I Thought a Villainess' Divorce Would Be Easy

“Madam, you are not alone. Dozens of servants in this mansion will follow the lady’s words.”

 

The consolation that was not Richard’s consolation did not help Anthea in the slightest.

 

“Yes. These are the employees the duke trusts, so you should trust them. I’m an outsider, so I won’t ask you to trust me.”

 

“You’re not an outsider. You’re definitely the duchess now.”

 

Unexpectedly, Richard continued to try to comfort Anthea. Despite Richard’s urgent words, Anthea smiled faintly, as if resigned.

 

“How you view me is the Duke’s choice. I’m really fine. I don’t care what you think of me. Therefore…”

 

Anthea didn’t blink her eyes even once, as if she was trying not to let go of the tears that filled her green eyes as if they were about to fall at any moment.

 

“Please treat my brother properly, who is like my family.”

 

Perhaps out of relief at having said her most important words, the tears in Anthea’s eyes flowed down. Anthea’s tears caused a pain like an awl being pierced into Richard’s stomach, which had been tingling for a while.

 

“If the Duke gives you an order, I will not take a single step out of the premises. You can put surveillance on it.”

 

Of course, if she was really locked up, she planned to make the biggest scandal by seeing Nathan off, even if it meant climbing out the window. If she succeeds, everyone will point and reprimand Anthea, who stayed behind after Nathan left. If she wasn’t locked up, that was exactly the result she wanted.

 

“There is no such thing as locking up the lady.”

 

She didn’t know how to react, so the answer came out of Richard, who was just moving his lips. Anthea was happy on the inside when she got the answer she had been waiting for, and her eyes blinked in surprise on the outside. The tears that fell each time accelerated Richard’s stomach pain.

 

“Are you saying I can move around as I please?”

 

“Of course. There is no place in this house that my wife cannot go.”

 

“Then is it okay if I go to see my brother?”

 

To Richard, who was both uncomfortable and puzzled as to why the direction had changed in that direction, Anthea answered as if it were obvious.

 

“As long as you stay at the duchy, my free feet will always point towards him. I will hold my brother’s hand like always, and I will cling to him in a way that others will doubt. Every time, everyone will point fingers at me. As the Duke sees me, I am a dirty and filthy woman.”

 

“That!”

 

“I can’t hide how much I love my family.”

 

So, she said, don’t even think about doing anything and just point your finger at Anthea, who was the cause. With that in mind, Anthea tried to get her confirmation from Richard, who was caught in the net she had set earlier.

 

“They are the Count Leslies who raised and cared for me so that I could run all the way to the North, even though I was so useless that I couldn’t even leave the house.”

 

From the report, he knew that Anthea’s body was weak, so Richard remained silent in the affirmative.

 

“I love them with everything I have. Just because I’m close to them, my brother, hearing scandals doesn’t matter to me. If that bothers you, Duke, you should lock me up.”

 

Richard knew why she had acted confidently until the end, even though she had been swayed by the head maid, and the words she had spoken without hesitation tore into Anthea’s delicate heart. The only time she seemed unconcerned was in front of Nathan. The only moments she was strong were when she was protecting her family.

 

Anthea, who faced Richard alone, shed tears, her fingertips trembled, and she could not even raise her voice loudly. She looked beautiful yet anxious, adorable and yet sad. She was the current Anthea that Richard knew.

 

Anthea was the girl who curled up her small body even more and trembled and asked for help, saying she was afraid of the first night. When it was time for her to go to bed, she begged him to wait, as if she couldn’t bear her fear. She stood in front of Richard to protect Nathan with her fragile body that bruised just by lightly grabbing her wrist. Anthea became stronger in front of Nathan, who she considered to be her family.

 

Anthea, who had been begging for fear of her pain and fear of being hurt, gave up her resistance when Richard misunderstood and spoke arbitrarily. With her face clearly showing her sadness, she tried helplessly to accept it. To think such a woman can become so strong to protect her family.

 

Even though he and Anthea were a couple, Richard was not sure that they were family yet.

 

‘If this is family.’

 

If only family could receive the desperate affection of such a delicate woman…

 

He was jealous.

 

Richard swallowed his breath as his greedy feelings suddenly bloomed. A sudden thirst arose in him as he looked at Anthea, still out of his hands. His acceptance of Anthea as his wife was simply a choice to avoid the annoying meddling of the emperor. Richard never thought she would be the one to bring out his unknown emotions in this way.

 

Richard, who was swallowing dry saliva due to his thirst, moved to her side. Her vaguely wet eyes darkened with surprise as Richard suddenly approached her side. Richard felt joy without even realizing it when Anthea reacted to seeing him. He kept wanting to let himself be seen. He wanted to see her smile back, just as she had smiled brightly during their brief greeting at the departure ceremony. His thoughts led him to come up with an unexpected answer.

