I Thought a Villainess' Divorce Would Be Easy

Richard was puzzled by Anthea’s sudden appearance while preparing for departure. He was a little surprised when her small body slipped through the crack in the heavily closed door. A huge iron door, which he thought was sturdy, could have ended up crushing her fragile body. Richard’s eyes became sharp at the thought of having to provide an escort for her right away. While he was wondering who to send, Anthea put her hand on Richard’s sword sheath. He put his hand on the knight’s sword and was about to pull it out for no reason. However, as he faced Anthea’s green eyes that were truly happy for him, he was not at all displeased. As her thin, white fingers fumbled, he wondered if she wanted his sword, and when he tried to undo its sheath, she was startled and withdrew her hand. She was afraid of a sword that was staring at her own eyes, which she was busy avoiding in fear, but couldn’t even move on her own.

 

Cute.

 

Richard quickly captured the emotions that came to his mind. What usually dominates Richard was conquest. Destruction. It was a duty. The easiest of these was to destroy the demonic beast and take ownership of the land it took over.

 

How cute.

 

It was a dangerous thing that seemed like it would explode if you held it with one hand. Richard thought of the fruits he burst at dawn. When he was young he couldn’t control his strength. He even remembered the clumsy memory of being unable to cut off the head of the first demon beast she faced, and destroying the magic stone. He had no choice but to destroy the delicate woman in front of him. Richard held back his hand as he tried to reach for Anthea. Anthea, rolling her eyes and following Richard’s every move, felt cute yet dangerous. A cute yet dangerous creature. The immediately reminiscent magical beast immediately crossed Richard’s mind. Were those white furs covering her body disguised as snow bunnies?

 

‘Why are you walking around in disguise? ‘You look weak. Is it okay to move around?’

 

Even as he thought about such questions, the thought that the white fur cape looked good on Anthea haunted him. Unlike ordinary rabbits, the magical snow rabbit was famous for its pure white fur that was just the same size and untainted. So, the snow rabbits that often came into the Duke’s residence were skinned by the young knights.

 

‘It’s dangerous to look like that.’

 

He had to tell her that it was dangerous. After Richard calmly collected his thoughts, he tried to talk Anthea out of his words. It’s just that it took a long time, and people who misunderstood the expressionless Duke’s intentions started popping up. Among them, Arthur Mogens, the head of the Knights Club who was the most worried, eventually stepped forward to Richard and Anthea.

 

“My lady, you came out to see the Duke off even though you were feeling unwell?”

 

At the familiar voice of Arthur, Anthea recognized that these were knights wearing bear skins. She was so embarrassed that she could only see the bear’s head. Anthea fumbled for the familiar blue-eyed bear, and now she could breathe a sigh of relief. But she was relieved for a moment. She realized that the place she was in was in front of the knights preparing to go out. Besides, wasn’t what she’s holding on Richard’s sword sheath?

 

From what anyone could see, it looked like a cicada clinging to the Duke just before giving the order to go to war. She guessed that’s why Richard kept clenching and opening his hand as if he was trying to get rid of it. She had to step back right away, but even then her legs were shaking from walking for a long time. What do you do when you’re in trouble?

 

Anthea’s lovely smile like an angel.

 

“Huh…”

 

“The beauty is crazy…”

 

Moan-like exclamations came from all over the place. For some reason, the reaction was more intense than at the count’s house. Anthea was even more embarrassed by the fact that the air, which had been as ferocious as a flying animal, suddenly became soft and fluffy. People who were accustomed to the rough life in the North were basically blunt. The reaction was explosive as Anthea’s charming smile, which she had trained for years, bloomed among these men. It was Richard who reacted faster than anyone else.

 

“Arthur Mogens, please take my wife inside.”

 

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

 

Arthur immediately took off his armor and approached Anthea.

 

“I will take you inside, my lady.”

 

“Thank you, ah!”

 

Anthea, who was excited at the thought of asking Arthur where the kitchen was, walked quickly, but her shaky legs gave out and she fell. Fortunately, Arthur, who was nearby, caught me in time and prevented her from falling. In an instant, the knights’ attention focused on one place. Richard also let out a short sigh of relief and did not stop watching.

 

“Then take care of yourself.”

 

Anthea barely finished sending him off with a low whisper and left the hall with Arthur’s support. The faces of each of the knights, who remembered something at the sight of the delicate-looking woman staggering around with her legs loose, turned red. 

 

People were proud that the lady, who spent the first night with the master, came out to see him off with a flushed face, but her condition was so bad that she collapsed. Even at a glance, the difference in physique between the Duke and Duchess was significant. She was a small, frail-looking Duchess. And he was a large Duke even compared to knights of considerable physique. There was no doubt that last night must have been so difficult for the little white, flowing woman that it was difficult for her to walk properly.

