Looking for the Villainess’s Contract Husband
Chapter 7
Laviella looked down at the back of Paul’s head with a flustered expression.
Paul, who had remained prostrate for a while as if he were facing the Emperor, finally straightened his upper body.
He took in Laviella’s bewildered face and smiled faintly, as if he had read her inner thoughts.
“Of course I will help you. You do not even need to ask, My Lady. If you command it, I will follow joyfully, no matter what it is.”
“……If you’re going to help, you don’t have to apologize.”
“No. Even if My Lady says it is fine, I cannot simply let this pass. I am sorry.”
Paul’s expression turned solemn again as he bowed his head deeply.
Laviella knew that there wasn’t a hint of falsehood in his words or actions.
After a long silence, Laviella finally let out a long sigh and walked toward Paul with small, pitter-pattering steps.
Then, she gently patted his head.
“Thank you for apologizing, Paul.”
Laviella’s voice was calm and tender—so much so that it was impossible to stop the sudden surge of tears upon hearing it.
“Hic. My Ladyyyy.”
Tears burst from Paul’s eyes.
As he began to wail at the top of his lungs in an instant, Laviella recoiled in dismay.
“Wh-what!? Don’t cry!”
“I’m, s-sorry, sorr- hic. Waaaaah.”
“I told you not to cry, so why are you crying harder!?”
“Please, hic, speak, hic, comfortably.”
Paul poured out tears until his face turned bright red, yet he managed to force out the words bit by bit.
After staring at Paul with an incredulous face for a moment, Laviella soon shook her head and clumsily patted his hair.
“……Fine, I get it, so stop crying. I’m not very good at comforting people.”
“Uuuuuugh.”
“Ah, I said stop crying!”
While Paul sobbed, Laviella grumbled and scolded him under her breath.
But regardless of her attitude, her hand never stopped patting Paul’s head.
This kindness only made him feel more sorrowful, and he couldn’t stop his tears for a long time.
‘Adults can cry like children too….’
This was my impression after watching Paul pour out tears non-stop for over ten minutes.
‘I didn’t know he felt that sorry.’
Because Paul’s eyes were so swollen they were noticeable even from a distance, he had to bury his face in the snow to quickly reduce the swelling before returning.
Even after that, the way he followed behind me with a beaming smile was quite… impressive, in a sense.
Anyway.
[Got it? When I give the signal, we’re slipping out of here and heading to the Esperanza Duchy in the Capital. If we leave any later than now, it’ll be dangerous. We’ll probably have to move while staying hidden, while they’ll be using proper roads. If we’re not careful, we might run into them at the gates to the Capital and get caught.]
[I understand, My Lady.]
Between the plans I’d devised while studying the maps in the tower and gaining Paul’s cooperation faster than expected, it was safe to say the escape preparations were half finished.
As for the other half…….
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
I set down my spoon while eating, perched on the edge of the carriage entrance, and called out to her.
She tilted her head and looked back at me.
‘……Should I tell her?’
Seeing that familiar, warm face made me feel conflicted for a moment.
For a split second, I wondered if I should tell her that I was going to slip away from this group with Paul to strike a deal with the Duke of Esperanza.
But soon, I bit my lip with a sigh.
‘No.’
I pushed the words that had surged up to my throat back down.
After all, a past life?
Even in a world where unrealistic powers like Aura and Divine Power exist, I’d never heard of anyone remembering their past life, not even in fairy tales.
Of course, I knew Mom wasn’t the kind of person to blindly dismiss me as crazy.
In fact, she might believe whatever I say without needing proof.
However, there were several reasons why I couldn’t bare my heart to her, and the biggest among them was…….
‘……How can I tell her I’m going to die?’
To tell Mom about my past life memories and the fact that this world is inside a novel, I would inevitably have to explain my incurable disease and my death.
Setting aside how hard it is to believe in a ‘past life.’
If Mom found out that my illness is terminal and that my death is imminent and unavoidable, there’s no telling what she might do.
‘The more the novel is distorted, the less information I’ll have to use as a card. If I want to save Mom at least…… the fewer people who know about the original story, the better.’
I’m going to die anyway.
No matter how much I retraced the contents of the novel, I couldn’t find any mention of Divine Power being able to cure the illness, nor could I find the cause of my disease.
If that’s the case, wouldn’t it be better to at least save Mom with the information I have?
And to save Mom, I first had to escape the Marquis’s clutches.
As long as I was held hostage, Mom would have no choice but to remain the Marquis’s puppet forever.
‘They probably won’t touch Mom easily since they need to use her for the alliance with Duke Brian. But I’m different.’
