I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 39

Chapter 39

The scent of sweat, reminiscent of a breeze I had once smelled, tickled my nose. The awkwardly positioned arms enveloping my shoulders were firm, and through Ricardo’s loose shirt, I could feel a faint warmth.

In the momentary event that unfolded, I heard the sound of my surprised heart pounding. Or perhaps it was the sound of the thudding heart emanating from Ricardo’s chest, as if my ears were pressed against it.

Maybe it was both.

“Bianca, you may say this isn’t love.”

A low voice penetrated my ears.

“Whether this feeling is love or not, I have no intention of sending you to another man.”

The usually composed and cold voice of Ricardo now carried an unprecedented tenderness.

His syrupy voice penetrated my earlobe, dripped down from my ear, and I felt my heart race again.

It was appropriate to feel upset as my plans were being distorted.

I should be happy that Ricardo’s mouth was talking about giving me a clean break.

However, his words of not letting me go made my heart pound.

With my nose buried in his shirt, smelling the tangy scent of sweat, feeling his lukewarm body temperature, and silently listening to his heartbeat, I closed my eyes.

Just like this, I wished time could stop.

No books, no fate, no death—just this eternal moment.

***

“Phew….”

Even standing in front of the hospital’s door, I couldn’t be certain if this was the right choice.

I could turn back now. It might be safer to not even see Maria’s mother.

But after much deliberation, what I ultimately chose was to find her.

To understand the secret behind her death, why Maria misunderstood, I had to meet Maria’s mother in person.

And one more thing, if possible, I wished she hadn’t died.

There was no mention of Maria’s mother in the first version of the book. It only appeared after the story changed to the current second version.

Perhaps, if the book’s content changed, Maria’s mother might not have died.

“There are no villains who save people, right?”

Speaking lightly, I stepped into the hospital.

“Bianca, welcome!”

As if expecting me, or rather, she must have been waiting for me.

The one welcoming me with a bright smile was the hospital director.

“I was surprised by your sudden visit.”

“I’m not sure if my sudden visit has caused any inconvenience to your work.”

Croft sponsors it, and the family’s personal physician is also a doctor in this hospital. However, it was my first time visiting.

“I didn’t mean it in that way. Rather, it’s an honor for me that you came here in person.”

As the second son of the non-titled Marquis, he wasn’t well-versed in proper etiquette or flattery, but he seemed to be a person who understood both.

“The reason I’m here is because of a patient I’ve entrusted to your care.”

In truth, it wasn’t because I saw the hospital director, but rather because there was a distinctive doctor here specialized in pulmonary diseases. The person I was hearing now was not that doctor.

“Oh! Yes. I remember you recommended her. Megi Bellona.”

To emphasize her precise memory and my recommendation, the hospital director pronounced Maria’s mother’s name accurately.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

In truth, all I knew about Megi was her name and that her daughter was Maria.

But I nodded with a smiling face, as if I knew her well.

“Is the condition getting better?”

“Yes, it’s gradually improving. According to the attending physician, she probably developed respiratory problems from working in a mine, and the strenuous labor aggravated it further.”

Although this was the story I heard from Raintar, hearing it confirmed by the hospital director gave me more confidence.

It seemed like the notion that Maria blamed me for her lung disease due to medical malpractice could be definitely erased.

“How long will it take for her lungs to fully recover?”

“A complete recovery is impossible.”

“But you mentioned that there was progress?”

“Restoring a damaged organ to its previous healthy state is impossible. Moreover, the patient, Ms. Megi, is already in middle age. Recovery might be slower than in a younger person.”

The hospital director started explaining as if he had given similar explanations many times before.

“Although it’s difficult to return to a completely healthy state, the goal is to make her as healthy as possible in her current condition. It’s important to maintain that health since we cannot turn back time lost.”

Suddenly, sympathy for Maria’s mother welled up from his words.

Her health was not something lost.

She willingly sacrificed it for the sake of her beloved daughter.

Perhaps, it was raising her daughter by dedicating something close to her own life.

That was the essence of a great mother’s love—to sacrifice one’s life for the sake of a child.

Thinking that love was indeed such a thing, I looked at the hospital director.

“Maybe with a bit more treatment, she will be able to leave the hospital soon. She needs to be cautious and take care of herself as she did during the hospitalization.”

“May I meet the patient? Is visitation allowed?”

“Of course.”

The hospital director nodded and stood up.

“This way.”

