The Villainess Enjoys Her Married Life
Chapter 29
Chapter 29
Episode 29. The Grand Duchess’s Collapse
2023.12.29.
Today’s tea time was attended not only by Grand Duchess Riona, but also by Madam Marshall of the County of Alhemits and Madam Bolan of the County of Palmania.
The two women smiled, hiding their sharp thorns beneath the surface.
“Have you gained some weight in your face, Eshika?”
“Indeed. I was worried after hearing that you were holed up in your room, refusing to step outside.”
“Thank you for your concern, Countess.”
The maids were pouring tea into the two women’s cups.
“Mmm, the aroma is wonderful. As expected, the Klaus Duchy’s black tea is of the finest quality.”
Marshall marveled in admiration, while Bolan subtly flattered the Grand Duchess.
“With the Grand Duchess managing the maids so thoroughly, the hospitality here is always generous.”
Riona parted her lips.
“My daughter-in-law prepared it today.”
“……Ah…….”
Marshall and Bolan glanced at Eshika, chilling smirks touching the corners of their mouths.
A blatant ill will toward Eshika showed in their eyes.
A vulgar daughter-in-law taken from a vulgar family—Eshika had always been treated as an embarrassment, unfit to be shown to the outside world.
By putting on a display of subjugating her daughter-in-law before them, Riona flaunted her own authority within the ducal house.
It was also her boast that no matter how wealthy a merchant’s daughter might be, she was nothing before House Klaus.
By enlisting the two countesses as Riona’s instigators, the mistreatment had only deepened.
Of course, both of them had suffered harshly at Eshika’s hands in Alhemits before… but with Riona present, they believed Eshika wouldn’t dare make a move.
“Did you hear that the young lady of the Grand Duchy of Heinz is looking for a prospective groom?”
“Can you guess who came to mind the moment I heard that news, Grand Duchess?”
Riona listened to her friends’ chatter, leisurely fanning herself.
Bolan clapped her hands and spoke with dramatic exaggeration.
“Duke Kalian Klaus would have been the perfect match, if only he weren’t married.”
The hand Eshika had used to lift her teacup gave a slight twitch.
“Had the Duke been unmarried, the Grand Duchy would have sent a proposal letter straight to House Klaus! For the Grand Duchy of Heinz, a house of the Klaus Duchy’s standing is just the right match.”
Eshika smiled inwardly.
To curry favor with Riona, they always praised Kalian to an excessive degree.
“Eshika, you should consider yourself truly fortunate. Heavens, to have a husband like His Grace Duke Kalian.”
Bolan spoke with lingering regret, as if lamenting that Kalian could not marry the Grand Duke’s daughter.
Riona took a sip of tea with a deep smile.
‘Indeed. Someone like you is nowhere near worthy of our family’s standing.’
And then, Eshika spoke.
“It seems the news regarding the Grand Duchy of Heinz reached you late.”
At those words, Riona’s brow twitched.
Madam Bolan quickly checked Riona’s expression before chiming in with an admonishing tone.
“Saying it reached us late—are you implying you already knew about it?”
Eshika set down her teacup with graceful poise.
“Yes. I received a letter saying that a matchmaker’s proposal was sent to my second brother as well.”
At that, Bolan and Marshall widened their eyes.
Riona’s brow also hardened as she glared at Eshika.
A moment later, Riona’s lips curled in disbelief as she spoke.
“The Grand Duchy of Heinz sent a marriage proposal to your maiden house, Brigitte, of all places?”
The difference in standing between a grand ducal house and a baronial family was immense.
“Speak sense. You are embarrassing me in front of our guests.”
At Riona’s sharp tone, Bolan and Marshall exchanged glances and let out a snicker.
“Your daughter-in-law injured her head previously, Grand Duchess. It seems she has yet to fully recover.”
Riona replied while fluttering her fan.
“Ever since she tripped on her own and hit a rock, she has been acting incoherently. Please understand, ladies.”
“You must be so worried. Goodness, hearing this only makes the missed opportunity with the Grand Duke’s daughter feel all the more regrettable…….”
Before Marshall could finish, Eshika parted her lips.
“The Grand Duchy of Heinz takes great interest in maritime trade. For aristocrats to merely sit at their desks shuffling paperwork is an antiquated relic of the past.”
“And so you say such nonsense again…….”
“If you cannot believe it, you may verify it yourself. Though my brother declined, the physical marriage proposal remains with House Brigitte. Unlike hollow houses that have nothing to boast of except a mere title…….”
Eshika said with a bright smile.
“……the Grand Duchy of Heinz is a prestigious family that greets the future with wisdom and foresight.”
At Eshika’s words, the edge of Riona’s eyebrow was trembling.
Eshika was speaking in veiled jabs.
Implying that those here putting on airs with nothing but their titles were neither wise nor discerning.
