The Villainous Lady Doesn't Speak chapter 204

Chapter 204: The Otome Game 4

Riley Williams Slibegrad, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Slibegrad, was concerned about the state of his fiancée sitting next to him. She had been tense the whole time, but ever since Margrave Beverly Calvert had introduced the baron’s daughter, Emilia, and left, she had seemed somewhat distracted.

But what surprised him the most was that Liliana had spoken to Emilia herself. It was true that at that moment, either Liliana or Riley had to say something to resolve the situation, but after that, Liliana had only spoken when absolutely necessary.

“Sasha, are you feeling all right?”

“Yes.”

Worried that the illness from her near magical overload was still lingering, he asked, but Liliana just smiled serenely and shook her head. Noticing that her complexion wasn’t too bad, Riley felt a sense of relief. He had known Liliana for many years, and precisely because of that, he knew she had a tendency to hide the most important things. It seemed that not only Riley, but even her own brother, Clyde, had not been able to get through to her inner self. That was why Riley couldn’t help but feel a sense of frustration.

Before, his shyness had always won out, but he had realized that if he continued like that, he would never be able to touch Liliana’s heart. That was why he had resolved to push aside his embarrassment and express his feelings as they came, but Liliana, who was oblivious even to her own emotions, showed no sign of noticing his.

Once the greetings from the high-ranking nobles were over, it was the turn of the lower-ranking ones. Perhaps due to the difference in their education, many of the sons and daughters of the lower-ranking nobles stared unabashedly at Riley and Liliana. He felt a sense of discomfort, but he told himself it was part of his duty.

Just as he was starting to feel weary, a boy and a girl in robes stood before them. Both had green hair, but their eye colors were different. The boy’s were purple, and the girl’s were light blue. Standing next to them was a familiar face. Riley felt a sense of relief and smiled slightly.

“My sincerest congratulations on this auspicious occasion, Your Highness. And to His Highness the Prince, thank you for coming all the way to our country.”

The one who spoke was the sorcerer Ben Draco, who was accompanying the two children as their guardian. Although it couldn’t be denied that he had a slightly insolent air, his etiquette was impeccable. Riley replied magnanimously, a faint wry smile on his face.

“Ah, thank you. I’m glad you could make it today.”

As Riley spoke, a corner of Ben’s mouth lifted slightly. Ben Draco rarely changed his expression, but he was well-versed in the proper conduct for social gatherings. Riley glanced at Prince Roland next to him and introduced Ben.

“Prince Roland, this is Lord Ben, the heir to the Draco clan, the foremost family of sorcerers in our Kingdom of Slibegrad.”

“Is that so? I have heard much of you.”

As Prince Roland nodded magnanimously, Ben gave an insolent bow. His eyes held a light that seemed to be sizing up Prince Roland. Roland himself didn't seem to notice, but Riley was sharp. He managed to suppress the wry smile that threatened to return and took the hand of Liliana, who was sitting on the opposite side of Roland.

“You know Lady Liliana, I presume.”

“Yes.”

Ben nodded. His expression seemed unchanged at first glance, but his eyes softened slightly. And then, in a complete change from his formal address to Riley and the others, he greeted Liliana with a warm voice.

“It has been a while, Lady Clark. I heard from His Highness that you were recently unwell. How have you been since?”

“Oh, thank you for your concern. I have already recovered.”

So please do not worry, Liliana said with her usual smile. Ben stared at her intently and then snapped his fingers. Instantly, a soundproof barrier was erected around Ben, Liliana, and Riley. What’s more, the barrier was a composite spell that also included an illusion, and only Riley, Liliana, and the two children behind Ben noticed it had been cast. Roland and Austin should have been able to notice it, but it seemed Ben had used an illusion to prevent them from doing so.

The boy and girl behind Ben looked up at him with wide, surprised eyes. But without even glancing at them, Ben asked Liliana in a low voice.

“May I visit your residence in the near future?”

“—Oh my, why is that?”

