29 - My Husband is My Favorite, But I Think I'm Going to Get Divorced
Chapter 29
Thanks to that, we've been able to maintain peace until now...
I wonder if we can continue to do so in the future.
Euclid, thinking cynically, buried himself in the sofa in the same posture as before Rick left.
However, unable to fully compose his disheveled expression, he raised his arm and covered his eyes.
At the same time, he heard the click of the bathroom door connected to the bedroom opening.
Whether Rick thought Euclid had fallen asleep and was flustered, or whether he was quickly scanning the room.
After a brief, unreadable silence, the boy cautiously spoke.
"Duke, are you asleep? I've filled the bathtub with water..."
At those words, Euclid slowly lowered his arm.
"I was just closing my eyes for a moment. I'll take care of it from now on, so you can go."
"Ah, yes..."
Rick nodded awkwardly. Instead of leaving right away, he hesitated and looked at Euclid, who was getting up from the sofa.
Euclid, who had paused for a moment at the gaze that seemed to be waiting for something, soon gently raised the corners of his lips.
"Thank you for your hard work. Rick, you should go back and rest now."
"Yes, yes! Duke, have a good rest too!"
Only then did Rick's face, which seemed to be looking around, brighten up.
The gentle smile that Euclid maintained until the end towards Rick, who bowed and left the room, hardened as soon as the door closed.
Euclid let out a long sigh.
He didn't want to give even a little bit of leeway, but in Rick's eyes, he saw the image of his young nephews hovering nearby, hoping to be petted on the head after doing something praiseworthy, so he couldn't just let it go.
'...It's okay, this much.'
At least the boy didn't even try to extract the purpose of his visit to the capital from him, and he didn't leak any information either.
Of course, Delano would spill the beans tomorrow when he woke up, but it was okay.
"Because it will be impossible to turn back by then."
Euclid decided to push ahead with the most selfish decision of his life, making an effort to ignore the fact that he had hesitated about the marriage and felt troubled in the carriage.
That was all the powerless him could do.
Without even daring to imagine revenge.
Leaving behind the pure past where he couldn't hate people or harbor malice.
Hoping earnestly that someone who heard the news that Duke Ludion had appeared in the capital without warning tonight would ponder and ponder the reason, strengthen the security around the Imperial Palace, and still not be able to sleep all night.
That's how the last night before the wedding passed.
- The Villainess's Wedding.
Human greed is endless, and they repeat the same mistakes.
But I bravely overcame my greed and refrained from repeating the same foolish actions, standing tall before the momentous occasion of my wedding with my favorite character.
I'm saying it grandly, but it just meant that I barely suppressed the desire to slather something on my skin like the day before, barely calmed down the excitement of seeing my favorite character in person, and tried to fall asleep early.
As a result, I woke up in a very refreshed condition at the desired wake-up time, and I left the room with a happy heart to have breakfast.
Normally, I would have eaten alone again, but yesterday Melissa subtly said that it was so nice to have a meal together as a family, and asked if I could join them today since it was my last meal at Vasillian Duke's Residence before the wedding.
Whether it was the female lead buff, or whether she quite liked her first younger sister.
Alexis would throw a fit if she knew, but strangely, I couldn't help but be lenient with Melissa and wanted to grant any request she made.
Besides, I also wanted to check on the Duke, who had been showing a lot of resentment throughout the meal with Euclid and ended up getting drunk.
'Well, he was kinder than I expected yesterday.'
I was going to not stand still if he acted prickly just because he was my future father-in-law, but seeing him shout "My son-in-law!" it seemed like he really liked the Duke.
Well, who in the world wouldn't like Euclid?
Not just because he's my favorite character, but Euclid was truly the epitome of a righteous young man, to the point where he could be called the number one groom.
'Hmm, thinking about it, I want to see him again.'
I wondered if he slept well last night? I thought I should eat quickly and head to the temple, and that's when I opened the dining room door.
"Good mor—"
I paused when I saw the faces of the Duke and Lionel, whom I was about to greet without thinking.
Their complexions were so bad that I couldn't even offer a perfunctory greeting, and I just opened and closed my mouth. The Duke gave an embarrassed smile, as if understanding my surprised heart.
"It's just that I drank a little too much..."
The Duke, who hurriedly added that he never usually drinks this much, was one thing, but why did Lionel, who was fine last night, have such a face?
I was sure that Euclid had left and he seemed to be directly helping the Duke to the bedroom.
'Don't tell me they kept drinking all night?'
Not only did he seem to have a hangover, but he also looked haggard as if he hadn't slept at all, which made me suspect reasonably, and Lionel asked, seemingly startled, as I narrowed my eyes.
"Evgenia, did you sleep well? You look good."
"..."
Would it be my imagination if it seemed like the words 'today' were omitted after that...?
I nodded with a troubled expression.
Just in time, Melissa arrived right after.
Melissa also seemed quite surprised to see the faces of the two, but she wisely didn't show it.
That's how a quiet and peaceful mealtime continued.
"I didn't know the wedding would be held like this."
The Duke, who was slowly spooning soup that was good for hangovers with a deathly pale face, suddenly sighed and muttered.
Seeing Lionel naturally stopping him by saying "Father," I gradually became convinced that he had been pouring out his troubles while drinking all night.
At that time, the Duke, who had been subtly watching me, asked.
"Evgenia, aren't you disappointed?"
"Disappointed?"
How could I be? This is the happiest day of my life right now.
"Still, it's a once-in-a-lifetime wedding, isn't it? Don't you want to have a more splendid and grand ceremony?"
I tilted my head, not knowing what he meant, and the Duke said, frustrated.
"Since it's a House Basilian wedding, everyone will be clamoring to get an invitation. Not only the nobles in the capital, but also kingdoms at the end of the continent beyond the empire will come to congratulate you if they receive one."
"Ugh."
I shuddered at the thought of myself suffering in a crowd of people that I could only imagine.
I was about to say that I didn't need such formalities, that I actually hated them, but I paused when I saw the Duke's face, which was dripping with regret as if he were the one getting married.
'Could there be a congratulatory money culture here too?'
He already had overflowing wealth and didn't seem like he would be obsessed with such things.
Besides, once the fact of the marriage was known, people who had ties with House Basilian or wanted to look good would definitely send gifts in droves anyway.
After all, the justification was important.
I didn't know why the Duke was so regretful, so I remained silent and answered honestly.
"I'm really okay. It's not a good time to have a grand wedding, but I actually prefer it this quiet..."
Of course, I completely left out the truth that it was best because my marriage partner was my favorite character.
The Duke nodded, as if he had somewhat expected the answer after seeing my already crumpled expression.
"Yes, you basically hated crowded and noisy places."
That was unexpected.
'Isn't a typical romance fantasy villainess the flower of high society who never misses banquets or parties?'
Of course, she basically receives glares and whispers, but she's always the center of attention!
But Evgenia, with this appearance and status, apparently couldn't even adapt to high society, let alone be a flower.
I shook my head inwardly, but the Duke, thinking that I was upset, erased his regretful expression and said.
"Still, it's really fortunate that the High Priest will personally bless the marriage."
"Cough, cough!"
At that moment, Melissa, who had been eating quietly next to me, suddenly made a loud noise as if she had choked.
