The Villain's Terminally Ill Wife

Chapter 7

As Olivier and I were talking, there was a knock at the door.

Olivier went to the door and quickly turned back to me.

“Baron Lumière has arrived.”

“Really? It wouldn’t be proper to greet her here. Can you show her in?”

“Are you sure you’re alright?”

“I’m fine. Don’t worry too much.”

What’s the worst that could happen, I die?

I couldn’t bring myself to say that for Olivier’s peace of mind.

As I got up from the bed, Olivier approached to support me.

She must have seen me as very frail and weak.

Well, she wasn’t entirely wrong.

I was, after all, a patient waiting for my end.

“You don’t need to help me.”

After declining her cautious assistance, I walked straight to the door.

Then I turned to Olivier.

“See? I’m fine.”

“Yes…”

Olivier finally answered, sounding defeated.

I followed Olivier out of the room and headed to the reception room.

Even though Baron Lumière was a designer, she was still a noble, so it was appropriate to meet her in the reception room.

“The Madam is here,” the servant at the reception room door announced, knocking before opening the door.

The door opened silently.

I entered the reception room accompanied only by Olivier.

Inside, a blonde woman was seated, a place I had rarely visited myself.

“Welcome, Baron Lumière.”

Lumière looked up from her cup and turned to face me.

She stood up to greet me.

“Hello, Countess.”

She seemed to be in her mid-forties.

As a successful designer, Baron Lumière exuded a gentle and elegant demeanor.

Her smile was soft, with the natural wrinkles around her eyes following the curve of her lips.

She must be someone who smiles often.

“You wanted to have a dress made?”

“Yes, I want to commission a dress for the ball at the royal palace.”

“Do you have any specific design in mind?”

“No, not really. I trust you, so please put your heart into it. I’ll pay generously.”

Since Richard would be the one footing the bill, the cost didn’t concern me.

Besides, the House of Theodore was one of the wealthiest in the Empire, so there was no financial worry.

That’s probably why they could pay off my father’s debts and form a marriage alliance.

“Then, may I take your measurements?”

“Of course.”

I stood up and moved as Lumière instructed.

She took a measuring tape from her pocket and meticulously noted my measurements in her notebook.

After a short but tedious process, she began sketching in her notebook.

Finally, she showed me her design.

“How about a design like this?”

It was an A-line dress adorned with elaborate ribbons. The top was an off-shoulder design, emphasizing the collarbones and shoulders.

“It looks good. Please proceed with this design.”

“Then I’ll proceed with this and decide the details at my discretion. Do you have a preferred color?”

“This time, pink would be nice.”

“Pink it is.”

“Let’s go with that.”

“Well, I must take my leave now.”

Baron Lumière, having carefully stored her notebook, stood up.

I stood as well and met her gaze.

“I won’t see you out. I’m sorry, but I’m not feeling well today.”

“That’s alright. I’ll be on my way then.”

She smiled brightly, not minding what might have seemed a rude farewell, and left the reception room.

I watched until the door closed behind her before allowing myself to sit back down on the sofa.

From my morning visit to the training ground to meeting Baron Lumière and getting the dress fitted—these simple activities had completely exhausted me.

A sign that my physical strength was waning.

* * *

That evening, I met Richard again.

As usual, Richard was already seated, waiting for me at dinner.

Normally, I would have asked if he had been waiting long, but today, I sat down without saying a word.

Richard also didn’t initiate any conversation with me.

Thus, our dinner started in silence.

The faint clinking of cutlery was particularly annoying.

Despite my efforts to cut my food quietly, the sound seemed loud in the silence.

If this atmosphere continued, I felt I might end up with indigestion.

In the end, I couldn’t finish my meal and put down my fork and knife.

“I don’t have an appetite, so I’ll stop here.”

Richard’s hand stopped at my words, breaking the heavy silence.

He gazed at the food in front of him for a moment before speaking.

“I heard a doctor came by earlier. Are you really not feeling well?”

