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If My Husband Is a Narrow-Eyed Villain, I’m in Trouble — Chapter : 02
The next morning.
Diana calmly told her mother what she had decided.
“Since you insist, Mother, I’ll meet with the young duke. But please don’t expect too much.”
She clearly told her not to get her hopes up, yet Helena’s face immediately brightened.
“Really? You made the right choice, Diana!”
Diana awkwardly held her mother’s hands as she happily smiled.
Helena kept saying she had made a good decision, but the more she rejoiced, the stiffer Diana’s smile became.
I’m sorry, Mother. But I will never marry Ian Crawford.
She swallowed those words along with the guilt in her heart.
It wasn’t like she didn’t understand her mother’s worries about her daughter spending her whole life alone.
But the other person was that villain behind the scenes.
Not only did he secretly profit from royal businesses and launder money, he also stabbed his childhood friend in the back—and even cut off the arm of another friend who came to stop him.
That villain.
On the surface, she would treat him politely, but she planned to avoid getting deeply involved with him no matter what.
Unaware of her daughter’s true thoughts, Helena dragged Diana straight to the dress shop.
“Mother, this dress exposes my whole back. And this perfume too… it’s too much.”
“Too much? Not at all! Bold and beautiful dresses can only be worn when you’re young. It looks lovely, so don’t worry.”
Looking back, this was the mistake.
Diana could not win against her mother’s excitement.
In the end, she bought an overwhelmingly strong rose perfume, a flashy dress, and even shoes that emphasized her slender ankles.
And then, the long-awaited day of the appointment arrived.
Good. Just follow the plan.
Diana took a deep breath inside the carriage.
You’ve done well so far. There’s nothing to be afraid of.
Until now, Diana had done everything possible to avoid any connection with the villain.
Whenever it seemed like they might run into each other, she avoided him. Whenever his name came up, she pretended not to know him.
Of course, no one knew the villain’s circumstances better than she did.
What kind of mental state he was in, what he planned to do in the future—even the events that would happen later in his life.
Still, pretending to know him is forbidden.
“I know what you did last summer.”
That kind of attitude was the easiest trap for a transmigrator to fall into.
There was a saying: if you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you.
If she acted like she knew everything about him just to look confident, who knew what would happen?
Her opponent was the villain behind the scenes. This was his home ground.
She could never forget that.
Likewise, the “enter the tiger’s den” strategy is forbidden too.
Entering the tiger’s den to catch the tiger. Signing an engagement cancellation contract in advance to safely separate from the villain.
A wonderful transmigration-story cliché, but realistically speaking, it rarely ended well.
As expected of a feline, the tiger would easily tear apart prey that entered its den on its own.
Would a flimsy engagement cancellation contract be any different? That was how clichés worked.
So there was only one thing Diana needed to do.
Let’s just stay politely distant. It’s better to be a woman without charm than to awkwardly act cute!
Erase every possible point of contact.
Maintain a polite conversation, but when necessary, answer with silence instead of useless words.
At the very least, that way she would not look easy to deal with.
By the time she finished organizing her thoughts, they had already arrived at Marquis Valentine’s estate.
“Hello, Lady Ines. Thank you for inviting me today.”
“Welcome, Diana. Helena, I’m glad you came too.”
The marchioness hosting the gathering was someone they knew moderately well through high society.
As expected, the marchioness made a big fuss.
“Many people will mistake you for an angel who descended upon this party. Diana, you dressed up beautifully today.”
“You flatter me. Have you been well?”
“I’ve been the same as always. Come inside.”
The garden party was larger than expected.
Not only had they fully opened the gardens, but they had also turned part of the mansion connected to the indoor courtyard into a lounge area.
It was clearly prepared so guests could rest after dance time ended.
Come to think of it, it had been a long time since Diana attended a social gathering like this.
My feet already hurt.
Diana glanced at her swelling ankles and sighed.
It was around then that one side of the party suddenly grew noisy.
“Duchess Crawford.”
“Oh my, Duchess! Hello.”
Crawford.
The moment she heard that name, Diana’s spine froze.
And as if by fate, their eyes met across the distance.
The middle-aged woman with streaks of gray hair slowly approached after spotting Diana and Helena.
“It’s been a while, Helena. It seems I arrived a little late.”
