Villainous Lady, The Obsession Begins

【Chapter 15】

 

‘I must be crazy.’

Let’s stop worrying about unnecessary things.

Thinking that way, Esadien opened the book again, but the contents didn’t come into his mind at all, and the pages turned slowly and meaninglessly.

At least when it was over, he became aware of the soft sound of Minuelle’s breathing, and felt strength returning to her body.

‘I think something’s wrong with me.’

Even before the accident happened, and even when fighting against assassins, his body didn’t stiffen up as much as it did now.

‘Did I become too lazy these days?’

Now that Theodore had returned to the capital, it was time to schedule training again. 

However, Esadien, who was lost in thought, flinched when Minuelle let out a drowsy sound as her eyelashes trembled.

“Uh….”

“Oh, are you awake?”

“How long did I sleep…..?”

The dry saliva swallowed involuntarily at the drowsy voice, which seemed to be unable to wake up.

“One hour… around that… I guess.”

When he answered with his lips barely moving, Minuelle, surprised, stood up straight and leaned on him.

“That long? Don’t you feel numb in your arms?”

The tight-lipped Esadien only uttered a single word, leaving Minuelle concerned about whether his neck, which she had leaned on, might be sore.

“…I’m fine.”

“Well, that’s a relief. Then I’ll go now.”

As Minuelle stood up, Esadien felt a faint sense of loss for no apparent reason. At the same time, he let slip words he would never have spoken a week ago.

“It’s still bright, so there’s no need to rush…”

“I’ll go, Esadien.”

Minuelle, who cut off his words with a cheerful smile, slightly bent her waist.

‘Ah, my name again.’

Esadien’s face brightened a little. And at that moment, 

Chu.

With an unbelievable sound, a soft and plushy sensation lingered on Esadien’s cheek before fading away.

“…..!”

His body and mind stopped. Esadien froze in his seated posture. Without realizing it, he held his breath, and only after Minuelle left did he stiffly raise his hand to touch his cheek.

“I told her it was difficult, but still…”

It seemed like only that part was burning.

💧

It’s not a joke, but I really got so busy that I couldn’t even open my eyes.

‘Goodbye to the days when I lived comfortably without any worries, just playing and eating.’

Sister Juella would always leave things to me unless it was absolutely necessary for her to make the decision herself.

“My baby, I’m so busy with the top work that my bones feel like they’re breaking.”

However, the reason I couldn’t dare to say anything was because I could see with my own eyes how incredibly busy my sister was.

‘She is a real superhuman.’

Sister Juella’s office was bustling with people without any break. It was a rare moment of her having nothing to do, so I was watching her work.

“They say Parmian has increased the toll fee.”

“How long has it been since we put it in our pockets? How’s the progress with the fleet?”

“It’s close to completion, but they say they can’t shorten the date anymore.”

“Okay, we don’t want to lose people or goods for no reason. We have no choice. Let’s negotiate one more time this time. There won’t be a next time.”

Numerous matters and instructions were exchanged hastily.

‘When did she have time to date while working like that?’

I miss Esadien tooooo…!

“Once we finish this, you can go.”

Suddenly, when the top people had left, my sister sat down next to me and spoke.

“Yes?”

“You said you wanted to see the prince.”

“Ah, did I just say it out loud?”

My sister grabbed my cheek and pulled it playfully while giggling. It seemed like she had become more lively since the last time we met.

“Yeah, you are so mean.”

“Ugh! Stop it.”

She usually doesn’t easily give up on something after saying it once, but I got lucky today.

“My Lady, a customer has arrived. It’s someone that Mr. Faroy mentioned.”

The sound of a knock was heard, and we were informed that the person we had been waiting for had arrived. Sister Juella, in a commanding tone, as if she had never laughed mischievously before.

“Sure. Tell them they can come up.”

The person we were going to meet today was a distant relative of Gideon Faroy’s family, who was a foster daughter of a prominent family. She was supposed to attend social classes and bride training with my sister.

“My sister is focused on top work rather than social circles, but I don’t really understand what she can learn from that.”

“Well, with the position that our family holds, even the people we come across can be giants. Your face becomes a stamp, and if you’re lucky, you might even catch a good opportunity.”

“Oh… I see. Should I do the same later?”

“You?”

My sister snorted with a look of bewilderment.

“Who should go down? There is not even another princess here.”

“Uh…. I know?”

Thinking about it, I twisted my fingers with my curly hair, and my sister patted the top of my head.

“Minuelle, you don’t need to flatter other people. If you don’t remember them even after meeting them a hundred times, it’s only right that the other person should introduce themselves a hundred times.”

“But still, isn’t that a bit…”

“That’s just how power works. Do you understand?”

As she spoke and met my gaze, my sister’s red eyes held a gentle yet chilling determination.

‘Is this what it means to be born into power?’

I nodded my head in response to her enthusiasm, but it still felt awkward. I had memories from my past life, and in the temple, no one cared much about social status.

As we spoke, there was a knock on the door, and it opened to reveal a stunning woman with thick, dark red hair and golden eyes. She greeted us politely, grasped the edge of her dress, and entered the room.

