The Villain Is Obsessed With His Fake Wife

19. Don’t ask, just say

As the footsteps drew closer, so did her heartbeat. She closed her mouth with both hands and fell asleep.

‘Should I leave now?’

Somehow, she tried to act right away, but her body didn’t move.

‘I think it’s already too late.’

She shouldn’t have been hiding! Every time the second hand of the clock in her office moved, her regret grew bigger. The footsteps stopped right in front of the office desk. She heard the voice of the knight commander.

“Honestly, it is very strange that the orphanage that Baron Boulogne discovered is the place where the madam came from. What does it have to do with it?”

“Well.”

She heard John’s voice right in front of her. It was a very cold voice that was completely different from when he usually talked to her.

‘By the way, you found the orphanage I came from?’

Ravianne Orphanage was an ordinary place with nothing special. Except for the fact that the head of the orphanage was unexpectedly talented, so he rushed to adopt the children.

‘But it’s common to take orphans as workers all at once.’

Perhaps even if John had investigated her orphanage, he would not have found anything special. John said while sitting lightly on the desk.

“If you dig either way, something will come out. Are there any raids on the Blanchett family these days?”

“Yes. After the fall of Libertan, everyone seems to be reluctant.”

“Good.”

She was listening to their conversation with her heart racing.

‘If I knew it would be like this, I’d just get caught.’

The knight commander and John continued their conversation.

“Yes, my lord. So what did you decide to do with Libertan’s letter? Because I haven’t been informed of my master’s position yet.”

“It looks very sweet, doesn’t it?”

“Yes. It is said that there is an uproar in the imperial prison.”

John made no reply. She continued to hold her breath, disturbed by the silence. At that moment, footsteps were heard and John entered the office desk. So, that’s where she was hiding.

‘I got caught!’

She smiled awkwardly at John, who lowered his gaze obliquely. She shook her hand as if to say hello.

‘What excuse?’

However, John, who slightly raised one eyebrow, sat down on the chair without showing any signs.

‘Are you not going to tell him I’m here?’

John naturally put his body under the desk in the office as if no one was there. No matter how big the office desk was, the space inside was not wide. John’s hard calf touched her crouched body. She hesitantly hugged her knees and went in as far as she could. Even though it was attached to the wall of the desk to the point where she couldn’t go any further, John’s legs and her body were in close contact.

‘What is John thinking?’

John slowly opened his mouth.

“I intend to listen to Libertan’s proposal.”

“Yes? Is that true?”

“Yes. I have a promise with my wife.”

“I see. Then… Aren’t there too many things you need to explain to her? I heard that she recently woke up sick…”

There was concern in the knight commander’s voice.

“She will figure it out.”

“Yes. All right.”

“Rather than that, Raymond. I have something to ask for your advice.”

John opened his mouth in a relaxed atmosphere with his arms crossed.

‘Looks like the name of the knight commander is Raymond.’

More than that, she couldn’t understand why John kept talking to the knight commander with her under his desk.

“Lord, are you asking me questions?”

There was a lot of embarrassment in the knight commander’s voice. She couldn’t see his face, but he must have looked very surprised.

“What the hell is it? Is there a new monster problem you need to deal with with the Knights this time?”

“No.”

John answered, raising the corner of his mouth slightly.

“It’s about my wife.”

“Are you talking about the new mistress? What the hell with her…”

Knight Commander Raymond gave a voice that seemed absorbed. She also pricked up her ears at his sudden words and looked up at John. John opened his mouth slowly.

“My wife keeps calling me Duke.”

“Yes?”

“It’s been a while since we got married, but my title is still Duke. This seems like a big problem.”

She was surprised by the completely unexpected words, and Knight Commander Raymond seemed surprised too. Raymond cleared his throat for a moment, then asked again.

“Ah, can’t she think of a different title?”

“It can’t be. She even called me ‘my husband’ during a crisis the other day.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

“Even the banter was very natural.”

