I Won't Clear Up the Misunderstanding. I Don't Mind Being the Villainess. - Chapter 8

Madam Marvella, who had just been denounced by her former student Kevin, was still huddled on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably.
I didn’t laugh at her, thinking, “Serves her right,” nor did I rush over to help her up.
In the original novel, the heroine, Erika, would have deliberately approached Madam Marvella—who was despairing after Kevin fired her—and put a comforting arm around her. Predictably, her attempt at solace would have simply enraged the Madam, causing her to grab Erika’s hair and attempt to strike her.
Erika would be saved by Kevin at the very last moment, only to be scolded by him: “You foolish woman!” But this whole exchange was key, as it would cause Kevin to start doubting, “Could such a sweet woman really be the infamous villainess the rumors describe?”
But I don’t need that little drama. Kevin had already cleared off, and keeping your distance from dangerous people is just common sense.
“Right, I’ll head back, too.”
I brushed the dust from my dress and returned to the mansion. On the way, I spotted the servants who’d been lurking about, trying to get a peek. I told them to isolate Madam Marvella immediately, under the pretense of protecting her.
“It would be dreadful if we left her out here and she fainted. The sun is only going to get hotter as the day goes on.”
Crucially, if I left the Madam here, and she bumped into Lord Ron, who might be playing in the garden, the child could be in danger. So, she needed to be confined to a spare room and kept under close guard.
“Madam Marvella is in a highly unstable state, so be extremely cautious. And remember, the master’s instructions are final regarding her management.”
“Y-yes, ma’am.”
“Just be absolutely certain she doesn’t go anywhere near the children or me.”
“Yes, yes! We promise!”
They were far more compliant than I’d expected. Erika is supposed to be detested and dismissed by the Duke’s household staff. Did Kevin’s fury frighten more people than just Madam Marvella? I mused on that as I went back to my own room.
I’d finished off all the fudge Ron gave me, but I was still ravenously hungry, so I rang for a maid. The same maid who brought my breakfast arrived. Perhaps she was exclusively assigned to Erika all along.
“I’m afraid I need you to bring me a few sweets. It looks like my stomach won’t last until lunch.”
“…Understood.”
The word ‘displeasure’ was practically etched onto the maid’s face. She looked like a sulking child. I didn’t chastise her this time, though. I considered that she hadn’t complained aloud, and I had, after all, declined dessert earlier. In any case, compared to Madam Marvella, this small act of rebellion seemed utterly innocent. I knew the comparison was ridiculous. Honestly, I just lacked the energy to pick a fight.
Talking to someone so furiously irrational and closed off is utterly draining, both mentally and physically. Since my hospitalization in my previous life, I’d spent my days quietly waiting for death, and I had completely forgotten how exhausting people could be.
“You know what? You can bring one treat for yourself, too.”
“Oh?”
When I added that, the maid’s frown instantly flipped into delight. She was simple. But her open self-interest actually made me feel a bit calmer. I like people who are predictable and easy to manage.
“Just make sure you bring some good tea as well.”
“Right away!”
After her cheerful reply, the maid hurried out, and I settled into the built-in armchair. The garden outside the window was deserted. It seemed Madam Marvella had been successfully dealt with.
Her ties to the Abenius Duchy are probably severed now. She certainly won’t be Ron’s tutor. Who will take over the children’s education? They don’t need to be friendly with me; they just need to manage basic courtesy. I simply want someone who will guide the children with kindness and correctness.
Master Kevin, the Duke and father of Ron and Leo, will choose them. But frankly, I have serious doubts about his judgment of people. I even question his affection for his own children.
In the original novel, A Single Flower Melts the Ice, Kevin and the children eventually formed a close, loving family, one that could even argue in a playful way. But that entire bond centered on Erika. They all adored Erika and would compete amongst themselves—when she wasn’t around—to see who she loved the most. Scenes where Kevin declared, “Erika is my wife; she belongs to me, not you lot,” and the children would look vexed, were often inserted as light relief in the later chapters of the serialization.
To be honest, I didn’t much like that dynamic even when I first read the manga. It just made Kevin seem like a petty man asserting himself as a partner, not a father.
“Well, that sort of conversation is definitely never going to happen in this world, is it?”
I’m not the sweet, guileless Erika from the manga. I have absolutely none of the charm that would make Kevin adore me. And personally, I feel zero romantic fluttering toward Kevin, either. He has looks and status, but he’s a failure as both a husband and a father. It’s clear the only person who truly matters to him is his dead wife.
“That must be why he hasn’t remarried for eight years, but I still can’t understand it.”
If he loved Lily that much, why is he so uncaring toward the children she left behind? The children themselves carry her shadow and her memories; their presence is the very proof that the person he loved so dearly existed in this world.
“…And yet, that’s precisely the bond I clung to to keep going, isn’t it?”
I thought of the husband I lost in my previous life. I’ve even forgotten what his face looked like now. But he was a man who laughed easily, loved children, and died trying to shield a child.
I will remember that much, even if I am reborn countless times.