The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 3

When I entered the dining room, Count Theodore, who was already seated, glanced my way.

“You’re late.”

I merely raised an eyebrow at his brief remark and took my seat, which was opposite his.

“Did you wait for me?”

“I couldn’t serve you tea, but I should at least wait for you for dinner, shouldn’t I?”

“You’re more considerate than I thought.”

I didn’t mean it literally. He was just using my earlier words to point out that I was late. Without showing any reaction, I sat down, and he stared at me.

“You look pale.”

“I must have overdone my makeup.”

I didn’t want to tell him about my poor health right now. Count Theodore seemed to realize that my comment was off the mark, and he silently watched me.

“…”

When I said nothing further, he picked up his fork. I moved my hand in time with his.

“You are different from what I expected.”

Count Theodore said as he put a piece of prosciutto and melon, the appetizer, into his mouth.

“May I ask what you were expecting?”

I pretended not to know as I asked.

I had only been here for about a day, but it didn’t seem like he intended to kill me.

And above all, I knew well what my future held.

This man would ignore and neglect me.

Instead of killing me, he would choose to deny my existence.

Originally, I would have ended up as a character who begged for his attention and then died.

I couldn’t change the fact that I would die, but I didn’t want to be someone who begged for love and then died miserably.

The current Diarna Theodore was me.

And I wasn’t the type of woman to die lamenting my situation.

Since it had come to this, I wanted to live the way I wanted while I was still alive.

In the original, I was just a minor extra, but at least I didn’t want to live a life of waiting for death in despair.

Instead, why not try to increase my presence little by little while staying by Richard’s side?

A small desire slowly created ripples within me.

Even if it wasn’t love, becoming someone important to him and finding a cure for my illness didn’t seem like a bad plan.

“It’s nothing. In some ways, your current appearance might be better.”

“You expected me to cry and whine because I was sold for money.”

Count Theodore frowned at my blunt choice of words.

“I thought of something similar, but not to that extent.”

“It’s the same thing. Anyway, if that’s what you expected, I’m sorry to disappoint you. I’m not that kind of person. If you don’t like it, just say so. I can act that way if you want.”

I expected a quick response, but instead, Count Theodore just let out a faint laugh.

“Not as bad as I thought.”

“…Really?”

Strange taste.

I narrowed my eyes and looked at him. Count Theodore lowered the hand holding his fork and stared at me.

Then, suddenly, he spoke.

“Does it not suit your taste?”

He must have found it odd that I hadn’t touched the appetizer.

“I’m not really hungry.”

With a grimace, I poked at the melon with my fork a few times before putting it down again.

After having just vomited blood, there was no way I could eat anything.

“Traveling such a long way must have been tiring. Riding in a carriage for hours isn’t easy.”

I lied casually, shrugging my shoulders.

Fortunately, Count Theodore didn’t seem suspicious.

He probably believed me because he knew I had indeed traveled for hours by carriage.

“Then why didn’t you rest instead of coming out?”

“You said we’d meet again for dinner.”

Count Theodore let out a chuckle, realizing what I had meant belatedly.

I smiled, following his lead.

I wanted to avoid falling out of his sight from the very beginning.

There would be plenty of days when I wouldn’t be in his favor, so I needed to show my face as much as possible while I could.

It’s a common saying that out of sight means out of mind, to increase my presence with him, I had to meet him as often as possible.

“Why don’t you go and rest?”

“No, I’m willing to stay with you until the end of the meal. After all, it’s our first meal together after the wedding.”

I put down my fork, leaned on the table, and smiled.

Count Theodore stared at me as if he had heard something strange.

“Is there something on my face?”

Feeling burdened by his silent gaze, I touched my cheek.

I had checked my face in the mirror before coming out, so there shouldn’t be any blood on it.

And I hadn’t touched any food since then, so there couldn’t be any food on it either.

Sensing my confusion, Count Theodore finally chuckled and shook his head.

“No, nothing’s on it.”

“Then why?”

“I thought from the moment we met, but you really are a peculiar person.”

“Me?”

Count Theodore nodded.

Was I?

Puzzled, I looked back on myself, but nothing came to mind.

“It’s the first time.”

“Sorry?”

As I tried to recall, Count Theodore spoke in a low voice.

I blinked in confusion. Soon, the plate in front of Count Theodore was cleared, and the main course was served.

It was the same for me.

The chef explained that the dish was lamb steak.

After Count Theodore took a bite and praised the chef, the chef left.

Only then could we resume our interrupted conversation.

“A person who stays during meals for no particular reason, just to be there.”

Richard Theodore, Count of Bismarck, looked somehow lonely as he sliced his lamb steak with a smile on his face.

He lifted one hand from the table to rest his chin on it.

I knew he was a wealthy man.

I also knew he was always craving affection.

In the original story, this man falls in love with the female protagonist who is kind to him without expecting anything in return.

Count Theodore had lost his parents early and grew up alone, wary of relatives coveting his wealth.

As a result, he always craved affection but grew up denying it to himself.

Just as the original me yearned for his unattainable interest and affection, he too yearned for the unreciprocated interest and affection of the female protagonist.

In the end, both the original me and Count Theodore desired the same thing and withered away from not obtaining it.

He continuing his meal with elegant movements, seemed both pitiable and cruel.

However, the female protagonist and I must hold different weights to him.

Eilen Heinz, the female protagonist, treated him kindly without expecting anything in return, but I, my family, had already received an exorbitant amount of money from him.

I could never be as important to Count Theodore as the female protagonist.

Rather, he would expect much from me and the Tristan family. The background and connections of the Duke of Tristan’s family, the position of being allied through marriage. Unaware that he would gain nothing in return…

“May I call you Richard?”

At my sudden question, his hand stopped.

Then he looked up and fixed his sharp gaze on me.

The gaze that had softened momentarily returned to its original state.

I met his eyes confidently and shrugged.

“We’re a married couple anyway. Starting today.”

“You must know that we’re only married in name.”

“A marriage in name is still a marriage, isn’t it?”

At my words, he pressed his lips together as if considering, then narrowed his eyes at me.

His gaze seemed to pierce through me, and I closed my lips for a moment, waiting for him to speak.

“You must know that you’re a fake. Are you hoping to become the real thing?

His tone was as sharp as his question.

“I didn’t think calling you by your name would make you jump to such conclusions.”

When I answered with a deliberate smile, Count Theodore’s eyes grew even sharper.

“Tristan.”

“No, not Tristan. It’s Diarna now. It’s too impersonal to call me by my previous surname after getting married. And it would be even stranger to call you Theodore, since it’s also your surname.”

His gaze was uncomfortable, but I had to endure it. This was how I maintained my presence in this mansion.

After staring at me in silence for a long time, he smirked with one corner of his mouth.

“Well, if it’s just a name, then fine. But don’t be mistaken about your position.”

“……”

“And just so you know, don’t expect to consummate our marriage. I have no intention of having children with you just because we got married.”

“That’s a relief.”

I pretended to be relieved by his words and patted my chest.

“A relief?”

Richard asked, puzzled.

I shrugged as if it was obvious.

“Yes, it’s a relief. Just like you, Richard, I don’t love you either.”

“……”

Yes, the difference between the original me and the current me is that I know everything that will happen in this world and my future as well.

For some reason, Richard remained silent. He just frowned and looked at me, trying to gauge my thoughts. It must have been strange to him. If I were the original me, I would have desired his love.

“Don’t worry. I will never love you until the day I die.”

At least I won’t die lonely, begging for love.

“……”

“All I need is one year.”

Seeing the puzzled look on his face, I smiled more brightly than ever.