Chapter 2

1. I'm Sick

Duke Icard had never visited me in the three months since I came to the duchy.

In the meantime, I consistently went to the patronage and ate the fruit of Oclasia. Thanks to this, the symptoms of dizziness have completely disappeared and my blood pressure has decreased significantly.

That didn't mean I was fully recovered.

"Cough!"

A cough spilled blood.

"Oh, blood again!"

My maid, Lisa, was surprised and wiped my mouth with a handkerchief.

The brunette, with brown hair and brown eyes, was in her early 20s but a fairly calm and capable maid.

"I-it's all right."

I spoke with my hands touching my forehead.

"Let's get you ready and get going, he's waiting."

"However…"

"Quickly."

Today was the day I went to the academy with my father-in-law to pick up Evan.

It would be my first face-to-face encounter with Duke Icard since the funeral.

I picked up a new handkerchief and strode down the stairs.

'I can't upset Duke Icard, the world's strongest villain…'

Duke Icard was busy pursuing power after the blackening, so he was indifferent to his son.

Not only did he send Evan to the academy as soon as he was six, but he even married him to me while he was in the academy.

'How absurd would it be from Evan's point of view. A girl who he didn't even know the face of at the age of thirteen suddenly becomes his wife.'

My marriage to Evan even caused a great stir among the aristocracy.

Outwardly, my cause of marriage was simple. The mothers were very close to each other, so if Duchess Icard had been alive, she would have taken me in unconditionally.

Well, everyone knew that Duke Icard cared a lot about his wife, so everyone was skeptical and convinced.

Of course, that was only an external excuse. The reason why he suddenly brought me to be his daughter-in-law…

'Duke Icard knows I'll die when it's appropriate.'

The fact that I had a fatal disease was a complete secret that only my mother knew.

But Duke Icard overheard my mother going to Evan's mother's grave talking about my illness.

That's why he brought me back as soon as my parents died in the carriage accident.

Now, Duke Icard was under political scrutiny as his power began to grow frighteningly.

'Duke Icard is trying to control even the imperial family with this marriage. He's stepping on the buds.' The vicious rumors began to circulate.

And the rumors were true.

However, it was a controversy that should be prevented from being in the position of Duke Icard, who has yet to fully build up his strength.

So Duke Icard decided to use me to avoid those rumors until his son grew up.

After Evan's marriage to me, the other people were relieved, saying. 'Icard didn't intend to influence the imperial family.'

And on the basis of such carelessness, Duke Icard was able to gain more power to his heart's content until I died.

'After 7 years, Duke Icard will have a tremendous amount of power, and then there will be no reason to notice the check in powers.'

The final daughter-in-law he had in mind was not me, but Elani. The only thing that can have a direct impact on the imperial family is a national marriage.

'If I die, you're planning on remarrying the princess and Evan.'

In fact, in the original story, Even and Princess Elani married after I died, according to the will of Duke Icard.

'But the problem is… I'm not going to die.'

Already, I was astray from the original planning of the villain.

'But what if I don't die by the age of 21?'

Under Imperial Law, divorce is not acceptable. So I was in a position where I couldn't get divorced.

'So when he wants to connect Elani and Evan, what if I'm alive with my eyes open?'

How will Duke Icard behave?

If the daughter-in-law you brought in because you thought she was time-limited is not…

It doesn't matter if the original story goes wrong, but it would be a bit scary to see the villain go wrong.

'If I don't die in time, maybe he'll kill me in time.'

My mouth was dry from rational reasoning.

* * *

"I'm late, I'm sorry."

Going down the stairs, Duke Icard was waiting for me with a cool expression.

'Oh, it's bloody.'

Duke Icard was still under great pressure.

"No."

He spoke briefly as he looked at me with cold eyes. Well, he couldn't have been interested because I was just a formal daughter-in-law.

'In fact, even in the original book, I just lived inside the Duke's residence as if dead… Then the time came, and I died quietly.'

'I was just a device to describe how much the villain was seeking power by wielding his child's marriage.'

A character who dies quietly, without any narrative or characteristic.

"You look better than the last time I saw you."

I almost hiccuped from the words of Duke Icard.

I was just assuming the worst case, that if I didn't die according to his plan, I would be killed.

First, I had to act with the worst in mind.

'Never let it be discovered that I'm healing my illness by myself!'

In fact, the fruit of the Oclasia tree was working very well, and I was improving rapidly.

The food here is delicious, so I eat well, and the garden is beautiful, so I take walks constantly…

'Because if he finds out that I'm not dying in time, he can kill me and take another girl with an insignificant time limit as his daughter-in-law…'

My frivolous imagination of the time-limit to prepare for the worst has been increasingly frightening.

Trembling inside, Duke Icard added carelessly.

"I feel like you've gained some weight."

'I'm screwed.'

He turned to the ready horse without listening to my answer.

"Oh, Father!"

I desperately called out to him.

He slowly looked back at me.

"… Father?"

Obviously, it was a new tone even though it was the title I called him when we first met.

"Yes, Father!"

I said with a desperately servile smile.

"Oh, if you don't like that title…"

"No."

I could barely breathe a sigh of relief when he said 'No', as I was anxious to see if I might have been humiliated.

"But why."

His fierce red eyes were difficult to look straight ahead at.

But I could never back down. If he starts to doubt that I'm not time-limited…

Since I didn't have to face him for long anyway, I decided to avoid suspicion by showing a sick figure as much as possible.

I felt I was about to cough with blood in my chest.

"Hey, I'd like to ride the carriage with you."

"… What?"

"I want to ride the carriage with my father."

"Why?"

Why would it be… To show you my coughing. I have to keep even the insignificant time limit.

But I couldn't tell the truth.

"It's going to rain later, and I'm afraid you'll catch a cold if you ride a horse."

"It's going to rain? The sky is clear."

"Ahaha, that's right. Well, it was tomorrow that it was going to rain…."

Still, he didn't budge. It even seemed like he was dumbfounded.

Hm, it was a failure to sell the weather.

"The truth is!"

So I decided to sell my soul.

"Just… I-I want to be close because we're family now."

Did it work?

As I waited with a throbbing heart, he strode to open the carriage door himself.

"Get in."

"What?"

"Get in first."

Oh, it must have been a success.

It was a little scary to ride with the villain, but it was better than being suspected of getting healthier.

So I sat across from him and set off for the academy.