 

“If you are too close, it will disturb me.”

 

“What?”

 

“You don’t know how friendly you are to the men and women you consider family in the East. I’m a northern guy, so I can’t tolerate that. So I might say something that will definitely be difficult for you. But if you don’t mind, do as my wife wishes.”

 

Richard took a step back. For his part, he made very big concessions. He didn’t know where he heard it, but he meant that he would tolerate Anthea’s actions to some extent even though her scandal was circulating enough to reach Richard’s ears. In addition, the ‘you who will have a hard time’ that Richard mentioned meant Anthea, so there was no problem.

 

“Thank you, Duke.”

 

By seeing Anthea’s bright smile and the green eyes that still faced him clearly, Richard was certain that her sadness had subsided. As he looked at Anthea, who was smiling brightly, Richard felt the pain in his stomach that had been bothering him a little while ago disappearing.

 

Anthea wiped her wet cheek with the back of her hand as if asking when she had cried and stood up. Anthea left Richard, who had followed her, and headed straight for the door.

 

“Duke, are you going to go immediately to subdue the demonic beast? Then, I will go to the mall with my brother before it is too late.”

 

Richard couldn’t tell her not to go now, so he had to slowly nod his head.

 

“Thank you, Duke, for your generosity.”

 

“I’m not very generous. I won’t let just two people go.”

 

“Still, thank you. Ellie! I’m going to see my brother. Please guide me.”

 

“Yes, ma’am.”

 

Seeing Anthea leaving the parlor in an instant, Richard slowly clenched his fist. Instead of the stabbing pain in his stomach, this time he felt like his heart was being stabbed, which made him feel a little more troubled. 

 

Unintentionally, Anthea’s villain points were steadily accumulating on the wrong side of her.

 

“Ma’am, I’ll take you to the warehouse. It’s a bit narrow, but it’s quick if you take the shortcut.”

 

Ellie, who usually followed Anthea, took the lead this time to guide her. When she was working as a maid, Ellie walked quickly, but she walked slowly, keeping Anthea’s narrow strides in mind. She took a shortcut into a narrow hallway, and Ellie, who was walking ahead of her, realized that it would take too long. Even if it was a shortcut, the distance to her warehouse was quite long, so considering Anthea’s stamina and walking speed, it was better for her to take Anthea’s carriage.

 

“Ma’am, I think it would be better to go by carriage.”

 

As she turned to go back, Ellie was taken aback by the absence of Anthea, who she had thought would be right behind her.

 

“Ma’am!”

 

Anthea, who she thought would be right behind her, was sitting far away. Her plump dress was spread out on her floor, and even her hair, fluttering over it, became a picture, and her even lovely Anthea’s complexion was pale. Ellie, who got close to her, became anxious when she saw sweat beading on Anthea’s face.

 

“Ma’am, are you okay?”

 

“Ha… No, it’s not okay.”

 

“Uh, what should I do? Wait a minute.”

 

Ellie quickly looked around her and noticed that there was no one in her hallway and she panicked. Although she said it was a shortcut, it was narrow and not many people used it.

 

“Ma’am, I’ll bring someone right away. Please wait for a moment.”

 

While Ellie, who was embarrassed, quickly sat down, Anthea leaned her head against the wall and sighed as if she was struggling.

 

‘I guess I was nervous in front of the duke.’

 

As her tension went away, Anthea felt frustrated by her frail body, which became exhausted in an instant, even though she was used to it. If she were a countess, she wouldn’t have been this nervous and she wouldn’t have had to grit her teeth to hold on.

 

‘You just have to be patient. It will feel better if you snuggle up in her bed and take a nap.’

 

Perhaps Ellie will soon return with another maid or knight. Her body came to mind without a sound as she listened to the light yet eager footsteps of Ellie running towards her. Although she only did it twice, her unwavering sense of stability made Anthea feel like she knew her partner even with her eyes closed.

 

“Umm…”

 

For a moment, her stable embrace seemed to harden, but she soon continued to feel floating, as if she was riding on her feathers. She was so comfortable and pleasantly stable that she forgot about her rapidly deteriorating physical condition and broke into a cold sweat. It was Richard who was crushing a hard magic stone with one hand that would not break even if she hit it with her hammer. Despite his strong strength, the hands holding Anthea were stable and gentle.

 

It felt amazing as if a large dog that had been attacking the owner without control of its strength realized the size and strength of its own body and clung to the owner enough to avoid getting hurt. Anthea smiled softly at her perfect control of Richard’s strength, despite her pale complexion.

 

—————————————————————

Translator Note: