I Became the Villain's Sister (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 16
“Well… that is… the count’s family said they can’t return that money….”
“I shall do it. I, the Emperor, will.”
Seeing the marquis repeatedly ask for clarification as if he couldn’t understand, the Emperor seemed to be overcome with sudden irritation. And honestly, not just the marquis—my own head was spinning too.
The Emperor himself would return the money? What on earth was going on?
“…Your Imperial Majesty?”
“Yes. And if I return that money myself, wouldn’t everything simply be undone? You claimed ownership over Isabella as if she were a mere tool, solely because you paid that sum, correct? Then returning the money should settle the matter.”
For a moment, everyone present stood with their mouths agape, unable to close them. What did this mean? Was he really offering to repay such an enormous sum just to help me?
I couldn’t even guess the exact amount, but the marquis’s boldness implied it was far beyond anything I could imagine.
Yet the Emperor of an entire nation would spend such a sum just for one noble young lady? It sounded utterly absurd.
But the Emperor remained resolute and unwavering in his stance.
“I shall have it paid immediately. So cease tormenting her at once.”
“T-torment? I merely asserted my rightful claim!”
“A rightful claim?”
Realizing money wouldn’t sway the Emperor, the marquis raised his voice. Whether from mental confusion or sheer loss of fear, he roared as if forgetting entirely that the man before him was the Emperor.
“Yes! That woman must come with me!”
That old man shouting like that looked as if he’d collapse any second. He coughed violently, his body swaying precariously.
For a moment, he staggered. They say some men will do anything as long as they have the strength to climb stairs—but how could someone in such a state even think of taking a young woman as his wife?
Especially after paying such an exorbitant sum.
Watching the marquis now resort to baseless stubbornness, the Emperor’s lips curled into a faint, chilling smile. His eyes seemed unnervingly red, as if glowing with menace.
“If the money is returned, she has no reason whatsoever to go with you.”
“But…!”
“They say judgment weakens with age—apparently, your discernment has greatly deteriorated, Marquis?”
The marquis stammered, behaving like someone scrambling to invent any excuse. He remained silent for a long while. The Emperor, who had patiently waited as if willing to hear him out, clicked his tongue dismissively.
“Besides, Marquis—you aren’t even married yet, are you?”
“Not married yet? Well… that is… but…”
“Am I mistaken?”
“No, that’s correct. But we were about to marry… I intended to bring her straight home without even holding a ceremony…”
“Ah. In that case, if Isabella had officially become your fiancée—or better yet, your wife on paper—then perhaps you’d have some grounds to take her with you. Though even then, I wouldn’t have allowed it. But that’s not the case, is it? Nor was there some ancient betrothal arranged between your houses, was there?”
Just moments ago, the marquis had been glaring at me with a sinister expression, but now he was slowly being cornered.
“That’s… true.”
“Then you must understand that you’d need to submit official documents directly to the Emperor, correct? Even if a betrothal is arranged between families by their parents, imperial approval is ultimately required.”
“…”
“You’ve surely married more than once or twice—you can’t possibly be ignorant of these procedures. So you must realize your current actions make no sense at all. You have absolutely no justification to detain Isabella.”
Imperial law permitted parental involvement in betrothals even for adults, but for nobles, the Emperor’s final approval was mandatory for any marriage.
That was precisely the point the Emperor was making. Had the paperwork already been processed, the marquis might have had some semblance of justification—but he didn’t.
Only then did the marquis appear somewhat subdued.
“Yes.”
“Then let me ask you once more: under whose authority did your two houses formally unite under the sacred bond of betrothal? Could it be that, with Me present here, you sought approval from someone else?”
Lifting his chin with an even more imperious expression than before, the Emperor stared down at the flustered marquis.
“No, it’s not that…”
“If not, then are you suggesting there’s another way to marry without My permission?”
The marquis shook his head vigorously. Under imperial law, nobles had only two paths to a recognized marriage.
The first was to arrange a betrothal in advance and obtain the Emperor’s approval. In such cases, no additional paperwork was needed at the time of marriage—the couple would automatically be considered wed.
This usually applied only to betrothals arranged between noble houses when the parties were very young—essentially political alliances. Of course, there was no way Isabella and the marquis had such an arrangement from childhood.
The second option was to marry first and then seek the Emperor’s approval afterward. Ultimately, it came down to prior versus post approval—but neither scenario was remotely possible in the relationship between the marquis and me.
‘After all, the man destined to be my husband is the Emperor himself.’
In any case, imperial approval was indispensable.
“If that’s not the case, then how can you possibly claim the right to detain Isabella Belochi? And even if you were already married, every person possesses individual rights—the right to choose where they reside. To ignore that and try to drag her away by force… you’re hardly fit to be called human.”
The Emperor clicked his tongue again, regarding the marquis with undisguised disdain.
Yet despite the Emperor’s contempt, Marquis Liberto showed no sign of backing down.
“In any case, it’s impossible. This is an outright slight against me.”
“A slight? Don’t you think it’s you who’s slighting Me, the Emperor?”
“N-no, that’s not it. But… I must speak my mind. I believe a man should stand firm before the woman he loves.”
What nonsense. Love? When have we even met? To cling to me this desperately…
‘He probably claims he wants no other woman but me.’
Otherwise, there’d be no reason to persist so stubbornly even after the Emperor spoke so firmly.
