The Villain Is Obsessed With His Fake Wife

15. My wife, the hostess, will decide

She dreamed of her childhood. The orphanage she was in was a lonely place. ‘Laviane Orphanage.’ Honestly, it wasn’t such a bad orphanage. Among the orphanages in the empire where children were often abused, the director was indifferent to the children, but he did not bully them. But he didn’t like her very much.

“The doctor said you wouldn’t live very long.”

To her, who was stressed and sick, the director told her there was nothing she could do about it.

“Do you know how much it harms other children when you get sick so often?”

As the other children went to visit their families one by one, she had to be left alone in the orphanage each time. It was because no matter how much, he couldn’t introduce a sick child.

‘I wish I had a family too.’

Whenever she had time, she would draw a picture of the family she imagined on the ground with sticks. It’s funny, but she hoped that there would be a family where even if she was sick, they wouldn’t blame her.

“You are Estelle.”

“Hello, Duke Libertan.”

And undeservedly, on the first day she met the Duke of Libertan, she had too many false expectations. Because they knew she was a sick child.

“…That’s exactly what I heard.”

She thought she could still be loved.

“We, the Duke of Libertan, are an aristocratic family on a different level from mere commoners. Since you were adopted as my daughter, you can never do anything wrong.”

But her dream was an absurd delusion.

‘I shouldn’t have even dreamed of having a family.’

It’s hard and painful because she had expectations in the first place.

* * *

Erich found the son of Sir Lexius Polman. Now Viscount Polman, he wept at the truth revealed.

“To think that our father died at the hands of such a person… I’m really glad that the truth is now out. Thank you for relieving my father’s resentment.”

In the past, the Blanchett Duchy was a family that earned the respect of many aristocratic families. And Viscount Polman was also a family loyal to the Blanchett Duchy. However, when John came to the University, he was unable to move at the sight of Blanchett, who had changed somehow.

“The Duke Blanchett hasn’t forgotten us. I am ashamed of myself for not knowing that and being prejudiced and unable to go to loyalty.”

Viscount Polman was the most central of these families. Perhaps, if Viscount Polman moves, the Blanchett Dukes would be able to fully regain their former glory as well as their current strength. It was a very good thing for the Blanchett family. Even if it was an honor that John did not have to work hard to obtain. This was all the work of that fake Libertan’s daughter.

‘Was this also her intention?’

Thinking so made Erich feel frightened on the other hand. Viscount Polman, who had been rereading the news of his father for a long time, asked.

“But how were you able to catch the real culprit?”

“…that.”

Erich faked his discomfort and opened his mouth.

“The new owner has been looking for you.”

“You mean Duchess Blanchett? She…”

Edgar’s expression stopped as he remembered Estelle. It was because he, too, was aware of the rumors that Estelle was not a proper wife.

“He revealed my father’s injustice. Rumors are also unbelievable.”

He nodded his head and carefully folded the paper with his father’s news on it and put it in his bosom.

“By the way, I have a question regarding my father’s death. Do you know where the orphanage my father was investigating at the time was?”

“Oh, an orphanage.”

Edgar replied with a nod of his head.

“The day before my father passed away, there was one orphanage that he said was exceptionally strange among the orphanages he was investigating.”

“Which orphanage is this?”

“It was a place called Laviane Orphanage.”

Erich’s face hardened. Labiane Orphanage. The orphanage…

‘It’s the orphanage where Libertan’s daughter was adopted.’

* * *

Baroness Patricia Gillite. Originally, she was the patron of Agnes Blanchett, the former Duchess and John’s mother. Agnes also trusted Patricia and asked her to be her daughter’s godmother. And those years when Patricia followed her briefly husband to the eastern kingdom. A few years later, the Duke of Blanchett, whom Patricia cherished, had completely disappeared. It was even dishonored by being falsely accused of treason. To be honest, Patricia, who had met a weak male writer’s daughter and a baron of similar size, could not have done anything. But even so, Patricia couldn’t forgive herself.

