I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 35

Chapter 35

For once, I was expecting a little bit, and for good reason.

Maria said she liked me better than Ricardo!

After chatting with Maria some more, as soon as she left, I quickly went up to my room.

I opened the book with excitement.

“What the…….”

To my disappointment, the book was the same.

I flipped through the opening pages, and the scene where I died was the same as before.

“No, wait!”

Just as I was about to close the book, something caught my eye.

“Oh, it shouldn’t be. Your mother’s death has…….”

That was all the time Bianca had. The rest of the words had not yet escaped her throat.

And they never would.

Surely the last time I-not me, but the Bianca in the book-hadn’t said those words.

It was the same Maria poisoning me, but with a very slight change in dialog.

The ending hadn’t changed, but it was clear that something in the book had changed, as Maria’s mind turned toward me.

“Other places!”

I quickly flipped a few more pages towards the beginning. Once again, a changed passage caught my eye.

“Others might say that. Gentle, caring Lady Bianca. But that’s not who you truly are. You’re not selfless; you’re selfish and ruthless, a woman who doesn’t hesitate to kill. That’s who you really are.”

“What? What are you talking about?”

“You don’t deserve Ricardo.”

“Me? If I don’t deserve him, then who does? Certainly not you, a commoner, a half-breed noble?”

“So, that’s how you see it?”

In Maria’s eyes, looking at Bianca, there was boiling hatred. There was no need to hide it anymore.

Finally, it was time for revenge.

For the woman who had loved her the most and whom she had loved the most.

“What have I done?”

Suddenly, Maria was crying for her mother, burning for revenge on me.

And why am I, or rather, the Bianca in the book, skillfully changing the story every time this part comes up?

“Ask your mother why she seeks revenge against me! Say something and die so I can at least find out! Why do you mumble decisive words only to die in silence?”

“There must be some hint!”

With fervent hope, I hurriedly flipped through the pages once again.

Somewhere there had to be something changed, something different…

“There!”

“What, what is it?”

Maria’s expression turned pale as she heard the story.

“No, this can’t be…”

From Maria’s blocked mouth came a cry akin to a scream.

It was a desperate betrayal.

She believed so much, believed in the person she trusted the most!

Maria, with her powerless legs, staggered and ended up sitting on the floor.

In Maria’s powerless body, there was something burning fiercely – it was the flames of revenge.

“An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

Where was the clock of destiny leading her?

“Where do you think you’re going?”

I erupted in frustration at the absurdity of this strange and never-ending story.

The book was too unkind.

It seemed to suggest it couldn’t tell me decisive things and kept the crucial details hidden, only revealing faint shadows.

“Stupid! You also don’t know!”

I tried to throw the book into the fireplace to turn it into kindling, but my hands trembled so much that I couldn’t.

Even if I threw it into the fire, it probably wouldn’t burn, but right now, I just wanted to change my destiny by somehow consulting this book.

“Okay.”

I don’t know what was okay, but I said it to calm myself.

“Let’s examine it quietly.”

I calmly placed the book back down.

Maria killed me to take Ricardo away before.

But now Maria had confessed to me that she liked me more than Ricardo.

And then, the story changed. Maria was now killing me because I had killed her mother.

But the following situation was the same. I died, Maria lived, and she got Ricardo.

Damn it.

“Now, let’s find Maria’s mother…”

Although I had a hand in her hospitalization, I hadn’t met her yet.

And yet, I killed her? Someone I had never even seen?

That couldn’t be true.

Whether I saw her or not, it didn’t matter.

I was not a killer.

Therefore, everything was Maria’s misunderstanding. It was like a line I muttered as I was dying.

“What about Maria’s mother?”

I was about to rush to the hospital to meet her, but I stopped dead in my tracks.

This time, the reason I died was because of Maria’s misunderstanding.

Maria might have misunderstood me unless she suddenly gained trust. There could be some reason for her to misunderstand.

So, going to meet Maria’s mother might sow the seeds of that misunderstanding?

“Hmm…”

I sat back down slowly instead of leaving the room in a hurry.

Two paths lay before me.

I couldn’t know which path was the right one.

No, I couldn’t even be sure if there was a right path.

***

Ding.

As I opened the door, a clear chime echoed. Looking around the cafe, I saw Raintar sitting at an inner table, raising his hand.

He stood up quickly with a slight smile as I approached.

