Chapter 11: Date with the villain

The horse-drawn carriage rattled gently as it made its way down the cobbled streets of the capital. Verbena sat beside Theodore, her villain husband, who was reading some dark political document filled with enough red wax seals to look like a blood contract.

Verbena, meanwhile, was lost in her thoughts.

This is a novel world. I died at 22 while running my cursed bakery—and bam, I woke up as Verbena Phinx, the villain's wife.

It had taken her two whole days to remember where she'd seen these names before. This was "The Crown Prince's Secret Lover", the trashy romance novel she hate-read at 2 AM during a finals week breakdown.

She had mocked the plot so much back then.

The heroine was a commoner who accidentally seduced the crown prince by tripping into his arms at a garden party. The villainess (Verbena Phinx) was the crown prince's fiancée, who got dumped so hard she started poisoning the heroine's tea. And the villain husband—Theodore Hellgrave—was the dark duke everyone feared, who only married Verbena for political power.

Except now I am her. And my bakery is gone. And my student loan debt died with me. So... silver lining?

The carriage stopped abruptly, snapping Verbena back to reality.

"We're here," Theodore said, closing his document.

Verbena peeked out and saw the iconic Lovers' Garden—a place that every romance novel character was legally required to visit at least once for drama.

It was prettier than the book described. White marble fountains, flower arches, couples strolling hand-in-hand. It was disgustingly romantic, to the point Verbena wanted to throw up.

"Why here?" she asked, side-eyeing Theodore.

"You wanted a date," he said flatly. "This is where people go for dates."

Verbena's mind exploded.

Oh right, I said I wanted to 'work on our relationship' to soften him up before asking for a divorce. Stupid me.

They walked into the garden, side by side. Verbena quickly realized that walking with Theodore was like walking with a thunderstorm. Every couple they passed fled the scene as if sensing the villain aura dripping off him.

It was both embarrassing and kind of impressive.

They sat at a quiet bench under a wisteria tree. Verbena had been mentally rehearsing her soft-hearted divorce request speech for days, but now that they were actually here, she felt awkward.

"Do you like flowers?" Theodore asked unexpectedly.

Verbena blinked. "Uh… sure. Flowers are great. Big fan."

Theodore plucked a small blue flower and handed it to her. It was Forget-Me-Not, which was either romantic or terrifying depending on context.

I swear if you poisoned this flower, I'm haunting you.

"Let's walk," he said, standing again.

The awkwardness grew heavier as they strolled through the garden. Verbena kept glancing at him, trying to read his expression. Theodore Hellgrave had the face of someone permanently unimpressed by life itself—a face that screamed, I commit tax fraud for fun.

Suddenly, a loud voice echoed across the garden.

"Verbena?!"

She froze. Oh no. She knew that voice. Lance Auther Kalix.

The crown prince.

The male lead.

The man who dumps Verbena in Chapter 3 and falls for the heroine.

Lance strode toward them in full prince mode—flowy white shirt, royal cape, boots that looked way too clean to have ever touched dirt.

He was handsome, yes, but Verbena only saw a walking red flag. This man would flirt with you today and forget your name tomorrow.

"Fancy seeing you here," Lance said, his smile gleaming. "I thought you avoided romantic places."

Oh right, Novel Verbena was a jealous, bitter hag.

"I've matured," she said with a fake smile. "People change, you know."

Theodore's arm subtly curled around her waist. It was possessive. Not romantic, more like a cat guarding its food bowl.

"Your Highness," Theodore said coldly. "We are on a private date. Kindly leave."

Lance raised an eyebrow. "A date? With you?" He looked at Verbena like she had severe brain damage. "I didn't know you were into villains."

Verbena laughed nervously. "Well, tastes change."

Lance shrugged and wandered off, but not before whispering, "Careful, Verbena. A snake doesn't become a puppy just because you pet it."

Theodore's grip on her waist tightened for a second before he let go.

They continued walking in silence.

Verbena glanced at Theodore's face. Was he… angry? Embarrassed? Jealous? It was hard to tell with him.

"Don't talk to him again," Theodore said finally.

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you're my wife."

Verbena almost choked.

Excuse me? What kind of twisted loyalty speech is that?

But instead of arguing, she forced a smile and looped her arm through his. "Of course, dear husband."

This was only the beginning of Operation Divorce, after all.

If playing the perfect wife would make him drop his guard, she would do it—with a smile faker than a plastic rose.

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End of Chapter 11