Because She Had A Time Limit, She Became The Villain’s Daughter-in-law - Chapter 128

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————

* * *
I went pale and immediately panicked. Was it really this bad?
‘He’s been chasing me this far?’
To be honest, when Evan had taken servants from Labonis Manor or Simor for interrogation, I thought it was manageable. But if it was Fred, that was a different story entirely. He hadn’t returned to the Empire for a very long time, but he was still the heir of the Count’s house.
No matter how powerful House Icard was, treating the sole heir of the prestigious Rostri Count family this way made no sense.
This was a serious matter that could even go to trial later. Naturally, if Evan were in his right mind, if he understood that he would have to marry Elani eventually, he wouldn’t have touched Fred.
But looking at his current state….
“Evan! Have you lost your mind?”
Did he want to kill me that badly?
Kidnapping Fred was truly crossing a serious line.
“Of course, my brother has nowhere to go in the Empire right now, but what is this?!”
“Mmmph! Mmph!”
Fred struggled and cried out, but Evan continued coldly.
“While I hung your photograph from one of the few newspaper articles in my room and yearned for you every single day for seven years….”
Evan stared at me with chilling intensity as he spoke.
“You hung your own portrait in this house and maintained two separate residences?”
At those words, Nathan, who was restraining Fred, carefully interjected.
“Um, well… Young Duke, that portrait might be a self-portrait that Lady Laria painted while staying here recently….”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Laria can’t paint like that.”
His answer came without a moment’s hesitation, and my eyes widened. He’d criticized my painting at the first banquet in Borotna, and now he was being outright blunt about it….
“Ah, yes. I heard your true feelings loud and clear.”
“…I meant you can’t paint that poorly. You paint much better.”
“It’s already too late.”
“Mmmph! Mmph!”
While our conversation continued, Fred kept struggling and crying out.
I clenched my fists and shouted.
“Regardless, what are you doing? Are you holding my brother hostage and threatening me right now?”
Evan didn’t even turn around as he commanded.
“Leave for a moment.”
Nathan dragged Fred backward while backing away, then closed the door. Now only Evan and I remained in the spacious room.
* * *
“….”
I glared at Evan while clutching the safe.
“If you realized I have your brother, you wouldn’t have carelessly run away with a teleportation scroll.”
I had prepared for every possibility, thinking I might be caught someday, but I never expected my feet to be bound like this. I was worried he might hurt Fred, and seeing that he’d gone so far as to kidnap him, I wondered what he wouldn’t do.
I muttered in an almost exhausted voice.
“…You really have gone too far.”
Evan’s eyes swept over me from the crown of my head to the tips of my toes. The gleaming light in his gaze was filled with madness so terrifying it was frightening.
He spoke slowly, as if spitting out the words.
“You look good.”
It was natural that I looked good, dressed in the finest clothes and jewels.
“…How is your body?”
It took me a moment to determine whether he was being sarcastic or sincere.
“I’m healthy. I recovered long ago—I was just pretending.”
“I see… So that’s how it was. Then that’s fine. But let me ask you just one more thing.”
He approached me slowly and stood before me.
I was terrified and couldn’t answer, keeping my mouth firmly shut. When he said he’d ask just one more thing, that meant we weren’t actually “fine,” were we…?
“Ordi Labonis.”
So the servant from Labonis Manor who was supposedly hospitalized at the Public Hospital had been captured by Evan after all.
I had only mentioned the name Audrey to the servants of the Manor. They said those people were first-class at keeping secrets, even in Bestian. I couldn’t imagine how much torture it took…
“Since when, hm?”
His tone was as affectionate and gentle as always, but his face was so sinister that my body nearly froze.
I learned for the first time that a person’s voice could be so disturbingly sweet.
“So you were planning to live as a lovey-dovey couple while secretly creating a new identity to escape?”
“E-Evan, Evan.”
With each step he took forward, I retreated in terror, one step backward.
