Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 89

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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 89
Oh, that’s right!
Just as certain foods are eaten on specific days, there’s something eaten here on the last day of the Spring Festival.
‘Orange Confiture.’
You shape the Orange Confiture into several cute forms, coat them in chocolate to harden, then bind them again with a Ribbon.
But what makes it charming is that after serving it at mealtime, each person gives theirs only to the person they cherish most.
“Oh no. I’ve been so busy I didn’t think of it!”
“What color Ribbon would you prefer?”
“Um, pink?”
“I’ll have it arranged.”
I nodded and called out to him urgently.
“Carcel!”
I was tense because the strange atmosphere from moments before hadn’t quite dissipated.
“Yes?”
“Tomorrow’s Orange Confiture—should I give both to Linea?”
“Ah, I was thinking the same thing.”
Fortunately, Carcel had already thought of Linea first.
I nodded with relief.
“Even though Linea thinks of us as family, she might feel hurt if she doesn’t receive anything on a day like this.”
“Don’t worry. Linea is my top priority as well.”
“Hehe.”
I laughed looking at Carcel.
“Asha…….”
“Yes?”
He had been moving his lips for a moment, but finally shook his head.
“It’s nothing.”
“What do you mean! I thought something terrible had happened!”
“Shall we go put Linea to sleep now?”
And so another day came to an end.
* * *
I’d thought that sharing a bed with Carcel after what happened yesterday would keep me awake, but.
‘I slept like a log.’
I slept so deeply it could be called fainting, and even skipped breakfast.
It made sense—until yesterday, I’d been so tense that my nerves were completely wound up.
And fortunately, the Imperial Palace didn’t summon me.
‘At tonight’s dinner, we’ll exchange Orange Confiture. Linea will probably give hers to me, and Mother will……, she’d never give hers to Carcel.’
So if he receives nothing at the table, both Carcel and Mother might feel disappointed.
The moment I woke, that thought struck me, and I held my head.
In the end, I.
“Hey, could you bring me a clean white Handkerchief and some thread and a needle?”
I had no choice but to call my personal maid Uni and ask.
Even if I only had one Orange Confiture to give, there was no rule saying I couldn’t give something else.
Uni crept slowly toward me.
“My lady, are you embroidering a Handkerchief for the Marquis?”
“Yes. I noticed the other day that Carcel doesn’t have a Handkerchief. What if I embroider his initials on it?”
“Usually people embroider initials and a symbol! The Marquis Household’s symbol is a golden-horned stag—how about something like this?”
And with that, Uni quickly sketched a design.
“How does this feel?”
“It’s quite difficult, but……, you’re really good at drawing, aren’t you, Uni?”
“This is nothing! I’ll help you from beside you!”
Together with an excited Uni, I began embroidering in earnest.
Unlike my expectation that I’d finish it quickly since I’d mended my own clothes since childhood, the Handkerchief wasn’t completed until nearly evening.
That’s what happens when you make two!
I hid my fluttering heart and slipped downstairs.
‘I should give it to Carcel tonight.’
Even though it wasn’t perfect, it turned out nicely, and I felt oddly proud.
Dinner passed as it usually did.
Except that today Carcel sat with Linea for the meal while Mother and I sat together.
He seemed to be making a genuine effort to bond with the child, serving her desired foods into a bowl.
He even chatted with Linea in a lighthearted way.
“What would you like to do at the Festival today?”
“Lusian said there’s an ice cream that stretches really long…….”
“Oh, so you’d like to try that ice cream?”
Linea nodded vigorously.
“Since it’s the last day of the Festival, there’s also a circus and a carousel, I hear. Would you like to experience them?”
“Yes!”
Linea’s eyes sparkled at the thought of things she hadn’t yet experienced.
Meanwhile, Mother said something quietly to me.
“You’re going to the Festival today, are you?”
“Oh, yes!”
It had truly been a long time since I’d enjoyed the Festival without worry.
“Make sure he carries all your things. And.”
Mother placed something heavy on the table.
“What is this, Mother?”
“They say the Festival barely accepts checks or notes. So I had them exchange these for Coins in advance.”
I opened my eyes wide in surprise.
“Mother!”
“If you get caught up over pointless small, cute things and lose the Festival’s joy to needless problems, that won’t do.”
“Thank you. I hadn’t thought to exchange money beforehand, actually…….”
I’d been so focused on the Handkerchief I didn’t even think of it.
Now that I think about it, I realized I hadn’t even asked Mother if she wanted to come with us.
