The Villainess Enjoys Her Married Life
Chapter 26
Chapter 26
Episode 26. A Wrong Marriage
2023.12.26.
Filled with anger, Kalian turned his back on Riona.
Riona called out Kalian’s name, but he did not look back and strode away.
“Duke……!”
“Apologize…… to Eshika. Only after that will I pay my respects to you again, Mother.”
Leaving only those words behind, her son departed without even a proper farewell.
For a long time, Riona sat with a dazed, devastated expression.
“……What misunderstanding are you referring to?”
At Eshika’s words, Riona snapped out of her recollection.
Before her sat the thorn in her side, the very creature who had driven a wedge into the tight bond between her and her son.
To think he would look at her with such distrust……. It was a defeat Riona had never before experienced.
With venom in her eyes, Riona opened her mouth.
“The misunderstanding that you, Eshika, abused Yuri and the maids.”
“……Ah.”
The corner of Eshika’s lips curled upward in a smirk.
Even that blatant smile felt like mockery, making Riona want to fling her teacup straight at that face, but she had to endure it.
Insolent wench. A mere daughter of the vulgar House of Brigitte.
Swallowing the curses rising from within, Riona continued.
“And so, I cleared up the Duke’s misunderstanding. I told him he must have mistaken my disciplining of the maids.”
Eshika merely watched Riona in silence, wearing a faint, pleasant smile.
“The Duke has let go of his displeasure toward you as well, so do not fret too much.”
Like a spectator watching an utterly transparent stage play.
“If you were hurt by what happened, I am sorry.”
It was an apology that was not even remotely funny.
If this passed for an apology, then slapping someone across the cheek, spitting on them, and then handing them a towel could be called a gesture of goodwill.
Yet Eshika knew.
She knew that behind her smile, Riona was experiencing the greatest humiliation of her life at this very moment.
And that pleased Eshika quite well.
“There was a time when I, too, believed the rod was the best medicine.”
Eshika’s lips parted with a cold trace of amusement.
It brought back memories of her past life as Yeongryeong, when she beat her enemies into submission.
String them up upside down and treat them to a few rounds with a club, and they would become thoroughly obedient…….
“Yet it turns out that is not always the case.”
As expected, true surrender could never be extracted with a mere sword or club.
“I hope no stray sparks will fly in my direction from now on, Mother.”
At Eshika’s words, the corners of Riona’s eyes twitched with fury.
Overwhelmed with rage, Riona hid her trembling hands beneath the table.
Eshika Klaus, the daughter-in-law from the vulgar House of Brigitte!
That chit, who once could not even raise her head beneath Riona’s frosty glare, was now holding her chin high and rebuking her.
When Riona first heard that Eshika had given Kalian the cold shoulder, she had assumed it was merely the squirming of a stepped-on worm.
That was why she had ordered Yuri to teach her a lesson.
Yet on top of causing a scene at the Alhemits tea party, she had turned the very frame pinned on her back around.
And now, even this demeanor today…….
‘You must have grown quite fearless.’
No longer wearing even the semblance of a smile, Riona stared at Eshika with eyes burning with anger.
Klaus was entirely Riona’s domain, and the queen of this small kingdom was undoubtedly Riona herself.
Two queens could not exist within a single kingdom.
‘To think you would dare throw down a gauntlet at me.’
Gazing steadily at Eshika, Riona reached out and lifted her teacup.
She took an elegant sip of tea, calming the boiling turmoil within her.
When was the last time she had to exert such effort to rein in her emotions before someone? She could not even remember.
Barely regaining an indifferent composure, Riona asked Eshika:
“How about you prepare the tea next time?”
“I shall do so.”
Eshika replied meekly.
The corner of Riona’s lips twisted into a cold sneer.
Before driving her out of Klaus one day, she fully intended to give her a proper lesson.
Observing her with leisure, Eshika could read Riona’s thoughts clearly.
The woman probably believed that entrapping a green girl and throwing her into a corner was nothing of consequence.
Just like locking away an eyesore that had crept out into the sunlight back into a dark room.
Yet what Riona did not know was that in her past life, Yeongryeong had been the greatest villainess of her era.
Just as a venomous viper swallows a grass snake in a single bite, Yeongryeong had swallowed countless enemies whole.
“The weather is lovely.”
In the flower garden, the sweet fragrance of blossoms drifted as always.
**
“What do women like?”
At Kalian’s question, Gaben’s brow twitched.
“A gift that can move the heart.”
Gaben Pelope, Kalian’s close friend, tilted his head for a moment before clapping his hands with an enlightened sound.
“Ah! Is it perhaps a gift for that pretty Head Maid?”
“No, I intend to give it to my wife.”
At Kalian’s words, Gaben froze for a moment, visibly surprised.
It was widely known among the capital’s nobility that Kalian detested his wife, Eshika Klaus.
The sole reason he could not divorce the wife he hated so deeply was that if he initiated a divorce out of whim, he would have to return the immense dowry she had brought with her.
