CH 33

I was worried. It was a situation that had to be worried. Anyway, I had a bad record of pushing Fleur in the past. Now I don’t think anyone would believe me if I told them that she was trying to screw me.

But—.

“You know.”

The anger in me is telling me that I have to take it out of my mouth. I thought I had to say something to get rid of this anger. So I grabbed Sylvester and started talking.

“I had a good time with the Crown Prince today. So I tried to come back in a good mood, and suddenly the Countess got on my carriage. Saying she’s getting married to His Highness soon, so she wants me to come and congratulate her.”

I poured out words like a gun. 

“She meant to make me angry. Obviously.” 

Sylvester stared down at me like that. Does he believe it or not? I looked at him with a pounding heart because I was nervous for no reason. 

And the words from his open lips, “Did you hit her?”

“Ah, really!”

He’s really such a jerk—. I shed my eyes. 

“I didn’t hit her. Like I said, I’ve barely set the mood with the Crown Prince, but I shouldn’t have caused an accident. I put up with it.” 

“How did you like the atmosphere? How nice was the atmosphere?” 

“….”

That’s not the point, you jerk. 

I rubbed my forehead and sighed. 

“Are you going to keep changing the subject? The important thing is that Fleur screwed me up!”

“And so you endure it.”

“Yes, I put up with it.” 

“That’s amazing. Do you know how to stand it?” Sylvester furrowed his eyebrows. “I didn’t know you could do that.”

“Are you going to keep talking so rudely?” 

“I can do it without being meaner.” 

Sylvester said with a stern expression on his face.

“But it doesn’t seem like that right now, so I’ll put up with it.” 

“Do you know how to put up with it?” 

“Don’t copy me.” 

Sylvester, contrary to the harsh words, was smiling. He meant the current situation was very interesting. 

Well, it’s not fun for me. 

I mumbled, staring at him. But I heard something surprising. 

“So the Countess came to you like that and declared war on you?” 

I opened my eyes wide. I didn’t know Sylvester would believe me! Of course, I thought Sylvester wouldn’t believe me, because Fleur was a coveted good Countess and I was in a bad girl position who only gets cursed at. 

So I was surprised to hear this now. 

“Do you believe my words now?”

“You don’t have to lie to me. Why, are you touched?” 

“A little bit. I would have been even more touched if you didn’t say that.” 

“I like to show off.”

Sylvester grinned and swept his hair back. 

“As expected, she was a tough girl.”

“You mean Fleur?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you know that she’s like this?”

“Roughly.”

I asked back in surprise. 

“Why? What did you notice?”

“It was cheap.”

What? 

“It was just cheap. As expected, my gut is not wrong.” 

“….”

That’s what Sylvester can say. When I wanted something— Sylvester added.

“A weak person in the imperial family can never survive. I thought that the woman who looked weak in that context would never do it either.”

Ah. I nodded in agreement. Well, that’s true. Looking back on the original, Fleur was never a weak person. No matter what bad things happened to her, she held out until the end and kept her position clean. 

Can I call this character weak?

‘You can’t.’

Fleur could have been much stronger than I thought. I’m now at the opposite end of that Fleur. This has made it more clear. My original plan was to avoid Fleur and to divorce Sylvester after becoming friends with the Crown Prince—. I felt that I would never be able to get to know the Crown Prince unless I beat Fleur. 

What am I going to do about this? I had a headache. 

“I have a question.”

This is what Sylvester said to me. 

“About what?”

“How does it feel to be hit with a single blow while always hitting?”

“Are you making fun of me?”

“Maybe.”

I took a big breath. You unhelpful husband. I want to hit you once. My wish! Just once! 

“If you get mad, why don’t you get revenge?”

Sylvester handed something to me, who was frowned. 

It was a letter.

“What is this—”

“This is the invitation from the Grand Duchess. That woman will also come, so go and do something.”

I opened my eyes wide. Even so, I wanted to go to the  Palace at least for the letter of the former Empress, but you brought me an invitation! I accepted the invitation with trembling hands.

“H-how did you get this precious invitation?” 

“Hm?”

Sylvester nodded, asking what she was asking.

“Stealing, of course.” 