“Good afternoon, Raintar.”

“Indeed, it’s a very good afternoon with Lady Bianca.”

He smiled and pulled out a chair for me. Once seated, he quickly returned to his own chair, sitting across from me.

As we sat facing each other, today’s Raintar seemed a bit more animated. It was a slightly different appearance from usual.

The Raintar I knew was usually somewhat suppressed due to his overly accomplished father. Moreover, with someone like Ricardo around, he even got overshadowed. If he had stood alone with confidence, he might have received a better evaluation. However, being surrounded by shining figures, Raintar was undervalued.

“Mr. Bianca, you honored me by seeing me first.”

“Is it really an honor?”

I smiled lightly, and Raintar also smiled slightly.

His pulled-up corners of the mouth, which he couldn’t hide, resembled Maria. I hadn’t noticed it before, but maybe people in Wensbury weren’t familiar with such shy smiles.

Could it be that the young Lord Wensbury also won Maria’s mother with such a shy smile in his younger days? Certainly, that smile was attractive.

“I have asked to see you today, Lord Wensbury, because I wanted to ask you a few questions about Maria’s mother.”

“Ah… Her.”

Seeming a bit taken aback as if he didn’t expect me to bring up this topic, Raintar hesitated for a moment. However, he quickly regained his sociable courtesy, flashing a very gentle and comfortable smile.

“I have heard about it from Maria. You introduced her to a very good doctor, and she moved to that hospital. Thank you so much for taking care of her even there.”

“Yes. Since I introduced her, I’m a bit curious about how she’s doing, but I thought Maria might not tell me honestly.”

Before he could ask why I was asking instead of Maria, I took the lead.

“If Lady Maria tells me that there’s something uncomfortable or not right, I thought she might not tell you directly, so I bothered Lord Wensbury like this.”

“Oh, no. It’s not a bother at all.”

“Do you happen to have any stories you’ve heard from Lady Maria?”

“I heard that Maria’s mother is doing very well in the hospital. I also heard that she’s made some progress recently.”

“Oh, that’s great!”

I was genuinely happy to hear that she was in remission.

At least, Maria’s mother didn’t die because of any problems at the hospital I introduced. It eliminated one possibility.

“Do Lady Maria or her mother have any friends in the capital? It must be lonely for her mother to be alone at the hospital.”

“I heard from Maria that she’s a native of Ancini. She said she hadn’t been anywhere else before she came to the capital, so she probably doesn’t have any friends.”

“Oh, well, she must be lonely then.”

“Maria visits her every day. Since the hospital is right next to the monastery, it seems Lady Maria goes there often to attend the service. She says it’s good for exercise too.”

“Have you ever been there yourself, Mr. Wensbury?”

“My father seems to have gone a couple of times, but I haven’t. I haven’t been there… it might be uncomfortable.”

“Ah, I may have said something inappropriate.”

“No, it’s not that. It’s just…”

Raintar hesitated for a moment, then, as our eyes met, he seemed to make up his mind and spoke.

“Love, in my opinion, is something that doesn’t change.”

Raintar spoke with great seriousness, solemnity, and firmness.

“I also believe it’s impossible to embrace someone else in your heart while holding someone else in your arms!”

Raintar’s voice was almost like a speech or an oration.

The problem was that, as an audience, I had absolutely no curiosity about Raintar’s philosophy of love.

“I see.”

“Yes. So, if I ever get married or engaged, I will only hold that person in my heart and dedicate my body to that person alone.”

“I see. Lord Wensbury, you seem to be quite the romantic.”

“Yes, I suppose.”

Blushing slightly, Raintar said.

Somehow, that sight also reminded me of Maria. Could it be that blood doesn’t lie?

“If I get married, there won’t be any problems with women.”

“Future Lady of Wensbury will be happy.”

I wanted to quickly move on from Raintar’s love story and return to the story of Maria’s mother, even though I wasn’t particularly interested in that either. Once we went through the story of Lord Wensbury and his love, I could smoothly transition to Maria’s mother’s story.

“Envious, aren’t you?”

To quickly move on from the love story and return to Maria’s mother’s story, I casually replied.

“Enviable.”

When I lifted my head at Raitar’s exclamation, I finally saw that his face wasn’t just slightly flushed; it was completely red.

And Raintar was staring at me as if he had made some firm decision.

No way…?

“Smile Love”