The Villain Is Obsessed With His Fake Wife

John couldn’t bear to say anything to her and hugged her tighter. He couldn’t bear it without hugging her anymore. He felt a little warmth.

‘…Stop what?’

However, Estelle’s sad voice was not forgotten and continued to be heard clearly in his ears. Estelle’s sharp derision mixed with a desperate plea.

‘Isn’t this what you wanted, John?’

‘So please save me.’

Even though he closed his eyes, he could see Estelle’s sad face as if it were engraved on his retina.

‘If not this, what on earth should I do? You told me that if I wanted to live, I have to get down on my knees and cry and beg for myself. You were the one who said you would do anything if I did that.’

‘But please forgive me just once. In the past, you too. You said you couldn’t do it without me. You said that if I prayed like this, you would save my life.’

Estelle, with her gentle eyes stained red, was pleading so desperately that it made him feel miserable. There was a time when he felt like she grew up seeing only infinitely beautiful and precious things.

‘I pray that I want to live!’

Now it hurted to hold Estelle.

‘Yes, please. I want to live. I want to stay alive somehow.’

When he thought about it now, his attitude was so unkind that he didn’t understand why he behaved so harshly. It felt so real that Estelle was in such a desperate state that she had to plead for her during that scary time. She said then that it made her heart even more heartbroken.

“What should I stop doing? What if I do it the way you want?”

John took a slow breath and unconsciously tightened his hands. The delicate shoulder he was holding trembled as if it were going to break.

‘What I want from Estelle…?’

John was speechless.

He felt unfamiliar with himself like that. If it were the normal John, he would have easily handled this situation. Dealing with someone like this was easy. Usually, the more you were in shock, the more you were swayed by John’s intentions.

But now, nothing felt easy.

“…Estelle.”

In the first place, John did not know that Estelle would have such great fear of the fact that she was an unloved daughter.

“Estelle, look at my face.”

In the end, John took Estelle out from his embrace and faced her. When he saw Estelle’s sad face, he suddenly felt pain as if his heart was being squeezed.

‘Where did it go wrong?’

John, who acted like he was the best guy in the world, found himself funny. Those were the only words he came up with after thinking so much.

“This is not what I wanted.”

Because it’s just these words.

So he couldn’t comfort Estelle, who was having a hard time. Because he was the reason she was having a hard time.

‘…Is this regret?

John silently endured Estelle’s anger and her arms pushing against his chest. Somehow he had to keep Estelle from having a harder time. He had to clear up her misunderstandings and convey his true feelings.

“Anyway…”

At that moment, Estelle said something that he had never expected.

“You don’t even love me anyway.”

“I?”

Suddenly, the thread in his head seemed to snap. John unconsciously tilted his face towards her.

“I don’t love you?”

Perhaps that question was what he was asking himself.

‘Didn’t I love Estelle?’

To be honest, he had never even thought about that topic.

‘…Don’t you love me?’

Those were definitely his feelings. Estelle didn’t say she didn’t love him, she just said he didn’t love her. Still, John was angry. That was because it sounded to him like Estelle was saying that she didn’t love him.

“Estelle, when did I ever tell you I didn’t love you?”

“…It’s not like that.”

“But why do you make up your own mind?”

John felt like his heart was being twisted. Estelle’s navy blue eyes shook greatly like waves.

“But John never said he loved me.”

Estelle’s face became paler. Strangely, John felt like Estelle was a sugar doll that would break at any moment.

“Do you love me?” Estelle asked as she looked into John’s red eyes.

It was when John was about to answer. Estelle, who was shedding tears, vomited out red blood.

“You again-”

“It’s okay. This isn’t important.”

Estelle, naturally covering her mouth with her hand, looked at John.

“Do you love me?”

This was the moment when John was about to answer. Estelle’s condition was very different from usual.

‘What is this…?’

Estelle’s presence became blurred, as if her body was disappearing. At first he thought she was simply feeling cold and wanted to call a doctor, but it was a completely different problem.

‘It’s the curse.’

The curse had consumed her entire body.

‘How did the curse happen…’

Then Estelle sobbed as she let her tears fall.

