I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 26
The Duke’s library seems to be used by the servants too. Maybe that’s why it was so full of women’s magazines and light reading.
I pulled out a few books that looked like romance novels and read just a little. When I kept hitting stories where the heroine’s half-sister was the villain, I quietly put them back.
It’s unsettling, but from a noble’s perspective, I suppose a mistress’s daughter is the perfect candidate for a villain. This kind of ingrained thinking is probably why Rose spread the rumor about me being a wicked woman, and why society just swallowed it.
(I wonder if Kevin is a fan of these kinds of books, too.) I thought, remembering the ‘Ice Duke’ who treats me like a terrible person. He seems like a man who jumps to conclusions, so swallowing the plot of a novel wouldn’t be out of character.
With that in mind, I walked around the library, grabbing newspapers and recent periodicals. Today’s paper had a small article about Kevin’s and my marriage.
(“Erica Orson, the second daughter of the Orson Viscountcy, who turns seventeen this year…”) So, I’m seventeen, and that must be the age of majority in this country. I quickly checked a dictionary, and it seemed the age of majority for men was the same.
I remembered Kevin also married Lily when he was seventeen—an early marriage, just like mine. That thought made something click.
(Leo is ten this year, and Kevin is twenty-seven… right?) That would mean Lily must have been pregnant before they married, or, even before Kevin came of age. Feeling deflated, I focused on the newspaper.
I checked the job listings. For now, there was nothing I felt capable of doing. Still, the listed monthly salaries gave me a rough idea of how much a commoner needs to live in this country.
(I’ll probably get alimony after the divorce, but not knowing the exact amount is annoying.)
I recalled the opening of “A Single Flower Melts the Ice.” Kevin was speaking to the Crown Prince in the Royal Capital and said he’d get his divorce, as promised, once the Second Prince married.
It seems like a baffling statement, even if you read it twice, but there’s a reason behind it. The Second Prince, Chris, is a confirmed bachelor, while the Crown Prince, Marcell, wants him to settle down. One day, Chris, sick of his brother’s nagging, set a condition: he would consider marriage only if his friend, Kevin, who had remained single since Lily’s death, remarried first.
Honestly, that’s a level of thoughtlessness and trouble-making that warrants a slap. It shows they’re truly friends.
So, Kevin was forced into remarriage, almost by royal command, and reluctantly married Erica. He was supposed to marry Rose, but when she naturally refused, it fell to me, her half-sister. Rose is shrewd, in a way. And the only reason Kevin married me without fuss was because he genuinely didn’t care who the bride was.
The agreement Kevin made with the Crown Prince was that he would marry as ordered, but divorce a year later. So, if Kevin doesn’t fall for Erica, he’s supposed to file for divorce in a year.
As the wife, I’m just speechless at how selfish these men are. But, if Kevin had such a clear plan, then marrying me—the rumored wicked woman and maid’s daughter—makes perfect sense.
(The public will probably think a girl like that deserves to be divorced anyway.)
I thought this while staring at a popular novel advertisement in the newspaper. Obviously, I have no intention of returning to the Viscount family after the divorce. I plan to take the alimony directly from Kevin and vanish. Even if I don’t get the money, I need enough funds to leave the Duke’s house and live independently. It’s easy to want it, but I can’t think of a way to get it.
(Buying loads of dresses and jewels only to sell them seems like it would be embezzlement…)
It felt like it would be difficult to use the skills I honed in my past life’s job in a country with no mobile phones or computers. I glanced at the picture books and children’s books beside me, racking my brain for a plan.
“Um, do you have a moment, please…?” A voice suddenly called out, and I looked up. Standing there was a woman in a maid’s uniform, who looked to be in her thirties, and Ron, hiding behind her.
I hadn’t met the woman, but she looked vaguely familiar. I stood up from my chair and replied.
“Yes, I do.”
“Thank you, Madam. My name is Martha. I serve as Lord Ron’s attendant.”
The woman’s identity made sense as she curtsied. She was familiar because she had also appeared in the comic. She was Ron’s only ally before Erica arrived. Though she didn’t have many scenes, she was meant to be a kind, sensible person.
“You might know already, but I’m Erica. What can I do for you both?” I introduced myself. Martha then gently pushed Ron forward. It seemed he was the one who wanted to see me.
I knelt to meet his eyes. A shy face, very similar to Leo’s, looked back.
“Um, thank you… for helping me in the garden.” I opened my eyes wide, but immediately smiled.
“You are absolutely welcome. You’re a good boy for saying thank you.” When I complimented him, Ron, perhaps embarrassed, hid behind Martha again. Martha and I watched him with warm, affectionate smiles. It was the first truly heartwarming moment I’d had since arriving at the residence.