I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 72

Chapter 72

The Viscount of Wensbury desired to become the emperor of Sprendo, or to become the sweetheart of the first duke, Duke Winkaiser, and thus have no shortage of being the Viscountess of Wensbury.

There was no princess in Sprendo, and although there were some noble ladies, the only eligible lady for marriage was the young Lady Laurenne. However, in the eyes of the Viscount of Wensbury, that lady did not catch his attention without a doubt.

He had long been associated with the Croft, and had seen me come so close to being a perfect duchess, and had seen me come so close to it, that there was no way that a young princess could be a match for him when he had a perfect specimen of a daughter-in-law right at hand.

In fact, he had mentioned such facts several times. He would refer to Ricardo and me as the perfect couple, the beautiful couple, the most talented individuals he had seen in Sprendo.

In order to obtain the perfect daughter-in-law who would inherit Wensbury, and for the strong support that Wensbury desired, marriage was more powerful than any oath or contract, as the noble Viscount of Wensbury knew well, and thus, a daughter named Maria appeared as a sacrificial offering for marriage.

A beautiful daughter named Maria!

“Maria, it is deeply regrettable for me to say this, but given the circumstances, I seem to have no choice but to come to this conclusion.”

I could have been wrong. What I thought was merely speculation and inference.

However, I couldn’t help but come to a bold conclusion.

“I believe the mastermind behind all of this is none other than your father, the Viscount of Wensbury.”

“That…!”

Maria’s face turned pale upon hearing my words.

Even though she had thought the same thing in her own mind, hearing it directly from someone else’s mouth was different.

“If my thoughts are correct, Lara must be with the Viscount of Wensbury.”

“That can’t be true. Why would my father harm my mother? My father loved her.”

“Did the Viscount of Wensbury precisely say so?”

“Yes. I remember distinctly. On the day I first met him, he said that. He said I looked just like my mother.”

“You used the past tense.”

“…”

Maria paused for a moment at my words.

“You used the past tense. Not ‘loving,’ but ‘loved.’ The Viscount of Wensbury, who has focused on swordsmanship since childhood, despite being of noble birth, would have received proper grammar education from a young age. It’s unlikely that someone like him would misuse the past tense. Perhaps it unconsciously revealed his true feelings?”

“That…!”

“In addition, Maria, you resemble your father more than your mother.”

“What? But I’ve always heard that I resemble my mother a lot.”

“That’s because there was no other comparison when you were young, other than your mother. When rumors started circulating about you, there were also stories circulating in society… I apologize for being blunt, but there were rumors that the noble Viscount of Wensbury was deceived by some swindler somewhere. Someone who knew about his past. That person might have impersonated his daughter.”

“That’s absurd! I’m not a swindler.”

“Yes, I understand. When you appeared in society, everyone thought you weren’t a swindler. Because you looked too much like the Viscount of Wensbury.”

“Do I resemble my father? Our eye color and hair might be the same, but…”

“It’s not just about eye color and hair. Maria, you resemble the Viscount of Wensbury and even your older brother, Raintar, so much that anyone can see the family resemblance. If your father said you resemble your mother a lot, it’s just my speculation, but perhaps his memories of her have faded, haven’t they?”

“…”

“Truly loving memories don’t fade away easily. Beautiful memories tend to become clearer over time rather than fading away. Moreover, according to the hospital records I checked, the Viscount of Wensbury has never visited your mother.”

“That’s because my father is busy…”

“No matter how busy he is, if he truly loves someone, wouldn’t he make time to visit? If the person you love is sick and hospitalized, wouldn’t you make time to visit, no matter how busy you are?”

While I was hospitalized, Ricardo visited the hospital almost every day.

Maria listened to my story in silence. She bit her lips tightly, and her stormy eyes wandered around the room like a paper boat unable to find a place to dock.

“So it’s really my father…?”

Maria’s murmured voice lacked strength.

To her, it would have been better if I were the culprit. Finally finding her father only to discover he was the one who killed her mother—such a cruel reality for Maria.

“Maria.”

I reached out to the bewildered Maria. It was something I hadn’t done for her at Megi’s funeral.

