I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 36

Chris, the second prince of this country, is basically Kevin’s troublesome friend—and the reason Kevin, who only had eyes for Lily, ended up remarrying in the first place.
(He’s also the guy who suddenly married Rain in the final chapter.)
He was constantly being pushed to marry, so he made the annoying condition: “I’ll only think about marriage if Kevin does it first.” That’s how Kevin was forced to reluctantly remarry, choosing a girl rumored to be an evil witch who’d be easy enough to divorce.
In the manga, whenever Kevin complained, Chris would just give a dismissive laugh and a “Whoops, sorry! I just wanted to hang onto my easy bachelor life a little longer.” Yet, it was completely baffling when he was suddenly married to Rain in the epilogue. It was technically necessary, as Chris shouldn’t still be single if Kevin had remarried, but why Rain? Back in my previous life, it felt like some sort of ‘clearance sale’ match that didn’t make sense.
However, the whole impression shifts if Chris had always been secretly in love with Rain and wanted her to notice him. What if his real goal in forcing Kevin to remarry was to make Rain finally give up on her unattainable love?
I paused, tilting my head in confusion.
(If he was willing to use his royal authority to force Kevin, why didn’t he just forcefully marry Rain himself?)
Maybe he didn’t want to because he wouldn’t win Rain’s heart that way. But if that’s the case, I thought he should have just passionately courted her until she gave in!
But again, this is just my theory. It might be pure speculation. What I do know is that I couldn’t stand Chris, even when I first read the manga.
Honestly, there’s nothing sketchier than a powerful person who does exactly what they want while acting like they’re just one of the lads. And for all his talk of being a good friend to Kevin, I don’t think a true friend would force a marriage on someone. The original Erika and Kevin ended up madly in love thanks to their miraculous compatibility, but otherwise, it would have been a tense political marriage, just like the one Kevin and I are in now.
I looked at the rain and spoke.
“Rain, have you ever considered why the Duke actually remarried?”
She looked a little startled, then nodded quietly.
“I have, but I couldn’t figure it out. I thought maybe he wanted a mother figure for the children, but…”
Since I’ve told her about Leo and Ron, she probably knows that’s not the reason. Kevin’s brain surely has no space for his children’s needs.
“I believe he was ordered to by someone above him.”
“Someone above the Duke…?”
“It’s just a guess, and it borders on disrespect, so I won’t say it’s fact, and I can’t name names. Just please, rain, be careful.”
“Me?” she asked, looking confused. I nodded.
“If someone in that superior position tells you absolute nonsense about Lord Kevin and me, please don’t believe it.”
“Nonsense? Like what?”
“Lies intended to make you jealous, like ‘Lord Kevin is so in love with me’ or ‘He absolutely dotes on me.’ Things like that.”
“Jealousy… but you two are married, after all.”
“We are only married in form, for the purpose of divorce. So, jealousy is unnecessary, and you must be cautious of anyone trying to feed you those lies.”
“Hmm, I’ll definitely keep an eye out… but why would this person tell me those lies?”
Rain asked, looking genuinely puzzled. I thought for a moment before answering.
“I think he wants to manipulate your heart, Rain.”
“My heart…?”
“If my prediction is correct, I think his goal is to be loved by you, Rain, and he’s the sort of man who doesn’t care if he hurts your life or anyone else’s feelings to get what he wants.”
If Prince Chris was the one who orchestrated the original Rain’s descent into darkness, he’d be the absolute worst character in the entire story. While a lot of characters in A Single Flower Melts the Ice are harsh toward people they don’t care about, he’s leagues ahead. The character profile said he was a “surprisingly scheming prince,” but this is beyond scheming. He’s pitch black inside.
(If Chris really was the mastermind behind the contraceptive incident… I hope you don’t get caught by that man this time, Rain.)
I sent a silent cheer to Rain, whose face had gone pale.
Still, I needed to be on my guard too.
Chris is likely to feed his friend Kevin all sorts of invented stories about me. Kevin is leaving for the capital soon, and in the manga, there’s a scene where Chris calls him over upon arrival for a friendly glass of wine. Chris then asks him about his newly married life with Erika.
Kevin tells Chris, “I have no intention of loving anyone other than Lily.”
But Chris just smiles kindly and says, “I think Lily would want you to be happy.”
In the original story, it felt like a nice scene where the problematic Prince Chris showed a caring, supportive side as a friend.
(But based on what Rain told me, I don’t think Lily has that kind of personality…)
Chris might think, just like I do, that he can control Kevin to some extent by invoking Lily’s name.
(Right, I need to talk to Kevin about Holger before he leaves.)
I wondered if Holger had finished writing that letter to Kevin yet.
I told Rain I needed to go and check on the steward.