Why Is My Husband the Villainous Schemer! - Chapter 90

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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 90
Carcel’s mother had already seen through Linea, who was always watching her surroundings anxiously.
Linea hugged the gift box tightly as though it were precious, and laughed.
Unlike before, the child blushed instead of crying, her face bright with joy.
As if she were only now growing accustomed to being loved, to laughing.
‘She was always a child who could only cry quietly or laugh in secret.’
Her world had been nothing but anxiety rather than happiness.
I too nodded, pressing my lips to Linea’s hair.
“Now all of this is something you rightfully deserve to have, our beautiful girl.”
Linea looked up at her grandmother and her father.
Then she smiled softly and bowed her head in gratitude.
“…Grandmother, Father, thank you so much!”
The child no longer questioned the affection or gifts she received—she simply gave thanks.
She closed the gift box shyly, then touched the gift boxes from Carcel and her grandmother tenderly with her hands.
Seeing this, I placed my own gift box on top of Linea’s pile.
“This one’s from me.”
“From Mother too?”
“Of course! Who could be most precious to our family?”
This time, I waited for Linea to answer.
Three adults watched the small child, holding their breath for her response.
Linea grew shy, then pointed to herself with her fingertip.
“Me.”
“That’s right! You are most precious to Mother, Father, and Grandmother. Do you understand?”
“Yes!”
Her voice carried more strength this time than before.
There is no being more beautiful and lovely than a child who has been loved.
I held Linea close and asked her.
“Now, shall we put the gifts in your room and go enjoy the festival?”
* * *
“That circus earlier was absolutely incredible! An elephant! The way it took the banana with its trunk was so amazing!”
“Was it? Be careful now, little one—watch your step!”
“Yes!”
Carcel had reserved circus tickets in advance, so we saw the circus first due to time constraints.
Though it was quite late, Pechia Plaza and the surrounding alleys were still crowded with people.
Linea rode on Carcel’s shoulders, looking around at everything.
I watched him with mild concern.
“Are you sure? She’s still only ten years old.”
“I can do this even if Linea were fifty.”
“How old will you be then? You’ll throw out your back.”
Carcel laughed at that.
“Does that mean Linea and Asha will still be at my side even then?”
“Did you think we’d leave? There’s no way we’re going anywhere now!”
“If Asha and Linea were to leave home, I would follow them out as well.”
“Then who’d be home? That’s ridiculous.”
Carcel tightened his grip on the hand he was already holding.
“As long as Asha and Linea are together, that place would be my home. It doesn’t matter.”
I felt my face flush without reason.
The festival crowds were mostly families out for an outing together.
And we were one of them now.
Blending naturally into the throng without any sense of awkwardness.
‘I remembered to bring the handkerchief.’
I clutched the handkerchief in my left hand—the one I’d wrapped specially to give later.
I planned to give it to Carcel first today, and to his mother tomorrow.
“Asha, be careful.”
Despite walking on the inner part of the path, a man suddenly rushed toward me.
Worried I might collide with him, Carcel gripped my shoulder firmly and pulled me close to him.
“Are you all right?”
I nodded.
Carcel had been watching over me intently ever since we arrived.
Or rather, he was always like this—always watching me.
His gaze constantly confirmed my safety.
“Shall we go get that ice cream Linea mentioned wanting? Is there anything you’d like to eat, Asha?”
“Well, whenever I come to a place like this, there’s always something I’m in the mood for…”
As I spoke, I felt an odd emptiness.
“Hm?”
The handkerchief I’d been holding, waiting for the right moment to present it.
It was gone.
“Wait…?”
“Asha? What’s wrong?”
“Oh, I was holding something just a moment ago but it’s… it’s disappeared.”
I hadn’t felt anything slip away—how could this have happened?
Stunned, I turned to look behind me.
The crowd was too thick to search the ground.
“Hey, can’t you hurry up?”
People behind us were complaining.
Even as I tried to peer between the crowds to find it, there was nothing on the path.
But Carcel paid no attention to anyone’s complaints and asked me.
“Are you all right?”
“…Yes, I’m fine!”
People were suffering because of me, and I felt the weight of that.
Trying to seem unbothered, I walked on.
