The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 18

“That is…”

I paused, pressing my lips together for a moment.

It felt strange, as if my words were begging Richard to be angry with me.

Even though, in reality, it would be better if he didn’t get angry.

“…I deceived you.”

I had hidden the fact that I was gravely ill from him.

In a sense, he had been deceived into a marriage with me.

So I expected him to be angry when he found out the truth.

It seemed only natural.

But Richard didn’t react that way.

Instead, he comforted me and hoped for my survival.

I couldn’t imagine that something significant had developed between us in less than a month.

And that something seemed to include affection.

Richard, who had shown a lack of interest in Eilen, the protagonist of this world, would hardly have been taken by my looks.

“You really worry about me being angry,” Richard said.

I laughed awkwardly at his words.

I didn’t want to be like this.

But it was unavoidable that I naturally checked Richard’s reactions and worried about him getting angry.

It was a survival instinct ingrained in me.

It was a way of life I had learned over ten years under my father.

Richard looked at my smile with confusion before shaking his head.

“If you put it that way, I did buy you with money. It wasn’t a normal marriage to begin with. From the moment Duke Tristan willingly gave away his daughter, I suspected something was off.”

“But the daughter you wanted was Cecilia, not me.”

“Was it?”

Richard feigned ignorance, shrugging his shoulders.

I smiled faintly and sighed quietly.

“And you probably didn’t know that I wasn’t Duke Tristan’s real daughter.”

“That’s true.”

Richard set his teacup down on the table.

The tea in the cup rippled gently.

“You picked a real dud.”

Richard chuckled at my words.

“Well, I’m not so sure if it’s really a dud.”

Then Richard suddenly wiped the smile from his face and adopted a serious expression.

His change in demeanor caught my attention, making me serious as well.

“Did you give up on reclaiming the title and the property from Duke Tristan because of your illness?”

Richard’s words struck a nerve.

My father had taken over the duke’s title on my behalf because I was too young.

Under the pretext of being my guardian, he had also claimed all the property that was supposed to come to me.

The reason I hadn’t tried to reclaim everything even after reaching adulthood was indeed the illness he mentioned.

Richard seemed to have an inkling about this.

From what I had heard of his past, Richard was someone who constantly fought and guarded what was his.

Such a person would have difficulty understanding someone like me who had lost everything and remained under their control.

Would he believe that I needed a faint thread of family in a situation where illness was tormenting me?

“As you can see, I’m in this condition.”

I smiled faintly without denying his words.

I didn’t tell him that until the moment I was forcibly married to him, I had held onto hope for my family.

I judged that stories related to my emotional deficiencies would be beyond his empathy.

“So what’s the point of reclaiming everything if I’m going to die anyway?”

“So you gave up, then?”

“Yes. That’s about it.”

Richard furrowed and relaxed his brow repeatedly, appearing deep in thought.

I didn’t want to disturb his thoughts. Instead, I sipped from the teacup in front of me, the tea now lukewarm.

“Didn’t you ever think about holding onto those things, even if you were to die?” Richard asked after a brief silence. It was something I had considered.

It would be nice to have everything, but given that I wouldn’t live for many more years, I questioned whether it was worth clinging to.

“You can’t take them with you when you die. If I could, I would have.”

“But at least you could get revenge on those who sold you like a burden.”

Richard’s words were undeniably true.

In a typical situation, his statement might hold.

But what I needed wasn’t revenge.

So I couldn’t respond to Richard’s remark.

“I’ll start the process to reclaim the title slowly from next week.”

“Please do.”

“You talk about it as if it’s someone else’s problem.”

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

Richard’s observation was likely accurate.

But for me, such matters were futile.

After all, I wasn’t even granted the time to live until the next year.

“That can’t be true.”

I forced a smile, concealing my feelings.

Richard seemed to detect something in my smile and frowned.

It was surprising how many different expressions Richard had.

They all seemed to convey annoyance, but each had a different meaning.

“By the way, may I ask you something that has been on my mind since I woke up?”

It was something I had been curious about since regaining consciousness.

“Go ahead.”

“Why do you want me to live? Do you… love me?”

I mustered the courage to ask. However, Richard sighed softly at my direct question.

Well, a sigh was to be expected.

“I don’t feel obligated to explain that.”

Richard firmly shut his mouth, as if he wouldn’t say more.

Watching him, I leaned back in my chair.

Although he didn’t say it, I had a sense of understanding.

Knowing about his past, I could guess what aspects of me resonated with him.

Richard and I had very similar pasts.

We both lost our parents at a young age and suffered from those who sought our inheritance.

But the difference between us was that Richard had preserved everything, while I had lost it all.

Perhaps Richard was projecting his past onto me as he observed my current situation.

Feeling somewhat embarrassed, I turned my gaze to the window.

“By the way, you went to the auction, right?”

While looking out the window, I suddenly remembered and asked Richard.

He had mentioned going to the auction house to find the Rosier flower.

Richard was sitting with his hands clasped on his knees.

“Yes. As I mentioned, it was a wasted trip.”

“Could I come with you next time?”

“To the auction house?”

Richard looked at me with surprise.

I nodded in affirmation.

“Yes. I’d like to go too. I’ve never been.”

“Never?”

“Yes, never.”

Richard’s eyes widened in disbelief.

It seemed unusual to him that I had never been to an auction house.

“You haven’t done many things, whether it’s horseback riding or going to an auction house.”

I felt a bit embarrassed, and my face flushed.

“I wasn’t exactly free to do those things. You know that, right?”

Now that Richard knew about my life, there was no need to sugarcoat things.

Richard’s expression showed that he finally understood.

“When the auction house is open, does the night market also open? I heard that it does.”

I had heard that the night market thrives on auction days.

Since I had never been to the auction house, I hadn’t been to the night market either.

“Yes, generally that’s the case.”

“I’d like to go.”

“Then we’ll go to both the auction house and the night market next time.”

“…Can’t we go today?”

I hesitated slightly before asking.

Since the auction house was open today, it seemed possible to go today as well.

Having never been, I didn’t want to wait for another opportunity, as I might not have much time left.

While it might not be an event held annually, I didn’t know how much longer my health would hold up.

However, Richard took out his pocket watch, checked the time, and shook his head.

“Today the auction will be over.”

I checked the clock tower belatedly. The hour hand was already approaching 4 PM.

Certainly, since Richard had already visited the auction house, it was clear the auction had ended.

But I knew it wasn’t just the auction house that was winding down.

“The night market would still be open, wouldn’t it? It’s still bright outside, and if it’s not too far, we could get there quickly, right?”

“But your body isn’t fully recovered yet. Dr. Norman said you should rest for three more days.”

“But…”

I shrugged my shoulders, feeling dejected.

I had been cooped up in the mansion, specifically in the bedroom, for the past few days, and I was eager to go outside.

However, I knew that dragging this unwell body outside wasn’t the best idea.

Reluctantly, I nodded.

“…Alright.”

“Alright.”

Unexpectedly, Richard spoke at the same time as me.

“What is it?”

I looked at Richard with wide eyes.

When I said “Alright,” it meant I accepted his decision.

But why was Richard asking?

Richard smiled faintly at my confusion.

“Go ahead. The night market.”

“…Really?”

Seeing me blink in disbelief, Richard smiled even more broadly.

“Just make sure you don’t overdo it.”

That meant I would be able to visit the night market after all.

I was so happy that I couldn’t hide the smile spreading across my face.

“Thank you!”