It was a tone without even a single gram of guilt. 

“Countess Cardel won’t be able to go.”

“….”

A husband who steals an invitation and gives it to me. Wow, exciting. I’m so excited that I’m tearing up.

*******

After taking a shower, I lay on the bed feeling more drowsy. Then I lifted the invitation on the narrow table up to the ceiling. An invitation made of luxurious paper at a glance says “Ian Cardel.”  This means an invitation to Countess Cardel.

So I asked Sylvester. 

‘How can I use an invitation with a different name?’

Sylvester replied casually.

‘Tell her I took over Countess Cardel. The Countess was so sick that she asked me to go instead.’

Sylvester was a really smart guy in this direction. Of course, it’ll be a bit complicated if Countess Cardel picks up later, but maybe she won’t. Because she’s scared of me. Even if she’s going to argue, there’s a way to give it a reasonable reason. 

Sylvester said Fleur would also come. He also added that she should get a good blow for her.

‘Fleur—’ 

I narrowed my forehead.

Fleur hates me. She’s rying to keep me from approaching the Crown Prince. But I had to approach the Crown Prince. Fleur and I oppose like this. If I take the wrong route here, I will be Fleur’s enemy and follow in the footsteps of the original book. It means that I loves the Crown Prince so much that I becomes a villain who torments his fiancée. 

‘I tried to avoid Fleur somehow because I didn’t want to—’

Now that she’s openly challenged like this, it’s impossible to avoid. That doesn’t mean it’s going to be like the original. The Crown Prince will make a fuss. 

‘There’s only one answer.’

To establish my position. 

In the original story, Ophelia didn’t have any supporter and did everything. She did all kinds of bullying on her own. Then, she fell for the Prince’s trick and was completely destroyed.

But what if she have someone to do it for her? What if there was someone who supported her? What if she’s above the Crown Prince?

‘Then I wouldn’t have died.’

So what’s the answer? 

‘Let’s get the Emperor on my side.’

It was a very difficult job. The emperor was a very scary person in the original book—. But. 

‘I can do it.’

I can do it. Because I know the original story. 

‘I’m sorry, Fleur.’

From now on, I’ll steal everything you’re going to do. 

Without feeling guilty.

******

Early in the morning. I woke up early and got dressed under Irene’s watch and came out of the house. I happened to see Sylvester out. 

“Honey!” I called him loudly, and ran down the stairs. Sylvester smirked at me like that.

“I thought it would be fun to fall down, but you’re good at running.” 

“Oh, look at your personality.” 

“What does that mean?” 

I mean, your personality is a mess, teacher. But I can’t say this because I have a favor to ask. I grinned and pulled Sylvester’s sleeve.

“I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Reject.”

“Hng, what are you saying?”

“You don’t even listen to me.” 

“You do, too.” 

“That’s true.” 

I quickly opened my mouth while Sylvester nodded. 

“Give me some more money.” 

“You want more?” 

Sylvester faced me with a slightly sullen look. 

“Didn’t you take the money to build a nursery a while ago?”

“I did, but the plan changed a little.” 

I smiled. 

“I’m going to build a school.”

“What?”

“A school for ordinary people who don’t have money and don’t have an education.”

This is what Fleur does in the middle of the original. As the school opened shortly after the extension of the nursery, people praised Fleur’s surprisingly good nature. In doing so, quite a few people enter the school, and there is an important person among them. 

‘Was it Rivert, the name?’

Perhaps it was. Anyway, Rivert is one of the rare geniuses, so he is caught in the eyes of the Crown Prince and becomes his machinator. Since then, the Crown Prince’s actions have changed significantly, surpassing the 2nd Prince. 

What if I took that person? 

‘There is nothing better than that.’

I smiled and looked at Sylvester. 

“Wife.”

Sylvester, who had been looking down at me for a long time, grabbed me by the shoulder. And I looked around, shaking my body. 

“You look fine on the outside.” 

He poked my forehead with his finger. 

“I guess this is the problem.”

“You want to say that I’m out of my mind, right?” 

“That’s right, as expected my wife.”

I knew Sylvester would come out like this. So I pulled out my secret weapon. 

“If you allow me to do this, I will—”