I Thought a Villainess' Divorce Would Be Easy

“I heard that Count Leslie’s heir tasted all the food that the chef made.”

Anthea suddenly lost her sleep because of Richard’s sudden mention of Nathan.

She rolled her eyes, wondering what he was going to say using this as an excuse, and a slow whisper followed.

“It’s okay, just tell me what you want, ma’am.”

‘Don’t keep asking me what I want to eat, I’m scared.’

If Anthea had said one wrong thing, the knights, whose wounds were still fresh, could have sent her on a dangerous journey again, claiming they wanted to procure ingredients.

Anthea thought she should just get a list of ingredients from the north and then tell him the menu, so she gave an appropriate answer.

“I’ll think about it.”

“Tell me anything. I can fill up your thin belly.”

Richard’s large hand was warm as he caressed Anthea’s flat belly.

“Ouch!”

Snap.

Anthea was so surprised by the sudden contact that she forgot that Richard was her husband and slapped the back of her hand. How should she explain this? While Anthea hesitated, a short breath came between her shoulder and neck.

“Even if a cat scratched me, it would feel better.”

It’s obvious that a cat scratch would hurt more.

Anthea couldn’t bring herself to say anything and just laughed awkwardly.

Fortunately, Richard, who was hit on the back of his hand, didn’t seem offended. Instead, he smiled lowly and hugged Anthea with his whole body.

It was a tight hug that made you wonder if he was trying to pressure someone into a corner just because he slapped her on the back of her hand, but it didn’t feel stuffy.

“My wife is so fragile. Even if I touch her lightly, she gets pressed and leaves a mark.”

“Then it would be better if you were a little more careful.”

Anthea’s true feelings burst out. Anthea kept pressing her mouth with the back of her hand, forgetting to act coy to Richard.

“I’m being more careful than ever. It’s a shame that my efforts don’t seem to reach my wife.”

Until a few days ago, Richard had never really opened up to her.

As time passed, he could feel that Anthea was becoming more comfortable with him as they talked. However, the pace was so fast that it was hard to keep up.

It was a faster emotional change than Anthea, who had developed a certain level of intimacy through books.

Recalling it, he was a man with such strong hands that he could leave handprints even on the solid headboard. Even when Richard stroked or touched Anthea’s arms and hands, it didn’t hurt, but rather tickled her, and she fell asleep.

His touch had become much more delicate than before.

“I know you’re trying… But if you let go of my hands…”

“Your body temperature is low. That’s why you’re feeling cold.”

“Oh, yes. Thank you for being my human stove.”

Anthea’s small hand was perfectly wrapped in Richard’s large hand, all the way to her fingertips. Her whole body felt warm from Richard’s body temperature clinging to her back.

The awkwardness and discomfort subsided over time, and Anthea soon became accustomed to Richard clinging to her back.

She actually felt warm, and her body, which had been tired all day, had a hard time overcoming the pressure. Soon, Anthea’s stiff body slowly lost strength.

“It’s fun how the body temperature is transferred to every place you touch.”

“Is that so… Haam…”

“Madam, you haven’t taken off your dress yet. It must be uncomfortable, so let me help you.”

She was about to give up resisting her eyelids that were gradually closing, but Richard gently grabbed her arm and whispered. Her eyes opened wide as if she had never felt sleepy.

“Huh? No. It’s completely comfortable. It’s cold, so can you not take it off?”

Knowing that the dress would magically disappear with just one of Richard’s fingers, Anthea held onto the dress tightly with both hands. She had worn thinner clothes on the first night, so it might be strange now, but she had no intention of letting her guard down in front of Richard who was strangely clingy.

Anthea rolled over and ran to the end of the bed, wrapping the blanket around her entire body. Richard’s eyes widened slightly at the sight of Anthea.

As always, the emotions in his eyes were colorful, but Richard’s expression was always blunt. A sentence came to Anthea’s mind at Richard’s vivid emotions.

“Bianca was the one who brought the Duke to his first laugh.”

Anthea had done what the heroine was supposed to do. Anthea’s thoughts stopped as she thought she was in big trouble.

‘Wow, this is dangerous.’

She didn’t know that an important event would pop up like this so casually.

‘Let’s pretend I didn’t see it for now. Let’s pretend it never happened.’

What could be difficult? The original was set, and if we followed it as much as possible, the divorce would happen as planned. A safe and peaceful solo life was waiting for them.

Anthea quickly turned her back as if she hadn’t seen anything.

Anthea’s actions of rolling up the blanket and turning her back seemed to Richard as if she was feeling cold. Richard headed to the stove for her. It would be nice to hug her using the cold as an excuse, but Anthea’s health was the priority. Richard didn’t forget that Anthea was too fragile.

Anthea watched the situation with her eyes out of the blanket as Richard moved away.

Just the series of actions of picking up firewood and putting it in the stove made Richard’s angry back stand out. He had to hold back even though he was feeling sleepy.

This was a tiger’s den. If you let your guard down, you could get eaten.

Even though you thought that, looking at Richard’s large back, you felt strangely reassured.