It was inevitable that the doctor’s visit would reach his ears.

Since this mansion belonged to Count Theodore, any visitors here would be reported to him.

It was too late to feign ignorance, so I furrowed my brows briefly before answering.

“Oh, that. I wasn’t feeling well due to anemia, so I called for the doctor. He said he would prescribe some medicine for the anemia tomorrow.”

Instead of lying, I replaced Dannella’s disease with anemia.

“Your anemia must be quite severe.”

“Well, a bit?”

“That’s a vague answer.”

“Consider it severe.”

“Really?”

Richard nodded, seeming to ponder something, and then looked into my eyes.

Feeling guilty for my lie, I avoided his gaze.

“Shouldn’t you be eating better then?”

“Yes, normally.”

“Then why not eat a bit more instead of stopping early?”

“I told you, I don’t have an appetite.”

“Still, wouldn’t it be better to eat a little more?”

I glanced at the food prepared in front of me after Richard’s suggestion.

Despite the appetizing T-bone steak, I didn’t feel like eating.

Forcing myself to eat would likely result in indigestion, as I had feared earlier.

I shook my head.

“No, eating more would make me sick. That would be worse for my health.”

Richard finally nodded in agreement.

“Then I won’t insist any further.”

“Thanks for understanding.”

“And…”

Just when I thought the conversation was over, Richard spoke again.

I couldn’t leave yet and had to listen to what he had to say.

“My words earlier today were too harsh.”

He seemed to be referring to what happened at the training ground earlier.

“I just…”

“I understand what you meant. And it wasn’t entirely wrong.”

He wanted to clarify that he didn’t mean any harm.

But this wasn’t about intent; it wasn’t a simple black-and-white issue.

His words had made me realize my place here.

There was no reason for me to resent him.

I had forgotten all this time.

Richard hadn’t mentioned it, nor had he stopped me, so I had forgotten that I was not the true mistress of this mansion.

I didn’t love him like the original Diarna, and as long as I remembered that, I wouldn’t have to live a miserable life until the end.

But I was wrong.

Strictly speaking, I was someone who had been sold to Richard.

He only wanted to form an alliance with Duke Tristan.

That’s all.

Moreover, he didn’t even know I was terminally ill.

He still didn’t know he had brought a defective product with his money…

“I’ll be careful not to bother you anymore.”

That was the right thing for me to do.

“Now, I’ll take my leave.”

“Diarna.”

As I was about to get up, Richard called out to me.

At first, even addressing me by my maiden name had felt awkward, but now I was quite used to him calling my name.

I stopped getting up and sat back down, looking at him.

Richard had a dissatisfied look on his face.

I waited silently for him to speak.

After several false starts, he sighed deeply, running a hand over his face.

“I hope you don’t misunderstand what happened earlier. I apologize for that.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“The thoughts you’re having right now.”

It felt like Richard could see right through me.

I didn’t know how much he knew, but he seemed to understand my sense of inadequacy around him.

“If you ever feel I’m being too harsh, please let me know.”

Listening to him, I realized why the original Diarna, who knew nothing, had craved his love.

She was someone who needed affection.

Even after her mother died and her father took everything from her, what she had expected from him was love.

But all she received was neglect, abandonment, and abuse.

Then came Richard as her husband.

The original Diarna, knowing nothing, would have opened her heart, thinking maybe…

She was desperate for even a small act of kindness.

She couldn’t distinguish if it was genuine kindness or just politeness and would have hoped and wished for it.

Eventually, she would have fallen in love irreversibly.

But the love Diarna wanted was doomed from the start.

Richard’s behavior toward Diarna wasn’t kindness or affection.

“Richard, I understand your thoughts. Thank you for the apology.”

I forced a smile.

Richard gazed at me with his blue eyes.

I was not the original Diarna.

I wouldn’t live a life dried up, desperately seeking affection.

“Then, I’ll take my leave.”

I had to leave before I started to empathize with the original Diarna.

I had to leave the dining room, leaving Richard behind, who remained silent.