Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 32

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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 32
“Then, Miss Delmore, will you formally become my friend?”
He spoke with such determination that I had to bite my lip to keep from laughing.
Linea, seemingly hearing a genuine offer of friendship for the first time, hesitated before finally nodding her head.
“Y-yes, I’d like that.”
I could feel both of them blushing.
Watching the two of them play so adorably, I spoke with deliberate casualness.
“Then shall we call each other by our first names from now on?”
The more assertive Lucian spoke up first.
“L-Linea…….”
“Well done! Linea should call her friend by name too.”
With my encouragement, Linea finally called out Lucian’s name.
“Lucian……?”
Her voice came out small and uncertain.
The child’s pale pink lips trembled with embarrassment.
Linea, still unaccustomed to such situations, seemed even more flustered.
“From now on, you’ll call each other by name, understood?”
In the original story, both of them were so cautious and considerate that it took ages before they could speak comfortably with each other.
Left to their own devices, it would take a good five years.
‘I nearly died of frustration just reading it.’
It was obvious that both of them wanted to grow closer, but constantly prioritizing each other meant even the original work felt a bit awkward in places.
At first, calling each other by name and using casual speech felt strange to them both, but they quickly grew accustomed to it.
“I found this at Petia Square. ……I bought an extra one in case I wanted to give it to you when we met again.”
After parting with us, Lucian had visited the marketplace several more times and now presented one of his purchases as a gift to Linea.
“What is this? The texture is so strange!”
The toy Linea was squeezing was a Squishy Toy.
A soft, yielding plaything that stuck to the wall with a squelch when thrown.
Lucian and Linea pressed their heads together, fiddling with the toy and chattering excitedly.
“The marketplace really does sell the most remarkable things. They have fireworks too—I’d love to take you to see them sometime.”
“Fireworks?”
“Ah, it’s when they set off firecrackers at night to draw pictures across the sky.”
“Wow! I really want to see them! I’ve never seen anything like that before.”
Unlike Lucian, Linea—who had spent her life confined indoors—found everything he described fascinating.
And Lucian seemed delighted that Linea found his stories so interesting.
But my role was to calm the children’s excited chatter and get them to eat.
“Come now, shall we have dinner first? That’s how we grow into strong children.”
“Yes!”
“Make sure you chew your food well.”
Linea, who had heard this many times before, nodded and focused on her meal.
Lucian, having never received such reminders, seemed slightly awkward but not displeased.
Following my instructions, he began chewing his food very slowly and deliberately.
I found it both admirable and endearing, and once again had to stifle a smile.
After we finished eating, I thanked Lucian.
“That was truly delicious. Thank you for inviting us, Lucian.”
“Not at all. I’d hoped to prepare more, but then I’d be discovered…….”
Lucian trailed off, then glanced at Linea and me before continuing.
“……They said it was excessive, so I kept it to this. Next time you visit, I’ll give you a proper welcome.”
“This is already more than enough for us. Thanks to you, we’ve had such a delicious meal.”
Linea also thanked Lucian shyly.
“It was the most delicious meal I’ve ever had. ……Thank you.”
I spoke to Lucian first.
“We can’t invite you to our home yet, but once we move, may I invite you?”
“Oh!”
As though this was unexpected, Lucian drew in a sharp breath.
Then he began nodding his head vigorously—so vigorously I was worried it might fall off.
“Of course! You can send the invitation to this address!”
“I will. I’m glad Linea has made such a good friend. It makes me happy too.”
When I smiled at Lucian, he smiled back for the first time—a genuine, full smile.
That smile reminded me of a puppy who had tumbled in a meadow and was perfectly content, and I found myself laughing without meaning to.
‘How adorable.’
If he grows up properly, he’ll become a fine and handsome young man who suits Linea well.
‘The hardships that lie ahead for Linea? I’ll handle them.’
I know who the main villain is, after all.
‘Grand Duke Dechulier.’
Dechulier, the Grand Duke and the Emperor’s younger brother, was the core antagonist in the original story.
Duke Racan, being a secondary male character, was not an overt villain but rather someone who operated behind the scenes.
He had a strategic, calculating nature that seemed to govern the empire’s overall movements.
In the original work, he was eventually classified as the final shadow mastermind because of his actions toward Linea, but he wasn’t truly the villain in substance.
And he certainly wasn’t targeting Lucian.
If not for the incident where he kills me, I couldn’t really call him a villain at all.
‘But he killed me because I was a nuisance to Linea.’
In contrast, for Grand Duke Dechulier, Lucian was someone who had to be eliminated.
Only then could his own son have a higher chance of becoming the heir.
‘Everything that unfolds as they grow to adulthood will be schemes orchestrated by Grand Duke Dechulier.’
I have to stop it.
With that thought, I gazed fondly at the two children, who had finished their meal peacefully and were now making a beaded bracelet together.
I hope they can keep their innocence forever.
“You’re really giving this to me?”
Lucian accepted the bracelet Linea had skillfully crafted and beamed with joy.
Linea glanced at him sideways and spoke uncertainly.
“But I’ve never made a bracelet for a boy before, so……. I’m not sure if it’s any good.”
She seemed uncertain whether Lucian truly liked it.
Then Lucian smiled with a face as soft and fluffy as a puppy freshly bathed and dried in the sun.
“It’s my favorite bracelet I’ve ever seen. I’ll wear it every day.”
At those words, Linea’s expression finally brightened.
Up until then, Linea had seemed to be gauging the mood, but now she was growing more comfortable with Lucian.
“Thank you.”
“Let’s play again next time! I like you, Linea!”
“……Me too!”
And so, beneath the spring sunlight, the two children spent a long time in the Garden picking Four-Leaf Clovers and playing to their hearts’ content.
It was a peaceful day.
* * *
“Ah, I’m exhausted.”
I’d spent the whole afternoon watching the two of them play, then went out separately with Linea for dinner before returning.
Only after putting Linea to bed did my day finally end.
Fortunately, Mother-in-law was at a Dinner Party that would run until dawn and hadn’t returned.
Thanks to that, Linea was in good spirits.
‘It’s nice that I’m seeing less of Mother-in-law these days.’
In any case, we planned to leave this house before the Social Season ended.
Tomorrow’s meeting with Carsel was crucial.
Unlike the dates we’d had before, which were about exploring each other, tomorrow would be business—officially removing his name from the Contract.
I needed to spend the morning with Linea, then go to the Bank to retrieve the Contract.
So I lay back on the bed and stretched.
“Ah! Today was a fulfilling day too.”
I blew out the candle on the table and closed my eyes. Sleep came quickly, as I was exhausted.
Knock, knock.
Had I misheard the sound in my drowsiness?
Even as I thought this, a clear knocking sound came again at my door.
Knock, knock!
“Hmm.”
I opened my eyes and, relying on the moonlight, saw the clock already pointing to eleven in the evening.
Surely all the servants had retired by this hour?
The only person who would visit my room at this time was Mother-in-law.
But Mother-in-law didn’t bother with knocking. She just opened the door whenever she pleased and came in.
“……Who is it?”
I asked with caution, and only after a moment did I hear a voice from beyond the door.
“Um, Mother? Can I come in?”
Hearing the anxious tone, I quickly sat up.
I hurried to open the door, and there stood Linea, clutching her pillow tightly to her chest.
Her small frame was trembling, and her eyes were glistening with tears.

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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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