“Why don’t you answer me?”

At that moment, John realized that he was too preoccupied with other things.

“No, Estelle. I am-“

The moment John was about to talk about the feelings he had not yet properly faced, Estelle, who seemed to blink her eyes for a moment, collapsed.

“…Estelle?”

Thump.

 Her heart seemed to drop. John stiffened his body and listened to Estelle’s heartbeat to check her condition.

‘Thank god.’

Estelle was alive.

Just like before, she just fell asleep for unknown reasons. John brushed aside Estelle’s soft hair and buried his nose in the crook of her neck.

John barely breathed in time with Estelle’s breathing.

John suppressed the boiling fear and helplessness and forcibly lifted the corners of his mouth.

‘You will wake up as usual.’

He would make it happen somehow. But it further proved that she no longer had time to move by any means necessary. He decided not to waste that time.

“I love you.”

As he faced Estelle’s navy blue eyes, John was worried. He experienced love as a child, a precious thing, but he was too old to worry about what it was like and whether it was the feeling Estelle thought it was.

It’s a strange thing to say, but John wanted to be as honest as possible with Estelle. Even though he deceived everyone in the world, he kept feeling the desire to show his honest side to Estelle.

‘What does it matter?’

However, what John gained from his honest concerns was that Estelle collapsed without getting the answer she wanted.

‘I just had to say what she wanted.’

Estelle.

Every time John saw Estelle, he was confused.

She messed up his plans with her very presence, made him suffer for things she didn’t do, and even made him forget his life’s goal of revenge. She even made him think back to the beginning of heis revenge.

‘And yet I think you…’

John lifted Estelle up from her sleep and lightly kissed her cheek.

“When you wake up, I will tell you this 100 times.”

Estelle gave impulses to the empty John, stimulating unknown emotions and making him remain obsessed with her. He wanted to know everything about Estelle, he wanted to get rid of everything that had tormented her in the most terrible way, he wanted Estelle to not be able to live without him.

At some point, this was a feeling that had nothing to do with revenge. But still, John wanted to do it. He wanted to make sure that only himself remained in Estelle’s world. So that the eyes closed under her eyelids could only contain him, so that her precious hands and feet could only touch him, so that her ears could only hear his voice, so that her breathing was only for him to be listened to, so that her heart could only beat for him. So that…

“I can be anything you want me to be. I can do anything for you.”

As an avenger, John realized that he had been ruined like a monster, and laughed.

‘Just hide the terrible things well.’

All he had to do was make sure Estelle was not surprised or scared. He would hide and cut out all of this horrible appearance and show only the most beautiful and best things.

“That way you won’t be any more anxious.”

A horrendous desire to monopolize settled in his heart and beat viciously. John went outside with Estelle in his arms.

Before he knew it, the night had passed and the morning sun was pouring down on Estelle’s white-blonde hair. John’s red eyes flashed with madness. However, John whispered sweetly in a languid voice that was not like a crazy man.

“Because I will love you, just like you hoped.”

The monster that was so broken kissed the woman who had become his heart.

“So we will be together forever.”

* * *

Mireyu committed suicide in prison.

Baron Juti’s daughter ended her life with an item given to her out of concern for her.

[I’m sorry to everyone. There is no longer any way to pay for my sins, so I want to atone for everything at least through death.

I feel sorry for not being able to live and apologize to Princess Diana and Queen Royam or Hessen who were deceived by me, to my family who covered up the fact that I was an illegitimate child and took care of me as if I were their own daughter, and finally to the saint who was harmed by my lies. Sorry.]

The social circle, which had been shocked upon realizing Mireyu’s true identity, suddenly became solemn. No matter how serious Mireyu’s crime was, it had not yet been fully revealed through the trial.

Many stories emerged along with the reluctance to say anything about the dead.

“How much greater a sin could you have committed before you would have thought of escaping to death?”

“But since the Lady of Baron Juty is still old, she may have made an extreme choice out of fear…”

“But there hasn’t been any word from the temple yet, right? How many nobles donate to the temple here, can you tell us anything yet? Why did the saint go along with the lies that deceived the Royam royal family?”

