Looking for the Villainess’s Contract Husband
Chapter 27
“……What?”
I usually tried not to interrupt Benjamin, but the word flew out of my mouth in a sharp, reflexive squeak.
Fortunately, Benjamin didn’t seem offended.
On the contrary, he simply curled his lips into a calm, bitter smile, as if he had expected that reaction.
Confused, my thoughts slipped out before I could stop them.
“He was a Stanford too? Then that means……”
“To put it simply, he had two families. Both mothers were completely fooled.”
Benjamin raised both index fingers and gave a playful twitch of his eyebrows.
But behind that lightheartedness and composure, the shock and pain he must have endured were so visible that I couldn’t bring myself to smile along with him.
I knew all too well how much of one’s heart must be whittled away before one can speak of something so unbearable with such indifference, as if it were someone else’s story.
“…….”
Perhaps I should thank the practice I’d had maintaining my poker face in front of my mother.
While I struggled to find the right words and kept my expression neutral, Benjamin continued nonchalantly.
“Anyway, as it turns out, Auntie Lesia noticed something strange first and pressed my biological father for the truth.”
The explanation followed: Lesia had grown suspicious of her husband’s frequent absences and, after discreetly monitoring him, discovered the existence of Benjamin’s family.
When the sordid truth was dragged into the light, the biological father—forced to his knees by his grown son—pathetically shrieked that Benjamin’s family knew nothing and begged her not to harm them.
「They think this is my first marriage! If you do anything to Jerni and Benny……!」
「Of course I won’t. You’re the piece of trash here, not that family.」
「W-What?」
「You’re scum who ruins the lives of innocent people. Even if you’re kicked out of here and go live with that family, you’ll probably just cheat again, unable to break your old habits.」
「…….」
「Having me turn out like this is enough. Don’t you dare show your face near us or that family ever again. If I hear word of you doing the same thing somewhere else, I’ll report you to the Temple immediately.」
The continent strictly observed monogamy according to the will of the gods.
Since adultery was considered a betrayal of a solemn vow made before the gods, the Temple punished it with particular severity.
Benjamin’s biological father, not wanting his head on a platter, ultimately accepted Lesia’s terms and vanished without ever visiting Benjamin’s family again.
「……I’m sorry for deciding this on my own.」
「No. Rather, thank you for…… for forgiving us.」
Benjamin’s biological mother, Jerni, had staggered under the initial shock, but surprisingly, she accepted the truth calmly not long after.
Perhaps, because they had been in love, it had been impossible for her not to notice the truth her husband was hiding.
「Forgiveness? The bad guy is someone else. We just have to live even better lives to spite him.」
Fortunately, Lesia was a woman of strong character.
Afterward, Lesia and Jerni lived as neighbors and visited each other, and Benjamin naturally came to see his ‘hyung’ often.
But unfortunately, Benjamin said that Jerni passed away from an illness shortly after, and Lesia also breathed her last about two years later, as if falling asleep from a heart attack.
“Hyung…… no, that man has no obligation or anything to look after me. Strictly speaking, he’s already shown a lot of restraint just by not killing an illegitimate child like me.”
“…….”
“Deep down, he surely despises me, and I have neither the face nor the right to be a burden to him. That’s why I came here. Simple, right?”
Finishing his story, Benjamin let out a light laugh and shrugged his shoulders.
The wind brushed past his forehead, fluttering his brown hair.
At a glance, he looked just like any other boy his age—free-spirited and cheerful.
But his eyes were deep, far beyond his years. Like a well filled to the brim with fallen leaves.
“Benny.”
I stared at him for a moment before slowly parting my lips.
“You like your hyung, don’t you?”
“……What?”
Benjamin whipped his head around, looking so startled I thought he might jump right out of his skin. He stared at me, his mouth agape.
“W-W-What are you talking……”
“Isn’t it true? In the end, it’s not because your hyung hates you……”
When he said ‘Hyung despises me,’ the look in Benjamin’s eyes—as if he were wounding himself—was still vivid in my mind.
“You left home because you felt sorry toward him, didn’t you?”