‘What kind of friend is she who can’t even visit her friend’s grave?’

To her, John was her last atonement. Patricia understood John’s vengeance deep down, and she was willing to help. So, she did her best by working as a maid for the Duke Blanchett’s empty hostess position. Johann, the new Duke of Blanchett, was also the perfect ideal host she had imagined. Until Estelle, the Duchess, who didn’t even say hello to ignore it as planned, came in. Of course, Patricia hadn’t ignored her orders. Because she was John’s loyal servant. However, she had the authority to move late for an order she couldn’t understand. Then, unexpectedly, Anton swooped down on Duchess Blanchett. In a way, the situation was as it should be. However, the situation Patricia faced was completely different from what she expected. John, who called Patricia, who had already been sentenced to probation by John, informed her with her expressionless face.

“Patricia. In the meantime, she worked hard as a hostess for the Blanchett family.”

Where the hell did she go wrong?

“From now on, be faithful to your work as head maid.”

Now Patricia was about to be pushed out by a fake who collapsed sick. Even the fake hadn’t even woken up.

“…Are you trying to kick me out? You’re kicking me out.”

John, who seemed to have completely changed, looked at Patricia coldly and said.

“That’s for my wife, now the hostess of the family, to decide?”

* * *

As soon as she woke up, her forehead was full of cold sweat.

‘It’s been a long time since I had a dream.’

She was a person who didn’t usually have nightmares. It was a very rare thing.

“Lady, are you awake now?”

In the midst of anxiety, she saw Betty right in front of her eyes.

“…Betty?”

“Yes. Would you recognize me?”

“It’s not that I lost my memory.”

Betty’s face was somewhat emaciated.

“How long have I been down?”

Right now, it wasn’t hard because her body was just a little sore. Only the cold sweat on her forehead showed signs of pain.

“You didn’t wake up for a week.”

“One week?”

She was shocked and opened her eyes wide.

“You mean you slept that long?”

“The situation was really serious. Knowing that the madam can’t wake up like this…”

Betty slurred her words, putting on a bitter expression.

“I heard how much the master was worried about the lady. You’ve been sick all week. Although he saw that you were better now and left.”

“I am so sick.”

“Aren’t you sick anymore?”

“At all.”

In fact, she didn’t even remember how serious it was.

“I’m so glad.”

Betty spoke cautiously, looking at the doctor sitting next to her. The doctor was his elderly-looking grandfather.

“The person next to me is Viscount Hanson, the attending physician of the Blanchett family. He is the one who took care of the madam while she was unconscious.”

“Hello, madam. My name is Viscount Henry Hanson, the family physician.”

“Hello, Viscount Hanson.”

She nodded and said hello. Henry waved his hand and laughed.

“Would it be all right if I examined the madam right now?”

“Yes, it’s fine.”

Like Betty, Henry was very cautious.

“Then I’ll check it out for a while.”

Henry took her wrist and started to see the doctor. It’s the first time she had seen him, so she seemed a little nervous.

‘But. I should have seen a doctor.’

The orphanage was not an environment where a doctor could come in in the first place, and the Duke of Libertan said that all her illnesses were feigned illnesses. Betty misunderstood her awkwardness in a different way and squeezed her hand tightly.

“Madam, Viscount Hanson saw your scars.”

“Ah…”

Betty bit her lip and put on a guilty expression.

“Sorry. But when I looked at it, it was unavoidable.”

“It’s fine. This can happen.”

“Instead, I don’t think the master noticed the scar. I was in charge of all the dressing for the madam.”

Actually, it’s not such a serious secret. There was no need to feel guilty about it.

‘That’s not right.’

Other people may not know, but only John should not be caught. If John discovered the scar, everything would be twisted. She was relieved that it was fortunate that Betty liked her quite unlike the original.

“Thank you for trying so hard to keep it a secret.”

