The Villainess Enjoys Her Married Life
Chapter 12
Chapter 12
Chapter 12. The Effect of Sowing Discord
2023.12.12.
“They say she fell to her knees before the Grand Duchess and begged with everything she had. Pfft.”
Sella covered her mouth, finding it utterly ridiculous.
A faint smile hovered on Eshika’s lips as well.
Yesterday, Yuri had reportedly knelt at the Grand Duchess’s feet, weeping and swearing her undying loyalty.
She vowed never to marry, promising to remain Head Maid and serve the Grand Duchess for the rest of her life.
Thanks to that display, the list of prospective grooms had indeed been discarded.
That Riona had secured Yuri’s vow of loyalty was not particularly good news for Eshika.
Yet why should she fear two undisciplined fools joining hands?
Above all, neither trusted the other.
A seed of doubt, once planted against Yuri, would continue to tighten around her throat like a noose.
And Yuri had undoubtedly realized that Riona had never possessed the slightest intention of considering her as a match for Kalian.
It was no different from setting a dog and a monkey against each other, so she felt no concern.
“The Grand Duchess will demand a price for that loyalty.”
“But the Head Maid… has nothing left to give, does she?”
“Which is precisely why she will grow desperate.”
She could no longer siphon off Eshika’s jewels.
A desperate mind breeds impulse, and impulse leads straight to ruin.
Having dispatched countless sworn enemies in her past life by exploiting that very psychology, Eshika looked forward to what was to come.
“I’m not clever enough to grasp your plans, my lady, but…”
Sella’s eyes sparkled as she looked at Eshika.
“I know that you are extraordinary. And I believe that whatever you set out to do will succeed.”
Eshika let out a quiet chuckle at Sella’s words.
After a brief pause, she spoke.
“I should have Hemos deliver a gift to Yuri.”
“…A gift, my lady?”
“Well, perhaps it is closer to bait than a gift.”
Eshika was not so soft-hearted as to extend a hand to an enemy stepping backward toward a cliff.
Pushing them that final step into the abyss was another matter entirely.
**
‘If I’m caught recklessly approaching His Grace again, I won’t survive next time.’
Yuri followed behind Riona with cold, guarded eyes.
As usual, Riona sat in the garden and began listening to the musician’s performance.
The sweet melody was undeniably artistic, but not a single note reached Yuri’s ears.
Her mind was a tangled mess.
‘I barely managed to stay by the Grand Duchess’s side… but like this, I have no way of getting close to the Duke.’
Ever since that incident, the maids had begun reporting Yuri’s every move to Riona.
Whenever Yuri ventured anywhere near Kalian, they cast pointed, watchful glances in her direction.
The unexpected obstacle made her blood boil with each passing day.
If only Eshika had not uttered those cursed words, everything would have gone smoothly.
“I shall bring refreshments from the kitchen.”
Yuri reported to the Grand Duchess and headed toward the kitchen.
Earlier, a note had arrived from Hemos.
He had promised to set aside some fruit beneficial for treating scars.
As she stood waiting to collect the refreshments ordered in advance, voices drifted from inside.
“You mustn’t take that green bottle. That’s a medicine for the chickens that the butler left here for a moment. If a person drinks it, there will be serious trouble.”
“Could someone die from it?”
“No, but it causes severe stomach upset. They’ll be laid up, delirious for an entire week.”
It was a conversation between Hemos and a maid.
Yuri’s gaze shifted toward the shelf, where four or five small green bottles sat.
Was that what Hemos had just mentioned?
“……”
At that moment, an idea flashed through Yuri’s mind.
If the Grand Duchess was keeping her guard up, then all she had to do was make her too incapacitated to maintain it.
To gain her son’s attention, Riona had often feigned illness in the past.
Thus, even if she fell ill for about a week, it would hardly be treated as an extraordinary event.
With a look of sheer greed, Yuri reached out toward the shelf.
Quickly, she concealed one of the bottles inside her apron.
A moment later, Hemos emerged carrying an ornate platter laden with refreshments.
He also extended a small paper pouch toward her.
“Here are the refreshments. And this is a fruit called pagwa—it is a bit bitter, but it will do wonders for healing scars.”
“Thank you, Hemos.”
Yuri accepted the pouch and glanced down at the platter.
The sight of the exquisite pastries instantly made her mouth water.
‘If I marry a commoner, I won’t even be able to dream of things like this.’
She continued in her thoughts.
‘But once I become the Duchess of Klaus… I will be able to indulge in such luxuries every single day. I am not like that foolish Eshika, who cannot even claim what is rightfully hers.’
Accepting the items, Yuri offered Hemos a sweet smile.
“I’ll be on my way now. Thank you for your trouble.”
Hemos watched Yuri’s retreating figure until she vanished into the distance.
Then, catching the eye of Sella, who peeked her head out from the kitchen a moment later, he let slip a knowing smirk.
**
It did not take long for the effects to take hold of the Grand Duchess.
Though Yuri had to support the pale, staggering Grand Duchess on their way back, she hardly felt the burden.
To think the medicine would prove so potent.
They said she would suffer for a week, which meant the duchy would belong to Yuri during that time.
