Chapter 22
“Yes. Since he is the heir of the ducal house, you are of course taking care of him with utmost devotion!”
“Oh my, how grateful I am. Was the captain of the knights named Sven?”
In truth, there was no way I could actually know the captain’s name.
At the name “Sven,” Serena’s eyes gleamed with amusement as she looked at me.
The easiest way to lower someone’s guard when trying to confirm information was to say something wrong.
It was the same principle as how a post titled “Who is the prettiest person in the world?” would get far fewer comments than one titled “The prettiest person in the world is Yoonajin!”—because people would swarm in just to say, “No, that’s wrong.”
As expected, the escort knight corrected me kindly.
“No. His name is Ludva di Carto. He was originally the vice-captain, but he became captain five years ago.”
Ludva… I’d heard that name somewhere before.
“At the time, I heard Lady Matilda once went into town alone with Vice-Captain Ludva, and His Grace was furious for days.”
That was the person Sven had mentioned.
Duke Icard really had the eyes of a hawk.
He could judge people well.
Whether something happened or not, if a wicked man and his wife went into town together, of course he should be angry.
“If it’s private tutoring, it should be held in the garden! At the Rostry Count’s estate, all private lessons were done in the garden. And if I go, I might disturb them, so I shouldn’t take walks there.”
“Oh, not the garden. They do it behind the rose garden.”
Once again, the power of wrong information was incredible.
Humans didn’t feel as strong a desire to teach what someone didn’t know as they did to correct what someone got wrong.
“I see. Beginners don’t like being watched, so I really shouldn’t go anywhere near there at all.”
The rose garden was tucked away in a remote corner.
Even when Lisa sometimes accompanied me on walks, she strangely never guided me in that direction.
After sending the guards away, I casually asked Lisa.
“Still, people really don’t go to the rose garden much. The name sounds like a tourist attraction, so why does everyone avoid it?”
“Um…”
Lisa began organizing the clothes and jewelry I’d been gifted, trailing off slightly.
Meanwhile, Serena kept adding her own commentary.
This one has too few frills, that one doesn’t have enough gemstones…
Lisa shot Serena a look before answering.
“The rose garden was personally cared for by the late Duchess.”
“Oh?”
“Yes. She loved flowers.”
“…Ah.”
“And actually… when we went into town, Lady Laria gave us flowers, so the guards and I all thought of Her Grace for a moment.”
I had only given them flowers because I felt bad about making them stand in line for an hour.
I never imagined they would think of her because of it.
No wonder they looked so dazed.
I swear I truly hadn’t meant anything by it.
But I resembled Lady Matilda, and such a small gesture made everyone remember her…
Just as Sven said, Matilda must have been loved by everyone in the ducal estate.
“When I see you… I think of Lady Matilda often. Your atmosphere is similar.”
Lisa bit her lower lip slightly, then sighed and continued.
“Anyway, His Grace must be heartbroken too, because he never sets foot near the rose garden. That’s why we servants also avoid going there.”
“I understand. Anyway, I should change into one of these dresses. I need to go thank Father.”
When I quickly changed the subject, Lisa immediately began holding up different dresses against me again.
“I’ve noticed you still cough often these days… Are you still unwell?”
“Mm… a little…”
I coughed lightly a few times, pretending to suppress it.
“If people knew I was this sick… they’d all feel burdened, wouldn’t they?”
Everything I said would surely reach Duke Icard.
I put on the most sorrowful expression I could and let out a deep sigh.
“I don’t want to be a nuisance to Father or Evan.”
“…Pardon?”
“I have no family support to rely on, and I married into this house with nothing—no dowry, only a mountain of debt. And if I’m sick on top of that… I feel so sorry to Father, who still took me in…”
“Please don’t think that way, Lady Laria.”
Lisa’s eyes even seemed to fill with tears.
Honestly, I always thought this—I should’ve possessed the body of a rich villainess instead.
Most people complained about reincarnating as the villainess, but I would’ve been thrilled, saying it suited me perfectly.
Then I could’ve used money, power, everything the villainess had, and conquered the world.
Instead, all I had was a weak body, a ruined family, and a conscience left behind like a useless organ.
I had to make use of even that…
“This one is the best, Lady Laria. The buttons are very refined.”
“Excuse me.”
Lisa, wiping her tears, glared at Serena, who was choosing another dress.
“Aren’t you her physician? Isn’t this situation sad at all? Shouldn’t you be more concerned about Lady Laria’s coughing?”
Serena shrugged shamelessly.
“I take fashion just as seriously as medicine.”
In the end, I chose a third dress myself, not the ones either Serena or Lisa recommended, and quickly said,
“This one is pretty. I’ll wear this and go to Father. Ah, wait. I should prepare a small gift in return.”
Strike while the iron is hot.
Now that I had gathered all the information I wanted, I needed to act immediately.
I would go to Father, and the person who hit my husband would be finished.
Right now.
* * *
“That’s right, young master. You must endure at least this much pain.”
Ludva glared coldly at Evan before him.
He had underestimated him because he was only thirteen, but Evan’s skill was better than expected.
They said Evan had shown extraordinary talent with the sword at the academy…
He really did resemble Duke Icard, who had been famous as a prodigy since childhood.
Even though Ludva was an adult, if they fought with equal weapons, he wasn’t confident he could win easily.
That was why Evan trained with a short wooden sword, while Ludva used a real blade.
“Ever since Lady Matilda passed away…”
Evan charged at him again and again with rebellious eyes—
but whenever Matilda’s name was spoken, he flinched and bit down on his lower lip.
“So many people are living in pain.”
At this point, Evan should have collapsed.
Yet despite being covered in wounds, he remained standing tall.
A face that didn’t resemble Matilda at all…
A vile inner nature that seemed to take only after his father…
Ludva, who had loved Matilda from afar for so long, found Evan disgusting.
It felt as though two men bearing Icard’s name had stolen Matilda away from him.
“You must never be happy.”
The other man he hated, Calaudin, seemed already broken enough after Matilda left.
And realistically, Ludva had no way to torment him further.
“You are the seed of misfortune.”
So instead, he wanted to destroy this child with his own hands.
Little by little, since childhood.
Evan steadied his breathing as he faced Ludva with a weapon that could never match his opponent’s.
Now, even the sight of Ludva’s blue uniform made his stomach churn.
The person Evan was thinking of was Laria.
In all his life, she was the only one who had ever treated him warmly.
Laria, like warm sunlight.
Laria, who was far too kind to someone like him—a so-called seed of misfortune.
Just being with her felt like it might make him happy…
But as Ludva said, so many people had become unhappy because of him.
Maybe he didn’t deserve happiness.
No one said it to his face, but they all must have thought it.
He had only vaguely suspected it before, but now he was sure.
Someone as gloomy as him didn’t belong beside Laria.
He tightened his grip on the wooden sword, remembering how Laria had sniffled just days ago, saying she wanted to get along with him.
Even while suffering abuse disguised as training, Evan’s mind was filled with thoughts of Laria alone—
completely unaware of what she was plotting at that very moment.
