Decided To Become A Bad Wife

Chapter 7

To accommodate the Burke siblings who couldn’t manage a proper dinner due to motion sickness, Rita sent a simple meal to their guest room. After their modest dinner, Remington grumbled like a child.

“Sis, when have we ever had motion sickness?”

“You wouldn’t know because you were asleep in the carriage, but your sister and I suffered a lot from it. It’s fortunate we had a good lunch, isn’t it?”

Forewarned, Leopold chimed in to support me, and only then did Remington look at me with sympathy.

“Sis, do you have a headache? Or is your stomach upset?”

“I’ll feel better after some rest. Don’t worry too much, Remy.”

Concerned that his worry might deepen, I affectionately patted his head, and he snuggled into my embrace like a child.

“Remington, let’s leave so your sister can rest.”

“…Yes, brother.”

As Leopold nudged the reluctant Remington out of the room, I whispered softly to him.

“Thank you, Leo.”

“Get some rest, Rachel.”

After seeing them off and closing the door, I leaned against it and muttered.

“A comfortable bed is better than a grand feast, Remy.”

In my previous life, the first meal at the Edmond Duke’s residence was the epitome of discomfort and vanity.

In the lavishly decorated dining room, comparable to the grand ballrooms of the royal palace, Susan and Stella, dressed as splendidly as princesses, would have been waiting.

There would have been a parade of courses made with ingredients we could never even dream of in Courtney, all designed to crush the spirits of the Burke siblings.

A dinner filled with customs we neither knew nor were supposed to know would have overwhelmed and embarrassed us for quite some time.

“I won’t let it happen twice.”

Imagining Rita’s expression as she sat at that meticulously set table made me chuckle.

I told Leopold that it was revenge against Rita for arbitrarily deciding to hold the wedding at the Duke’s residence, and he readily agreed.

Of course, I also aimed to avoid the indigestion caused by an uncomfortable meal. Plus, there were things I needed to confirm and do before the wedding.

Rummaging through the guest room wardrobe with familiar hands, I took out a black cloak and quietly left the room.

Late at night, I headed to the stables to retrieve the luggage I had brought. Then, I stood in front of the garden where the wedding took place five years ago.

The marble fountain intricately carved with the Empire’s twelve gods and the rose garden spread out like wings on both sides were exactly as they were in my previous life.

The path leading to the platform where the bride and groom would exchange vows was lined with a bright red carpet.

“Nothing has changed.”

Five years ago, I was greatly humiliated here. As the bride, supposed to be the highlight of the wedding, I was buried under those red roses and became the most pitiful being in the Empire.

“Don’t be a fool and let it happen twice.”

As I clenched my fist with determination, a cold voice like ice spoke from behind.

“Is there a problem with the venue?”

My heart thudded loudly. I took a deep breath to calm my heart and slowly turned around.

As expected, Stefan was looking down at me with a chilly expression, just like always.

His handsome face showed no warmth, not even a hint of color. His eyes were so menacing that they couldn’t be called the eyes of someone looking at their future bride.

It was fascinating how his blood-red eyes could look so icy and cold.

“Miss Burke, I asked if there was a problem with the venue.”

Perhaps annoyed that I didn’t answer his question and just stood there, Stefan asked again.

“The venue is perfect, Your Grace.”

“Then why are you here?”

“…I’m still feeling queasy, so I was taking a walk, Your Grace.”

“Ah, queasy…”

As he repeated my words with a strange smile, I felt a sudden urge to understand his true feelings.

We were close enough that I could reach out and touch him.

‘If I pretend to be dizzy and stumble, will he catch my hand? Maybe then I can ask him some questions?’

But I soon dismissed the idea. There would be countless opportunities to gauge his true feelings, like the stars in the night sky. I reminded myself not to be impatient.

Noticing a hint of amusement on my lips, Stefan’s gaze didn’t leave me.

The memory of how I used to cower and tremble under his intense gaze in my previous life resurfaced.

‘That foolish Rachel isn’t here anymore.’

Facing his stare with unwavering confidence, I watched as his lips curved into a faint smile.