No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one conclusion.
To get both Mom and myself safely out of the Marquis’s hands, we had to be apart for now.
After organizing my thoughts, I took a deep breath.
Then, I spoke to Mom.
“Can I have my birthday present early this year?”
It was the first time I’d ever said something like this, so even I felt my tone was incredibly awkward.
But Mom’s eyes widened, seemingly more surprised by the content than the tone.
“A birthday present?”
“Yeah. I know it’s still months away, but…….”
“Usually, no matter what you need, you never ask for anything but books. What’s brought this on? Is there something you want? Should I make you another ribbon?”
Mom smiled and pointed to the green ribbon holding my hair in place.
It was something she had made herself. A ribbon with yellow tufts of thread attached to the ends to look like bells.
Of course, I liked it, but that wasn’t what I wanted, so I shook my head.
I took a deep breath and tried to make my voice sound serious.
“Mom.”
“Yes?”
“You know I don’t say things I can’t keep, right?”
“That’s true.”
Mom nodded.
She then added a playful complaint about how I’m usually too shy to even give her kisses, which made me reflect for a moment.
……But it’s embarrassing, what can I do? Anyway, that’s not what’s important.
“Then, just this once.”
“…….”
“Just this once…… can you do as I say without asking anything?”
If I disappeared from here with Paul without a word, Mom would surely be frantic.
So, even if she couldn’t understand why, I wanted her to endure a brief separation until I could safely stay by her side again.
“…….”
Mom was silent for a moment.
Thinking it was an unreasonable request after all, I found myself glancing at her nervously.
Then, Mom, who had been watching me in silence, gave a bright smile and gently patted my head.
“Alright, I will.”
“……Really?”
My eyes widened involuntarily.
After all, I was asking her to follow the words of a nine-year-old child without asking a single question.
But Mom wore a smile that suggested it was truly okay.
She stroked my hair with a tender touch and spoke softly.
“It’s the first time you’ve ever asked for something first.”
“…….”
“I’m sure you have your reasons. I trust you.”
The infinite trust and affection felt in those words made me feel like I might burst into tears, ridiculously enough.
I bit my lip hard and barely swallowed the sob in my throat.
“……Thank you, Mom.”
So, I will save you, no matter what.
Even if the price for that is my life.
That night.
It was late enough that everyone was asleep, leaving only the two knights on night watch awake.
“Mph……!”
Thud!
A muffled scream and a blunt sound echoed in succession, followed by silence.
Only the crackling of the bonfire rang through the air.
Clink—
Before long, a dark shadow approached the entrance of the massive carriage under hushed breath.
As he covered the chains with a bundle of cloth and moved his hands, the chains soon loosened with a click.
The shadow, Paul, carefully pulled the carriage door open. The door opened without a sound.
Beyond it, Laviella was revealed, her eyes wide open. The girl whispered softly.
“Are you here? What about the other one?”
“I have knocked him unconscious for a while. He will wake up soon. It would be a bigger problem if he were attacked by a pack of beasts. What about the eldest lady?”
“She’s asleep.”
Laviella answered Paul’s question and glanced behind her.
On the long bench of the carriage, Gretel was curled up in a blanket, sleeping peacefully. Her face was a bit pale.
“……I suppose I should be glad the medicine worked well.”
Laviella murmured with a sigh.
Gretel’s condition had been worsening for several days, to the point where Gilbert had been the first to suggest medicine.
Though she had resisted, saying Laviella came first, she must have decided she couldn’t push herself any further; today, by a stroke of luck, she had accepted and swallowed the medicine during dinner.
Thanks to the effects of the medicine, Gretel was in a deep sleep. She likely wouldn’t wake until morning.
Laviella quietly took in the face she wouldn’t be able to see for a while.
After a brief glance at the inside of Gretel’s palm, she finally turned away and reached out to Paul.
“Let’s go.”
“Understood.”
Paul tucked his hands under Laviella’s arms and lifted her up effortlessly.
After knocking out the knight who had been on watch with him, he approached a single horse he had set aside.
“Be careful. It is higher than it looks.”
“……I know.”
Since it was her first time ever being on a horse, Laviella gripped the mane tightly with a pale face.
After helping her onto the horse first, Paul hopped up behind her.
“We are leaving. Hold on tight. Yah!”
Positioned behind Laviella, Paul gave a small warning and lightly snapped the reins.
The horse carrying the two of them began to slowly cut through the snow-covered forest.
Awoooo—
The faint howl of a wolf reached them just as Laviella and Paul reached the heart of the forest.
