villainess chapter 2

Arthur looked at his pure, kindhearted wife with pity. Someone like her would believe the lie about him being a suitable business partner. That noble lady had even discarded her pride for him. Arthur was well aware of the rumors about him circulating in society. His wife couldn’t be ignorant of his reputation. The man clicked his tongue. Vivian was deeply shaken by her husband’s words. Her eyes were clouded with confusion. It simply wasn’t true. 

Though rumors about Flora being a villainess sometimes surfaced, they were baseless. Flora only retaliated against those who deliberately harmed her. Though their mother’s torment had changed her once kind and gentle sister… Flora would never hurt anyone without reason. Their mother was the main reason Flora had such an image. 

There’s no need to bring up old stories now.

She calmed her racing heart and steadily met his piercing blue gaze. They were as cold as the air on a midwinter morning. 

“Isn’t the Imperial investigation still ongoing? Nothing has been confirmed. You can’t insult my family and the Crown Princess like this.” 

Slap— Before Vivian could finish, a hand shot out and gripped her shoulder. 

“Ah!” Already small and frail, Vivian was weakened by days of meager meals. The force of his grip sent a searing pain through her, as if her bones would shatter. Unfazed by her distress, her husband continued in a cold voice, “Wife, you still don’t seem to grasp the situation. Even if the treason was unsuccessful, the mere suggestion of it, with evidence, means extermination at the very least. Even the Beauforts won’t escape punishment.” 

“My Lord, that evidence could be fabricated.” 

“Ha. Fabricated, fabricated. You’d better hope that’s the case.” 

His response was a cold sneer. His sharp words, dismissing her plea as absurd, cut deeper than the pain in her shoulder. She hung her head. Arthur released her shoulder and then cupped her chin, forcing her to meet his gaze again. Tears welled in her resigned brown eyes. This was the first time she had witnessed her husband’s violent side. Fear mingled with the pain in Vivian’s gaze. 

Raised as a high-ranking noble, she had never been treated this way. Her small body trembled with fear. She clutched her dress, trying to hide the tremors. The knuckles of her slender fingers, gripping the fabric, turned white. 

“The Imperial investigators will be here soon, so don’t even think about leaving this room. We’ll talk again when the interrogation and investigation are concluded. Remember, this is for your own safety and protection, wife. And don’t skip your meals.” 

Having delivered his pronouncements, he removed his hand from her face. He slowly rose and looked down at his wife, whose shoulders were shaking. He turned and left the room. That was the last time Vivian saw her husband. Click— The sound of the door opening again made Vivian lift her head. It wasn’t Arthur who entered, but one of his aides. He lifted Vivian from the floor and shoved her into a closet in the corner of the room. Vivian looked at him with a bewildered expression. 

“…?” 

“My Lady, I apologize. I’m just following orders.” With that single sentence, he slammed the closet door shut, the lock clicking into place. Vivian was too drained to resist. Her husband no longer seemed to have any respect for her as his wife. “So this is how it ends.” 

Confining her to a room wasn’t enough; he had to shove her into this cramped closet. 

He must have planned this since he forbade me from leaving the room a few days ago. Where did it all go wrong?

Arthur hadn’t always been like this. He had been kind, gentle, and considerate. But at some point, he had stopped listening to her, stopped allowing her to leave the manor. His kindness had become possessiveness, his attentiveness a cage. Memories flooded her mind. She vividly remembered the day, three years ago, when she had been sold to this cruel man. The feeling of bewilderment was still fresh. It was shortly after her mother had passed away and her father, the previous Duke, had succumbed to illness. 

Her half-brother, Max Beaufort, had just inherited the title. She’d had little time to mourn the loss of both her parents. In the Duke’s study, within the Beaufort manor, the new Duke addressed his half-sister as if giving orders to a servant. “Vivian Beaufort. You’ve benefited from living in this house. It’s time to repay your debt.” 

“Are you referring to marriage?” 

“Yes.” 

“But I’m only nineteen.” 

The appropriate age for marriage in the Empire was in one’s early to mid-twenties. Having just celebrated her coming-of-age ceremony, she was far too young for marriage, though a betrothal might have been acceptable. “You’re of age. It’s time. You will marry Count Arthur Harrington.” 

“What? But he…” 

Vivian couldn’t believe her ears. Not another Duke, not even a foreign nobleman of high rank, but an Count. Of course, a Count was still a nobleman. But it was customary for families of similar standing to arrange marriages between their children. More than that, Arthur Harrington was a bastard, not a legitimate heir. A bastard who had taken over the Harrington estate after the Count’s legitimate sons had died in an unfortunate accident. 

Vivian wasn’t one to judge others based on rumors or prejudice. She pitied children born from illicit affairs. Yet, she couldn’t shake her unease. The stories circulating about him in society were quite unsettling. 

Rumors aren’t always true, but still, he…