Yet she spoke with such exquisite subtlety that if one were to take offense…….
“There is a reason the Grand Duchy of Heinz enjoys such deep trust from His Majesty the Emperor. Would you not agree, Mother?”
……it would be tantamount to speaking ill of the Grand Duchy of Heinz.
Bolan and Marshall, having lost their chance to interject and reprimand Eshika, could only roll their eyes.
‘If the Grand Duchy truly sent a marriage proposal, just how vast is Brigitte’s wealth?’
Such thoughts were likely running through their minds as well.
Until recently, she had been dismissed as an unworthy daughter-in-law from a vulgar merchant family in the countryside, but the presence Eshika commanded with her cold smile was second to no highborn lady.
“……Is that so.”
Riona gripped her teacup with tense force.
“Actually…… my second brother mentioned that rather than his own marriage, he had hoped to forge ties with the Grand Duchy of Heinz through mine, but the timing was unfortunate.”
At those words flowing from Eshika’s lips, Riona could hold back no longer.
“Are you saying you should have married the Grand Duke instead of Kalian?”
As the atmosphere froze over, Eshika gasped softly and covered her mouth.
“Of course not. It was only because the ladies seemed to lament that a tie was not formed between the Grand Duchy and His Grace the Duke…….”
Bolan and Marshall flinched at Eshika’s gaze turned toward them.
“I was merely remarking that it goes both ways. After all, the Grand Duchy of Heinz is a house anyone would wish to be connected with.”
Under the table, Riona’s clenched fists trembled violently.
‘How dare this wench provoke me so openly.’
Originally, Eshika was never one to bite back with such venom.
Whenever someone harassed her, Eshika’s pattern had always been to react emotionally, losing face, making a fool of herself, and ultimately begging for forgiveness on her knees.
‘I don’t know where she learned this, but I must crush that insolent pride of hers.’
Unlike the easily manipulated Eshika of the past, the woman before her now threw their insults right back in the refined manner of high nobility, without a single change in her expression.
“Eshika has turned completely into a wicked witch. Her venom is up—she won’t be pushed around so easily.”
It was just as Yuri had reported.
‘No matter how you struggle, an inexperienced fledgling like you is no match for me. Poor Eshika.’
Riona raised an elegant hand and picked up a peanut cookie from the plate.
The power within the Klaus Duchy ultimately stemmed from her son wrapped around her finger, Duke Kalian Klaus.
Thus, no matter how much an ill-suited wife like Eshika flailed, she could never triumph over Kalian’s mother.
A sharp crunch broke the quiet.
The most direct method she used to keep her son’s devotion was ‘sympathy.’
Riona bit into the cookie with poise.
And she chewed and swallowed it at her leisure.
**
Kalian gazed at the scenery of the flower garden for a long time.
He could see the tea table laden with lavish refreshments and the four women gathered around it.
Among them, the only person his eyes caught was Eshika Klaus.
Each time the breeze blew, Eshika’s beautiful silver hair swayed gently.
Were her blue eyes always so crystal clear?
“…….”
Smiling brightly, she was serving refreshments to the Grand Duchess and her companions.
Beneath her neat brows, those sapphire eyes seemed to sparkle whenever she smiled.
After watching her in a daze, Kalian finally pressed a hand to his forehead.
“What in the world am I doing?”
Kalian had certainly been angry with Eshika Klaus.
Saying his fury had reached the boiling point would be the accurate expression.
Yet here he was, stealing dazed glances at her as she drank tea.
Kalian’s brow furrowed.
He felt that he should not be standing here doing this.
As he turned and headed back toward the mansion, he could feel his heart continuing to race.
Just like after finishing an intense sword training session on the grounds.
Kalian took a deep breath to steady his mind.
And then, he noticed a familiar white horse standing before the mansion.
The imperial crest was embroidered upon its golden saddle.
Recognizing the horse’s owner, Kalian creased his brow slightly.
“It appears His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived. I shall go ahead and make preparations.”
Hans moved briskly, and Kalian followed with reluctant steps.
He was already troubled enough, and it seemed the man had come to review war supplies once again.
A man with an overwhelmingly chilling aura, reeking of the scent of blood by his mere presence.
Crown Prince Lesvan Deon Lusane stood before the mansion.
Stopping before him, Kalian bowed his head calmly, offering the etiquette due to imperial royalty.
As he lowered his gaze, he saw the heavy sword that always hung at Lesvan’s waist.
“I greet the Little Sun of Turesian.”
Lesvan nodded slightly with an impassive expression.
“The weather is fine.”
A noble and powerful man—and an utter headache to deal with.
Just as Kalian moved to guide Lesvan inside, the sudden screams of servants echoed from the garden he had just left behind.
“Grand Duchess!”
“The Grand Duchess has collapsed!”
“A doctor! Hurry, summon a doctor!”
