I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 51

Chapter 51

“I have mixed feelings of gratitude and apology towards you, Miss Bianca.”

Wensbury, as usual, opened his mouth with a friendly smile.

“What have I done to deserve your gratitude or apologies?”

“Humility is a virtue, but exceptional individuals like Miss Bianca tend to attract envy and jealousy. I’ve experienced that myself.”

With the implication that he could comfortably discuss things in front of someone who had experienced intense jealousy due to being exceptionally outstanding, Earl Wensbury spoke.

“Thank you for taking care of Maria all this time. I also feel sorry for any misunderstandings that might have arisen due to her presence.”

“You’re too kind. While Earl Wensbury suggests it’s okay to speak freely, I must say that Maria’s misunderstanding… it seems too significant to simply overlook.”

“True. I’m aware of that. It’s just that she’s lived her life with only one mother, and now that she’s gone, she’s been so heartbroken that it’s clouded her judgment.”

Fortunately, he seemed to trust in my innocence.

It was expected from a rational person, but considering he had found his precious daughter after twenty years, he might have been willing to listen to anything just to accommodate her.

“So if Miss Bianca will be patient, just a little bit now, I’m sure I’ll be able to convince her in time, once she’s calmed down and come to terms with the death of her mother.”

“I’m not sure how long I can endure, but since Earl Wensbury says so…”

With a somewhat troubled smile, I let my words trail off.

“In fact, I don’t blame Maria for not understanding. I’ve heard that she had a difficult life in Ancini with her mother. They struggled together, so their bond must have been strong.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“Why didn’t you find her sooner?”

“I didn’t know. It might sound like an excuse, but I truly didn’t know. If I had, I would have done whatever it took.”

With a sigh, Earl Wensbury responded in a voice that was quieter than usual. It sounded like he was regretting the past.

Whether that regret was about spending a night with an innocent country girl, leaving her behind, not knowing about the daughter being born, or all of the above, I had no way of knowing.

“In truth, I’ve met her before she passed away.”

“Megi?”

Surprised, Earl Wensbury asked as if he had never known. Curious, I stared at him as if wondering why he was so astonished that I met Meggie.

“Well, how was it?”

In a slightly trembling voice, he asked.

“She was cheerful and warm-hearted.”

“Oh… Yes, that’s right.”

As if recalling someone from the distant past, Earl Wensbury spoke.

“It would have been good if you had contacted me at least once before her death. Then she might not have suffered so much. I have many regrets about what I put her through.”

With a bitter smile, he spoke.

Wensbury, looking down at the floor with an expression mixed with regret for Megi and self-reproach for his indifference, lacked the authoritative appearance of an esteemed prosecutor in the empire.

There was only a middle-aged man burdened with heavy remorse from the past.

“Anyway, thank you for understanding. I feel relieved. I was worried that my relationship with Miss Bianca, whom I like, might be strained because of my colorless daughter.”

“I’m even more thankful now that you’ve said that.”

“Oh, next time, I might have Maria organize a social gathering to emulate Miss Bianca.”

“Really?”

“I don’t know if it’ll work, since she doesn’t have the connections yet, but she’ll have to work hard to follow in Miss Bianca’s footsteps, and I’ll make her apologize to Miss Bianca until then.”

“I hope it goes well. If I can participate in Maria’s social gathering, I’d like to present Angelica’s cupcakes.”

I stared at Earl Wensbury’s face, mentioning Angelica’s name.

“Angelica?”

“Do you not know? It’s quite popular these days.”

“Oh, a pastry shop! I’m not well-versed in those areas. Is it a famous patissier?”

“Oh, Earl, you really… Angelica is the name of the shop.”

“Ah, is that so? Haha! I’m not familiar with current trends. At my age, it’s inevitable to fall behind.”

“That can’t be true. Earl Wensbury has always been ahead of his time, and even now, you’re not lagging behind at all.”

“Oh no, it’s not like that. Trends should be left to the younger generation. Angelica, you say? I guess I don’t know much about the current trends. It’s better to leave them to the young. I will certainly persuade Maria to clear up the misunderstanding and apologize to Miss Bianca before my charity event. So make sure you attend the charity party Maria is organizing.”

“Of course. I will definitely participate.”

If Maria could resolve her misunderstanding about me, what was stopping me from doing more? For now, the conversation with Earl Wensbury was very warm and forward-looking.

If he spoke the truth, of course.

***

“Oh my, as expected, it suits you well!”

