The Stand-In Villainess's Contract Marriage: I Was Divorced After a Year, But For Some Reason, My Ex-Husband Seems to Be Looking for Me - Chapter 18

From the large window, one can gaze out at the expansive garden.

Surely, spending time sewing while admiring the seasonal flowers from here will be a truly meaningful experience.

“I’ve prepared some consumables and dresses in advance, so your belongings will be brought in later,” said Felice.

“I brought all my belongings, so it’s fine,” replied Liana, pointing to the bag she had set aside.

“Is that all?”

“Yes, I’ve brought everything.”

Felice looked somewhat conflicted again but mentioned that dinner would be served in the room later and then left.

Left alone, Liana spent some time admiring the beautiful garden from the window before deciding to organize her belongings.

She hung an old dress she had brought from her family home in the closet and sorted her small items.

As Felice had mentioned, there were indeed a few new dresses among them.

The elegant designs were made from fine fabric, and just picking them up felt like a hesitation.

Since everything here was merely borrowed for her time living here, she decided to use her own belongings as much as possible.

Though they were all old items, they were treasured possessions she had cared for dearly.

With few belongings, she quickly finished organizing and found herself wandering aimlessly around the room, not knowing what to do next.

Having been busy from morning till night until now, having nothing to do might be the hardest part.

(Once I settle down a bit, I’ll request permission to go out and take on some work.)

Sewing quietly in the room should be fine.

Liana was also supposed to be sent away empty-handed a year from now. She needed to prepare some savings for that time.

Moving a chair to the window, she decided to sit there and sew with the tools she had brought from home.

She worked the needle absentmindedly.

Despite there being many residents, the vast mansion was very quiet.

Before long, the sun began to set, and the water in the fountain turned bright red, looking almost like flames were shooting up.

The beautiful garden transformed into a scene entirely different from during the day.

Liana watched this spectacle without getting bored.

Suddenly, she noticed a small gate in the garden had opened.

Casually looking in that direction, Liana realized a large carriage was entering the mansion.

Felice and the servants were lined up in front of the mansion to welcome the carriage.

It seemed that the master of the mansion, Duke Kirina, had returned.

(Ah…)

Liana instinctively hid behind the curtain.

After all, he was the man who had become her husband, even if it was merely in name.

Yet, having been told from the start that she was not to meet him and must not leave her assigned room, it seemed he had no intention of facing her.

But perhaps it would be permissible to catch just a glimpse of him from the shadows.

With that thought in mind, she kept watch.

As the carriage stopped in front of the mansion, the coachman respectfully opened the door.

Then, a young man appeared from within.

(That person is…)

His golden hair shimmered in the fading light.

He was tall and slender, with a handsome face that would captivate any woman.

Even Liana momentarily forgot she was secretly peeking from behind the curtain, becoming entranced.

Yet, the deep blue eyes of this man harbored a shadow.

Staring into those eyes, void of hope like the darkest hour of night, made her heart ache.

Feeling the discomfort, Liana hid again behind the curtain.

The longer she looked, the more it felt like she would be drawn into that darkness.

(Why…)

This was a man who proposed a contract marriage to someone notorious as a villainess.

She had known there was a reason for it.

But she had never imagined he would possess such dark eyes.

Duke Kararize, accompanied by Felice and others, entered the mansion.

Fortunately, it seemed that no one noticed Liana watching secretly.

With the master’s return, the mansion, which had been eerily quiet, suddenly became bustling.

However, Liana, who wasn’t even allowed to meet him, could not greet him as a wife, let alone as a guest.

Standing by the window, she tightly closed her eyes, trying to forget the look in Kararize’s eyes.

But forgetting him didn’t seem easy.

Trying to focus on her sewing again, she found her motivation diminished, making it hard to make progress.

When she realized the surroundings had turned dark, she finally accepted it was pointless to continue and put away her tools.

Checking the bed, she noticed that since she had to use this room on short notice, the sheets were not laid out and remained as they were.

She tidied it up herself, and as she debated whether to change, someone knocked on the door.

“Yes?”

For a brief moment, she thought that perhaps Kararize was coming to visit since it was the first day.

But it was actually a maid who came to bring her dinner.

Having often skipped dinner at her family home, Liana had completely forgotten, but it was quite late for evening meals. Probably because the master of the mansion, Kararize, had returned, he was prioritized.

That was only natural, and Liana had no complaints about it.