I May Be A Villainess, But I Won't Live My Life That Way - Chapter 89

Chapter 89

“Oh, Father…”

Raintar, trembling as if he had been stabbed, turned around to see who had called his name.

There stood Viscount Wensbury, glaring at Raintar with a terrifying expression.

“So, you were here.”

In a voice that sounded like he was grinding his teeth, Viscount Wensbury continued speaking as he approached. 

Towards Raintar, who was trembling as if he had done something wrong, and towards me, who couldn’t hide my disappointment at the missed opportunity.

“Good evening, Viscount Wensbury. What a splendid ball this is.”

But when Viscount Wensbury approached, I hid my disappointment deep inside and greeted him calmly.

“Ah, Lady Bianca! If this ball seems splendid, it’s only because your presence has graced it.”

The Viscount of Wensbury instantly erased the expression he had just been directing at Raintar, replacing it with a kindly smile as he responded to me.

“You must be very proud to have such a wonderful daughter.”

“It’s not for me to say, but indeed.”

“She has truly grown into a fine lady. No one would ever guess that she was a commoner raised in a rural village by her mother alone without a father.”

“…Indeed.”

“You must be very proud.”

“Of course. To think that in just a few months, she’s become as accomplished as any young lady who’s received proper lady’s education from birth—naturally, I’m proud.”

“That’s thanks to Lady Maria’s brilliance. She must take after her late mother.”

“Or perhaps that lady’s education isn’t really all that difficult after all.”

With a smile, I subtly rebuked the Viscount of Wensbury for having abandoned Maria without even knowing she was born, hinting that her fine upbringing had nothing to do with him.

And the Viscount of Wensbury, smiling, brushed it off, implying that for someone like me, who had received lady’s education from childhood, such things were trivial.

Both of us kept smiling outwardly, busy subtly trying to put each other down.

“Moreover, she’s in excellent health, which makes her even more of a pride for me.”

The Viscount of Wensbury’s eyes scanned me up and down, and he gave a faint smile, as if to say this verbal sparring was beneath him.

As if to imply that no matter how haughty I acted or how much I opposed him, I was still flawed in some way.

It was a relief. Had Ricardo been by my side, he would not have tolerated such an insult toward me.

“Of course, good health is the greatest asset, isn’t it? After all, one needs to be healthy to enjoy any happiness.”

I responded to his provocation with nothing but a graceful smile.

“That is, unless one suddenly dies from poison.”

When I mentioned this to the Viscount of Wensbury, who had a fondness for poisoning, he gave a small, contemptuous smile.

Then he looked at me leisurely, as if daring me to provoke him further.

“As someone who has achieved many military merits, you must know a lot about poison, don’t you? There must be dangers of assassination from enemies or attacks by barbarians with poison during war.”

“Well, since I fight with a sword, I don’t know much about poison.”

“Oh my, is that so? I must apologize then. How could I have brought up the petty subject of poisoning with someone who bravely wields a sword!”

“Indeed…”

“I’ve come to learn about a very curious type of poison, but it seems I’ll have to discuss it with someone else then.”

“Indeed. Unfortunately, since I’m not well-versed in poisons, I won’t be able to have a pleasant conversation with you about it.”

Shamelessly, Viscount Wensbury spoke as if he was genuinely disappointed.

“Then, how about tea? You must know quite a bit about tea?”

“Tea?”

“Yes, tea. There’s a tea I often buy from my regular importer, and I thought you might like it as well, Viscount Wensbury. It’s quite a luxurious tea.”

“Unfortunately, I’m not particularly knowledgeable about tea either.”

“Oh, really? I heard that you also enjoy that tea, so I thought it would be nice to discuss it with you.”

“…Me?”

It was only a fleeting moment, but I noticed it. The Viscount of Wensbury, who had been speaking smoothly like a snake, hesitated for an instant.

As I suspected.

“Well, I don’t usually scrutinize the types of tea I drink.”

Though he quickly brushed it off, I had already caught the Viscount of Wensbury hesitating just a moment ago. 

“I see. It seems I was mistaken.”

I stepped back willingly at his evasion.

However, Viscount Wensbury must have sensed that I knew something.

In fact, this was the very reason I came to the ball.

To provoke the Viscount Wensbury, to push him to attempt to poison Bianca Croft.

Only then could I catch him in the act.

If I had told Ricardo about this plan, he would have surely stopped me, warning that it was too dangerous, and that we couldn’t predict what the Viscount might do.

But I already knew what that “what” was—poison—and that it would come to me in the form of cookies.

