Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 7

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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 7
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“What a lovely couple you make.”
So Enishah, the Countess, had said—and there I sat across from her with Carcel beside me, the picture of a devoted pair.
It was a scene I could never have imagined before.
The next day, I found myself turning over in my mind exactly how we’d arrived at this point.
‘How did things end up like this?’
The dignified woman across from me finally smiled with genuine warmth.
“Yes, well—since building a ranch is my wish, and since your husband has expressed it so kindly, I’ll sell.”
“I don’t think you’ll regret it.”
That was when Carcel turned to me, his voice tender.
“Madam, has everything turned out as you wished? If there’s anything more you need or any terms you’d like to adjust, please speak freely.”
“What? Yes!”
“To be honest, the land’s value isn’t particularly high, yet we’re purchasing it at this price, and afterwards we’re agreeing to pay five percent of future profits from the land for ten years… which does seem somewhat one-sided in our favor, I must confess.”
At that, I turned away from him like a dog caught stealing scraps, my eyes wide.
“Still, if that is your ladyship’s wish, we’ll proceed on those terms.”
“Yes!”
The Countess across from us laughed delicately—a soft, musical sound.
“Your husband dotes on you terribly. You’re a beautiful pair to behold.”
“I pursued her relentlessly and barely managed to marry her—I’ve no intention of losing her now.”
“How fortunate. ……I know it’s rude to ask, but do you have children?”
“We have a daughter.”
A daughter? What daughter?
I looked up at him from my seat, astonished.
So this tangled situation had come about through sheer coincidence.
The fastest way to make serious money that I could recall was, hands down—
“Real estate!”
Land was king.
Real assets trumped everything, everywhere.
I had no talent for business. And I certainly didn’t have a wealthy husband to divorce, nor a family to lend me seed capital.
‘In short, all I have is scraps of information. Real estate investment is the only path open to me.’
Among the villainous supporting characters in the story, there was one who served as Linea’s rival—a girl named Jennis.
Jennis’s parents had been wealthy for generations, but they ascended even further in station when they happened to purchase this land.
They climbed so high a mere baronial family even began eyeing the Empress’s crown.
And the reason was simple.
Magic Stones—enough of them to power the world for a hundred years, each one an efficient energy source of astounding potency.
This land, bought from Enishah’s family at a pittance, sat atop an abundance of them buried deep underground.
In this world, as it edged toward modernity, countless Magic Tools were being developed.
And every single one of them absolutely required Magic Stones!
Yet because mines producing Magic Stones were rarer than rare, and demand was soaring, the price was essentially whatever the seller named.
That was why Jennis was planning to marry the Crown Prince with those Magic Stones as her dowry.
In fact, the Imperial court had deemed Jennis far more suitable as empress precisely because of this.
Of course, in a fantasy novel, Linea’s kindness and virtue would triumph.
But to me, this world was no fantasy—it was reality.
‘So now I must become the owner of that Magic Stone mine and pave an easy road for Linea.’
Success would light my own path just as bright, naturally.
And so, having come back from the bank near home early that morning, I was walking toward a major street to catch a hired carriage when it happened.
A black carriage pulled up directly beside me.
“……Again?”
Just as I was thinking that, the carriage door opened.
And inside was—
“A chance meeting, madam.”
“A chance meeting… is it really?”
“As you say—it’s an inevitability wearing the mask of chance.”
Carcel, who spoke thus, tilted his head with a disarming smile that belied his fierce features.
Even that small gesture infused the air with sensuality tinged with boyish charm, and my breath caught.
‘He really is devastatingly handsome.’
For a moment, I thought I might drool, so I quickly wiped my mouth.
“Actually, I happened to find something you left behind yesterday. I wanted to return it to you, but I thought you might prefer I didn’t send it to the Count’s Residence by letter.”
“Oh.”
At least he had some tact.
He laughed at his own absurdity and continued, his expression inscrutable.
“To be candid, I deliberately waited here. ……I wanted to see your face at least once more.”
