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Chapter 19
When she looked back, she saw the duchess standing rigid at the far end of the corridor, her face like a grim reaper’s. It was obvious she had witnessed the entire commotion. Even so, Mio stood crookedly and let out a snort.
Hmph. Even so, it’s just the villainess pattern anyway.
Even if the duchess had flared up at Wyden for a moment, the final conclusion would inevitably be something like, “This happened because the villainess Mio Northam bullied the kind Caleb.” It was bitter, but unavoidable. That was simply the law of this world.
In the past, I would’ve taken advantage of this opening to make an active explanation…
But now, she had no desire to do that at all. She had not the slightest intention of wasting energy on something pointless. The only thing that bothered her was… Mio fell briefly into thought.
The timing is unfortunate, but since I was planning to show Aletheia the villainess pattern anyway, this might actually be an opportunity.
It was all about Aletheia.
If Aletheia’s memories had already returned, then this was an opportunity she absolutely could not miss. If she simply showed him the villainess pattern as is, it might even become the trigger for Aletheia to naturally distance himself from her!
Having reached that thought, Mio casually turned her gaze toward Aletheia—then gasped in surprise.
The eyes that just moments ago had seemed unfocused were now fixed squarely on Mio. He looked as though he had something to say, but before he could speak, the duchess’s sharp voice cut in between them.
“What in the world is all this commotion, Wyden!”
The duchess began pressing Wyden like a sparrow pecking incessantly.
“That wretch—no, Mio Northam—was bullying Caleb again. I was just trying to stop her.”
Wyden glared at Mio as he chewed on his words. His anger was palpable, but perhaps because it was something she experienced every time, Mio felt nothing in particular. The duchess spoke again.
“No matter what, how could you cause such a disturbance inside the house? You know there’s a wedding coming up soon!”
The duchess shot Aletheia a sidelong glance, as if to say, Did you really not know that he could set foot in the ducal castle at any time? Wyden’s face twisted even further. He shouted,
“Even so, I can’t just stand by and watch that child commit evil deeds! If she’s someone who’s about to be married, then all the more she can’t be left unchecked. If she goes around acting recklessly even after leaving the ducal castle, it’ll eventually become a stain on our family’s name, Mother.”
Having finished speaking, Wyden lifted his chin proudly, as if anticipating praise that would naturally follow his righteous argument. Normally, this would be the moment when the arrows of blame turned toward Mio.
But before that could happen, unexpectedly, Aletheia spoke first.
“Evil deeds, you say. Young Duke. Could you explain to me in detail what those ‘evil deeds’ were?”
“It would be most accurate to ask the person involved directly. You should hear it straight from your future bride.”
“I would prefer it if the Young Duke answered. A situation witnessed by a third party is likely closer to the truth. And if this was something that nearly brought disgrace upon the Kelt family, it is indeed quite concerning.”
As Mio listened silently to the exchange between Wyden and Aletheia, she subtly curled the corner of her lips upward.
That Aletheia bastard! He’s completely caught in the villainess pattern!
At this rate, she might not need to visit Aletheia’s suspicious mansion anymore starting today. Oaths, vaults—once the marriage issue was resolved, all of those would be completely unnecessary.
Her eyes gleaming with excitement, Mio felt her heart pound. Wyden sneered openly and replied to Aletheia,
“A scream echoed loudly through the corridor. When I rushed over, Caleb was slumped on the floor, and Mio Northam was standing in front of him, panting angrily.”
Oh? So he fabricated my sighing? Good. Very good.
Mio raised an imaginary thumbs-up in her mind and, for the first time in her life, cheered for Wyden. As many villainess patterns as they had gone through together, his talent for fabrication must have improved just as much. She hoped he would show it off to his heart’s content this time.
“Well, with just that much, you can more or less tell what happened, can’t you? It’d be best to hear the details directly from the person involved. Such filthy matters are hard to even put into words. For the record, ever since Mio Northam set foot in this ducal castle, incidents like this have never ceased. At this point, just seeing that face is enough for me to know exactly what sort of thing she’s done.”
As Wyden continued his fabrication, Mio secretly observed Aletheia’s face. Since he was already caught in the villainess pattern, she wished he would be furious to the point of grinding his teeth.
But Aletheia merely looked down at Wyden with an expressionless face, showing no particular reaction. Then, after a brief silence, Aletheia spoke.
“It does seem true that you witnessed something. However, what the Young Duke ultimately saw was nothing more than that woman sitting on the floor.”
“There’s a saying that from one, you can infer ten. A scream, a collapsed person, and Mio Northam standing in front of him.”
Wyden looked at Aletheia with pity, as if asking whether he still didn’t understand, like he was a naive child.
Aletheia being treated as a naive child—there was something amusing about that. But Wyden’s words were practically a truth that followed the laws of this world, so it wasn’t something she could simply laugh off.
In fact, those three scenes he presented were more than enough to drive Mio into a corner with the power of the villainess pattern. Anyone would have been able to imagine the cause and result of this incident. The duchess’s sharpened gaze was proof enough.
Yet even in this situation, Aletheia showed no sign of anger. He looked Wyden straight in the eye and said,
“To worry about bringing disgrace upon the family based on nothing more than such shallow speculation. It seems the grandeur of the Kelt ducal house is more fragile than a sandcastle.”
With that, Aletheia turned his head to face the duchess.
“As I said before, I will not reconsider the matter of adoption. Duchess. I have no desire to have my fiancée spend even a single more day in a family that insults others based solely on suspicion.”
“Aletheia!”
At that, the duchess strode forward, rapidly closing the distance. Placing one hand on her hip, she began to lecture him.
“Have you lost your mind? How do you expect to prepare for a wedding without me? Do you think a royal marriage is child’s play? It’s an event His Majesty himself will attend!”
“I am clearer-headed than ever. Thanks to remembering your lesson that one should not speak whatever comes to mind recklessly. It seems, however, that the Young Duke did not receive that lesson.”
Having said that, Aletheia pulled Mio out from in front of Wyden. Swept along without fully realizing what was happening, Mio was led away by Aletheia’s hand, hearing the duchess’s cries pouring out behind her.
“…This can’t be happening! Aletheia! At this rate, you’ll become a laughingstock! I’m trying to help you—just like back then!”
Aletheia slowed his steps only after they had completely exited the long corridor. Mio, who had been dragged along beside him, did not look particularly pleased. The ending of the villainess pattern had been far from satisfactory.
Strange. Did the villainess pattern end the moment Wyden witnessed the scene?
But thinking back to the duchess’s reaction when Wyden listed what he had seen afterward, it seemed like Aletheia should have been included in the villainess pattern as well…
So why that reaction?
There was no reproach, and even less anger. Aletheia’s face was simply paler than usual. When Mio noticed cold sweat beading on his forehead, she suddenly realized that the hand she was holding felt damp.
Had he actually endured the villainess pattern? No—was that even possible to begin with? Internally shocked, Mio cautiously broached the subject.
“Um, Lord Aletheia. You know, you don’t really have to endure it like that…”
I was actually waiting for you to get properly caught in the villainess pattern and lash out in anger and humiliation. Carrying those unspoken thoughts, Mio added,
“Haha… A person can’t live just by holding everything in, right? I think it’s perfectly natural for a human to feel anger from time to time.”
“No. Right now, it’s something I can endure.”
Aletheia replied, lifting the corner of his lips just barely, almost imperceptibly.