“I’ll go in alone.”

After the hospital director guided me and was about to open the door, I stopped him.

“Oh, is that so?”

Respecting my desire to have a private conversation with Megi, he willingly withdrew the hand he had reached out to open the door.

“Well, I hope you have a good conversation.”

I sent a smile to the hospital director, who slightly bowed in return.

After preparing myself a little, I grabbed the door handle to Megi’s room.

As I opened the door, an unexpected scene unfolded.

For someone like me who had never been admitted to a hospital or visited a room, I had vague expectations that it might be dreary.

After all, it was a place where sick people were.

But her hospital room felt very warm and cozy.

Bright sunlight was streaming in through the window, and beyond that, green trees created a refreshing landscape.

The hospital room, which I thought would have the smell of disinfectant, emitted a familiar and friendly scent, as if I had smelled it somewhere before. Most importantly, sitting on the bed and knitting was Megi. She had a gentle smile on her face, working on something with red yarn.

From her spot in the middle of the room, a warm and cozy atmosphere emanated.

“I see you’re not a nurse or doctor, at least not yet, which is a good thing, because that means it’s not time for my medicine.”

Putting down her knitting, Megi looked at me with a bright smile.

It was a comfortable and mild smile.

“… Yes. I’m not a nurse or a doctor. My name is Bianca Croft.”

But she was the biological mother of Maria, the Marquise, and I wanted to be on good terms with her, so I chose a more noble approach. Moreover, I wasn’t exactly friends with Maria, but I hoped to appear that way to Megi.

“Oh, Bianca!”

Now, with a little fabrication to make our relationship seem closer, I needed to explain my connection with Maria, my intention to befriend her daughter, and how Megi ended up in this hospital.

At the moment I thought about this, a surprise appeared on Megi’s face, and she greeted me with a very welcoming tone.

“Do you know me?”

“Of course! I heard about you from Maria. Aren’t you our savior?”

Savior…

It might not be to that extent, but it had a decent ring to it.

“I was knitting this scarf for you!”

“For me?”

“Yes! I wanted to repay even a little for your kindness. I can’t afford a nice gift, but at least I can buy some yarn.”

Megi extended the yarn she had in front of her towards me.

“Aaah, don’t worry. My knitting skills are such that the Marquise would not be ashamed to wear them. Lord Anthony’s daughter insisted on having me knit her something, and she told me to buy her the best yarn I could find.”

“Yes. It’s soft and warm.”

“Hehe, that’s right.”

Megi’s words about her skill seemed true, as the patterns on the scarf were intricate yet delicate.

“Our Maria loved the scarves and gloves I knit. She said they were warm and pretty. When she was little, she even refused to take off the teddy bear hat I made for her.”

“A teddy bear hat?”

“Yes. I knitted a hat with teddy bear ear shapes on both sides. It was very cute.”

Recalling Maria from those days, Megi wore an incredibly soft smile.

“But, Maria loved the hat so much that she wouldn’t take it off, even when it was sweltering in spring.”

“Oh, my.”

“Thankfully, it’s spring. Even when summer came, and her clothes were short-sleeved, she still wore the knitted hat!”

“How did you manage to get her to take it off?”

“Secretly at night.”

“Didn’t she wake up and look for it?”

“Of course, she cried and made a fuss!”

Megi raised her shoulders as if that had happened just yesterday, then widened her eyes and continued the story.

“I told her that the Winter Fairy took it away. Originally, it was the fairy’s hat, but she lent it to Maria because she was afraid she would be too cold in the winter. Now that it’s summer, the fairy came and took it back.”

“Did she believe that?”

“Yes. On the contrary, she cried, saying that the Winter Fairy must have been so cold during the time she had the hat. Our Maria was a good child.”

Then, stories of Maria’s childhood continued to flow from Megi’s mouth.

The tales of young Maria were entertaining, but Megi also had the skill to tell them amusingly. She effortlessly mimicked funny expressions and burst into laughter together at amusing moments.

“Fortunately, it seems like the child who suffered so much has finally come to the end of her suffering.”

The last words were accompanied by a bittersweet smile.

Although Megi was talking about Maria’s suffering finally coming to an end, her face didn’t appear as bright as one might expect.

“May I ask you something?”

“Yes, please go ahead.”

“Why did you only reveal now that Maria is the daughter of Lord Wensbury?”

At my question, Megi’s face, which had been cheerful until now, suddenly stiffened.

“Smile Love”