ITMWG 128

Chapter 128…

Let’s Be a Despicable Couple.

“It’s not selfish to leave the despicable work solely to me.”

“It is, if I feel that way.”

After Nadia simply refuted Altair’s words, he stared at her silently for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.

“Is ‘that’ perhaps the reason you are acting this way?”

“What do you mean, that?”

“Because you said you saw a story where I become a villain if I get involved with the Prince.”

“It would be a lie to say I didn’t think about it at all, but…”

A look of dissatisfaction loomed over Altair’s face as he asked about her intentions.

“You need to trust me a little more.”

“I do trust you.”

“You intercepted the deal in the middle, and yet you say you trust me?”

Even though she emphasised that she did trust him, Altair’s expression did not soften.

Feeling truly wronged, Nadia’s shoulders slumped as she protested.

“Why wouldn’t I trust Altair? You are my husband. The one I don’t trust is Prince Orca.”

“Hmm.”

“Altair doesn’t know because you haven’t read it yourself. Prince Orca was just so despicable in it. He might even frame you.”

As Nadia badmouthed Prince Orca, Altair’s stiff face began to soften little by little.

Spotting a weakness, she thought, ‘This is it!’ and continued smoothly.

After she rambled on about how ruthlessly Prince Orca had used those around him in the novel, Altair let out a deep sigh with a peculiar expression.

“If he’s such an untrustworthy person, you should be careful too.”

“Me?”

“Yes. He could just despicably frame you, too.”

“Oh come on. One has to be as talented as Altair for him to put in that much effort.”

Nadia shrugged at his nonsense, and Altair stared at her intently, dumbfounded.

“Do you really think that?”

“…? Of course…?”

When she blinked, not understanding why he was confirming it again, Altair let out another deep sigh and pressed his hand firmly against his temple.

“This is why I worry. Why don’t you know that guy is targeting you, too?”

“Why is he targeting me?”

“It’s obviously because you are competent.”

“…Me?”

Competent? Me, competent?!

Hearing that for the first time in her life, words involuntarily escaped her lips as she was dazed.

Forgetting that she had been wiping Altair’s sweat, Nadia blinked again to get herself together. He snatched the handkerchief from her hand and wiped the sweat from his own face.

“You look out for those around you, yet you don’t seem to know yourself very well. That guy definitely wishes to have you on his side, too.”

“Why would he…?”

“You said you trusted me.”

Before Nadia could even dismiss it as nonsense, Altair firmly cut her off.

“Just as I believe your words, you should believe mine. That guy is targeting you. So you must be on guard.”

“…If you put it like that, I have no choice but to believe you.”

Whatever Prince Orca’s true intentions were, the fact that Altair held her in such high regard made her feel both embarrassed and pleased, causing her face to flush slightly.

Altair must have clearly noticed her flushed cheeks, as he stopped wiping his sweat and gently stroked them.

“Your cheeks have turned rosy.”

“I’m not used to compliments, so…”

When Nadia stammered, unable to hide her embarrassment, Altair’s eyebrows twitched.

“Did it sound like I was praising you just now?”

“Uh, um, wasn’t that it?”

If it wasn’t something like that, then it would be incredibly embarrassing.

Her face, which was already flushed, seemed to turn even redder.

Seeing her at a loss for what to do, Altair’s fiery intensity subsided a little.

“No, well, you’re right. I complimented you.”

“I’m glad I wasn’t mistaken.”

As Nadia breathed a sigh of relief, clutching her chest, Altair cleared his throat and gently hugged her.

“And it was meant as a warning. To tell you not to get close to that guy.”

“We’re not close at all.”

“I know. Still, don’t get close to him.”

“…What on earth do you mean by that?”

It was a strange argument the more she heard it, but she didn’t strongly refute it and hugged Altair back.

Altair’s build was very large and stable, so it felt wonderfully safe to be held tightly in his arms.

“The deal is already over, so it can’t be helped… but may I join in on the vile schemes you’re about to pull?”

Altair’s voice, ringing in her ears, was surprisingly affectionate, despite the content.

“Where else would you find a couple plotting such despicable schemes?”

Nadia giggled as she looked up at Altair.

“Alright. Let’s become a despicable couple together!”

❈❈❈

Ah. This feels good.

Melissa closed her eyes in bliss as she soaked in the warm water, washing away the grime of old age.

In the past, she hadn’t appreciated the value of this routine because it was something she enjoyed every day; however, after experiencing the extreme conditions of Valstead, this moment felt like time in heaven.

When she stepped out of the bathtub, a towel and a change of clothes were ready.

In the past, three or four maids would have lined up to dry her and dress her, but perhaps they had decided not to extend that favour, as no one else was in sight.

“How am I supposed to do this with my own hands?”

Melissa grumbled as she awkwardly wiped herself dry and squeezed herself into her clothes.

Having gone from wearing damp clothes to fresh, dry ones, her body felt so light she felt as if she were on cloud nine.