“Lady…”

“You worked so hard because you were worried about me.”

It must have been a lot of work to not get noticed by John who had been sticking around all week. Then Betty somehow made an expression of emotion and sadness. Tears welled up slightly in his eyes.

“No. You don’t have to thank me for this…”

Now she saw that Betty was really weak and tearful. How was she going to survive in this rough, dark mansion with so much affection?

“Lady, I’m just asking just in case.”

“Yes, tell me please.”

“Do you have any chronic illnesses?”

She shook her head. Henry’s expression grew more serious.

“Is that true? What kind of doctor…”

“This is the first time I’ve been treated by a doctor in the first place.”

“What…?”

Both Henry and Betty were in shock. They would have been surprised to hear that a child who seemed ill so often would be treated by a doctor for the first time.

“I was so mildly ill that I didn’t need a doctor.”

“Ha, but…”

The doctor’s gaze turned to the scar. Common sense would say that even that scar was a light scar, but she still couldn’t help it. She laughed awkwardly and made excuses.

“It’s not as bad as it looks.”

In the uncomfortable silence, the doctor nodded his head.

“It’s very fortunate, but now you need to take better care of yourself. Do you know how the madam is feeling right now?”

“How am I?”

She tilted her head and asked. To be honest, if she got sick once, she might be sick for about a week. Seeing that there were no aftereffects now, it seemed to have healed cleanly.

“Is there a time limit?”

Of course, she did think that she was terminally ill. If she didn’t run away from this mansion, her life would be over. But being ill was a different matter.

“The high fever did not go down at all until I came to my senses. My health was not so good, and my nutritional status was not good, so it was not easy to recover.”

“…”

“You could have lost your life this time.”

Thinking like that made her a little creepy.

‘How careful should I be?’

It’s true that she had been through a lot this time, but that didn’t mean she was stabbed or injured anywhere. Of course, his wrist was still sore from beating Anton. She frowned slightly at the pain that was now creeping up.

‘Isn’t this what, don’t even walk around?’

In a way, being imprisoned in the Duke of Libertan might have extended my lifespan.

“Then you are not suffering from any particular disease.”

“That’s right. But you can’t jump to conclusions. I have so many symptoms to worry about…”

“It will be fine. You can still take care of your body diligently.”

As he said that, he looked at Betty, and Betty nodded in agreement. Henry somehow seemed to take issue with her nonchalant attitude as a doctor.

‘But I’m not sick right now, so I can’t even cry.’

Henry, who hesitated at his words, finally opened his mouth.

“Although I am in the position of being hired by my master, as a doctor, I respect the patient’s will the most. By the way, madam, do you really intend not to tell the master?”

“What?”

“That…”

Judging by the slurred speech, it seems that there were many things. The original John acted as if she could rely on him for everything, but later changed his words. So it was better to draw a line from the beginning.

‘He could get rid of me sooner if I said I have a time limit.’

It would be difficult if the target of revenge died before taking revenge.

“I don’t want to bother him with useless things. The Duke is a busy person.”

“Lady…”

“And it’s already in the past.”

Then her hand, which was holding Betty’s, trembled. Betty opened her mouth with a face full of tears.

“Lady, perhaps… You may not be able to see only the past.”

“Why?”

“That…”

Betty rolled her eyes and managed to squeeze out an answer.

“Now that you’re married, I thought it wouldn’t be right to talk about all the painful parts.”

Judging from her troubled attitude, Estelle thought she thought that if he knew his wife was sick, he would change.

‘Unfortunately, that won’t happen.’

How poisonous was the darkness?

“What part hurts?”

Then a sound was heard from the door. A strong and luminous presence that made the entire surroundings dark. John stood languidly leaning against the door with his arms crossed. His gaze was intensely fixed on me sitting on the bed.

“What’s the story you don’t want me to know?”

His smooth face was strangely disheveled.

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Translator Note:

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