Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 2

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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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Episode 2
My late ex-husband, Count Delmore, vanished shortly after we rushed through the wedding ceremony.
Of course, as someone who had just transmigrated into “the secret friend obsessed over by the Crown Prince,” I breathed a sigh of relief—but the real problem was……
‘How the hell do I get out of this dress?’
The dress was cinched so tightly to show off its silhouette that I couldn’t wash or sleep in it.
‘Come to think of it, isn’t it a cliché that when you transmigrate, there’s always a bright, loyal maid by your side?’
The corset lace had been pulled tight at least thirty times, yet no one came.
This was the reality of being a neglected countess.
In the end, I quietly opened the Bridal Chamber door to find someone to help me out of the dress.
“Hello? Is anyone there?”
As I looked around toward the end of the corridor, some sort of commotion reached my ears.
“If only a useless child like you had never existed, we wouldn’t have had to bring in a new woman and spend such a fortune!”
From behind a tightly shut door, my mother-in-law seemed to be screaming at someone.
‘A useless child?’
From that alone, I could tell exactly who she was talking to.
‘It’s Linea.’
The heroine Linea had endured a difficult time in her childhood—subjected to direct abuse by her grandmother and new stepmother, and deliberately neglected by her uncle.
According to what I knew, Linea’s grandmother had taken out all her frustrations on the girl.
“That woman isn’t your real mother—she’s just a vessel to bear an heir for this household.”
With those words, my mother-in-law had sternly warned Linea.
“So a child born unnecessarily like you must always be a pretty, obedient girl. That way, when you grow up, you might be of at least some use to this family, hmm?”
The moment I heard that, I let out an awkward laugh.
She was saying such strange things to a child barely ten years old.
In the end, I casually pushed the door wide open.
Through the doorway came into view my mother-in-law and Linea standing before her, head bowed down.
“Girls, by their nature, should only ever serve their husband and his family well—that is the greatest virtue……, huh?”
“Mother!”
I called out to her with affected coquettishness. She blinked in confusion for a moment before asking me:
“……What on earth are you doing? By now you should be in the Bridal Chamber performing the bedding ceremony. And still in your dress—what kind of impropriety is this!”
“He jumped out the window.”
“What?”
“He said he has a lover with whom he shares a love for the ages, and this marriage is merely a matter of expediency, or something like that. Anyway, that’s how it is, so please help me out of my clothes.”
I subtly nudged Linea behind me and strode toward my mother-in-law.
“It seems the Count’s Manor doesn’t have much money. See, I pulled the corset lace and no one came. I thought I was going to suffocate.”
I turned my back to my mother-in-law, displaying the corset laces and whined.
“Come on, hurry, hurry!”
“You, you… are you insane?”
“Or I could just cut the thing off with scissors and be done with it. Or I could go outside, grab anyone, and ask them to help.”
Faced with my extreme ultimatum, my mother-in-law finally began, albeit reluctantly, to undo the corset ties.
Meanwhile, I winked at Linea, who had lifted her head.
When Linea saw me gesture for her to leave while my mother-in-law was occupied, she just blinked her wide eyes.
But soon, sensing the opportunity, Linea bowed slightly to me and hurried out of the room.
I caught a glimpse of my mother-in-law, clearly unfamiliar with unlacing corsets, fumbling clumsily with her hands.
But then, as if she suddenly realized why she was doing this, she tugged the laces irritably and burst out:
“Wait, why am I even doing this……!”
“Well, can I choose a maid I like? I’m officially a countess now, and having no maidservant undermines the Count’s Manor’s prestige.”
To my cheerful question, a deep sigh escaped from my mother-in-law behind me.
“……Just go.”
“Yes, sleep well.”
I quickly turned and gave a polite bow befitting someone from a Confucian nation, then left the room and shut the door with a bang.
“Wait, where did the girl go! Linea!”
My mother-in-law’s voice echoed after me, but ignoring it, I asked Linea, who was hesitantly standing in the corridor:
“Aren’t you sleepy? Should I help you get to bed?”
“…….”
“Staying up late won’t make you grow tall. Little ones need to get their sleep.”
Linea, whose face showed she didn’t quite understand what I was saying, gazed up at me intently.
“Um…….”
Seeing my confusion—having no experience caring for children—Linea whispered in a very small voice:
“Thank you…….”
“I haven’t done anything to deserve thanks. If you ever need something, you can always tell me.”
Linea seemed to awkwardly regard me for a moment, then turned away.
She went straight to her own room, opened the door, and disappeared inside.
That was my first meeting with Linea.
* * *
And now, two months later, when I brazenly demanded that Master lend me money, this is what he said:
“Belly, you say? Quite an interesting turn of phrase.”
Master muttered this with a distinctly unamused expression.
I laughed cheerfully and countered:
“Of course, you won’t actually cut open the belly of a golden goose like me, right?”
“The problem is, this goose is asking to borrow money instead of laying golden eggs.”
“Honestly, I’m confident I can’t fail at this investment, but if I do——”
Master raised an eyebrow at my words.
I continued cheerfully, holding up three fingers.
“Then I’ll tell you how to extend Master’s limited lifespan by at least thirty more years.”
“……Limited lifespan?”
“I know what illness Master has. You have heart disease from Excessive Mana Syndrome.”
I looked at him as if I knew everything.
“And the problem is, unlike typical Excessive Mana Syndrome, yours is a Unique Trait, so conventional treatments don’t work, do they?”
At my words, Master’s eyes shifted.
With his pale mask suddenly alive with light, I smiled and continued:
“I also know how to solve it.”
After all, how else would someone who’d just transmigrated know to find and come to Master? Obviously, he’s quite an important supporting character!
Of course, unlike me—who ends up being abused by Linea and has my head severed by the Sub Male Lead—he becomes her ally.
Master plays the role of caring for Linea like an uncle. The treatment method itself is something Linea discovers.
‘Linea, I’m sorry for taking credit for your achievement. But it’s for our sake, right?’
Master’s expression suddenly changed at those thoughts.
“Where did you obtain such information?”
“That’s obviously a secret. How long have you been in this business?”
Since this fact couldn’t be explained by anything else anyway, I decided to be even more brazenly evasive.
“I may seem suspicious, but since the only way to cure Master’s heart disease is locked in my head, please don’t think of assassinating or torturing me, hmm?”
“……I had no such intention.”
“Liar.”
I know exactly what kind of man you are.
Though for now, you won’t go that far.
“As a token of good faith, I’ll give you the first stage of the treatment method.”
“Intriguing. That you know even stage one of a treatment method I myself have never obtained.”
I met his gaze while still regarding him with suspicion and spoke:
“It’s not poison. You know that Rujeti Medicinal Herb Tea we commonly drink for blood vessel health, right?”
Master glanced at me at my words.
“Try adding one sprig of Enas Grass to it every morning and drinking it. Every morning when you wake up, your heart will feel heavy and compressed, but you need to alleviate those symptoms before you can move to the next stage.”
“…….”
“So where’s my money now?”
To my matter-of-fact demand for payment, Master finally let out a laugh, as if at his wit’s end.
“You’re something else.”
“Exactly. You’ll never regret doing business with me.”
I extended my hand cheerfully and shook his.
Master soon released my hand and leaned forward, briefly stepping away.
He straightened up and handed me a 200 million won check, fully signed.
At that amount, dopamine surged through me as if my heart might burst from my chest.
Seeing my flushed face, Master let out a quiet laugh.
“I hope you succeed.”

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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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