“It is an honor to meet you. My name is Lafesch Celeste.”

Tuk.

As the quill pen I was holding slipped out of my hand, her eyes and mine met directly.

“What’s wrong? Are you okay?”

As she asked, she immediately bent down and picked up the quill pen, and handed it over to me. It was an utterly not-so-noble gesture.

‘Why…. are you here?’

Lafesch Celeste…. It was the appearance of the female lead.

💧

After that first encounter, I tried to avoid Lafesch Celeste as much as possible. We spent most of our time together during the daylight hours because of the wedding preparations, but I tried not to share anything beyond work-related topics.

‘I’m tired. I miss Esadien.’

Is it because Lafesch is the female protagonist? Well, that’s obvious, but there was another reason.

 

“Would you like to try this, Miss Minuelle? It’s caramel, which I love….”

“Pastel colors suit you so well, Miss Minuelle! It would look pretty with lots of lace added.”

“Miss Minuelle!”

“Miss Minuelle!”

 

Whenever she saw me, they would say, “Miss Minuelle, Miss Minuelle,” like she was begging me, like she was my maid, which made me feel so burdened that I had difficulty breathing.

“Really…. Why she’s acting like that?”

I remember from the original work that “Lafesch” didn’t particularly like “Minuelle.” She lived near the desert before meeting Theodore, so it’s strange that she has come up to the capital now…

“Aahh, I don’t know.”

As there was not a single point of contact between us, it cannot be said that my behavior had any influence on her. Anyway, the more I thought about it, the more she gave me a headache, Lafesch.

“Uh, is anyone here?”

I was so uncomfortable being alone with her that I made an excuse and escaped to the garden. Everything Lafesch suggested was the opposite of my taste. Plus, I couldn’t even face my prospective fiancé’s face, which made me feel like I was going crazy.  

I felt dizzy from the stress. I took deep breaths and touched the rough surface of a tree when someone tapped me on the shoulder.

“What are you doing here? Minuelle.”

It was a familiar voice. As soon as I recognized the owner as Ramande, violent coughs burst out. It seemed that I had stopped breathing from the surprise.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“I really can’t take my eyes off you.”

With a familiar sigh, Lament tapped me on my back. The divine power that flowed in with each touch of his hand was soothing.

“Oh, I thought I was really going to die.”

“I told you not to say things like that.”

“Ah, sorry.”

The touch that tidied up the scattered places here and there was so meticulous, even while giving a priest-like rebuke. He stroked my cheek, which had become hot due to coughing, pushed my hair back behind my ears, and retied the ribbon that was coming loose.

Even today, Ramande was still the same.

“So, what’s the matter?”

“Well…”

Lafesch isn’t here right now, right? I looked around once again and continued.

“Well, Lady Celeste….”

However, what on earth is “harmony of the sky”? Her red hair came into sight as soon as I mentioned her name.

“Did you call me?”

Oh my god!

I exclaimed, clutching my heart as I trembled. I didn’t know if it was visible or not, but Lafesch was beaming with a smile.

“I’ve been looking for you for a long time, Miss Minuelle.”

P-Please help me, Ramande.

Upon receiving my desperate gaze, Ramande let out a small sigh.

“Minuelle and I were taking a short walk. I need to give her regular exercise because of her weak body.”

Can you please not talk about it like you’re walking a dog…

“I see. I’ve heard that there’s a priest who resides at the Duchess’s estate, but this is my first time meeting one.”

“I’ve also heard that someone came to learn to Duchess’s estate, but this is my first time meeting them as well.”

Although both of them were smiling sociably, I couldn’t understand why it seemed like sparks were flying between the two. I felt a cold sweat on my back for no reason, squeezed between them.

“Ho…hoho. This is my first time in Roquette. My name is Lafesch Celeste. Nice to meet you.”

“I’m Ramande Flendena. I grew up with Minuelle in the temple since we were kids.”

“Minuelle grew up in the temple?”

Lafesch tilted her head as if it was the first time she had heard such a story. It was a lovely gesture, but it gave me goosebumps for some reason.

‘Surely, you didn’t do a background check on me, did you?’

The thought passed through my mind momentarily. But of course, that couldn’t be the case. Lafesch first met me when she entered the mansion, and above all, if she had done her research, she couldn’t have been so unaware of my tastes.

“So that’s why both of you look so close.”

Lafesch smiled, her golden eyes shining brightly.

“But you would be disappointed, Priest.”

“What…”

It was when Ramande frowned and was about to open his mouth.

“Oh, My Lady. Were you here?”

The butler walked briskly toward us, with a bunch of things in his hands.

“Someone from the Faroy family has arrived.”

“Oh, has it already come to that time?”

I didn’t check the time because all I could think about was getting away from Lafesch. As I rushed to go inside, Ramande asked me.

“Shall I come with you?”

“What are you asking about?”

I grabbed his hand and pulled him along, thinking that if Ramande was next to me, Lafesch would be a little more restrained.

“I also want to hold Miss Minuelle’s hand…”

It seemed like a scary sound was heard from behind, but I pretended not to notice and kept walking.

💧

Thank you for reading!