The Villainess' Joyful Married Life (59 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 16
It was an evening as the sun dipped below the horizon.
Kalian, who had been strolling near the garden after dinner, spotted a carriage entering the mansion.
Since the family carriage was being used—yet his mother was bedridden with illness—Kalian wondered who had taken it, but a servant quickly explained.
The Duchess had gone to tea in place of the Grand Lady.
Eshika.
The moment her name came to mind, an unpleasant memory from their last meeting resurfaced.
Her aloof demeanor, her cold gaze, and the icy wind that seemed to blow from her very presence.
That behavior was unlike Eshika Klaus.
The dissonance only heightened the sense of unease.
The lingering impression could be summed up in two words:
“How dare she.”
He had resolved not to pay her any attention, to discipline her by withholding interest.
After all, he knew that his indifference was what troubled her most.
Yet she acted as though Kalian didn’t exist at all.
It felt strangely hollow, like a shadow that had always trailed behind him had suddenly vanished.
“…….”
He saw Eshika stepping down from the carriage, her back to the setting sun.
Unlike her usual plain attire—worn since being scolded by her mother for extravagance—she now wore a pink dress that harmonized beautifully with the evening glow.
The breeze gently fluttered the hem of her dress, oddly capturing his attention.
And contrasting against the warmth of her dress were her icy blue eyes.
“…….”
After alighting from the carriage, she gazed up at the distant sky.
Had Eshika always looked like this?
Kalian frowned slightly between his brows.
Her silver hair, reaching halfway down her back, rippled softly in the wind, and her round forehead with a straight nose carved out a dreamlike profile.
Her skin was as fine as a porcelain wine cup glazed with celadon.
He suddenly found himself curious—what exactly lay within her eyes?
For the first time… Kalian wondered what Eshika was thinking.
And why she was gazing at the sky with such a wistful expression.
Could it possibly be connected to her recent arrogant behavior?
Or perhaps even to her no longer trailing after him?
After all, there was no effect without cause.
“……Madam!”
At that moment, he saw a maid running toward her.
What was that maid’s name again?… He couldn’t possibly remember.
The maid seemed to be saying something to Eshika.
“You know…”
Upon hearing those words, the corners of Eshika’s lips lifted faintly upward.
It was an oddly enigmatic expression, as if someone had delicately tugged the emotionless mouth of a painted portrait.
Eshika looked at the maid with a hint of a smile.
Her eyes had clearly been cold before—but now they no longer seemed so.
The beautiful sunset was reflected in her eyes.
That brilliance, fleeting and wistful, as if it might vanish at any moment…
“…….”
Kalian’s frown deepened.
Slowly, he reached up and touched his own chest.
He refused to let his feet move even an inch, as if deliberately ignoring his curiosity toward her.
That was Kalian’s pride—and a long-standing principle.
But then… why did such a restless feeling press against his heart?
“Let’s go, Cella.”
Eshika smiled at the maid.
Yes—Eshika’s smile had always been like that.
But… when was the last time he’d seen her smile like this?
He remembered.
It must have been on their wedding day.
**
“Lately, why do you keep staring at me so unpleasantly?”
At Eshika’s mutter, Cella flinched in surprise.
“……Madam?”
“Never mind. It’s nothing.”
As Cella followed behind Eshika, she thought to herself.
Certainly, the Duchess hadn’t just changed—she seemed like an entirely different person.
Her former behavior—chasing after Duke Klaus, who showed her not the slightest interest—had been pitiful and pathetic enough for every servant in the mansion to shake their heads in pity behind her back.
Yet now, Eshika appeared utterly indifferent to the Duke’s whereabouts.
“Um… perhaps you could briefly see His Grace? I heard he was looking for you earlier. It wasn’t told directly to me, but I heard it among the servants…”
At Cella’s suggestion, Eshika replied with an air of annoyance.
“Cella, do you want me to earn the Duke’s favor?”
Without hesitation, Cella nodded.
Of course—it was only natural. Duke Klaus was the master of the manor.
Though the Grand Lady’s maids openly disregarded the Duchess now, if she were to become a happily married couple with the Duke, no one would dare treat her that way again.
Eshika’s lips twisted.
“You see… I can forgive someone who’s disappointed me once.”
She recalled a subordinate from her days as Young Ryung, who’d committed cruelty against her under orders from above.
“Even twice… yes, I might forgive them, if they happened to be someone I truly cared about. Though, of course, I’ve never actually done so.”
“Madam…”
“But the third time—that’s the end.”
Cella blinked.
Eshika fixed her with a cold stare.
It was a look that sent chills down Cella’s spine.
“It means there’s no fixing things. And the Duke has disappointed me ten, twenty times over.”
Before regaining her memories as Young Ryung, Eshika’s wishes had been simple.
She’d merely hoped the man she was betrothed to spend her life with would show her appropriate care and love.
