I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 7

“But why… I thought you’d left the manor early this morning?!”
Madam Marvella was speaking, completely shaking. I wasn’t quite as rattled as her, but I was certainly taken aback.
It was a fact that in the original story, Kevin knocked Erika out and then headed off to the royal capital for work. He wasn’t supposed to return for at least two weeks. During that fortnight, Erika would bond with some of the servants and Leo. The original scene showed Kevin returning to a ducal manor that suddenly felt light and cheerful, and he was completely stunned by the change.
“It wasn’t exactly pressing business,” Kevin answered, as if he’d read my mind. Though, he was probably just replying to Madam. Marvella’s immediate question.
(But she didn’t actually care about the reason, did she?)
She was flustered because she’d been acting like she owned the place while the Duke was away, and he’d just caught her in the act. Worse, she’d even let slip an insult about him. Now that he’d appeared right in front of her, she was as white as a sheet, regretting everything and thoroughly shocked.
Watching the two of them, a new question popped into my head. If the trip wasn’t urgent, why did the original Kevin run off so quickly and stay away for so long? Could he have been embarrassed because the wedding night was a disaster?
(Honestly, if that’s the case, he’s a pathetic excuse for a man.)
I stared in disbelief at Duke Avenius, dressed in his travel gear and looking utterly grim.
But then, the wedding night was a bust this time too. So why had he come back? That only deepened the mystery.
(It looks like my interference has changed the script.)
In the comic, Kevin didn’t confront Madam Marvella until much later, and it happened on the ducal residence’s landing, not in the garden.
“Madam Marvella, you just claimed I chose my wife based on her looks and her age, is that right?”
“N-no. I only meant that girl was hardly suitable to be Your Grace’s second wife…”
“And that means my judgment is flawed. What part of that is different?”
A true Head of the Ducal House. Every single word he spoke was heavy with menace. By the standards of my past life, this was workplace harassment and definitely out of line, but since his opponent, Madam Marvella, was a worse delinquent—a child abuser—I chose to observe.
No, maybe observing wasn’t the right choice. I raised my hand and spoke to Kevin.
“I apologies, but may I just add one quick thing?”
“What…?”
He shot me an irritated glare with his blue eyes. But I didn’t flinch, meeting his gaze head-on. As a company CEO in my past life, I’d had to endure threatening stares countless times. I knew I could push past Kevin’s look.
“…A woman who doesn’t know her place. Say it quickly then.”
After a few seconds of glaring, Kevin let out a frustrated sigh.
(I won.)
I gave him a brief nod and got straight to the point.
“Madam Marvella has insulted not just Your Grace, but your son, Lord Ron, as well.”
“How dare you, you little ****…!!”
“And she’s also just referred to me, the Duchess, as a ‘little ****,’ as you heard.”
When I added that, Madam Marvella’s lips started to tremble uncontrollably. I genuinely thought she should just keep her mouth shut now.
“An insult to Ron…? What exactly did she say?”
“Just a moment ago…”
“N-no, that’s wrong! I was only trying to ensure my younger brother never dared to stand up to his elder brother again!!”
Yelling, Madam Marvella thrust her hand forward to cover my mouth. The moment her sharp nail was about to touch my lip, a scream ripped out.
“Agh!”
“Stop making such a pathetic scene in front of me.”
Kevin had grabbed Madam Marvella’s wrist with his hand. The force must have been extreme because she looked to be in absolute agony even after her scream. I stared at Kevin, wondering if he was going to break it. He then turned his icy stare on me.
“Go on.”
I nodded and opened my mouth.
“Madam Marvella insulted Lord Ron by calling him an inferior birth, and as a result, Lord Ron now believes he is his brother’s slave.”
In that instant, I saw a fire ignite in the Duke’s cold, blue eyes. It was a dark, violent, raging inferno.
“It-it hurts! It hurts!! Master Kevin!! It hurts!”
A wail of pain came from the old woman. The instant she called him “Master,” Kevin let go of Madam Marvella’s hand. She collapsed weakly to the floor. Then, she started to quietly weep, rubbing the wrist Kevin had gripped with her other hand.
She was a pitiable sight, but no one there offered any sympathy.
“Marvella, you are dismissed. Avenius will cut all ties with you and your husband’s entire family, effective immediately. We do not need anyone in this house who disrespects Lily’s passing.”
Madam Marvella let out a faint moan, her face showing the terror of a death sentence. It might have been a sob. Kevin walked away, ignoring her repeating, “I didn’t mean it like that,” as if delirious.
“…You are less able to forgive an insult to your late wife than the abuse of your own son.”
I don’t know if he heard my whispered thoughts. Kevin never looked back.