“Love?”
Even as the Emperor gave a derisive chuckle, the marquis remained defiant.
“I find Isabella Belochi quite to my liking.”
“To your liking.”
“She’s beautiful, her figure is pleasing, she’s young and very… delicious—no, never mind. Anyway, that’s how it is. Even if you are His Imperial Majesty, surely you don’t specifically need this particular woman, do you?”
It sounded as if he were circling around the same thought: “You’re handsome and young—you can have any woman, so why insist on her?”
Only a fool would fail to grasp his meaning.
After briefly stroking his chin, the Emperor suddenly fixed his gaze on the marquis as if struck by realization.
“So anyone else would suffice for Me, but it must be Isabella for you?”
“Exactly.”
The Emperor nodded as if amused, folding his arms and appearing more relaxed than ever.
“Is it because you’ve beaten and abused women so badly that no one else will have you? Is that why it must be her? Because you have no other outlet for your filthy lust? Is that why it must be her? Because no family would send their daughter to you no matter how much money you offered? Is that why it must be Isabella Belochi?!”
Though he’d been suppressing his emotions, the Emperor was now visibly consumed by fury. The marquis’s expression grew even stiffer than before.
“How dare you say such things…!”
His face, clenched in rage, was deeply lined. Greed was so evident in his features that every wrinkle seemed filled with avarice.
Just as I suspected—he was fixated on me precisely because no other woman would accept him.
Cornered by the Emperor’s words, the marquis shook his head frantically—until suddenly, as if remembering something, his eyes lit up.
“Your Majesty, I don’t know where you heard such things, but those are nothing but baseless rumors spread by people trying to extort money from me!”
“Baseless rumors?”
“Yes! All lies and malicious gossip!”
Encouraged by what he mistook for the Emperor’s agreement, the marquis eagerly continued.
“Women are naturally like that! They cling to men however they can, and the moment something displeases them, they’re quick to slander them—just to extract compensation or money. I’ve been victimized by such women more than once! They keep inventing absurd lies, hoping to squeeze more out of me!”
At the marquis’s words, the Emperor’s shoulders trembled slightly.
‘Is he insane?’
If the Emperor hadn’t been present, those words might have slipped out of my mouth.
Yet whether he truly believed his own ridiculous lies or was simply consumed by paranoia, Marquis Liberto’s hands trembled violently.
“You’ve been wronged by women?”
“Yes.”
“Well… perhaps that’s possible. But what does that have to do with Isabella? According to your own words, she’d be no different from those other women, would she?”
Caught off guard by this unexpected retort, the marquis sputtered helplessly.
“That’s…! No, no! Isabella would never do such a thing!”
“You’re contradicting yourself. You claimed all women act that way, yet Isabella is somehow different? The truth is simpler—no one else will marry you, so you’re desperate to make her your wife.”
Letting out a strained groan, he slammed his golden cane sharply against the floor.
“No! That may have been true in the past, but not this time! Isabella will be different!”
His shout triggered a fit of ominous coughing. It grew louder and louder in the silence, sounding as if he might cough up blood.
“Cough… cough…”
No one dared speak at the sound.
As if waiting patiently for his coughing to subside, everyone remained silent. In that brief stillness, the surrounding scene became strikingly clear.
Behind Marquis Liberto stood Countess Belochi, who had followed him but had retreated far back since the Emperor’s arrival—and farther still, the count himself, observing the situation from a distance.
Their positions spoke volumes: as always, the countess stood ahead while the count lingered far behind.
Ever since the countess’s temperament had grown so harsh, the count had been perpetually cowed—always just like this.
Male lead reborn without memories — but he still falls for her.
The person he finds displeasing in this life turns out to be his cherished wife-master in previous life…
Xie Zhi and Fang Xianxing who had known each other for less than three days through a blind date sat in the same car in front of the civil affairs bureau. They had a disagreement and failed to get married.
Xie Zhi immediately took out his phone, slid through his contacts, and randomly selected the next marriage candidate.
The woman snatched his phone and hung up. Looking at his phone wallpaper, she awkwardly changed the subject: “An ancient painting, eh? It looks pretty good, it’s just that the person in the painting looks a bit like me.”
When he heard this, he sarcastically mocked her for being so delusional, completely unaware that, the person in front of him was the reincarnation of Wen Ru, the famous prime minister of Yuan Shun whom he most admired…
The female CEO who doesn’t want to get married with a divorce agreement in hand × The male archaeological researcher who will only get married if he’s sure he can get divorced
Most Commented This Week
The Villain Has Gone Mad For Me (Completed Main Story)
I’m The Lowest-Ranking Daughter Of A Martial Arts Villain (2 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Became the Assassin Family’s Foster Daughter (Completed Main Story)
Men of the Harem (137 Chapters Left to Complete)
The Duke Only Needs My Child (Completed Main Story)
At the End of Ruin, There You Are (56 Chapters Left to Complete)
She’s a Villainess but her Husband is Handsome (Completed Main Story)
People Aren’t Meant to Be Fixed! (4 Chapters Left to Complete)
My Discarded Fiancé Returned (Completed Main Story)
Summer Must Die (16 Chapters Left to Complete)
I Received The First Time Of My Extraordinary Superior (9 Chapters Left to Complete)
Regret With All Your Might (Completed Main Story)