Gaben knew this well, which was why he had deliberately avoided bringing up Eshika.
“……Has something major happened?”
Kalian countered Gaben with a cold gaze.
“Is a husband buying a gift for his wife something that warrants asking if a major event has occurred?”
“N-No. Of course not, but…… this is the first time I’ve ever heard Your Grace say you were giving a gift to your wife, so I asked out of surprise.”
At the word ‘first,’ Kalian’s brow twitched.
It was commonplace for a husband to buy a gift for his wife.
Yet Kalian had never once bought a single gift for Eshika.
“…….”
As Kalian fell into deep thought for a moment, Gaben asked carefully,
“If you tell me what the situation is, I believe I could offer some decent advice.”
With a stiff expression, Kalian parted his lips.
“……I believe I may have misunderstood her.”
**
Three years ago, the Klaus estate was bustling with activity.
The young master of Klaus, Duke Kalian Klaus, was to welcome a new bride who would become the mistress of the ducal house.
Yet Kalian held no real expectations for Eshika, the incoming bride.
“His Highness the Crown Prince has sent a congratulatory message.”
After reading the formal congratulatory letter from Lesvan, the Crown Prince who was likely rolling on the battlefield this very day as well, Kalian folded it away casually.
A few servants approached to check Kalian’s collar and buttons.
“And this is…….”
Kalian frowned as he accepted the piece of paper.
The envelope, marked as an anonymous letter, had arrived from Freehats where the Brigitte family resided, and it was inscribed with crimson letters.
‘The Ugly Truth of Eshika Brigitte.’
Opening the envelope, Kalian scanned the contents.
It was filled with descriptions detailing how promiscuous and pathetic a woman Eshika Brigitte was.
It also claimed that she enjoyed tormenting people and went about stirring up all sorts of trouble.
Judging from the red ink, it seemed to have been written by a man bearing a grudge against her or by his wife.
Given the feminine handwriting, the latter was far more likely.
“Burn it.”
“Your Grace…… Should an investigation into who dared write such a thing not be……?”
“No rumor exists without cause.”
Just as his mother, Riona, had anticipated, Eshika was bound to be an unruly woman.
Kalian had no choice in the matter regardless.
He had to marry that woman for the sake of the family’s finances…… and from the start, he held no expectations whatsoever for a woman trying to buy the position of Duchess with money.
When the time came, Kalian stepped out of his office and entered the hall.
In the hall decorated as a ballroom for the wedding celebration, nobles with familiar faces stood waiting.
And then, Kalian’s eyes caught sight of a woman dressed in a gown.
“…….”
At the sight of her in the white dress, Kalian flinched momentarily.
Her hair, breathtakingly beautiful like spun silver, blurred the line between veil and strand, creating an illusion of ethereal grace.
Her blue eyes shone like jewels hidden in the depths of the sea, and a faint, innocent-looking blush colored her cheeks.
Just as he was on the verge of forgetting who Eshika Brigitte was for a brief moment…….
Someone grabbed Kalian’s hand.
When Kalian looked to his side, reality finally crashed back in.
He was met with Riona’s frosty gaze, silently warning him to keep his wits sharp.
“……Duke.”
Kalian remembered the anonymous letter that had arrived earlier.
Yes, that woman was merely the vulgar, ill-mannered creature described in that letter.
The moment that thought took hold, Eshika’s beautiful face began to look slightly different.
Soon after, he strode toward Eshika.
Every eye in the room was fixed on Kalian.
Kalian came to a halt before Eshika.
“……Your Grace.”
Eshika’s peach-tinted lips parted, letting out a soft, slightly high-pitched voice.
Women who tried to get on his good side usually adopted such a delicate tone.
Yet not a ripple stirred in his emotions.
With an unyielding expression, he took Eshika’s left hand into his.
Then, he looked straight into her wavering eyes.
“……Welcome.”
Eshika’s shoulders, trembling with love and anticipation, gave a slight start.
For she felt the chilling frost in Kalian’s voice.
“To becoming a woman of the House of Klaus.”
Slowly raising Eshika’s hand, Kalian pressed his lips to the back of it.
Eshika looked down at Kalian, partially concealed by her own hand.
Kalian was such a striking, splendid man, yet her maternal family had all been reluctant about the marriage with House Klaus.
They warned her that the Grand Duchess, Kalian’s mother, had a vicious disposition, and that Kalian was easily swayed by her.
Furthermore…… despite his pristine face, the unsavory rumors regarding the handsome Duke’s relations with women were another reason for their reluctance.
Yet unable to forget the man she had fallen in love with at first sight, Eshika had pleaded with her father for this marriage.
Even to her naive self, lost in sweet dreams, the ominous atmosphere made itself known.
“…….”
Soon lifting his lips from the back of her hand, Kalian let go of Eshika’s fingers.
Slowly lowering her hand, Eshika looked into Kalian’s eyes.
Those violet eyes were, after all, as cold as ice.
It was the very moment she intuitively realized that her future married life would be anything but easy.