Maria’s cold hand found its way into mine. It felt like the touch of a wounded, pitiful bird. A bird that didn’t move even when held, feeling warmth from a human hand.

“I’ll be by your side.”

“Bianca…”

Tears filled Maria’s clear green eyes. Seeing her tears falling, I held onto Maria’s hand tighter.

Such things wouldn’t be found in books.

The villainess wouldn’t hold the heroine’s hand. And the heroine wouldn’t feel moved by the villainess’s hand.

It was just our secret moment, known to no one else.

“Where could Lara be?”

With a voice still heavy with moisture, Maria asked.

I couldn’t say anything in response to her question, the answer she hoped for.

“Are you sure she’s not in this mansion?”

“I can’t be sure. I haven’t seen Lara, or heard a child’s voice, but if she’s being kept silent or…”

Maria frowned at the thought of Lara. For a moment, I even imagined Lara crying or being gagged, and my expression soured.

Please, let her be safe.

“Is there any place in this mansion where a child could be kept? Like the gardener’s cottage in the estate’s outskirts, or a warehouse?”

It was quite a ridiculous question. Noble mansions wouldn’t be built with the consideration of keeping a child locked up.

“Well… I haven’t seen anything like that. Plus, I’m not familiar with this place. Oh!”

Suddenly, Maria’s gloomy expression brightened as if something had occurred to her.

“What’s the matter, Maria, do you have any idea where they might be?”

“I’m not sure, but I heard there’s a villa of the Wensbury family on the outskirts of the capital. I vaguely heard that Lady Wensbury wanted to take me there at first. It was… canceled because of my father’s opposition.”

Maria’s lips trembled as she said the word ‘father.’

“Where is it?”

“I don’t know the exact location.”

Maria said with a sense of pity. Thanks to her, I felt pity too. Even though there was no certainty that Lara was there, I felt it.

“Should I ask my father?”

“If you suddenly ask about it, He might find it suspicious.”

“It doesn’t matter. Even if he finds it suspicious!”

“Thank you for saying that, but if he finds it suspicious and decides to move Lara elsewhere… It would be better!”

I had intended to convey the difficulty of the situation, but as I spoke, I realized that it might be better that way. If the situation led to Lara being moved elsewhere, maybe we could rescue her.

“Perhaps if Lara is moved, there might be an opportunity.”

“Should we ask my father about the villa’s location then?”

“No, that’s not enough. If the place where Lara is being held captive isn’t the villa, it’s useless. We don’t have time, and if we fail once, we’ll be even shorter on time. We don’t know how long they’ll keep Lara alive.”

In truth, it might already be too late. The Viscount had no reason to keep Lara alive.

He may have orchestrated this to satisfy his desire for me as his daughter-in-law, but now that I was trying to expose the truth, it was uncertain how long the cruel man who would even consider killing me in order to keep his wrongdoings from being discovered would keep a child alive.

What could be done?

What would be a good solution where the Viscount wouldn’t harm Lara but would still move her elsewhere?

Countless thoughts raced through my mind, hypotheses were formed and discarded, and simulations succeeded and failed.

“Maybe…”

After a long while, I raised my head.

“Do you have a good idea?”

“I’m not sure if it’s a good idea. But we have to try something. First, I need to go to the Winkaiser mansion.”

“Are you planning to ask for Ricardo’s help?”

“Yes, I have to. But before that, I think I need to ask you for a favor.”

“Me?”

“Yes.”

“How can I help? I’ve just been a fool dancing like a puppet on my father’s palm all this time.”

“That might actually be more helpful. They won’t realize the strings have been cut on that side.”

Maria tightly shut her mouth at my words and nodded.

“Would your father already know I’m here?”

“He’s not home right now. But when he comes back, he’ll find out. The steward reports to him about any visitors.”

“That’s good.”

I glanced at the door. The maid from earlier might still be outside.

I don’t know if she could hear us there, but if it’s anything like our house, she probably didn’t get the full story. The thick doors of the mansion were fairly soundproof, so I wouldn’t have been able to hear her without shouting.

“Maria.”

“Yes, Bianca.”

“Can I slap you once?”

“What?”

“Smile Love”