“Mother, would you like to come along? There’s fireworks tonight too!”
“No need. I can’t stand crowded places.”
But then Mother murmured softly to herself.
“They say if a couple kisses during the fireworks on the last day of the Spring Festival, they’ll stay together forever.”
“Pardon?”
“Hmm. It’s nothing.”
But Mother, for something that’s supposedly nothing, you leaned quite deliberately toward me and whispered it awfully clearly.
I blinked for a moment.
Across the table, Carcel seemed to have grown quite close to Linea as well.
Even though the child wasn’t entirely at ease with him yet, she broke into small smiles.
‘Now seems like the right time.’
I wasn’t so foolish as to be ignorant of my own feelings toward Carcel.
I’d already known, but I was simply waiting for a better moment.
‘I’ll confess today!’
Carcel had already confessed to me what felt like dozens of times.
After dinner ended and the table was cleared, the chef finally brought out the Orange Confiture.
The Orange Confiture in its small gift box wasn’t what I remembered.
“Wow.”
Befitting the Marquis Household, it was shaped like a stag, and the antlers were actually glazed with real gold.
And a pink Ribbon was tied around the neck so it could be lifted without touching it directly!
I was startled by what was truly like a piece of craftsmanship.
“Is this really the Orange Confiture I know?”
The chef chuckled and boasted subtly.
“I did everything myself, from shaping with fresh orange peel to drying it! I’m glad it satisfies you!”
Carcel and I exchanged glances.
A day like this is practically made for children.
Linea’s cheeks flushed as she exclaimed.
“Actually, I’ve never received one before!”
That would make sense. My former mother-in-law had called it childish.
I asked Linea.
“So who are you going to give yours to, Linea?”
The child, seeing my hopefully expectant face, glanced at Carcel and her grandmother.
Then Carcel smiled and said.
“Don’t worry. Just give it to whoever you want.”
“R-really?”
In the end, Linea climbed down from her chair and pattered around the table……, toward me!
“I want to give it to Mother.”
“Oh, how sweet!”
I pulled Linea, shyly holding out the gift box, into a tight embrace.
Lifting the child up, I pressed my cheek to her white cheek.
“Mother should eat you up, Linea. How can you be so cute?”
The child laughed breathlessly.
That distinctly childlike giggle brought a soft smile to both Carcel’s and my mother-in-law’s faces.
Linea, who had given me the Orange Confiture, looked a little uncertain and apologized to the two of them.
“I-I’m sorry. There’s only one.”
“That’s fine. Linea is a gift to me, so I don’t need anything material.”
Carcel, speaking those words, rose and came toward us.
“Linea, I shall give you a Small Happiness.”
“Small Happiness?”
I tilted my head quizzically.
Carcel took an Orange Confiture from a small box and offered it to Linea, nodding.
“In the past, our ancestors called such confiture Small Happiness, and it was a precious food.”
“In those times, it would take sugar, chocolate, and orange all together to make it possible—definitely a luxury.”
“The tradition of giving this Small Happiness, which one can eat only once a year, to one’s most beloved, arose from that.”
That was when.
Mother nudged Carcel aside and squeezed into the space.
“Child, I won’t give you Small Happiness—I’ll give you Great Happiness. Don’t forget that.”
And then she handed over an enormously large gift box.
Without even opening it, an incredible sweet aroma wafted from it.
With an oddly triumphant expression, Mother spoke to Linea.
“I’ve clearly given you greater happiness than your father.”
“Is this some kind of competition?”
Mother pushed away Carcel’s bemused cheek and chuckled toward Linea and me.
“The happiness you’ve given me and our family, I may never match,”
Her manner of speech was gruff, but today her words carried an unusual warmth.
“Thank you for becoming part of our family.”
Hearing those words, Linea’s eyes widened.
The child’s eyes shone like stars.
Linea, sitting on my lap, opened the box she’d received.
Inside were not only Orange Confiture but also various luxury confections beautifully arranged in compartments.
Linea gasped.
“How can something be this pretty? Thank you so much, Grandmother!”
“From now on, you’ll be able to have as much as you want whenever you please, so you’d better get used to it. You don’t need to thank me every time.”
Though Mother’s face remained somewhat stern as she spoke, there was also quiet encouragement in her gaze toward Linea.
“You are a member of Duke Rakan’s Household and a child of Rivandel Marquis Household. You need not mind anyone’s eyes, nor have reason to bow your head to anyone.”

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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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