Isn’t Being A Wicked Woman Much Better? - Chapter 79

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 79
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“M-Master Enrique?”
The servants stared at me as though I were a kidnapper.
“I’ll be keeping him with me for a while.”
As it happened, Father was away in the Territory at present, so I intended to keep Enrique with me until his return.
“Y-yes, I’ll prepare clothes for the young master right away.”
While the attendants rushed to care for Enrique, who was drenched in rainwater, I ordered them to bring cake and hot tea.
Shortly after, Enrique emerged with a freshly dried face and fidgeted nervously before me. Watching his restless movements, I narrowed my eyes.
“Enrique.”
“Yes?”
“Why are you suddenly being shy? Last time you were drooling and snoring away. We’ve grown closer, haven’t we?”
“Ugh!”
“I’m joking. Come sit here.”
Fearing he might bolt outside again, I quickly seated Enrique and placed a fork in his hand.
“It’s a dessert from Armand, the most fashionable shop these days.”
Enrique looked at me with a pouty expression, then his mouth moved slightly.
“Thank you for the meal.”
Even in this situation, Enrique remembered his manners and began eating the cream cake bit by bit. His hand movements gradually quickened as the sweet cake pleased his palate.
Then, as I tapped the single large strawberry on top with my fork, Enrique’s pupils trembled rapidly.
‘He wants it, it seems.’
Since it wasn’t strawberry season, fresh berries weren’t as readily available as they were in spring.
‘Of course, nobles can eat them whenever they wish if they set their minds to it.’
Unlike Deborah, who needed to possess whatever she desired, Enrique didn’t seem to be the type to actively express his preferences.
‘He probably just ate whatever was given to him.’
I lifted the strawberry teasingly while meeting Enrique’s persistent gaze.
“Here, try it.”
“Huh?”
I popped the strawberry into the bewildered Enrique’s mouth, and his eyes widened in surprise. His cheeks flushed crimson as his plump cheeks trembled. Sensing his mood had softened slightly, I quickly moved to the next step.
“Enrique, do you like chess? Or card games?”
Nothing dispels awkward tension quite like a game. Enrique sipped his orange juice before speaking.
“Hmm. Chess, please.”
Soon Enrique and I sat facing each other with a chessboard between us. I had resolved to go easy on him for my brother’s sake, but I quickly reconsidered.
‘Why is he so good?’
I’d always thought Enrique had exceptional mathematical ability during lessons, but the boy was remarkably intelligent.
“Checkmate.”
While I was careless, Enrique’s pawn had advanced to the final rank and promoted, moving before my king.
“You won, Enrique.”
Enrique’s large eyes curved slightly upward. Conscious of his teacher’s attention, he couldn’t jump around openly, but he covered his mouth with his hand and beamed with joy.
“That’s impressive. I should hire you as my chess master.”
“You don’t consider me your student, do you?”
“Of course not. I’ll definitely win the next round.”
After challenging the chess prodigy Enrique and losing three consecutive games miserably, I switched to card flipping to seek revenge.
‘This is hopeless.’
His memory was so sharp that I couldn’t win a single round.
‘What exactly is he?’
Finally, as a last resort, I pulled out Jenga instead of another battle of wits. Enrique carefully extracted a wooden block with his chubby hands before the tower came crashing down, and he clutched his head in frustration.
“This is way too hard!”
“Oh my, is it difficult?”
“Stop teasing me!”
“Because you look cool when you’re frustrated. Really cool.”
“You’re lying.”
I ruffled Enrique’s hair vigorously as he pouted. He glared at me shrewdly before gazing quietly at the Jenga block that had fallen to the floor.
“Want to play again?”
Enrique nodded eagerly, swinging his feet back and forth.
“Yes! Let’s play again.”
“Alright. You go first.”
After playing Jenga with Enrique for a while, I instructed the servants to prepare dinner.
Enrique picked at his food with little appetite.
As darkness fell outside after the meal, his thoughts seemed to deepen, and Enrique gazed pensively out the window at the Rose Garden shrouded in shadow, his face growing pale.