“You’re still my wife on paper.”
As if anyone didn’t know that…
“Whether you live or die, you’ll die as my wife.”
“…”
I swallowed hard. Did he just tell me to ‘die’ as his wife?
I hadn’t completely dismissed the possibility that Evan might find me. That’s why I was preparing an escape plan. And if he did find me… I didn’t want to admit it, but there was a tiny spark of hope in my heart.
Perhaps, just perhaps. Maybe he didn’t know it himself, but he actually cared for me. Maybe he couldn’t live without me. Maybe he couldn’t follow his father Duke Icard’s wishes. I had imagined such things.
Of course, if that were true, it wouldn’t explain why he was searching for me in secret.
But still, anyone who loves someone can’t help but harbor small hopes. Even knowing the outcome would be catastrophic, I had found myself anticipating it. Yet to appear like this—with such an angry face, taking Fred hostage…
‘He came here furious because I deceived him, ready to kill me himself.’
Because honestly, there was nothing else for him to be angry about except that I had deceived the House of Icard while pretending to be naive.
Still, the Laria that Evan had liked even a little was a kind and innocent girl, so perhaps he could only feel anger toward who I am now.
So I answered coldly.
“I don’t want to. I’ll choose my own life and death. I can’t die as the Young Duchess of Icard.”
“…What?”
Evan’s breathing grew harsher.
“I was simply married to you as a child with no choice. It’s the same for you.”
“You…”
“I’ve fulfilled the role I was brought here for and I’m offering to disappear. Why are you so angry about it?”
Evan was hearing me speak this coldly for the first time. Every time we faced each other, we had maintained an appropriate distance by masking ourselves with affection and kindness.
But it was Evan who first broke that “good relationship.” We had no bad memories from the time we were together until our separation.
I had even delivered that bastard Jerdi’s promissory note as a parting gift. Yet to have him burst in like this, glaring at me with such frightening eyes—it hurt a little. It felt like even the good memories I had with him were being erased.
Evan’s voice began to tremble violently.
“If you’re going to change like this… if this was your true heart…”
As Evan advanced toward me, I retreated step by step until my back finally met the wall. The distance between us grew smaller and smaller.
“You’ve done something truly terrible to me.”
His voice had grown so fractured it now resembled the screech of metal. His gaze was so piercing I felt as though it might bore straight through me, and cold sweat trickled down my spine.
‘Will I die like this? But if I try to escape now, won’t my older brother die?’
This was the first time I’d witnessed Evan unable to suppress his emotions in such a manner. So I hesitated and mumbled weakly.
“It’s not exactly terrible… I’m not trying to boast, but I’ve done some good things for House of Icard…”
“Then why did you treat someone as deficient as me with kindness?”
“What?”
“Why did you embrace me, why did you protect me, why did you treat me warmly… Why did you accept promissory notes I didn’t even need?”
“…”
“Why did you congratulate me on my graduation, why did you say you’d get along well with me?”
I braced myself to be struck as I met his gaze, when suddenly Evan collapsed to his knees before me.
“Laria… you promised.”
“…What?”
“You said if I behaved like a good child and obeyed everything you said, you wouldn’t leave me.”
I stared blankly at his roughened face, utterly dumbfounded. When did he drag Fred here to threaten me, and now he’s kneeling?
‘Here?’
“Um… well… wait a moment.”
I had been about to say that didn’t mean I should quietly accept death, but the words died in my throat.
“But how… how could you do this to me… I obeyed so obediently, so well… For me, having only you was heaven itself…”
Tears were streaming down from his crimson eyes.
“Laria…”
“Why, why are you like this!”
“How could you cast me into such hell in a single moment…”
He grasped the hem of my skirt and spoke again, his voice trembling.
“Since you’ve shown me both heaven and hell…”
His crimson eyes, glistening with tears, ensnared me like chains.
“You can never escape me, no matter where you go. I will never let you leave.”

—————
This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
—————