“You understand what I’m saying, don’t you?”
Cella, staring at Eshika in a daze, nodded.
His Grace would never—ever—be forgiven by the Duchess.
Nor would Yuri Anesis.
And Cella thought to herself.
She herself had already once been caught trying to poison Eshika’s food.
If she disappointed her twice… the consequences would be dire.
For the first time in a long while, Cella felt her discipline snap back into place.
**
“Do you regret marrying me?”
When Yuri had followed Kalian to the ring shop, she’d asked him that.
At her words, Kalian flinched, then turned to look at Yuri with a lonely expression.
Yuri could sense Kalian’s feelings.
Soon after, Kalian picked up an alette ring, reached out, and gently took Yuri’s hand.
Softly, he slipped the ring onto her ring finger.
His unspoken concern finally reached her.
“Greatly.”
His voice from that day still lingered in Yuri’s mind.
The sky bathed in sunset hues, the tiny sprout of hope blooming in her chest…
Even the greed that had swallowed her whole.
‘Eshika, once you’re gone, the position of Duchess will… undoubtedly be mine.’
Yuri refused to give up hope.
She had never—once—considered Eshika a friend.
To Yuri, daughter of the Anesis family—nominally minor nobility but poorer than many commoners—Eshika was merely a constant, painful reminder of life’s unfairness.
That foolish, naive girl had been born into the wealthy Bridget family, raised like a jewel, and married into the prestigious Klaus family of Torres—the very house that even Bridget of Preeharts regarded as insignificant.
Yuri had thought countless times: what if she, not Eshika, had been born a Bridget?
She was certain that if she’d been in Eshika’s place, she would have satisfied Duke Klaus completely.
‘Foolish Eshika. You’re finished… There’s no way you can turn things around…’
Thump-thump-thump—
Just as she gritted her teeth in rage, a knock came from outside.
Opening the door, she saw her maid, Emilia.
“What is it?”
Yuri crossed her arms with an irritated expression.
She’d taken a few days off under the pretense of exhaustion from caring for the Grand Lady.
In truth, she’d been planning to intercept Kalian each time she received word of his movements.
“The Grand Lady sent for you.”
It was a summons she couldn’t refuse, even with her tiredness as an excuse.
“…The Grand Lady?”
“Yes. It seems she has some questions… regarding the stomach ailment she suffered the other day.”
At Emilia’s words, Yuri inwardly flinched.
The reason the Grand Lady had been groaning in pain for days was that medicine Yuri had stolen from the kitchen.
“Didn’t she already speak with the physician about it?”
“She did, but apparently there are still things she finds suspicious. She’s never been that ill before…”
“Well, I suppose that’s true…”
“And also, the Duchess, who attended Madam Marchal’s party… instead of being cowed, apparently returned flaunting her authority. The Grand Lady is furious about it.”
Yuri’s hand twitched.
She’d scoffed inwardly upon hearing that Eshika had gone in place of the ailing Grand Lady.
After all, Volan and Marchal—with their sharp tempers—were natural tormentors for someone like Eshika.
Wasn’t it obvious what would happen to her there?
And yet… Eshika had asserted her authority?
Could it be that she’d actually managed to humble those vile women?
“…Is that so…?”
Yuri stepped out of the room with a calm expression.
Emilia followed behind her.
Yuri’s mind churned anxiously.
Then the reason Leona was summoning her now must be…
‘Not because she suspects me…’
“…….”
Yuri’s tightly clenched fist trembled slightly.
‘She’ll want me to take the blame. She’ll claim I poisoned her under Eshika’s orders…’
To Leona, Yuri was nothing more than a pawn in a game of chess.
Used when convenient, discarded when unnecessary—utterly worthless.
And lately, she hadn’t even been able to offer jewels, so Leona must view her as even more disposable.
‘It’s true I gave her the medicine… but I’ll never let her pin it on me like that.’
Ahead of her lay the staircase.
Knowing that Eshika was the one who’d driven her into this predicament, Yuri’s anger surged even higher.
Desperate to escape this situation, Yuri squeezed her eyes shut.
‘Damn it…!’
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
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (266)
You and your mother were shameless enough to accept liberty while rejecting eshika.. so FU
I think she would have been less disgusted to find a rat outside he door
It’s your future beau Ishika don’t be so wary. There is no lover res,
Inline Comments (39)
“You betrayed your friend, stole her jewels, and now you fawn over the Grand Lad
Why did they become friends to begin with? It’s not like yuri knew eshika would marry him
Cella spat out bloody saliva and glared at Yuri.
Does cella know martial arts at this point or no? I remember she asked
“This mother… can’t bear living under such injustice… uuhuhu….”
This guy is hopefully just gonna be an endgame final boss or something
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VKotaku28
Can’t up leave the mansion and drive them to their ruin? Eshika ?