The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 35

The carriage was able to enter the Grand Court after about twenty minutes of traveling. Trials in this country could be held in either the small courts established in the provinces or the Grand Court located in the capital.

Naturally, those in the provinces continued their legal battles in the small courts, where most of the cases were typically disputes among commoners or, more specifically, among the upper class.

Occasionally, some noble families from the outskirts would find themselves in petty disputes and go to the small court, but that was a very rare occurrence. Most nobles resolved their disputes at the Grand Court built in the capital.

For each case, there were a total of three opportunities to speak, and exceptionally, up to six. The contents of these statements would then be compiled to reach a verdict.

A case that started in the small court could have its ruling overturned in the Grand Court, but if a case began in the Grand Court, that ruling would be final. Therefore, one had to secure an advantage during the three legal confrontations held in the Grand Court.

I stepped down from the carriage and looked at the Court. It felt somewhat intimidating to see the building in front of me that I had only viewed through the window of the Tristan Duke’s residence. Disputes among nobles being adjudicated in the Grand Court were very rare. Moreover, generally speaking, appearing in court indicated one had been involved in some unfavorable situation, which made me feel uneasy about being here.

When I was younger, I thought I would never have to come to this place in my lifetime, but it seemed that wasn’t something I could control.

“Let’s go inside.”

Richard reached out his hand to me. I looked at his hand and took a deep breath before placing my hand on his. Once he confirmed that I was holding his hand, he moved it to his forearm and began to escort me.

To an outside observer, we probably looked like a happy couple. Of course, our relationship was not bad in general. I was well aware that Richard was being very considerate of me.

However, the reality was that we were connected by a specific purpose, so we likely didn’t appear as affectionate as others might assume.

Through this trial, I would give what I gained to him, and in turn, he would strive to procure the Rosier flower for me. Even though I had thought about it yesterday and before that, I felt that even if Richard couldn’t obtain the Rosier, I wouldn’t hold it against him.

This was because he had already done his best for me. How many people would go out of their way to obtain two pots of the supposedly hard-to-find Rosier flowers? Moreover, he had repeatedly promised to save me. Just receiving his kindness was enough for me.

I still wanted to live, and if I had a chance to survive, I would always try to seize that opportunity. However, I also resolved not to be too greedy. I couldn’t force him to obtain something as unattainable as the Rosier.

The fact that he managed to get me two pots of the flower was already a significant effort on his part. If I were to disappear, would he fall in love with Eilen, just as in the original story? A sudden curiosity arose.

At the ball that had occurred before, Richard seemed unaffected by seeing her. Since he already knew Duke Heinz, he had said that there was no need to build a close relationship with Eilen, his daughter. But that was before the entry into the original story.

Now, I was still alive, and he hadn’t divorced yet, so perhaps that was why he wasn’t swayed. When the time of the original story arrived, who knew if Richard would be able to resist?

…….

Once again, my thoughts strayed in this direction. I had barely enough time to think about survival, yet I kept preparing myself for death.

I tried to console myself by thinking that Richard had shown me enough sincerity. But the more I thought about it, the deeper I seemed to sink into a dark abyss. Ultimately, it was because all these thoughts were based on the assumption that I would die.

I couldn’t help but think about the future. And the future I envisioned was either all or nothing. This narrow view, split between two outcomes, was what made me feel even more depressed.

But I couldn’t continue thinking like this forever. I bit my lower lip to stop myself from having these useless thoughts. The pain helped bring me back to my senses.

“Are you Count Theodore and Countess Theodore?”

As we entered the Grand Court, an employee waiting in the lobby approached us and asked.

“Yes,” Richard responded briefly, and the employee greeted us politely.

“Nice to meet you. I am Rozelyn Howard, and I will be guiding the count and countess.”

She carried herself elegantly, like a lady from a well-trained noble family. Moreover, she wore a sweet-smelling perfume, likely crafted by a skilled perfumer.

“Then, please follow me inside.”

She began to guide us further in. We walked along a large, wide corridor for a while, but for some reason, my steps felt unusually heavy. I even felt slightly out of breath.

“Richard, wait a moment.”

“Hey, Howard. Please stop for a moment.”

As I urgently grabbed Richard’s arm and called out to him, he also stopped Rozelyn, who was leading the way.

Leaning on his arm, I took deep, ragged breaths. It seemed that the burden and anxiety of today’s trial had made my body tense up considerably. After relying on Richard’s arm for some time to catch my breath, my body slowly returned to normal.

“I’m fine now. We can continue.”

When I spoke to him, he frowned.

“Are you feeling unwell? If so, we could delay the trial…”

“No, it’s not that bad. I guess I was just feeling a bit overwhelmed. Rozelyn, please continue guiding us.”

“Yes, ma’am. If you feel unwell at any time, please let me know. The Grand Court has highly skilled doctors on standby.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Even so, Rozelyn and Richard both helped support me, as if still concerned about my condition. It felt awkward to be helped from both sides, making it a little uncomfortable to walk. But I didn’t want to refuse their kindness, so I allowed them to support me as we entered the waiting room.

Fortunately, the waiting room had a sofa where I could sit and rest for a while. Luckily, it was still only 10 o’clock, meaning there was some time left before our scheduled trial would begin.

“Are you sure you’re okay? If you’re really unwell, it’s alright to consider postponing the trial,” Richard said with concern.

“If I take a break just because I’m struggling, the only one who will benefit is Father, right?”

I understood his concern, but postponing the trial would only play into my father’s hands. The trial would take place over three sessions in total. If the date was delayed due to one side’s circumstances, it could negatively affect the final judgment. I wanted to avoid that at all costs.

So I cautiously spoke to Richard.

“Richard, just in case, I want to say something.”

“Go ahead.”

“If I happen to collapse during the trial, please continue without me. Don’t ever postpone the trial. You know very well that postponing it wouldn’t be a good choice, right?”

If I collapsed, it would be possible to postpone the trial, but I didn’t feel the need to do that. Rather, if I fell ill and Richard continued with the proceedings, we could potentially use that as a stronger weapon. For instance, we could paint my father as a cruel man who took away the property of his weak stepdaughter.

Well, while that might not be a factor that simply tipped the trial in our favor, it was still a reality.

“Maybe that would be more advantageous for our trial. You know? My collapsing would be an unavoidable circumstance, so don’t cancel the trial just because I fell. Rozelyn said there are plenty of skilled doctors here.”

I shrugged as if there was nothing to worry about. However, Richard’s gaze on me remained complicated.

“…Okay.”

He nodded with a troubled expression.

“Why?”

“Because the way you’re talking makes it seem like you really will collapse.”

“Oh, come on.”

I brushed off his words with a laugh. Even if I did faint as he feared, it would be due to my condition worsening from illness, and that couldn’t be helped.

“I’ve also instructed others to look into the Rosier flower,” Richard said, crossing his arms and observing me, as if he had just remembered.

It seemed that seeing me down about not being able to bloom the flower yesterday prompted him to take action. I was already grateful that he had gotten me the pots, and now he was looking into how to get the flowers to bloom, which filled me with happiness.

Since he was running the upper echelons and had connections here and there, he might be able to obtain much more beneficial information than simply poring over books to find out how to bloom Rosier.

Perhaps he really could make the flower bloom. Given how quickly he had managed to get the pots, it seemed very possible.

“Thank you for thinking of that.”

“Don’t thank me yet. I’ll let you know when there are results from the investigation, and you can thank me then.”

As always, Richard didn’t accept my gratitude in advance. His reaction made me smile, feeling that it was somewhat shy of him.