The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 28

After Richard’s permission, I started spending more time with him.

For most of the time he was at the estate, I was with him, except when he was in his bedroom or the training grounds. I respected his privacy and felt it was my duty to give him space.

Returning to the main point, if he was in his office, I would join him there and continue my research on disease. I also looked into court records related to the noble family’s title disputes, as the court date was only two weeks away.

Trials in this place took a while to even get scheduled.

So far, there hadn’t been any significant progress, though that might change in two weeks when the first trial began.

I spent more time with Richard for about five days, but the plant showed no noticeable changes.

You might think it’s unreasonable to expect any change in just five days, but in the second case, the Rosier plant bloomed in just two days.

I couldn’t tell if being with Richard wasn’t enough for the flower to bloom, if plants had their own varying timelines, or if we had simply misunderstood the key to blooming.

All of those possibilities were plausible.

The cases I studied were limited, and one of them involved a plant that had already bloomed. So should I approach this from a different angle?

“Diarna.”

Just as I was seriously pondering the blooming of the Rosier flower, Richard called me.

I turned my head to look at him, and he handed a piece of paper to his assistant, who then passed it to me.

When I checked the contents, it was a pamphlet listing the items up for auction today.

“Where is this happening?” I asked Richard, skimming through the auction items, ranging from imported goods to handcrafted items.

“It’s here in the territory. Do you remember the last time, we didn’t attend the auction but went to the night market instead?”

“Oh, that place? Of course, I remember. It was my first time at a night market.”

“We’ll go there. There’s another Rosier plant listed in this auction.”

“What?”

I looked away from the pamphlet and stared at Richard.

He was looking at me with his usual indifferent expression.

“Check the bottom of the product list.”

Following his words, I scanned the bottom of the pamphlet. Sure enough, there it was—*Rosier plant*.

“That’s unbelievable.”

Were they selling these that often?

Then why hadn’t I been able to obtain one all this time?

Oh, right. I needed money to get a Rosier plant, and since my father had taken all my money, the only way to acquire one was through him.

But there was no way my father would get me a Rosier plant.

He wanted me dead so he could complete what he had, after all.

… Still, to give him a tiny bit of leniency, I didn’t know how many blooming Rosier plants had been up for auction until now. Maybe none.

Even the thought was painful.

Whether a blooming one had been auctioned or not, both outcomes weren’t ideal for me.

Either way, my hopes were bound to be crushed.

If it had been auctioned, I’d regret missing it. If it hadn’t, it would mean there was no point in hoping at all.

“So, will you go?”

I hesitated for a moment in response to Richard’s question.

Of course, I wanted to go. There was always the possibility that something might happen to the Rosier plant I currently had, and having a second one would change everything.

I could sacrifice one plant to figure out the blooming conditions, or I wouldn’t have to worry so much about losing one of them.

However, the reason I couldn’t immediately say yes was that it wasn’t my money being spent.

“Are we going to buy a Rosier plant?” I asked.

“Yes,” Richard replied.

“Then I’ll go.”

“Good. Once you’re ready, come outside. I’ll have a carriage waiting.”

“Got it.”

I smiled and got up from my seat, heading straight to my room to prepare for the outing.

* * *

I threw a shawl over the dress I was already wearing. Olivier had insisted that I wear a hat as well, but I didn’t feel it was necessary, so I just stuck with the shawl.

As I stepped outside the front gate, there was the carriage, just as Richard had said.

“You’re earlier than I expected,” he remarked.

“No need to delay,” I responded.

“Did you not bring the Rosier plant with you this time?”

I shrugged at his question. “We’re going to buy another one. There’s no need to carry it around and risk losing it.”

Richard chuckled softly at my response, though I didn’t think I had said anything particularly funny.

After I boarded the carriage and Richard joined me, the carriage started to move slowly.

I opened the window to take in the passing scenery.

The bushes went by first, then the houses of the village. I spent a long time gazing out. The view from inside the carriage felt very different from the one I had from the estate.

Beyond the window, there was a sense of warmth and life. It was something I couldn’t feel while inside the mansion.

“You really do enjoy going out, don’t you, Diarna?” Richard commented.

“Being indoors all the time feels suffocating,” I replied.

“Then make it a habit to go for a walk now and then. Didn’t Dr. Norman recommend that?”

“He did, but is it really okay for me to go out more?”

“Yes, just make sure to take a couple of knights, along with some servants and maids. You never know what might happen—collapsing or getting into some kind of trouble could be serious.”

“Understood.”

The longer I stayed here, the more I realized that Richard took good care of me.

Though he didn’t seem like it, he was probably the type to grow quite attached to people.

As I finished speaking, I found myself gazing at him, who had closed his eyes, caught up in some different thoughts.

If only Eilen could see this side of Richard.

In the original story, Richard had a tendency to lose everything he desired without even having a chance to enjoy it.

When he lost his parents and was left alone, he longed for people’s care, but in fending off greedy relatives seeking his inheritance, he ended up losing the care and attention of those around him. He wanted a connection with the Duke of Tristan’s family, but by marrying me, he gained nothing and only suffered losses.

In the end, even Eilen’s heart, which he wanted so desperately, was taken by the original male lead, Cesar Crayton.

It would have been stranger if he hadn’t turned bitter.

However, now that he hadn’t lost anything through his marriage to me, he was a much kinder and more cheerful person than the Richard I had read into the original story.

Though his way of expressing himself might be awkward, coming off as stiff and indifferent, if you paid close attention, it was clear that his true feelings were neither harsh nor sharp.

At this rate, couldn’t Eilen be drawn to Richard more than to Cesar, the original male lead?

That would make for the perfect ending for Richard.

“Why do you keep looking at me like that?”

Richard, noticing my gaze, opened his eyes and glanced at me.

I quickly shifted my focus back to the window, pretending nothing was amiss.

He watched me for a moment before closing his eyes again.

After a long ride, we arrived at an auction house in the Theodore territory.

I had thought the place might be small since we were in the countryside, but that notion was completely off the mark.

The auction house was as large and well-equipped as any in the capital.

Well, of course, big money changed hands here.

A place where money flowed wouldn’t be shabby. Especially when the clientele consisted of the wealthy or powerful.

As we approached the entrance, a manager recognized Richard and bowed.

“Welcome, Count. And the lady beside you…?”

“Diarna Theodore. My wife.”

Before I could introduce myself, Richard answered for me. The manager then bowed politely in my direction.

“Yes, then, let me guide the Count and Countess to your seats.”

Following the manager, we climbed a couple of flights of stairs and walked down a long hallway until we reached a door. A sign above it read “VIP Room.”

“Would you like tea or wine to be prepared?”

“Prepare the usual.”

“Yes, of course. And for the Countess, the same?”

“Ah, yes.”

I had no idea what Richard typically drank here, but I nodded along. After all, I’d had more than my fill of snacks at the estate, so I didn’t have high expectations for anything served outside.

After hearing my response, the manager bowed once again and left, closing the door behind him.

It seemed Richard was quite familiar with this auction house.

But I wasn’t, so I let my eyes wander around the room, taking it all in. There wasn’t anything particularly remarkable, but everything looked fascinating to me in that moment.

This idle curiosity was interrupted when staff entered the room to prepare the refreshments before quietly leaving again.

I had been wondering what Richard would typically eat at these auctions. It turned out to be tea and cookies. Surprisingly simple tastes.

I picked up a cookie and took a bite, passing the time while waiting for the auction to start, feeling a bit bored.

And just as I was thinking it was about time for things to get underway, the auction finally began.