“Why did you agree to this marriage?”

“What?”

“Did you desire the position of Duchess that much?”

“No!”

I declared my innocence confidently, and his blood-red eyes wavered.

I wanted to tell him that I was only here to reclaim my children, but I held back.

Then, looking up at him with a gaze that seemed to swallow him whole, I asked,

“Then why did Your Grace accept this marriage?”

“……”

“Do you think the daughter of a mere marquis has the right to refuse this marriage?”

“……”

He seemed at a loss for words, surprised by my provocative questions.

Feeling a sense of accomplishment that I had shed a bit of the timid Rachel from my previous life, I was taken aback when he spoke again.

“Thanks to you, Miss Burke, I now have some expectations for this marriage.”

‘What is he saying?’

I almost voiced my thoughts but instead answered gracefully.

“Thank you for feeling that way, Your Grace. I will also strive to have expectations for this marriage.”

“Hahaha.”

Stefan, seemingly incredulous at my unwavering response, laughed out loud for the first time in my life.

Fearing that prolonged emotional drain would waste my time, I quickly lifted the hem of my dress and offered a polite farewell.

“I will excuse myself first to prepare for tomorrow’s wedding, Your Grace.”

Fortunately, he didn’t seem inclined to stop me.

—

It was a night like any other.

But since it was the eve of the wedding, Stefan was in his bedroom. If he worked in the study again, the servants would think of him as a monster.

However, he couldn’t sleep. It wasn’t because of the excitement of welcoming a bride or anticipation for the wedding.

To calm his complicated and unknown emotions, Stefan headed to the terrace.

From the terrace of the Duke’s bedroom, located in the center of the mansion, he could see the rose garden and fountain where the ceremony would take place.

“They planted them densely.”

Under the bright moonlight, the red roses in the garden stood out even more. At that moment, something wavering like a mirage caught his eye.

Stefan focused on its identity. Soon, he realized that the mirage was someone in a black robe hurrying along.

No, it wasn’t hurrying. It just appeared that way because the petticoat made the robe billow in the night breeze.

“…A petticoat?”

That meant the person standing there wasn’t a servant of the mansion. Neither his mother nor sisters would be wandering around in such attire this late, so it must be an outsider.

But whose familiar, even graceful steps were those?

The way the person inspected the fountain and garden with familiarity was also suspicious.

Stefan leaned forward against the terrace railing. It was an intense curiosity he hadn’t felt in a long time.

“Who on earth…?”

Then he noticed the pink suitcase the mysterious robed figure was carrying. It was like having a large name tag with “Rachel” written on it.

Stefan’s lips curved into a smile at Rachel’s possibly naive or perhaps simpleminded act.

“Is she planning to run away?”

Stefan’s face, which had briefly smiled, turned icy. It seemed he had finally identified the cause of his sleeplessness.

“I’m sorry, Your Grace. I must decline your dinner invitation.”

It was the first time he had ever experienced a ‘rejection,’ especially one in front of everyone, giving him a deep sense of humiliation.

Knowing he wouldn’t easily fall asleep, Stefan decided to meet Rachel.

He intended to understand why she had rejected him from the very first meeting and how much she knew about the underlying motives of this marriage.

But meeting Rachel only made things more confusing. He couldn’t fathom her true intentions and heard nothing but unexpected words.

“Why did Your Grace accept this marriage?”

“I will also strive to have expectations for this marriage.”

He had intended to dismiss her as an insignificant pawn on his mother’s chessboard. But from the first meeting, she had strangely piqued his interest.

“She’s probably just a pawn, but…”

The pawn, the weakest piece on the chessboard, can only move forward one square at a time. If another piece is in its path, it cannot move.

However, there is an exception. A pawn can move forward two squares on its first move.

“It’s the ambitious first step of a pawn.”

With a hollow laugh, Stefan stepped towards the mansion.

Just then, a night breeze blew, strong enough to tangle Stefan’s hair as he walked alone in the garden.

But what was shaken more violently than his hair was his heart.

His heart, which had always been like a block of ice devoid of emotions, began to stir wildly.