Liliana tilted her head in confusion. Riley, who had been listening to their conversation from the side, interjected.

“Sasha, you collapsed on the verge of a magical overload the other day. I’m sure you’ve seen a doctor, but you should have Lord Ben Draco examine you again.”

“I’m already fine.”

“Even so.”

Pressed by Riley’s pleading tone rather than Ben’s, Liliana let out a small sigh. With a wry smile, she nodded. “You have a point.”

“I will be sure to request your assistance when the opportunity arises.”

At those words, Riley let out a sigh as if he couldn’t help it. He looked up at Ben with a troubled expression, and Ben, his brow slightly furrowed, looked down at Liliana. But he quickly composed himself and smiled brightly.

“Yes, I shall visit you soon then.”

It seemed Ben had no intention of backing down either. Before Liliana could reply, Ben snapped his fingers again. Instantly, the soundproof barrier disappeared.

As if nothing had happened, Ben gestured for the two children standing behind him to step forward. With tense expressions, the boy and girl took a step forward.

“This is Belasta, the youngest son of the Draco family, and Tania, the youngest daughter.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you. My name is Tania Draco.”

“I am Belasta Draco.”

Following Ben’s introduction, Tania and Berast bowed their heads. The Draco family was not noble, but they did make appearances at social gatherings. Their speech was not that of nobles, but their bows were reasonably so. Tania’s in particular seemed to be the result of much practice.

“I see. The Draco clan and the royal family have an inseparable bond. We will likely be seeing more of each other in the future. Tania, Berast, it is a pleasure to meet you.”

“Y-Yes!”

It was Tania who answered Riley’s words. Belasta, who seemed to be nervous, had his lips pressed into a thin line. Riley, who had been watching his unaccustomed figure with an amused smile, noticed that as Belasta was about to leave with Ben and Tania, he was staring at Liliana with a strange expression. As he watched, wondering what was wrong, Belasta noticed Riley’s gaze and hastily looked away. He then ran off to Tania’s side.

＊＊＊＊＊

“Lady Beverly!” Emilia shouted in a hushed tone, demonstrating a remarkable skill. Margrave Beverly Calvert, a playful smile still lingering in her eyes, looked down at Emilia with an expression that said, What on earth are you talking about?

“What’s wrong, with a face like that?”

“It’s not ‘what’s wrong’! What was that all about?!”

Emilia was on the verge of tears.

For her, it had taken courage just to greet the high-ranking nobles. And yet, Beverly had casually asked if Emilia could act as a guide when Clyde Benito Clark, the Duke of Clark, went to inspect the convent.

“When you ask like that, I can’t say no, can I?!”

“Oh, what are you talking about? If the Duke of Clark is going on an inspection, it has to be someone of suitable status, but my son Angus can’t leave the domain that easily, can he?”

At Beverly’s matter-of-fact tone, Emilia’s eyes blazed.

“But he comes to our domain all the time!”

“And he gets dragged back by the neck every time, doesn't he?”

Emilia swallowed her words with a gulp. There was no room for argument in what Beverly had said.

Angus, the heir to the Calvert margraviate, had a wandering streak that he just couldn't shake, despite being the next head of the family. He now presented a dignified figure as the commander of the Calvert Knights, but his true nature hadn't changed. In his youth, he was a man who had hidden his family name and worked as a mercenary. He was fine with his duties as a knight commander, but when it came to office work, he would often get bored and abandon it halfway through. Each time, the steward who had served the margraviate for many years would go searching for him with the eyes of a hawk. This had been going on for so many years that as soon as Angus escaped from the mansion, a search party would be formed, and the steward would personally go and capture him.

If anyone else went, the next head of the family could be selfish and refuse to be brought back, but it was a different story with the steward, who had known Angus since he was a child.

“And this is a good opportunity for you too.”

“—A good opportunity, you say?”

“How old are you now?”

Unable to grasp the intent behind Beverly’s question, Emilia tilted her head and blinked.

“Um—thirteen, but…”

Her expression said, What of it? Beverly nodded gravely.