“Grand Duchess, the doctor has been summoned, so please bear with it just a little longer.”
Yuri put on an expression of utter distress, while the Grand Duchess lay motionless on the bed, looking half-dead.
She had already emptied her stomach several times over.
The maids had rushed to Hemos to demand an explanation, but Hemos countered that he had merely served the cookies sent by the Empress yesterday without altering a thing.
Since no one could question the Empress, the matter was sure to be swept under the rug.
“Mother!”
Shortly after, Kalian burst into the room.
Wearing a sorrowful expression, Yuri bowed her head and greeted him.
Kalian hurried past Yuri, rushing straight to Riona’s side and clasping her hand.
“Good heavens, have you collapsed again? Mother…”
Under normal circumstances, Riona would have gathered tears in her eyes and played the part of the gentle, fragile mother, insisting she was fine. Today, however, she lacked even the strength for that, managing only to blink weakly.
Before long, the doctor arrived and concluded it was a severe case of indigestion.
“Kalian, today it really is… ugh…”
Riona furrowed her brow in agony.
Kalian was looking down at her with worried eyes, yet Riona felt a pang of resentment at his gaze.
She felt as though she were truly on the verge of death, but compared to her agony, her son’s reaction seemed devoid of genuine urgency.
Because she had feigned illness so frequently, Kalian had developed a certain degree of numbness to it.
Of course, he remained a devoted son who would drop everything to rush to his mother’s side regardless.
Riona closed her eyes in bitter frustration, wishing to think of nothing at all.
Lately, not a single thing had gone her way.
A moment later, as Kalian stepped out of the room, Yuri trailed closely behind him.
‘How can his shoulders be so broad and dependable?’
“Your Grace.”
At Yuri’s call, Kalian paused, turning around to face her.
Today, she seemed to have taken particular care with her appearance.
Deliberately letting a delicate gloom wash over her, Yuri stood before him with a look of deep distress.
Tears welled in her eyes.
“Please… punish me.”
“……”
Kalian’s brow twitched.
“It is because I brought those cookies to the Grand Duchess that she has fallen so terribly ill…”
She appeared so frail and sorrowful as to stir any man’s protective instincts.
Kalian let out a soft sigh.
“It is not your fault.”
“Still…”
Kalian raised his hand, gently wiping away a tear trickling down Yuri’s cheek.
A sudden thought of Eshika sent a sharp, uncomfortable twinge through his chest, yet he could not bring himself to turn away from Yuri when she looked so distraught.
**
The following day, the carriage carrying Eshika came to a halt before a grand estate.
She had ventured out for an itinerary arranged on short notice.
It was her first time stepping beyond the grounds of the Klaus estate in nearly two years.
The place where Eshika had arrived was the residence of the Count of Alhemits, a distant relative of the Klaus family.
‘Now that I have mapped the terrain between the ducal estate and the city center…’
While the carriage had been rolling along, Eshika had carefully surveyed the scenery outside.
The topography, the layout of the streets, and the direction of the bustling commercial district.
Knowledge that would prove invaluable whenever she chose to slip out in the future.
‘My first objective for today is complete.’
Having also gathered intelligence on reputable weapons shops, she intended to venture out again before long.
This world was not the Murim, where the law of the jungle reigned supreme, nor did she harbor any intention of subduing her enemies or exacting vengeance with a blade.
Yet a sword was an absolute necessity.
Even when she had lived as Yeong-ryeong, a sword had always remained by her side.
Whenever times were difficult and trials weighed heavily, she had looked upon her blade to center her resolve, attaining enlightenment through the cultivation of her swordsmanship.
To the lonely warrior she had once been, the sword was the symbolic pillar of her soul and her only true companion.
Thus, she planned to commission a blade crafted in the exact likeness of the sword she had wielded for a lifetime…
It would be troublesome if she recklessly employed her movement arts only to catch someone’s eye.
That was why she had taken this opportunity to ride the carriage and study the surrounding geography.
Every endeavor required at least one rehearsal.
‘And as for the second objective…’
Today was the day of the Countess of Alhemits’ tea party, a gathering held to commemorate Count Alhemits receiving a special medal from the Emperor.
Originally, the Grand Duchess had been slated to attend, but she had reportedly fallen severely ill with an upset stomach.
All thanks to Hemos playing his part to perfection.
The Grand Duchess’s maids had handed Eshika a gown with sullen, begrudging faces.
After all, she could hardly be sent to an external tea party clad in a worn, outdated dress.
And through her maid, the Grand Duchess had passed along a strict warning to Eshika.
To sit quietly and leave without causing a stir.
“Presenting Duchess Eshika Klaus.”
The glass greenhouse of the Count of Alhemits’ estate.
At the maid’s announcement heralding Eshika’s entrance, the ten or so noblewomen gathered inside turned their heads toward her in unison.
Approaching before them, Eshika came to a graceful stop and offered her greetings with a cool, sharp smile.
“It has been some time.”
‘The second objective… is to forge future allies.’
As for a man like Kalian, over whom Yuri was so desperately setting her sights, Eshika held not the slightest shred of interest.