“……!”
Benjamin froze, his eyes wide as if I’d hit the bullseye.
After remaining as stiff as an ice statue for a moment, he tightly bit his lip and buried his face in his drawn-up knees. His arms tightened silently around his legs.
I stared at the tips of his ears, which flushed red as they peeked in and out of his brown hair, and spoke to him quietly.
“Did you tell him before you left?”
After a brief silence, a mumble as thin as a breeze drifted out.
“……No, he was away on a campaign……”
“If he was part of this campaign, he should be arriving in the Capital soon. He’ll be very worried when he sees you’re not at home.”
“…….”
Even without seeing Benjamin’s face, it was clear he was drowning in gloom.
After a moment of hesitation, I reached out toward the top of Benjamin’s head.
And then, slowly and rhythmically, I stroked his hair, just as my mother used to do for me.
“W-What are you doing!”
The reaction was immediate. Startled, Benjamin jerked his head up and turned toward me.
His face was slightly flushed. I gazed at that faint reddish glow for a moment before speaking softly.
“Benny.”
“…….”
“Cherish the time you can spend with the people you like.”
Back when I was locked in the tower with my mother.
On days when the snow fell so heavily it seemed it would bury the tower entirely, I used to have childish thoughts.
I wished time would just stop like this.
I thought it might be better to just stay isolated in the tower with my mother forever.
It was a futile hope.
It was also a lingering regret I had buried a long time ago.
“Later on, a situation might come where you can’t see them even if you want to. So……”
I snapped back to my senses mid-sentence.
Reason returned a step too late, and I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘Oops.’
I was trying to get too involved.
Benjamin isn’t me.
‘……Get a grip, Laviella.’
Swallowing a bitter smile, I withdrew my hand from Benjamin’s head.
I stood up, brushing myself off, and said to him.
“Never mind. This is your choice after all, so it’s not my place to say anything.”
“…….”
“Don’t stay out too late. The teachers will worry.”
Leaving it at that, I turned to walk away.
Whoosh—
“……!”
Immediately after, something grabbed my sleeve so hard that I lost my balance and lurched forward.
Benjamin, who had pulled me, caught me in surprise, preventing me from falling, but as a result, I ended up face-to-face with him at point-blank range.
“Benny?”
“That……”
I met Benjamin’s eyes, my brow furrowing slightly in confusion.
Even though Benjamin was the one who had pulled me, his eyes were darting around as if he were the one terribly flustered by something.
Fortunately, Benjamin regained his composure shortly after and helped me stand straight.
He let go of my arm and gave a dry cough.
“Ahem, cough. ……It’s nothing much. I just wanted you to know that tomorrow afternoon, the priests are visiting to read the scriptures.”
“Really? Thanks for letting me know.”
But wouldn’t the teachers have told me even if Benjamin hadn’t?
I tilted my head at the thought for a moment, but soon accepted it, thinking he was just trying to be considerate in his own way.
This time, I truly turned around to head back to the building.
“……Me too.”
Amidst the rustling sound of grass being crushed under my shoes, a tiny voice seemed to mingle in.
“Thank you, too.”
\* \* \*
After stepping into the building, I walked down the hallway, looking around for a Teacher.
I figured it would be better to let them know not to worry, as it seemed Benjamin would need a little more time to pull himself together.
“Oh.”
Just then, Lucian appeared around the corner from the other end of the hallway.
At the reflexive sound I made, he lifted his eyes from the book he had been focused on.
“Ah, Ella.”
Lucian, whose face had been as expressionless as a non-living thing, curled the corners of his mouth the moment he spotted me.
That series of movements was so natural, yet the fact that the smile held not a single drop of warmth made it feel rather uncanny.
“Have you been out for a walk?”
“Yes, for a bit with a friend.”
“And your injury.”
“It seems to have improved a lot thanks to you. Thank you.”
I replied, holding up my bandaged hand.
Lucian, who seemed to be thinking about something with his head tilted, reached out a gloved hand toward me.
“If you don’t mind, may I take a quick look?”
