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Chapter 5
Her Hidden Scheme
The next day.
“You’re recovering better than expected, but you still need complete rest. The poison was extremely potent, so even if you seem fine now, I’m worried about possible aftereffects.”
The physician spoke after finishing his examination.
“So what I drank really was poison? Not just something to make me sleep for a while?”
“Yes. It was a deadly toxin called Helishus. On the surface, the victim appears to have fallen into a deep sleep, but they slowly die in that state. It’s completely different from Elixina, which merely makes someone appear dead for several days before they awaken.”
“I see. How long do I need to rest?”
“At least a month would be best.”
“A whole month?”
She wanted to divorce Raymond immediately, take her settlement money, and leave. A month felt far too long.
Diabella sighed.
“Yes. Honestly, the longer you rest, the better.”
“Fine. Then put everything you just said into writing.”
“…Pardon?”
“Write down my condition, the fact that what I consumed was poison, and how much rest I require. Include today’s date, your medical opinion, and your signature.”
“Ah… yes, understood. But is all of that really necessary…?”
“It’s to prove my condition to someone who doesn’t trust me.”
“H-Hah… understood.”
The physician had a pretty good idea who she meant, so he wisely kept quiet. Still, everything he’d said was the truth, so he wrote the document honestly.
“Here. I’ve written it as requested.”
Diabella carefully reviewed the paper. It was objective and complete.
“Make one more copy.”
“A-another one?”
“I’ll feel safer having two copies, just in case.”
No photocopiers or scanners existed in this era, after all.
She swallowed the rest of the thought.
After confirming the second document matched the first exactly, she placed them side by side and had the physician sign across the edges where the two papers met—a method to prove they hadn’t been forged and had been written by the same person.
Because that dirty, petty man might accuse me of forging documents.
She bit her lip.
Seriously, I’m leaving out of sheer spite at this point.
After the physician left, Diabella wrote up the divorce papers and summoned the butler.
“…!”
The butler’s eyes widened when he saw the signed divorce document. Apparently, he’d never expected her to actually do it.
“As promised, the divorce papers are complete. Unfortunately, my body hasn’t recovered enough for me to leave immediately. Along with the physician’s statement, inform the Marquis that I’ll depart within a month, so he needn’t worry. In the meantime, I’d appreciate it if my settlement funds could be prepared as quickly as possible so I can arrange my future residence.”
“Yes, milady. I shall relay the message.”
The butler bowed.
At first, Diabella had simply spoken politely out of habit—just as she had in Korea whenever she dealt with older people or service workers.
But the more politely she behaved, the more terrified the servants became. So she’d gradually started speaking more casually. It still felt awkward, but it was something she needed to get used to.
“And there’s one more thing I’d like to ask of you.”
“…Yes?”
The butler flinched. Even though the mistress had become much gentler than before, he was still afraid of her.
“I want the Bell Tax I collected returned to the people of the territory. Find those who left and help them settle down again. Also, discreetly look into purchasing land near the residential district—somewhere large enough to build a major structure.”
“…Land?”
The butler tilted his head in confusion. Why would she ask about land in the Marquisate when she was supposedly leaving after the divorce?
Still, he didn’t dare question her intentions. He simply bowed and withdrew.
Naturally, Diabella believed money extorted through unjust taxes should be returned.
It wasn’t because she suddenly wanted to pretend to be kind.
Honestly, she liked the title of “villainess.”
In her previous life, she’d never been able to live exactly as she pleased. She had constantly suppressed her temper and swallowed her pride just to survive, pay tuition, and afford rent.
But in this world, people trembled just hearing her name.
She could act however she wanted, and no one dared criticize her. Her reputation was already so terrible that even the smallest decent act left everyone shocked and grateful.
So no—she had no desire to give up being a villainess.
Still, there should be limits to being evil.
She would no longer bow her head unnecessarily. But that didn’t mean she’d torment the weak for no reason either.
That was the vow the newly reborn Diabella made to herself.
And whether she liked it or not, this was now the world she had to live in.
Being feared was useful. But the outrageous crimes the original Diabella had committed needed to be cleaned up.
For the sake of the life she would build here, she needed a good reputation too.
* * *
“Please forgive the Baron’s daughter for her mistake!”
“The angelic young lady would never intentionally use poison!”
The commotion outside early that morning made Raymond frown.
“What’s going on out there?”
“The territory residents have gathered to plead for the Baron’s daughter’s innocence.”
The butler hurriedly explained the situation.
“Why have commoners come all the way to the capital estate?”
“Well… apparently… after the Mistress imposed that… tax… Lady Angeleka secretly helped the residents who suffered because of it. So now, after hearing she’s being investigated over the poison incident, they’ve come to support her.”
The butler cautiously watched Raymond’s expression before adding,
“Shall I drive them away immediately?”