“Not at all. Welcome, Duchess. It’s been half a year since we last met at Anok Castle. Have you been well?”
“I simply grow older day by day.”
Her answer sounded strangely cynical.
But Helena only laughed softly, already used to her attitude.
“So this is Miss Diana?”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Lady Monica Crawford. My name is Diana Wellington.”
Diana politely lifted the hem of her dress and greeted her.
At that, Duchess Crawford chuckled quietly.
“It’s nice to meet you. You probably don’t remember, but we met once when you were very young.”
“R-Really? Then I’ve been rude.”
“At the time, it was before my divorce and before I returned to the Crawford duchy. Naturally, you wouldn’t remember.”
The duchess added as if complaining to herself,
“Every time I look, the children have grown up and the young ladies have become prettier. Whether I like it or not, it makes me realize I’m aging.”
“You’re still in your prime. You look young.”
“Helena, we’re both growing old, so don’t say such things.”
“Oh my. If Your Grace says you’re old, then how am I supposed to pretend I’m still young?”
Monica and Helena exchanged playful remarks, but there was clear warmth between them.
It was around the time their friendly conversation continued that—
“More importantly… Ian is late.”
The duchess frowned and began looking around the party hall.
“He said he would arrive first, so where exactly did he go?”
“Oh my, you didn’t come together?”
“It seems he’s busy with court affairs. He said he would come separately, so I allowed it, but now I can’t find him.”
“He was recently appointed as the successor to the chancellor, wasn’t he? Congratulations. This must be a very hectic time for him.”
“Well. That child only grows more shameless with age, so I can never tell what he’s thinking…”
“If you say that, Aunt, I’ll feel hurt.”
Suddenly, a pleasant voice interrupted from behind them.
Startled, Diana quickly turned around.
“Ian.”
The moment their eyes met, Diana completely forgot her own situation and stared at him blankly.
Because his appearance exceeded all expectations.
Ian Crawford.
He carried an aura that overwhelmed anyone looking at him, like an ancient European cathedral.
His high nose bridge, sharp as a steeple, and his refined jawline naturally drew attention.
Black hair lightly tinted with dark blue.
From the tips of his shoes to every strand of hair, he looked perfectly neat, giving him a far more mature and restrained impression than his age suggested.
More than anything, his eyes were striking.
Eyes as red as pomegranates.
She thought that red color would only feel eerie… but seeing it in person, it was actually quite beautiful.
Now she could understand why the original Diana had fallen in love at first sight.
That man is really the villain behind the scenes?
For a moment, Diana even forgot he was the dangerous antagonist.
But the moment he smiled gently, his entire impression changed.
…I’m doomed. He really is the villain!
At first glance, Ian Crawford looked exactly like someone hiding countless schemes.
His fox-like eyes narrowed more and more as he smiled, until his pupils were almost invisible.
When he smiles, he really becomes a narrow-eyed character!
As expected of the villain behind the scenes.
The smile filled with hidden schemes was strangely terrifying.
“If you arrived earlier, you should have come here immediately.”
“My apologies. I ran into someone I knew and stopped to greet them, but the conversation became longer than expected…”
“Hmph. Stop making excuses and apologize properly.”
Fortunately, Ian Crawford was known for being equally polite and kind to everyone.
When the duchess poked him with the fan she was holding, Ian exaggeratedly pretended to be hurt.
“I apologize for being late, ladies. I am Ian Crawford.”
Whatever schemes he hid inside, outwardly he acted like a gentle gentleman.
The social mask worn by the villain was still perfectly intact.
“Hello, Young Duke Crawford.”
Don’t panic. Stay calm…
Thinking only of survival, Diana forced herself to speak.
“I’m Diana Wellington. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“The pleasure is mine. I’ve often heard that Miss Diana is exceptionally beautiful, but seeing you in person exceeds all imagination.”
While quietly looking at Ian, Diana suddenly realized something.
Not just anyone could become a villain behind the scenes.
He could smile naturally at someone he likely had no interest in at all, and praise them smoothly without hesitation.
On top of that, constantly maintaining a smiling face to win people over was basic behavior for him.
Whether fake or genuine, what Ian did was not easy.
Maybe narrow-eyed villains were actually highly skilled service workers?
Considering they performed emotional labor just to maintain their goals and reputation, the job seemed incredibly demanding.