It seemed that he remembered the time when Anton attacked.

“This is a very serious problem. Because this married life is important in many ways.”

John’s voice sounded more serious, and she felt more embarrassed. Her face was already flushed with heat. At that time, it was a crisis situation, so she came out without knowing it, but hearing her words from someone else’s mouth made the situation feel completely different.

‘I think they’re making fun of me right now?’

John continued his speech gracefully as if she, who was hiding below, was not there.

“It was so cute back then, is there any way I can listen to it one more time?”

“I-I think that… Isn’t there a way for the lord to talk with the lady?”

“But again, if I ask her to do it, it might not feel that cute. The word ‘my husband’ that popped out in an instant was cute.”

“Yeah, that’s right…”

Knight Commander Raymond nodded to John’s words with a puzzled expression. At that moment, John’s red eyes glanced at her from below and went back. A mischievous smile crept across his lips.

‘I’m sure he’s making fun of me.’

Dissatisfaction welled up within her.

‘Let’s be patient. Only until the knight commander leaves.’

At least, John didn’t seem to have any intention of making her presence known while the Knight Commander was there. And it was much easier for her to make excuses when she was alone with John. But John did not stop.

“But I don’t think it would hurt to call me by my first name instead of husband. Originally, newlyweds-”

Hold on. In the end, she couldn’t stand it anymore and stabbed John’s calf with her index finger. And she looked up at John, but John continued his words without hesitation.

“Don’t you call each other names and show off your affection?”

Squeeze.

“I need your advice, Raymond, because I think it’ll be cute no matter which way she call me.”

After John finished speaking like that, he slightly moved his shoe and tapped her foot, which was mischievously touching. Did that mean he didn’t listen at all?

‘How long do I have to listen to this embarrassing story?’

In particular, Raymond’s troubled expression was felt right away, so she was even more embarrassed.

“Yeah, it could be. I’m not quite sure. In such a matter, wouldn’t Baron Bleigne or someone else know better?”

“Doesn’t you, the idiot, know better than Baron Bleinho, who has never been in a relationship?”

“I-I’ve never had such a deep thought before…”

In the end, Raymond gave up on answering and ran away, saying, ‘I feel like I have something I didn’t take care of in a hurry!’ The office door was closed. Only then did she catch her breath. Slowly – John pushed his chair back and met her gaze under the desk, twisting the corner of his mouth into a smile.

“Ma’am, did you want to play hide and seek?”

No it’s not! However, hiding here itself was her fault, so she couldn’t argue with it.

“…I didn’t come here to play hide and seek.”

“Then why are you here?”

John snapped his chin and signaled for her to come out. She tried to do that too.

‘My feet go numb.’

She had cramps in her feet from staying in one position for too long. She had to stay still without doing anything, and she felt more ashamed and upset.

“My wife needs a lot of help.”

“…Does it bother you a lot?”

“That means it’s good.”

John, who got down from his chair and bent his knees, leaned over and pulled her out of his arms. And he put her on the desk.

“Because there is so much I can do for you.”

It was easier to breathe once she got out of the cramped space. John sat in his chair, crossed his legs, and winked at her.

“So, why was my wife found under the desk? Should I figure it out on my own?”

“No. You don’t have to.”

It felt like he was trying to play a joke on her even when he said something insignificant. Maybe that’s why she wanted to shut his mouth.

“…At that time, you told me to come up with a way to reassure the Duke.”

“I did.”

“So, how about going with the Duke?”

She gulped and looked into John’s eyes.

“It’s fine if the Duke protects me. No matter what happens to me, you can save me right away. Or you can bring a doctor with you.”

No matter how much she thought about it right now in John’s office, she didn’t feel anything like a curse.

‘Then it’s highly likely that the Duke and Duchess of Libertan know something.’

However, the two were currently being held on charges of treason. Without John’s permission, there was no way she could go see them, who must still be using the name Libertan.