I also knew how Ricardo and Maria would eventually discover that it was Viscount Wensbury behind it after I died.

If I had been struggling to deviate from the book’s plot until now, this time I intended to use the book to my advantage.

“But if there’s good tea, I’d love to enjoy a pleasant tea time with you someday, Viscount.”

When I smiled sweetly at Viscount Wensbury, he too hid his dark intentions behind a smile, the kind of smile that would seem kindly and appreciative of the goodwill of a subordinate.

“How about you join us, Raintar?”

As I continued to look at the Viscount’s smile, it started to make me feel nauseous, so I turned to look at Raintar.

“Ah, I…”

He had been bowing his head low, but when his name was called, he finally lifted his head, looking at me with a hesitation that suggested he still had something to say.

Raintar’s wavering eyes were wide with guilt, anguish, and self-reproach.

Though he had the same face as the Viscount, he was a fragile, delicate man.

I quietly observed the way Raintar’s emotions, as thin and fragile as the sails of a small boat rocking in the waves, trembled in his eyes.

“You don’t look well. It’s good to stay by your sister’s side, but you should take care of yourself first, Raintar.”

I spoke to him in a kind voice, shaking him even further, urging him on.

So that he would waver even more, so that he could no longer endure it.

“Lady Bianca, I…”

“Raintar!”

Once again, Viscount Wensbury cut off Reintar’s words.

When I glanced at him out of the corner of my eye, I saw the Viscount glaring at Raintar with a terrifying expression.

“You seem quite intoxicated. As Lady Bianca said, if you’re tired, it might be best to go upstairs and rest.”

“Father…”

“Shall I call someone to help you up?”

He was essentially saying that if Raintar kept talking, he’d have a servant drag him out.

Unable to say anything more, Raintar bit his lip at the Viscount’s words.

“It would be best to listen to the Viscount. I’ll excuse myself so you can rest, Raintar.”

I lightly touched his arm, speaking as if I were concerned about him, with a gentle smile as a bonus.

Having done that, I no longer provoked Viscount Wensbury and quietly withdrew from the scene.

In truth, I wanted to look back. I was curious about what the Viscount would say to Raintar after holding him back.

And what it was that Raintar wanted to say to me.

But now was not the time to look back.

Even without looking, I would find out soon enough.

I did feel a little sorry for him.

After all, I had hidden my true intentions and used him to attend the charity ball.

“Did you have a good conversation?”

When I saw Ricardo returning from speaking with the knights of the Second Order, as I had asked him to, a slight pang of guilt hit me.

“More or less.”

Taking the champagne glass I offered him, he nodded.

“There wasn’t anything particularly special. But…”

Trailing off, Ricardo furrowed his brow slightly, as if recalling the conversation.

“But?”

Curious about what he hadn’t said, I pressed him, and he looked at me.

“A knight has gone missing.”

“Gone missing?”

“Yes. A knight of commoner origin. He hadn’t been in the order for long, so it seems there aren’t many who know him well.”

“A novice knight?”

“From what I overheard, it sounds like he was a mercenary who wanted to settle down, so he joined the order.”

“A mercenary? Can mercenaries join the knight order?”

“It’s rare, but not impossible. As long as they have exceptional skills, they can join the order. But usually, those with skills prefer to stay mercenaries, where they can make more money, so it’s not common.”

“I see.”

“Right now, people in the order are speculating that he might have returned to being a mercenary because he couldn’t adjust.”

“That could be the case.”

“But the timing of his disappearance is suspicious.”

“Suspicious, how?”

“It was around the time of that incident.”

He didn’t need to elaborate further; I immediately knew what incident he was referring to.

The attack on my carriage. The day I would have surely been killed if not for Ricardo.

“It is suspicious, indeed. What did he look like?”

“Since he didn’t associate with many people, there aren’t any knights who can describe his features clearly. But what is certain is that he had brown hair and brown eyes.”

“Brown hair and brown eyes. That’s quite common.”

“It is.”

“Is there anything else?”

“One of the prisoners from that day, who hasn’t been identified and refuses to talk about his background, also has brown hair and brown eyes.”

“…!”

I looked at Ricardo in shock, and he gave a slight nod, confirming what I had heard.

“I’ll have to speak with him further.”

“Isn’t he someone who doesn’t want to talk?”

Though I knew it wasn’t just a talk they’d be having, I called it that anyway.

“But that was before we knew that he was the same person as Paolo from the Second Order, who had transitioned from being a mercenary to a knight. When you know who your opponent is, the scope of the conversation can expand.”

Ricardo smiled, as if to reassure me.