The Villainess Enjoys Her Married Life
Chapter 22
Chapter 22
Episode 22. In the End, It Was All an Act
2023.12.22.
Among the Klaus Duchy’s primary investment ventures was Zühen.
If Elmur were chosen as the regional hub instead of Zühen, the Klaus finances would be dealt a severe blow.
A faint smile touched Eshika’s lips as she gazed out the window.
‘Knowing the future is quite an advantage. It lets me lay my plans.’
Soon after, she fixed her gaze on the drawer containing the Crown Prince’s emerald ring, lost in thought.
‘The only variable is…’
Even in the Brigitte family, an emerald of such purity was a rare treasure.
With superb craftsmanship and exquisite materials, it was a ring of breathtaking value.
Of course, to the Crown Prince, who brought back mountains of spoils while reclaiming former territories in wars of conquest, it might have been nothing more than a trifle.
‘…Only the Crown Prince.’
Crown Prince Lesvan Deon Lusane. A beautiful, formidable man with raven hair and cold golden eyes.
He seemed to hold an interest in her.
The barren lands in Elmur that Eshika had bought would yield tens of times their original value in profit.
That fortune… would be enough to buy out Klaus. It was an essential step in bringing her second plan to fruition.
Yet, once the Crown Prince discovered that she had bought up Elmur in advance, how would he view her?
Suddenly, Eshika recalled the words Lesvan had spoken.
“Everything in the empire belongs to the Emperor. The Klaus Duchy is no exception.”
Even so, she was skeptical that he would actively meddle in her affairs.
Though his true intentions remained an enigma.
In any case, the Klaus family was useless to him—a faction backing the 2nd Prince. Perhaps he would simply turn a blind eye.
“……”
The impression Lesvan left was intensely striking.
Cold and dignified, with a faintly languid gaze, he possessed an aura of both noble refinement and untamed wildness.
Even in the novel, only his actions had been depicted; he was an inscrutable man.
‘That is typical of grandmasters.’
In her past life, Yeongryeong had been much the same.
True masters tended to be venomous, tyrannical, sharp-tempered, and utterly impossible to fathom.
Whether only such eccentrics reached supreme mastery, or becoming a grandmaster turned them that way, remained anyone’s guess.
**
Meanwhile, as Kalian was absorbed in handling his duties in the study, his gaze suddenly shifted to the open door.
Yuri was approaching with refreshments.
With her radiant blonde hair tied back and dressed in a maid’s uniform, Yuri’s face looked somewhat pale.
“Your Grace.”
Setting down the tea and cookies, Yuri spoke in a gentle voice.
“Please take a rest while you work. I worry for your health.”
“Well…”
Closing his documents for a moment, Kalian looked into Yuri’s crimson eyes and spoke.
“Rather than my health, I find myself more worried about yours, given you tumbled down the stairs.”
At Kalian’s teasing remark, Yuri’s red eyes wavered briefly.
Flushing slightly, Yuri shook her head.
“I am perfectly well, Your Grace.”
With that, Yuri turned around.
Watching her walk toward the door, Kalian’s brow furrowed slightly.
“…Wait.”
Pausing in her tracks, Yuri did not look back at Kalian.
Thus, he could not have noticed the subtle upward curl at the corner of her lips.
Kalian’s voice rang out.
“Why are you limping? It has been quite some time since you injured yourself before…”
“Oh… it was just… from a fall.”
Hesitating, Yuri turned around, avoiding Kalian’s gaze.
Kalian rose from his seat and walked toward Yuri with a hardened expression.
Then, he lowered himself before her.
“…Your Grace.”
Looking up at her from below, Kalian’s face was breathtakingly intoxicating.
Yuri blushed, yet she made no move to stop Kalian as he lifted her skirt.
Yuri knew full well what Kalian was about to see.
Though the wounds had healed, unmistakable scars remained.
Scars ghastly enough to make anyone flinch.
“…This is…”
As expected, Kalian’s brow knit tight.
Only after confirming Kalian’s reaction did Yuri take a step back from him.
Standing up, Kalian asked Yuri:
“What happened?”
“From when I fell down the stairs last time…”
“Even a child could see that these are not injuries from a mere fall.”
Yuri deliberately averted Kalian’s gaze, her eyes shimmering with sorrow.
Watching her, Kalian thought to himself.
Who could have reduced Yuri’s legs to such a state?
No one could inflict such a brutal beating without sheer malice.
Yuri Anesis—she was a woman as fragile and delicate as a flower.
At times, she was so kind it could draw a sigh…
“…Was it Eshika?”
Suddenly, Kalian uttered her name.
If anyone harbored resentment toward Yuri, there was likely only one person.
Eshika, who had previously felt betrayed by the relationship between Yuri and himself…
Kalian’s heart began to thump, heavy and fast.