The temple also found itself in an even more difficult situation.

“What should I do about this situation? Can I continue to be silent like before?”

“Of course not. By punishing that naughty woman, the innocent saint hoped to avoid her wrath…”

It was not something she said in private, but something she did when she first revealed her presence at an official presentation by the royal family.

‘Why did the saint do such a thing?’

‘I can’t help it because she didn’t know much about the world because she grew up only in the temple.’

Saint Stella was already suffering from doubts about her sincerity. Because she was a saint who was directly connected to the honor of the temple and, by extension, the sacred kingdom, which was the heart of the temple, she had no choice but to be very nervous not only with the priests but also with the cardinal, who was a high-ranking priest.

“Didn’t the saint tell you something?”

“For someone so innocent and kind, she seemed shocked that the person she had given her blessing was such a terrible person.”

Cardinal Simon looked in the direction where the saint was staying and sighed.

“The saint will have to endure this ordeal well.”

At that moment, the saint came into the conference room. She looked sad as if she had been praying all night, and they could see her fatigue in her eyes. But even that fatigue could not hide her beauty.

“Saint!”

All the cardinals who had gathered for the meeting stood up.

“What are you doing here in the conference room? Are you feeling okay?”

“I can’t hide alone while everyone is having a hard time.”

“But it’s not the saint’s fault…”

Saint Stella lowered her long eyelashes mournfully as the cardinals worried.

“God told us to take the initiative to show mercy and good will even to robbers with swords. I also want to think of this as a trial from God.”

All the cardinals were moved by Stella’s words, which were thin but faithful.

“Don’t do that, saint. The saint is a treasure of the Holy Kingdom. We can’t let someone like that make it difficult for her.”

“You’re right. We will step in and resolve everything. We can put all rumors to rest. How can we have anything to fear when God is behind us?”

“If we ask His Majesty the Holy Emperor for help, something will work out.”

“Thank you everyone.”

Stella had tears in her eyes and twisted her body as if she was in trouble. Then the cardinals were astonished and took care of her.

“No. Holy woman! Are you very unwell?”

“Ah… no. I’ve just been feeling a little uncomfortable lately. Rather…”

Stella, who sat on the chair with Cardinal Simon’s support, secretly said a few words of her own.

“How about I convey my true feelings to His Majesty the Emperor?”

“To your Majesty the Emperor? But His Majesty the Emperor will not accept the letter from the temple…”

“Wouldn’t it be okay to use letterhead with His Majesty’s seal stamped on it?”

The cardinal who manages the Holy Emperor’s letters answered as if he were troubled.

“But it must be used only in emergencies, with the permission of His Majesty the Holy Emperor…”

“I can explain to His Majesty later! Aren’t you the kind of person who would do anything for the saint anyway?”

In response to Cardinal Simon’s shouting, the cardinals immediately sent a letter to Stella without any major formalities. Stella lowered her eyebrows as if she was troubled.

“If you’re having a hard time, you can do it later…”

“No, saint. The most important thing is to fulfill the saint’s will first.”

“Thank you.”

After receiving her letter, Stella went up to her room and immediately wrote her letter.

<Dear Imperial Majesty.>

* * *

-Baby, are you okay?

-It looks like we used your power arbitrarily and put a strain on your body. However, your life force will no longer be taken away by the curse. How can I feel safe with that…

-Are those words important now? We should first ask how the child is doing!

She slowly woke up listening to the noisy voices of the trees. John was right in front of her.

“Did you wake up?”

“Oh, I guess I passed out again. How do I…”

“It’s fine. Rather, Estelle…”

John carefully lifted the back of her hand and kissed it. Hot lips touched her fingers. And he spoke in a different voice than usual.

“I wanted to tell you as soon as you woke up, I love you.”

“…”

“I love you. I’m sorry for not telling you until now.”

He looked at her with strange eyes and bit the fourth finger he was kissing, leaving a mark. And then, as if satisfied, he pressed his lips again.

“Now if you don’t wear the ring I gave you, I will leave my mark instead of the ring.”

 

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Translator Note:
Next week I won’t be able to release chapters of this novel, but I will be back the week after that!