TVTIW Chapter 60

Chapter 60

“Richard…”

Since she had been making such a scene in the hallway, Richard, who had just arrived on the eighth floor, must have heard at least part of our conversation.

And the last thing we talked about had been our marriage.

I looked at him with an awkward smile. Richard already knew that I had married him in Cecilia’s place, but hearing it directly from Cecilia’s mouth was a completely different matter.

Slowly walking down the hallway, Richard reached my side and took off his coat, draping it over my shoulders. His large coat enveloped me, and I pulled it tighter around myself as I glanced up at him.

His face was as expressionless as ever.

He was usually reserved and unreadable, but this time, something felt different. It was subtle, but I could sense a faint trace of anger in his blank expression.

Having spent enough time by his side, I could recognize that slight shift—an almost imperceptible but definite irritation.

Feeling an unexpected pang of guilt, I carefully studied his reaction. Fortunately, he didn’t seem to hold any resentment toward me.

“So, Lady Cecilia, you said it yourself. This marriage was supposed to be yours, not Diarna’s.”

There was an icy sharpness in Richard’s voice. I had never heard him sound so cold and distant before. He might not have been outright furious, but he was clearly displeased.

“That’s right. When I first approached Duke Tristan, it was you I wanted—not Diarna. At the time, I needed the duke’s legitimate daughter.”

Richard’s words were true. Initially, he had sought Cecilia’s hand in marriage, not mine. As a noble of the central aristocracy in the capital, he needed the prestige of being Duke Tristan’s son-in-law.

That was why he had agreed to pay off Duke Tristan’s gambling debts in exchange for Cecilia’s hand. And since Duke Tristan was not the kind of man to refuse a lucrative deal, he had quickly accepted.

By all rights, Cecilia should have married Richard. But she had been absolutely repulsed by the idea of marrying him, a man with a bad reputation.

Not that I had been particularly thrilled about it either.

But someone had to marry Richard, and so, rather than giving up his beloved daughter, Duke Tristan had sent me, his stepdaughter, in her place.

After all, I, Diarna Tristan, had been diagnosed with an incurable disease and was expected to die within a year. By marrying me off, Duke Tristan could rid himself of an unwanted burden and ensure that there would be no lingering complications.

But he had made a grave miscalculation.

Because after marrying Richard, I had pursued justice and set everything right.

“So then, why was it that I received Diarna instead of you? I’d like to hear the details of that story.”

“W-well…”

Cecilia hesitated, her eyes darting around, clearly searching for a convincing excuse.

It was obvious that she couldn’t simply say, ‘Because I didn’t want to marry you.’

At last, her gaze landed on me. The sharp glare in her eyes made me uneasy. It was clear she was about to spout nonsense again.

“It was all because of Diarna.”

Just as I expected.

Cecilia was once again shifting the blame onto me. Curious to hear what ridiculous excuse she had come up with this time, I crossed my arms and waited.

“I was supposed to marry Count Theodore, but Diarna threatened to kill herself if she wasn’t sent instead—”

What an absurd excuse.

I couldn’t help but laugh under my breath. Cecilia shot me a furious glare, but I refused to be intimidated by something as trivial as that.

“I threatened to kill myself? Cecilia, you’re being ridiculous.”

Had there ever been anyone in the Tristan household who wanted to live more than I did?

I was dying of Darnnella’s disease, and yet, she expected anyone to believe that I had begged to be married off?

Even a passing dog would laugh at such nonsense.

“No! I heard it myself! You said you wanted to marry Count Theodore! That’s why you threatened Father!”

“You really are just like your father, Cecilia.”

Lying so easily and shamelessly, just to get what she wanted. She and Duke Tristan were like two peas in a pod.

Richard, who had been silently observing our exchange, finally shifted his stance, crossing one leg over the other as he gazed down at Cecilia.

“I do not forgive those who deceive me.”

