorstep.”

Perhaps it wasn’t a storm but rather a surprise attack. To come without any notice was unexpected.

“Is she in the reception room?”

“Yes, miss.”

“I’ll get ready and come down. Also, bring some refreshments to the reception room.”

“Yes, miss.”

After Panya left, I realized that what I prepared was mental preparation. In the pitch-black view behind closed eyes, a stormy tempest surged, pushing me with fierce winds and covering me with angry waves. But I would not collapse; I would endure.

“Have you been waiting long?”

“…No.”

As I sat in front of Maria, trying to engage in conversation as if nothing had happened, she responded a beat late. Maria’s expression seemed both without any issues and as if there was something going on, making me slightly tense.

“I came to return what I borrowed before.”

Maria turned her body, rustled for a moment, and pulled out a familiar jewelry box. It contained the emerald earrings, necklace, and ring set that I lent her for her debutante event.

“You could have sent someone; Lady Maria, you came personally.”

“Yes, I have something to tell you.”

Seeing that she came all the way here in person, I sensed there must be something to say. Maria nodded as if waiting for this conversation.

“Bianca.”

Addressing me by my name, Maria’s expression held a hint of tension. Hearing my name from her mouth, I, too, felt a slight tension.

I still couldn’t read Maria’s expression.

In her slightly open mouth, I was a bit nervous about what words would come out.

Yes, the great Bianca Croft was feeling a bit nervous.

What did the book say again?

“Break up with Ricardo. You don’t deserve to have him.”

It definitely said something like that. What will she say, I wondered, as I felt a bit scared hearing my name from Maria’s slightly open mouth.

Was Maria determined to take Ricardo away from me, as the book suggested? Is that why she came here to declare war?

As she began to speak, I couldn’t read Maria’s expression. It wasn’t the usual gentle smile or shy expression. Her expression was slightly rigid, and her eyes seemed resolute.

“Ricardo and…”

Ricardo’s name flowed from Maria’s red lips.

The moment I heard that, my heart started beating rapidly. The hand I had placed on my knee began to tremble involuntarily, and I clenched my fist.

Is it finally happening?

As it was, Maria would inflame her enmity against me, and I would…….

“Congratulations on your engagement.”

Congratulations…? Huh?

“Phew, did I pronounce that right?”

Maria let out a small sigh, and her shoulders seemed to relax slightly, as if the tension had lifted.

“I assumed there was a bit of Southern dialect in my accent, and I’ve been receiving pronunciation corrections from the tutor. When the teacher heard my pronunciation of ‘engagement,’ they said they had no idea what I was saying.”

After uttering a small monologue, Maria gracefully sipped her tea, appearing as if she had just finished a long speech.

While I was pretending to savor my tea, considering whether this could be a trap, Maria drank hers as if mine had gone cold. If I hadn’t taken a moment to sip the tea, Maria’s cup would have probably been empty by now.

“At first, I was quite bewildered. Lady Bianca, you didn’t inform me of such an important matter. And I was a bit disappointed.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But after thinking about it when I got home, Lady Bianca, your words were correct.”

Sipping her tea with a somewhat embarrassed confession, Maria’s hand played with the teacup.

“When I returned home, I couldn’t help feeling awkward. I hadn’t considered that Lord Ricardo, or rather, the Winkaiser, might have someone. Despite hearing it from my etiquette teacher, I never really thought about it.”

As I nodded slightly, Maria continued.

“As you say,Lady Bianca, I never wondered about it, and if I had known that he had a fiancée, I wouldn’t have accepted an escort because it would have been rude to his lady.”

Maria, who I thought would declare her intention to steal someone else’s fiancé, was now stating the opposite: if someone else had a fiancé, she wouldn’t even accept an escort.

It was a sensible statement, but as someone who knew the plot, I found this situation oddly nonsensical.

“I’m satisfied with the fact that I was escorted by him, and that I had my first dance with him. I wouldn’t have had that luck if Bianca hadn’t taken care of me.”

“Are you truly satisfied with just that?”

“Yes. It feels like it will be a very fond memory.”

Maria nodded as if genuinely content. Then, with a shy and somewhat sentimental smile, she continued.

It was as if she was a teenage girl who had finally realized that her first love would never come true.

“Is that why you did it? To create such memories for me? To see if I was interested in Lord Ricardo.”

It was a half-true story and a half-false one.

“Usually, showing interest in one’s fiancé might make them uncomfortable, but Lady Bianca, you didn’t show any such inclination. Instead, you even asked Lord Ricardo for my escort, and I am truly grateful for that.”

“You don’t resent me, do you?”

“Resent?”

As if the word itself were unexpected, Maria widened her eyes and looked at me.

“If it weren’t for me, Maria and Lord Ricardo wouldn’t…”

“Oh my, Lady Bianca!”

I was still unable to completely abandon my suspicion, and I tried to gauge Maria’s reaction subtly.

But before I could finish my sentence, Maria, with a raised voice, interrupted me.

“Don’t say such things! You two are such a good match!”

The one who ended up being speechless was me.

Even though I had heard this sentiment from countless people over the past decade, I never imagined I would hear such words from Maria.

“And if I must say, I find you, Bianca, a little bit more precious.”

What?

I never could have imagined hearing such words.

“You find me… more precious?”

For a moment, I stumbled over my words.

“Yes. Of course, Lord Ricardo is handsome and a remarkable person, but…”

Maria touched her teacup and glanced at my face.

“Through this incident, I’ve come to realize even more that you, Lady Bianca, are truly generous and overflowing with consideration for others.”

Having said that, she blushed shyly.

It was a familiar expression, one that I had seen many times before. Specifically, when Maria talked about Ricardo.

“I prefer you over Lord Ricardo.”

Although spoken with a shy expression, Maria’s words were firm.

Perhaps, as confident as she was, she might even declare that she would storm into the Winkaiser Manor and steal Ricardo as her fiancé.

“Smile Love”