“Perfect fit. This is undoubtedly a dress designed and made for the lady, by the lady.”

“She’s a goddess, that’s for sure. From today on, I’m going to have a religion, a religion that worships the goddess Bianca!”

… A bit much.

Certainly, I enjoyed compliments, but this excessive praise was quite overboard for just putting on a nightgown.

“Thank you. Since everyone says so, I suppose I have to decide on this one.”

However, I smiled and handed the gown to Panya. Everyone seemed satisfied with my choice, nodding and smiling, perhaps thinking that their words influenced my purchase.

By everyone, I mean the group I had seen at Lord Cornwell’s tea party, with the exception of the baronet, with whom I hadn’t gotten along so well.

While investigating Megi’s case, I had to make an effort to restore my reputation in society, which had fallen to the ground. One of the ways to do that was to extend a hand to these people.

Normally, I didn’t like to indulge in such groups, but now I needed to artificially showcase my excellent manners, insight, and unwavering elegance.

“What are the others looking to buy? I can help you choose.”

“Oh, would you? With Lady Bianca’s insight, it will surely be a good choice! Actually, I was planning to buy an evening dress today.”

As if she had been waiting for this, Conwell’s heiress brought out a pink dress. The dress, adorned with bright pink and trailing white lace, was classically beautiful, or to put it bluntly, a bit old-fashioned.

“It’s a very classic and beautiful dress.”

Of course, I chose the former.

“But Kate has a sophisticated face, so a more modern dress might suit her better.”

“Oh, am I sophisticated?”

“Didn’t you know? You have a rare sophisticated face in Sprendo. It feels urban and sophisticated.”

Kate Conwell’s heiress was pleased with my compliment, not knowing how to react.

“I think this kind of dress would suit you better, Kate.”

Glancing around and choosing a refreshing blue dress, I handed it to her. The color seemed to go well with her eye color.

“I’ve never tried a color like this, but if Lady Bianca recommends it, I’ll give it a try.”

It was the moment of joy as Kate received the dress. The store’s door opened, and everyone reflexively turned in that direction.

Then, a chilly silence descended.

“Oh, this store can’t be visited anymore. It’s become a place for bastards to loiter.”

Kate mumbled in a small voice as if talking to herself. No, it wasn’t a small voice; it was somewhat loud. It was as if she expected Maria, who had just entered the store, to hear it.

“Yeah, we have to find another dress shop. A store with the kind of dignity that only distinguished young ladies can enter.”

Another heiress next to her chimed in, lifting her head stiffly, as if it had become a habit.

“Look at that dress. We might have to buy it. It seems like the taste of someone from a rural area. Ugh!”

With such a large ribbon tied around her neck, it seemed impossible to talk about taste and insight, but she was skillfully criticizing Maria while looking at me.

Whether Maria heard all these comments or just spotted me, she glared in this direction.

“Oh, oh, look at those eyes!”

“There’s no dignity at all. As expected, blood can’t be deceived.”

“Of course. How could a bastard ever be like us?”

Though I didn’t know if Maria heard all those remarks or not, the group around me seemed to enjoy it, continuing with more malicious gossip. In the midst of it, I felt a little embarrassed.

Even though I thought about retreating slightly, pretending not to be part of this group, they wouldn’t let me off. The reason they openly talked about Maria’s gossip was probably to assert that they were on my side.

Even though I didn’t know them well, I was allied with this group in trash-talking about Maria.

“Ah…”

The moment I realized that their actions were meant to be visible to me, I felt a strange sense of déjà vu. No, I hadn’t seen it, but I had read about it. In the very first version of that book.

As for villainess, the scene of me encountering Maria in the dress shop, and the heiresses making fun of her, was eerily similar to what had happened in that first version. Back then, the young ladies who accompanied me mocked Maria, and she returned empty-handed, profoundly saddened.

However, Maria, silently staring at us, was entirely different from the version of her in that initial story. Instead of being aware of her situation and feeling sad, she seemed ready to challenge the heiresses criticizing her. Furthermore, as long as she was with them, I couldn’t take a confident stance either.

“I hope it passes without too much trouble.”

For the first time, I wished that things would just unfold as written in the book. I hoped Maria wouldn’t endure the gossip and simply leave the shop.

“Welcome. Can I help you find the dress you’re looking for?”

“Yes.”

However, hearing Maria confidently respond to the clerk, it seemed that things wouldn’t go as smoothly as I had hoped.

“Smile Love”