His voice carried an authority that seemed almost supernatural, enough to make anyone shrink back instinctively.

Even I felt a slight shiver run down my spine.

Cecilia, of course, was not immune to it either.

“I-I never deceived you, Count Theodore…!”

“You’re not going to say that, are you?”

“…….”

Caught red-handed, Cecilia hung her head in silence.

Foolish girl.

Richard had already heard everything from me. He knew exactly how I had ended up as his wife, and he had accepted it.

And because of that, we had come this far.

Did she really think she could lie her way out of this now?

She had been present at the first trial. She should have already realized how much Richard knew.

But clearly, she was too desperate to see reason.

“We’ll deal with your deceit after the trial is over.” Richard declared, his voice final.

Then, with a faint smirk, he turned to me and said, “But at least it’s good to know that my wife wanted to marry me.”

Richard wrapped his arm around my shoulders as he spoke.

Caught off guard by his unexpected reaction, I turned my head to look up at him. He was still gazing down at Cecilia, but after a moment, he glanced at me out of the corner of his eye. When our eyes met, he gave me a faint smile.

Flustered, I quickly lowered my head, feeling my face grow warm for no reason.

“And I would like you to apologize to my wife for your rudeness.”

“…What?”

Cecilia blinked in confusion, unable to comprehend Richard’s words. He simply shrugged as if wondering why she found it so difficult to understand.

“Regardless of the fact that you and Diarna are sisters, it is only right to apologize for barging in so rudely first thing in the morning. Surely, you weren’t planning to leave without doing so? Disrespecting my wife is the same as disrespecting me.”

Cecilia flinched and shot me a quick glare.

Under normal circumstances, as the beloved young lady of House Tristan, she might have expected Richard to let her behavior slide out of respect for her father. But things were different now.

More importantly, Duke Tristan held no power over Richard or me. That title—the Duke of Tristan—had rightfully belonged to me in the first place. We had nothing to fear from those who had stolen what was mine.

Richard knew this well. That was why he spoke with such confidence.

“This is outrageous…”

Cecilia was the only one here failing to grasp the situation.

“Outrageous? Cecilia, you must be mistaken if you think Richard and I will treat you as the Lady of House Tristan. That position was mine to begin with, wasn’t it?”

Cecilia glared fiercely at both Richard and me.

Had I been alone, she might have lashed out in anger. But now, she was hesitating. If anything, she seemed intimidated.

“Are you going to apologize or not?”

Cecilia glowered at us for a long moment before suddenly bursting into tears.

Then, without another word, she turned on her heel and fled.

As she ran down the hallway, she tripped once but quickly scrambled to her feet and continued out of the hotel.

Only after she had completely disappeared did Richard finally release his hold on my shoulders. He then looked me over from head to toe.

“What’s wrong?” I asked.

“I was checking if you were hurt.”

Perhaps he was recalling how I had been unwell during recent events, because his voice carried a hint of concern.

I let out a quiet laugh and shook my head.

“I’m fine. There were two knights standing by the whole time—do you really think Cecilia would have dared to attack me?”

I spoke confidently, but in truth, I had been a little frightened that she might try something before Richard arrived.

That was why I had made sure to confirm that the knights were paying attention.

Still, I didn’t want to mention that to Richard. It felt like admitting weakness.

Not that it would have been a matter of my own ability if Cecilia had attacked me—but still, I didn’t want Richard to see me as helpless.

After all, he had always been the one protecting me.

“I’m glad to hear you’re unharmed,” he said.

“You must be tired after staying up late last night.”

“Well, that’s true,” I admitted.

I was exhausted from not getting much sleep. But thanks to Cecilia’s morning disturbance, my lingering drowsiness had been completely chased away.

“Still, I’m fine for now. I’ll just rest a little earlier tonight.”

“Good. Then let’s go eat.”

As always, Richard extended his hand toward me.

I gently placed mine in his, and he began escorting me to breakfast.