Richard threw another piece of firewood, and Anthea’s eyes were almost closed for a short time. Richard smiled without realizing it at Anthea’s appearance, who was dozing off.

The little bride from the East seemed timid, but sometimes she was bold.

Anthea was different from the others Richard knew.

Richard had seen people avoid his eyes or hide. They showed Richard negative emotions like obvious fear, discomfort, and dread, and that was familiar to Richard. But Anthea was different. Anthea’s actions even felt faint favor.

Anthea, who was dozing off while holding onto her rolled-up blanket, closed her eyes comfortably when their eyes met Richard’s. No negative emotions could be found in her.

Anthea’s reaction brought about new emotions in Richard. He didn’t even realize that his facial muscles were moving on their own, as if his heart was being tickled.

Anthea wasn’t afraid of Richard. Did she know how much that shook people?

Just a moment ago, Anthea would have felt uncomfortable when Richard hugged her, but she didn’t really avoid him. Even when she lightly pushed him away or grumbled, the emotion Anthea showed was not fear or discomfort, but friendliness.

A kind and loving woman. A being with the same last name, someone to live with.

Richard really loved Anthea, who was curled up in a circle with the blanket in the corner of the large bed.

It was rare for people or animals to bring about such emotions in Richard. Then, suddenly, Richard saw something unfamiliar reflected in the window.

It was his own smiling face.

Joy? Happiness? He could see the emotions clearly expressed on his face. An unfamiliar and awkward emotion that he had never shown him before was clearly revealed on his face.

Was he smiling?

Was he someone who could smile so easily?

– Be happy. I want to see your smiling face.

It was the last request his mother left him on the day she left with her father, the former Duke, to recuperate. What his mother wanted was something very difficult.

Laughter, something Richard had never experienced since he took up the sword, so he couldn’t show it to her. At that time, one emotion that had been so difficult had entered Richard’s mind.

The strange sensation of the inside of his chest tickling, where his hands couldn’t reach, and the corners of his lips curling up, was not unpleasant.

Anthea, who had been falling asleep comfortably for a long time when Richard didn’t come near her, felt something strange. She tried to force her eyelids, which were covered in sleepiness, open. Just by the soft green eyes of Anthea, the strange sensation spread further and further, tickling Richard’s fingertips.

He wanted to hold the soft and fluffy Anthea in his hands.

He could hold it if he wanted to.

He practiced enough so that it wouldn’t hurt.

It was a simple matter of holding it with the right amount of strength without hurting it. However, Anthea’s actions of rolling up the blanket and curling up small at the edge of the bed showed that she didn’t want to touch Richard.

Just a few minutes ago, he had hugged Anthea without any concern, even though he knew she was uncomfortable. He didn’t care much about Anthea’s petty feelings. When he realized new feelings, his thoughts grew.

He tried to guess Anthea’s feelings and cared about her reaction.

‘Why are you standing there like that? Are you glaring at me right now?’

When Richard didn’t return to the bed, Anthea began to notice. Sleep had already flown away.

When they were about to stick together, there was the sound of wood being thrown, and after that, there was dead silence. Is there anything that makes people more uncomfortable than silence in a situation where there is something to be pricked by?

‘No. What would prick me? I just saw the male protagonist’s smiling face before the female protagonist.’

If the silence was what bothers her she just had to wake up.

“Your Highness?”

Richard’s relaxed face hardened at the lightly called title.

He smiled and frowned. Richard’s facial muscles looked tired today because he was busy.

“Are you sick?”

Anthea smiled harmlessly at Richard, who was still silently looking into her eyes, and pulled the blanket over him. She continued to talk roughly, thinking that she no longer knew what the landmine was.

“Hey, could you put some more wood in?”

A chill ran down her spine as Richard, who was like a human hot pack, moved away from her. If you were going to sleep anyway, she wished he would just hurry up and come and be a warm human stove or go take care of the pending work.

“Are you tempting me?”

“…I didn’t know that asking for more firewood would sound like that.”

Even if Anthea had tempted Richard, judging by his hardened face, it was a huge failure. Richard, standing in front of the fireplace, was just making eye contact with Anthea without moving.

Anthea turned her back again in the awkward atmosphere and pulled up the blanket, and the sound of wood clashing was heard. She was shocked, wondering what kind of temper this was.

Anthea pulled the blanket up to her head, whether Richard, who was still standing far away, came to bed or not.

Richard watched Anthea’s every action and was lost in thought.

Was there anyone who had made eye contact with her like this and talked to her comfortably?

Aside from her parents and her swordsmanship teacher, there was no one else that came to mind. Even they were no longer around after Richard grew bigger and started to get covered in the blood of demons.

Now that even her parents had left the duke’s house, Anthea was the only one who looked at Richard warmly as a person.

Unlike those who only saw Richard as a duke and expected something from him, Anthea had been casually making eye contact with Richard and saying what she wanted to say from the beginning. She treated him as an ordinary person.

‘So that’s why it’s special?’

For a long time after that, Richard looked at Anthea and thought.

 

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