‘Of course, when other people are involved, it’s going to be hard to bring up the curse.’

So even if she went to see them, there was a high possibility that she would not get what she wanted.

‘But it’s much better than not going at all.’

John looked at her and tilted his head. This was what John did when he was worried about something.

“That’s basic.”

“Yes?”

“My wife is not going, but I, her husband, is going along. So she is not very relieved.”

John took her hand that was holding onto the desk with slow motion.

“Think carefully. Maybe, there’s a way I’d like to do it.”

So what was it! She felt a surge of resentment, but she immediately regained her composure. And he carefully opened his mouth.

“M-my husband?”

“…”

“Should I call you like this?”

Her face, bearing the title of husband, turned red. The corners of John’s eyes gently curled as he looked at her.

“That sounds nice, but it wasn’t the answer.”

“Then what is the correct answer?”

Then John readily answered.

“Doesn’t exist.”

“Yes?”

“Just say you want to go.”

She couldn’t hide the confusion on her face. Then John stood up from his chair and spoke calmly.

“Don’t ask, just say it. Then I’ll listen to you.”

Somehow, a strange feeling of guilt was reflected in the red eyes looking at her. In particular, his gaze was directed to the rim of her neck.

‘There’s no way that’s the case.’

Unknowingly, he touched her neck with his hand. Then John’s lips hardened.

“Do you have any pain after waking up?”

“I don’t have one.”

“…Then ma’am.”

Standing up, John grabbed her face with one hand and made her meet his gaze. She looked at him with her eyes wide open.

“Have you ever wanted to get out of Libertan, madam? Like regretting being adopted?”

It was a question she never expected to come up in this situation. Her body stiffened.

‘The answer to Libertan is too important.’

She had no idea how to answer. The reason was simple.

‘…Strangely, there is no hostility in his voice.’

All sorts of calculations passed between whether it would be better to be honest or to pretend to be a beloved daughter. She found a compromise between those extreme options.

“No, there is not. I’ve never regretted it.”

“Do you still love the Duke and Duchess of Libertan as your adoptive parents?”

With a faint smile, she put her hand on John’s, who held her face.

“I don’t know what love is, but to the point where I want to see them… It is very difficult to answer.”

Did John notice the answer that was slightly different from before?

‘But I can’t help it.’

Any answer that was too different from her sincerity would be obvious to anyone who saw it as a lie. And she had to meet the Duke and Duchess of Libertan to confirm the curse.

‘Before they die for treason!’

John was looking at her with a meaningless smile. She questioned him on the contrary.

“But why? Is something going on?”

“You might have guessed from the conversation with Raymond earlier, but there is something I haven’t said for fear of shocking my wife.”

“…”

“On the day my wife and I got married, the Duke of Libertan perished for treason.”

“…”

“That’s in my hands too.”

The last voice contained a clear intent to kill.

* * *

As a doctor, Henry began to check the results of the magic tool for treatment. It was so strange that the madam’s illness was not diagnosed, so he deliberately brought the most precise magic tool. Unfortunately, however, it could not be measured unless the patient was awake, so it could only be used now.

‘Is it okay if I put my hand in like this? It’s useless even if I try.’

For some reason, Henry was very curious about the lady’s attitude during the examination. This was because she often got sick for no reason, and she was very unconcerned as a person who might have suffered from a serious illness.

‘It took a lot of work to check it out. Thank you.’

She didn’t even forget the kindness of smiling at him during the checkup. 

Wiiying- 

The result came out of the magic tool. Henry couldn’t believe the result even after seeing it with his own two eyes, so he opened his eyes wide.

‘It must have been an error in the magic tool.’

[Estel Blanchett: Impossible to measure.] 

There were definitely few cases where measurements could not be made with this magic tool for treatment. Unless it’s because the newly arrived master wasn’t human, so it couldn’t be measured properly.

‘Madam…’

It was clear that she had suffered from a rare and incurable disease, the sleeping princess.

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Translator Note:

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