I felt my cheeks flush crimson, and I tried desperately to hide it.
‘This man is insane. Absolutely insane.’
How could he say something like that so casually?
The moment his eyes crinkled with laughter, that bewitching face of his made my heart skip—I drew in a sharp breath.
‘It’s not fair. That face, that expression, that laugh…’
There was something almost unbearably appealing about him.
“Today I really only meant to give you this one thing before I left.”
“What is it?”
“You dropped your handkerchief that day.”
What he drew from his breast was my handkerchief.
“Oh, I didn’t even realize it was missing.”
Carcel laughed softly at that.
“The truth is… when I saw the handkerchief you’d left behind, I was delighted at the chance it gave me to speak with you again.”
“Oh!”
I flushed deeply, utterly flustered.
The Marquis descended from the carriage and approached me, extending the neatly folded handkerchief.
“Thank you.”
I accepted it, but in that instant, his hand—nearly twice the size of mine—brushed against my palm.
A strange, ticklish sensation coursed through me, and my eyes widened.
I couldn’t breathe.
The Marquis gazed down at me with a smile as if sculpted from light and asked, “Where are you headed? I can give you a ride.”
“That’s all right—”
“……Are you quite certain?”
Why were his eyes so wide?
I couldn’t tear my gaze away from him—standing there looking down at me with that pale, luminous smile.
In the end, I found myself captivated by that persuasive face and nodded.
“Oh!”
I’d nodded without thinking—but he caught that opening instantly and extended his hand.
“Thank you.”
I took his hand gently and climbed into the carriage.
His hand was larger and more solid than I’d expected, and today he wore no gloves.
Bare skin met bare skin, then slowly gave way, then parted—the sensation was peculiar.
Yet the Marquis entered the carriage behind me with the air of complete innocence, wearing that mysterious smile.
“Where shall I take you?”
“First to the Imperial Bank, then to Lutten 4th Street.”
“Understood.”
He opened the window to the driver’s seat, gave directions, then turned back to me.
“Have you eaten?”
“Not yet.”
Because of yesterday’s incident, my mother-in-law had declared that from now on I’d fend for myself with money I earned, and the kitchen wouldn’t spare me so much as a crust of bread.
I’d already been planning to handle urgent matters first and eat out anyway.
“I thought as much, so I came prepared.”
“What?”
“You seemed like someone with a busy day ahead. I wanted to share at least one meal with you.”
That delicious smell—it was coming from—
He produced a basket.
“Is that a bento?”
“Yes. Nothing fancy, but enough for a simple meal.”
So saying, Carcel opened the basket.
“Wow…”
Inside was a fragrant soup that made my mouth water and thick sandwiches heaped with generous portions of meat.
He produced plates and napkins from within, settling everything with casual ease.
Growl.
Having eaten poorly at the Count’s Residence for so long, my stomach made a mortifyingly loud announcement.
Embarrassed at having my hunger so publicly exposed, my cheeks burned.
“I’m sorry. I had to leave in such a hurry this morning.”
“I’m hungry as well.”
To set up a simple table and eat breakfast inside a carriage—
‘It’s like dining in a limousine.’
I could resist temptation no longer and began eating the soup first.
The moment the warm, savory broth slid down my throat, I tasted pure bliss.
“This is really delicious.”
“I’m glad. Our household chef is quite skilled. ……Should you ever visit, I’d prepare something even finer.”
There was a subtle invitation in that remark—a hint that he wanted me to come to his home. I laughed awkwardly.
‘I should look into Carcel through the Information Guild.’
Now that I thought about it, his timing had been too convenient, which was unsettling. But if the Marquis truly did harbor goodwill toward me—
‘Linea isn’t my biological daughter, and my husband is dead. So if I want to take Linea and leave the Count’s Residence, it won’t just take money.’
Under Imperial Law, there were conditions for taking away a child who wasn’t one’s biological offspring when a marriage ended by divorce or death.

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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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