“Leave them for now. We should hear what they have to say.”
But instead of summoning them inside, Raymond quietly walked to the window and listened from behind the curtain.
“Should I invite them in?”
“Shh.”
Raymond raised a finger to his lips. The butler immediately fell silent.
“Merciful Marquis! Please forgive Lady Miles!”
“She has done nothing wrong!”
The pleading continued for a while, but when no response came from inside, their voices gradually lowered.
“Maybe the Marquis isn’t home?”
“Let’s wait a bit longer.”
After some silence, the group began quietly chatting among themselves.
“So the angelic young lady is being accused of using real poison?”
“That’s what they say. Though honestly, who cares if she used poison? That villainess deserved to die anyway—”
“Shh! Watch your mouth. If the villainess hears you, you’ll disappear without a trace.”
The voices were quiet, but the Marquis’s estate had magic stones installed specifically to amplify outside sounds in case of intruders.
The butler flinched as the conversation echoed clearly through the magic stone.
Raymond glanced at him before turning his attention back outside.
“They say the Marquis is finally throwing that villainess out.”
“What a relief they’re divorcing at last! And now we’re even getting our Bell Tax money back.”
“They say Lady Angeleka ordered the taxes returned.”
“Really? As expected—she truly is an angel.”
“But can the Baron’s daughter even interfere with tax matters?”
“Oh come now. She’ll be the next Marchioness, won’t she?”
“The next Marchioness? You mean she’s going to marry the Marquis?”
“Of course! They’d make the perfect couple. If an angel like her replaces that villainess, there could be no greater blessing for this territory.”
“I wish the villainess would leave already so our angel can come sooner.”
Listening to the conversation outside, Raymond narrowed his eyes and stroked his chin.
Then the next comment made his eyes widen.
“By the way, they’ve started construction in the middle of those empty fields lately. What are they building?”
“Hah… apparently, that villainess is building a house.”
“The villainess? Wait—you mean the Marchioness isn’t leaving after the divorce? She’s building a home inside the Marquisate?”
Raymond frowned deeply and turned toward the butler.
“…What is this about? Did you know?”
“Well…”
The butler hesitated. The project had been proceeding secretly under Diabella’s orders.
“So the wife is plotting something again. Fine. I’ll go see it myself.”
Grinding his teeth, Raymond grabbed his coat and stormed out of the estate.
* * *
After traveling by carriage for more than half a day, Raymond arrived at the Marquisate, where construction was in full swing.
Even at a glance, the project was enormous.
And standing in the center of it all, busily inspecting the site, was a woman with wine-colored hair.
“So much for needing rest and recovery. You seem healthier than expected. I don’t recall ever seeing you visit the Marquisate this often before.”
“Ah! You startled me! When did you get here?”
Diabella jumped at the sudden voice behind her.
“So this is why you needed the settlement money so urgently?”
Raymond asked with obvious disapproval, one eyebrow raised.
“Well… this is only part of the plan.”
“Part?”
Raymond clicked his tongue.
She’d secretly launched a construction project of this scale and called it part of the plan?
He couldn’t even begin to imagine what she was plotting.
Even after becoming thoroughly fed up with her behavior and demanding a divorce, he’d still felt somewhat guilty about throwing out a wife who hadn’t fully recovered.
At first, hearing she was building a residence within the Marquisate had stunned him. But then he thought perhaps it wouldn’t be so bad if she stayed in a separate home until she adjusted.
That would certainly be better than her refusing to leave entirely.
That was what he’d thought.
Before seeing the scale of this project.
This wasn’t a temporary residence.
It was practically the size of a luxury hotel.
Several massive buildings were already taking shape, with what looked like a huge central garden planned between them. Even behind the main structures, more frameworks stretched into the distance.
Did her extravagance know no limits?
Raymond shut his eyes tightly as a headache came on.
He’d thought the divorce would finally end things—but this was too much.
“I intended to tolerate a certain amount,” he said carefully, struggling to keep his irritation in check. “But don’t you think this is excessive?”
“Hm? What exactly do you mean by excessive?”
Diabella replied innocently, as if she genuinely didn’t understand.
“Haa…”
Raymond let out a deep sigh.
“…You clearly said you would leave after the divorce, did you not? Since you claimed your body hadn’t recovered, I was prepared to tolerate you building a modest residence to stay in temporarily. But this? This is too much. Frankly, I can’t help doubting whether you truly intend to admit your past wrongs and go through with the divorce.”
He looked at her coldly, almost contemptuously.
But then he suddenly flinched when she slowly lifted her trembling head.
…This situation felt strangely familiar.
“Hah!”
Diabella scoffed, shaking her head.
Then she bit her lip, raised her chin defiantly, and marched toward the Marquis.