“Indeed. Still thirteen, but already thirteen. It is a problem for a noble lady not to have a fiancé.”

“—Huh?”

Emilia’s eyes widened. Watching her, Beverly let out an exaggerated sigh.

“Of course, I know you’re not particularly interested. But even in the baron’s village! The village girls you’re friends with already have boyfriends, but you show no signs of it at all! And in my margraviate, there’s no one I can think of who would be a suitable match for you. Why are there no men of a suitable age and status for you?”

It’s truly lamentable, Beverly said, her eyes glinting dangerously. Emilia’s cheeks twitched.

Beverly had always been very fond of Emilia. For that reason, she had been trying to find a future husband for her since she was little, but no one had ever met Beverly’s high standards.

But to start looking among the high-ranking nobles, what was she thinking? Emilia thought resentfully. She wished she would at least choose from among the lower-ranking nobles, like her own family. Otherwise, their standards of living and values would not match. Above all, Emilia was currently in the process of realizing that she was extremely bad at noble social situations like high society and tea parties. A lower-ranking noble would be allowed to work alongside the common folk, practice swordsmanship, and ride horses to some extent. But a high-ranking noble would never be allowed to do such things. What was required of a high-ranking noble lady was household management, embroidery, dancing, and socializing.

I don’t want that, she thought tragically, but Beverly continued, “I won’t force you, but.”

“You should learn a little about the subtleties between men and women. You are too indifferent to the opposite sex. I won’t say it’s wrong to treat men and women the same, as friends. But it makes it difficult for a romantic relationship to develop.”

Of course, Emilia was a noble, so she was prepared for a political marriage.

But unfortunately, she hadn't been blessed with a good match even for a political marriage. There were a few nobles who wanted to connect with the Navy barony. They were the viscounts and barons who ruled the neighboring domains. Compared to the rich Navy barony, their crop yields were low. So for them, there was an advantage. But there were no men of a suitable age.

The unmarried men were either older than Emilia’s father and divorced, or just toddlers. The men who were relatively close in age were at least fifteen years older than Emilia and already married. There was only one unmarried man who was reasonably close in age—Beverly’s second son, Danhill. But he was in the Royal Knights and rarely showed his face in the margraviate, and Emilia had almost no interaction with him. And most importantly, he didn't meet Beverly’s standards.

Therefore, if Emilia were to marry, she had no choice but to find a partner who was not in her immediate circle, and for that, she had no choice but to borrow Margrave Calvert’s power.

“If necessary, I am prepared to adopt you into the Calvert margraviate. However, the partners I can arrange for you will be of higher status and wealth than the position you were born into. In a political marriage without affection, your position in your new home could become difficult.”

Of course, Beverly intended to find a partner who had no problems with his personality. But nothing was certain. That was why Beverly wanted Emilia to find someone who would fall in love with her. However, with Emilia’s attitude, it was difficult for a romantic relationship to develop. For that reason, she wanted to introduce her to a different type of man than those in the Navy barony or the Calvert margraviate, and have her experience the thrill of being with a man—it was a drastic treatment.

Finally grasping Beverly’s intentions, Emilia turned pale. She wanted to scream that it was impossible, but she knew better than anyone that screaming would be pointless.

“Fortunately, we still have time. Let’s attend tea parties together during the social season.”

Those words were undoubtedly a death sentence for Emilia. As Emilia’s shoulders slumped in defeat, Beverly’s eyes fell on a certain man.

“Emilia, and one more thing.”

“Yes.”

Emilia looked up with a dejected expression. In the direction of her gaze, the corners of Beverly’s mouth lifted playfully.

“Expand your network as well. If you remain confined to the small worlds of the barony and the margraviate, you will be at a loss if something happens. I will make the introductions for you.”

Come now, let’s go, she urged, and Emilia hurriedly followed after Beverly. The group of three that Margrave Calvert had her eyes on were the ones in robes—Ben Draco and his younger brother and sister.

—-

 Toc

Chapter 205