I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 38

“I’ve brought you a letter from Holger.”
“A letter?”
“He’s hurt his back and is having trouble walking.”
“So, the Duchess has been demoted to running the steward’s errands. How wonderfully devoted you are—to everyone but your husband.”
Kevin gave a cold, dismissive laugh.
I received his remark with an utterly blank expression.
Right, he’s just fulfilling his daily quota for insulting me.
“I did have some business of my own with the Duke as well.”
“What is it?”
“Holger’s back pain has gotten worse because his duties as steward are too demanding for him to seek proper treatment. Could the Ducal House possibly cover his medical expenses?”
“That’s entirely his own fault.”
Kevin replied curtly as he glanced over the letter.
He truly is a cold-hearted man, showing no warmth even toward Holger, who has served him for years.
When he was done reading, Kevin tossed the letter onto the desk like a piece of rubbish.
“If he had a health problem, he should have just stepped down and let his son take over. It’s not like I forbade it.”
His son is named Carvell, is that it? Kevin muttered, sounding utterly bored.
His argument certainly had a point. Yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that at least half the reason Holger couldn’t step down lay squarely with the man in front of me.
“Very well. I shall tell him that.”
Feeling deflated, I let my gaze drift toward Lily’s portrait.
The woman, who looked barely older than a girl, was smiling sweetly.
Since she died eight years ago, it was possible the portrait had been painted when she was still in her teens.
If Lily had asked, Kevin would have instantly agreed to the medical fees.
After all, he’d even rehired Lady Marvella, who had openly despised him.
As I studied the portrait with that thought, Kevin seemed to follow my gaze.
I’m staring too long, I thought, pulling my eyes away from Lily’s picture.
But now, Kevin himself was utterly fixated on her portrait.
“Carvell… oh, yes. That time.”
His thin lips formed a quiet, solitary whisper.
“That time?”
The sound of Carvell’s name, and the way he said it, made me ask for clarification.
He looked up at me as if waking from a trance, and I could have sworn there was a flicker of panic in his eyes.
“It’s nothing. Forget I said anything.”
I didn’t quite grasp what had just happened, but it seemed he had slipped up.
When I remained silent, Kevin let out a sharp “Tch.”
Then, he said resentfully:
“…Fine. I’ll pay for Holger’s treatment. Satisfied?”
“Thank you.”
“Now that your business is done, get out.”
He cut the conversation short and refused to meet my eyes.
Was he paying the medical bill as hush money? Or did he just assume my request’s completion would finally make me leave?
“The library is sorely lacking in books; may I go ahead and buy some more?”
“Do whatever you want.”
I threw in my own request as a bonus and was granted permission instantly.
Kevin in his ‘I-can’t-be-bothered’ mode was certainly easy to exploit.
I was mentally calculating what else I could press him for when he suddenly spoke again.
“Hey, have you ever actually seen Carvell’s face?”
His abrupt question made my eyes widen.
In my past life, yes, I’d seen him as a character in a comic. But as Erica, no.
“No, I only know his name and a basic summary of his career.”
“Carvell is a young man. Don’t go trying to seduce him or lead him astray just because you’re desperate.”
I was stunned for a moment, but in the next second, I burst out laughing.
It wasn’t meant to provoke Kevin. It was just genuinely hilarious.
Kevin flinched, then his expression soured with displeasure.
“…What is so funny? What are you laughing at?”
I took a breath, struggling to control the fit of amusement.
I was surprised by how funny I found it.
“I assure you, Duke, I am not so starved that I get excited just by any young man of the opposite s3x.”
“Then that’s all you needed to say.”
“But I was only speaking for myself.”
The moment I finished that sentence, a flush of red crept up to Kevin’s temples.
I secretly admired that he was capable of feeling shame.
The one who gets excited just by a young person of the opposite s3x is not me.
It’s the man standing right here.
That’s why I laughed.
“I am currently the Duchess of Avenius. I won’t commit infidelity.”
“Hah! Why should I believe the words of a man-hungry shrew like you?”
“It’s not that I love any man… surely, you know that better than anyone, Duke.”
You’ve been rejected by me so thoroughly, after all. Of course, I kept that part to myself.
This time, however, I gave him a smile designed purely for mockery. I watched as Kevin began to rise from his chair.
“You dare—”
“Don’t you think it’s fortunate for us both that neither you nor I are the type to take just anyone of the opposite s3x, Duke?”
With that, I smiled brightly toward Lily’s portrait. The hand he had reached out to me froze in mid-air.
“Thank you again for the medical expenses. I’m certain Holger will be deeply grateful for your mercy.”
I curtsied and left the Duke’s office.