 

No sooner had her heavy door closed completely than criticism of Richard came from all over.

 

“No matter how much we hear the sound of a beast slaying a beast.”

 

“Where has chivalry gone?”

 

“Your Excellency, perhaps you should have restrained yourself a little…”

 

In fact, Richard was more concerned about Arthur’s hand holding Anthea than the small criticism he heard. He could vividly see her slender waist that could fit in one hand and even a strand of platinum-colored hair that was so bright that it took his attention. Has his memory improved too much? Instead of ignoring the hum of criticism that was still coming from Richard, he impulsively spat it out.

 

“15 days. This subjugation of demonic beasts will be resolved within that time.”

 

The somewhat playful and jealous criticism disappeared in an instant. The attendants, who had packed their bags for a month in mind, unhesitatingly removed half of their luggage. There was no need for Richard to say anything to the knights who were concentrating with a menacing spirit as if they had been released. He didn’t say he did it because he didn’t want anyone to mess with her and leave the Duchess alone. It was a truth that even Richard himself did not realize.

 

Anthea stopped, startled by the loud sound ringing behind her. Even though she had walked down the hallway for quite some time, the loud cheers rang out clearly.

 

“It’s like cheering up before heading out. You will hear it often from now on.”

 

“Yes, thank you.”

 

He was afraid Anthea might be surprised, so he calmly informed her in a relaxed manner.

 

“Now that you are a Duchess, you must tone down your words.”

 

“Hmm… I’ll try.”

 

No matter how many years she had lived in that world, the girl in Anthea found it difficult to speak to someone who was older than her. Still, even though she spoke to the vice-captain of the knights a few times, she was like this if she let her guard down even for a moment. Of course, like the head maid, she often lost her temper with someone who was trying to get under her skin.

 

“Please use these stairs.”

 

“Ah, thank you.”

 

As Anthea headed toward the kitchen as instructed by Arthur, a sweet scent caught the tip of her nose. Sweet fruity scent. It was difficult to pinpoint the complex scent, so it felt like she was wearing perfume made from fruit. And with the scent of her fragrant butter in the air, Anthea’s hunger reached its peak.

 

As Anthea’s steps got faster, Arthur’s eyes were cautious as she followed her in case she fell again.

 

“Chef, I’m finished cutting the vegetables.”

 

“Put half of it in the soup pot and go back and get the marinated meat.”

 

“Yes, chef.”

 

“Put the remaining fruit aside.

 

“I have to make the jelly again.”

 

“Chef, we don’t have much useful fruit.”

 

“What’s on the table there… Ah, it was a seed.”

 

In the place where the Duke went, there was only the corpse of the fruit, no, the seeds and some tough peel. As he destroyed those precious peaches one by one, she felt more fear than when she exploded the head of the demon beast. Richard’s fruit destruction, whose intentions are unknown, did not end even after he destroyed all the peaches served by Chef Harmon. The Duke was looking at the table like an animal looking for its prey, and he came across a piece of jelly that had hardened overnight and was sticky.

 

‘No way. No. That thing needs to harden overnight to get the right texture!’

 

Harmon, who couldn’t bear to shout and was only biting down on a dishtowel, was surprised to see that the Duke holding the jelly in his hand didn’t move for a long time. As everyone watched without making a sound, the Duke’s fingertips seemed to move ever so slightly. Because everyone was holding their breath, the movement was slight enough for some to notice, but that small wriggle resulted in the jelly’s death. The Duke’s strong fingers seemed to grab a little bit of jelly, but then instantly crushed it into pieces. At this point, Chef Hamon became suspicious of the intentions of his master, the Duke. Could it be that the Duke was trying to destroy everything edible? Could it be that the Duchess didn’t like him that much?

 

While he was thinking about this, Richard shook off his hand and stood up. And Harmon’s nap was interrupted by the sudden command that followed.

 

“Whew. I don’t know if there will be enough jelly ingredients to send to the master.”

 

“Now that I think about it, the master told me to make as much jelly as possible and send it to you, right?”

 

Yes.

 

Before leaving the kitchen, Richard instructed them to make as much jelly as possible. It was a welcome surprise that Richard, who had no particular likes or dislikes, ordered a specific dish. If that’s the order as a dish. When hunting demonic beasts, it was common to take dry raisins that did not spoil or soften easily. He didn’t bother making as much jelly as possible and sending it to the hunting ground. Harmon’s sigh deepened as he realized that the jellies’ fate would not be smooth.

 

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