“Enrique.”
“Yes?”
“You know I’m the strongest and most frightening person in this house, don’t you?”
“….”
“It means your teacher is powerful and skilled in combat, so my student has nothing to worry about. Do you understand?”
Enrique seemed amused by my elderly manner of speaking and pressed his lips together to suppress a smile.
“Student. Won’t you play chess with me?”
“….”
He seemed reluctant. But when he wanted something, his silver eyes would sparkle like a cat spotting treats.
“Then, shall we read together?”
I led the reluctant Enrique into the Study and switched on the warm-toned lighting orb that created a cozy atmosphere. Enrique examined the bookshelf lined with romance novels intently. I quickly pulled down a poetry collection from the top shelf.
“This is a poetry collection Mother used to read long ago. She had a particular fondness for poetry among all literature.”
“….”
Enrique’s large eyes trembled rapidly.
“I’ll read it to you. Come sit.”
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Enrique settled onto the Study sofa first, then gazed up at me with a somewhat bashful expression. The warm lighting made his face appear even more flushed.
“Ahem.”
Settling beside Enrique, I cleared my throat and began reciting the poetry.
Enrique listened with the same focus he brought to his lessons. But by the time I’d read past the halfway point of the poetry collection, he had already fallen asleep against my shoulder, breathing softly and evenly.
‘Sleep well.’
The rain drummed against the windows with a sound like crackling firewood, an endless patter that filled the silence. I remained awake, offering my shoulder to the sleeping Enrique, and watched the hours pass with open eyes.
* * *
The next morning.
Father summoned me immediately upon returning from the Territory. His expression was grim—he’d already heard the report that I’d made a bald patch on Madam Caryl’s head.
Most nursemaids in the households of high-ranking noble families came from respectable backgrounds. Even as Duke Simour’s daughter, I knew my misconduct toward Madam Caryl had crossed a line, and I fully expected Father’s displeasure.
Moreover, Enrique’s nanny was a distant cousin of Duke Simour. She was a cadet branch member of the Simour family.
‘Because of their blood relation and closeness, he couldn’t bring himself to suspect her.’
Madam Caryl had a decent reputation, and even the maid I’d bribed thought she was enthusiastic about caring for Enrique. Since Duke Simour was taciturn and indifferent to his children, Father had apparently believed that a zealous nanny suited Enrique well.
‘She’s definitely a psychopath. The meticulous nature of it makes it even more chilling….’
“Deborah. What was your reason for doing such a thing?”
Duke Simour asked in a surprisingly serious tone rather than anger. He seemed to believe there must be a reason behind my actions. Had this been the past, he would have raged the moment he entered, but his attitude toward me had changed considerably over time.
I met his gaze directly.
“To be honest, I regret not making her completely bald. If you don’t handle that nanny myself, I will absolutely deal with her.”
I pulled out a magic stone with recording capability. It contained the words that nanny had spewed while losing her composure and raging over Enrique slipping beyond her control.
That day, when Enrique didn’t show up for his tutoring session, I wondered if he was ill and went to the Annex Building to check. There I found the nanny and Enrique facing off in the rain.
If Enrique hadn’t tried to reach me in the Library despite the downpour, there would have been no evidence, and it would have been difficult to convince the Duke. I would have had to engage in a dispute with Madam Caryl over the truth.
“Young Master was born by taking Mother’s life.”
“With the Madam’s death anniversary approaching and the Duke grieving, if you don’t want to be hated….”
Madam Caryl’s cruel voice crackled from the magic stone, mingling with the hiss of rain. The temperature in the room plummeted so sharply that goosebumps erupted across my arms.
The Duke’s eyes blazed a piercing blue as he listened to the recording, consumed by rage. Only now did I realize that his fury on the first day of possession had been him showing considerable restraint.
The Duke rose from his seat, his expression frozen into something so chilling that it made one’s heart sink—he radiated the desolate aura of a sea serpent laden with deadly venom.

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