‘Could it be that you have developed an interest in me?’
Eshika had spoken as though she had not the slightest shred of interest in him.
Yet, if she still envied and despised Yuri…
Kalian’s eyes wavered as though struck by a realization.
No woman would beat someone to this extent over a man she had zero interest in.
“Yuri, tell me the truth!”
Yuri flinched at the intense look in Kalian’s eyes as he suddenly grasped her shoulders.
Kalian’s deep violet eyes were clouded with an emotion that was hard to distinguish between excitement and fury.
Yuri knew Kalian had taken the bait completely.
At first, she had been reluctant to show him these cruel scars, fearing he might be repulsed.
However, with him constantly extending strange courtesies toward Eshika lately, driving a wedge between the two was far more crucial to Yuri.
“I… do not want to hate Eshika…”
Clear tears traced paths down Yuri’s face.
The streaming tears rolled past her chin and dripped onto the floor, one after another.
Her appearance stirred an overwhelming urge to protect her.
Kalian reached out and pulled Yuri into his embrace. It had been a long time since they last held each other.
Trembling faintly, Yuri’s body felt so small and frail.
“…Shh… It is all right, Yuri.”
Kalian patted the back of Yuri, who was nestled in his arms.
He was being gentler with Yuri right now than ever before.
This was not merely out of pity for Yuri, nor was it solely because he was fond of her.
A sharp gleam flashed in Kalian’s eyes.
‘Yes, it was all an act from the very beginning. Eshika.’
He had briefly misjudged due to Eshika’s sudden cold and indifferent attitude.
Thinking that she no longer loved him.
Of course, looking at the series of events, Eshika must have harbored grievances.
After all, she had not actually been extravagant, yet there was clear evidence that his mother had disciplined her excessively.
However, the Eshika Klaus he knew was not a woman whose love could cool so easily.
‘…That attitude was merely a ploy to draw my attention.’
As the pieces fell into place, a sense of triumph seized Kalian’s mind.
Held in Kalian’s arms, Yuri was also smiling happily in secret.
She had anticipated Kalian’s anger toward Eshika, but she had not expected him to pity her this deeply over being struck by Eshika.
Closing her eyes, Yuri lost herself in a fleeting, sweet dream.
**
“My Lady… something terrible has happened!”
Sella rushed frantically toward Eshika, who was standing by the window looking out at the flower garden.
Gasping for breath from how hard she had run, Sella spoke with a pale face.
“The maids have submitted a collective resignation for the head maid’s sake!”
Sella was well aware of the rumors spreading inside and outside the manor that the head maid, Yuri Anesis, had suffered severe abuse at the hands of the Duchess.
“T-They claim they cannot… endure the Duchess’s… abuse any longer…”
Though Sella had stepped in to deny it, calling it nonsense, there was no overpowering the voices of the multitude.
Surely every single one of them knew the truth.
That the person who had reduced Yuri’s legs to that state was not Eshika, but Riona.
For three years, Eshika had been the one looked down upon and mistreated by the maids.
Therefore, this collective resignation was a staged performance tacitly orchestrated by the higher-ups.
Was it not completely absurd from the start?
For mere maids to dare submit resignations claiming they could not endure violence from the Duchess.
“And the Grand Duchess is likely appeasing the maids right now.”
At Eshika’s words, Sella nodded with a startled expression.
Faced with this utterly preposterous situation, Eshika did not seem the least bit flustered.
Rather, her gaze was detached, as though she had anticipated this all along.
“…My Lady.”
“Sella, what do you think?”
At Eshika’s question, Sella spoke up passionately, words spilling out in a rush.
“There is nothing to think about—it is utter nonsense! The maids who submitted their resignations must surely think so as well. The one abusing the maids is not you, My Lady, but the Grand Duchess!”
There was a time when Sella, like the other maids, had served by the Grand Duchess’s side.
To those watching from afar, the Grand Duchess was the picture of flawless dignity and grace, but those who served her closely knew the reality.
Slapping was standard, kicking was routine. Her moods shifted like boiling water, causing mental stress that was truly unbearable.
Of course, the Grand Duchess’s direct maids received higher monthly wages than other maids, but only after being cast aside by her did Sella feel she could finally breathe.
“Then what do you suppose is the reason the Grand Duchess planned such an absurd affair?”
At Eshika’s question, Sella flinched once more.
“…My Lady…”
Looking at Sella, whose face was flushed with anger toward the Grand Duchess, Eshika smiled faintly and turned her gaze back out the window.
As expected, this Klaus manor knew no peace.
And Yeongryeong was far more accustomed to conflict than serenity, thriving in turbulent waters.
“It is to bring me to my knees.”
Eshika’s lips parted softly.
How dare they.
“The problem is, their schemes are entirely transparent to me.”