‘Well, even if it’s gone, I can always embroider a new one.’
Carcel seemed to have noticed something.
“Was it something important?”
“No.”
I shook my head, deciding I would simply make him a new one.
Carcel gently guided me down a nearby alley.
Even the alley was crowded with people.
“There’s the ice cream stand Linea wanted to visit. Shall we stop by for a moment?”
“Yes!”
I nodded, pushing away my troubled thoughts.
Carcel set Linea down for a moment.
“Ice cream…”
“I’m fine.”
“…Get just one.”
As he offered a coin, the ice cream vendor grinned widely.
“Oh, what a lovely family. The little miss must want this ice cream very much?”
“Yes! I want vanilla flavor, please!”
“Of course, here you are!”
The vendor held out an ice cream on a stick toward Linea.
The child reached out naturally to grab the cone.
But the moment her hand closed on the cone, whoosh!
“Huh?”
“Try to catch it!”
I knew ice cream was stretchy, but I hadn’t expected this kind of game.
“Oh my…”
Linea stared blankly at the soaring ice cream, her face going pale.
I bent down to explain it to her.
“This is that stretchy kind of ice cream—the vendor usually plays tricks with it before giving it out.”
“Really?”
Linea rose up on her toes desperately, reaching for the ice cream again and again.
But she couldn’t match the vendor’s skilled movements as he expertly dodged—whoosh, whoosh—each time.
“Ha ha, over a hundred children have cried and left empty-handed from this very stand!”
The vendor’s teasing made Linea’s expression grow increasingly wounded.
Just as I was about to tell him to stop toying with her, the vendor’s face went pale.
“P-please take it, young lady.”
“Thank you!”
Linea received the ice cream from the vendor, who had suddenly become obsequious.
I glanced at Carcel sidelong.
It had looked like he made a throat-slitting gesture with his thumb just now…surely not?
“Ahem, please be careful as you go!”
Ignoring the vendor’s obvious hint to leave, I asked Linea.
“How is it? Does it taste good?”
“Yes!”
“That’s good!”
Worried Linea might drip ice cream on Carcel’s hair, I had her down for a moment so she wouldn’t ride on his shoulders.
We walked a bit further and reached a relatively quiet, small meeting place.
“Shall we sit for a while and rest? Is there anything you’d like to eat, Asha?”
I shook my head.
I kept thinking about the handkerchief I’d carelessly lost.
‘I’m so foolish.’
Was it because I always believed I only had worth when I was useful?
‘I should have just kept it in my pocket. Why did I have to hold it in my hand like that?’
I had wanted to surprise Carcel with it today.
Carcel, seeing me lost in thought, asked.
“Asha, you’ve seemed unhappy since earlier. Is something the matter?”
“…Well, it’s nothing major really. I couldn’t give you orange confit this time, but I wanted to at least give you a handkerchief.”
Seeing my dispirited face, he asked.
“Did you lose that one just now?”
“Isn’t it pathetic? To make such a careless mistake.”
I gave a small laugh.
“Asha.”
“I know. It’s nothing worth getting this upset over.”
“That’s not it… When you were caring for Linea before, didn’t you also criticize yourself for falling asleep briefly?”
That was true.
I had blamed myself then, thinking I’d slept while the sick child lay without proper care.
Carcel looked at me and said.
“What do you say to other people when they make mistakes—not about yourself?”
“Nothing.”
“That it’s fine. That it’s nothing.”
Was that what I said?
He asked me gently.
“Then why are you so harsh with yourself?”
“…”
“What you prepared matters far less to me than your heart not being hurt. That’s what’s important.”
After saying this, Carcel smiled mischievously and asked.
“At the very least, because you haven’t lost yourself, aren’t we all here together as a family right now?”
As if trying to ease my troubled mood.
“Every moment we share is a gift to me. Today, can you be a little more kind to yourself?”
I stared intently at Carcel’s face as he asked this.
Tender and gentle words, yet so rational too.
Just as I was about to open my lips to speak.
Boom!
Fireworks burst into the sky.
I moved closer to him and called his name.
“Carcel.”
“Yes?”
Bewildered, Carcel felt my lips near his ear as I whispered softly.
“I love you so much. More than you could possibly think.”

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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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