She roughly wrapped her wet hair in a towel and entered the room to find warm tea and simple refreshments prepared.

It was nothing but ordinary cookies and bread, so normally, she wouldn’t have even glanced at it, but as soon as Melissa saw the food, her eyes widened.

She ran undignifiedly and stuffed those cookies and bread into her mouth.

Eating so hastily, she choked and coughed, yet she couldn’t slow down.

Having not eaten properly in Valstead, her stomach was practically sticking to her back.

“There are plenty of snacks, so take your time. Have some tea too.”

“(Cough!)”

Melissa, who had been frantically stuffing food into her mouth, flinched in surprise at the voice coming from beside her.

As she choked and coughed repeatedly, the owner of the voice kindly patted her back lightly.

“Good heavens. You must have been very hungry.”

The owner of the gentle voice was Nadia.

“S-since when have you been here…?”

“I’ve been here from the beginning.”

But Melissa didn’t seem to notice her at all.

As soon as she saw the refreshments, she went berserk and had absolutely no time to look around.

Melissa’s face turned red with shame at the thought that she had displayed the behaviour of lowly slum dwellers in front of Nadia.

“Should I ask them to bring more refreshments?”

Just then, Nadia kindly offered her some, causing Melissa to shriek.

“No thanks!”

Flushed with embarrassment, she swatted away Nadia’s hand patting her back and gulped down the tea in the cup.

“Ah, that’s hot!”

It was so hot that she ended up spitting out half of it.

The tea spewing from Melissa’s mouth stained the hem of Nadia’s skirt.

Just as she was thinking how satisfying it was—though it wasn’t intentional—a low voice accompanied by a heavy presence came from beside her.

“Your skirt is a mess. Did you get hurt by the hot water?”

The owner of that voice was Altair.

Good heavens!

Melissa’s face, which had barely calmed down, turned even redder at the sight of the man kneeling before Nadia, meticulously examining her skirt.

She just wanted to bite her tongue and die right then and there…

No wait. Why would I die? I have to live.

Melissa struggled to regain her composure and straightened her back proudly.

“Stop making a fuss. It’s just water splashing.”

They acted as if she wouldn’t survive without her husband. There was no greater fuss than this.

However, the sarcasm on her tongue vanished the moment Altair’s sharp gaze met hers.

Melissa quickly turned her head to avoid the menacing gaze and nudged Nadia, who was the easiest target.

“You said you had something to show me, right? That’s why I followed you. How long do I have to wait?”

“I actually brought that person’s portrait.”

Nadia slid the painting in front of Melissa.

Melissa glanced at the painting, feigning indifference, but was startled by the man’s handsome looks and quickly snatched the portrait up.

“Th-this man? Is the groom you found?”

“Yeah. What do you think? I think he looks decent.”

“Uh-well, not bad.”

Realising she had gotten too excited, Melissa quietly placed the painting back down on the table.

Even so, she couldn’t take her eyes off the picture. She was very pleased with his appearance.

Knowing full well that letting her thoughts show would be disadvantageous to her, Melissa tried her best to maintain a composed expression.

Of course, pretending to be nonchalant while unable to take her eyes off the painting was a mistake.

“Ahem. What does he do? What is his family background? Does he hold a title? And what about his wealth?”

Nadia smiled at the barrage of questions.

“He is the second son of a family that owns an estate in the northern region. Even though he is the second son, his family is wealthy, so he will likely be able to live enjoying almost everything.”

“A provincial noble?”

When Melissa raised her eyebrows in displeasure, Nadia replied, still wearing a gentle smile.

“It’s hard to live in the capital anyway. Do you think you can handle living under people’s sharp stares?”

“Hmph. Who-, who looks at me like that?”

Although she retorted, Nadia wasn’t entirely wrong.

Since she was being shunned by the capital’s social circles, it might be better for her to settle down and live comfortably in the provinces where rumours of the capital hadn’t spread.

After all, provincial nobles have such strong influence in the provinces that they live practically like kings…

Melissa quickly calculated the situation.

After all, the man her father told her to visit was also from the provinces.

The problem was that she didn’t know exactly what his situation was. Conditions like whether he looks decent, whether he has some wealth, and things like that.

Melissa, who had been glancing around, felt the intense stares of Nadia and Altair staring at her. She cleared her throat and discreetly pushed the picture aside.

It was to assert that she wasn’t in a rush.

“How can I believe everything you say? Despite all the smooth talk, how do I know he is not actually a weirdo?”

“You don’t trust me?”

“Of course not! My father also tricked you when he married you off… *Cough*.”

Melissa, who had snorted and brought up that something was disadvantageous to herself, quickly swallowed her words and changed the subject.

“Anyway! Your word alone isn’t reliable, so I’m going to look into it myself.”

“Oh yes. Of course you should.”

If she had anything to hide, she would have been flustered, but Nadia’s reaction was so nonchalant that Melissa narrowed her eyes.

“Is this really a good match for me?”

Just how much of a pushover is this girl, anyway? Not that there’s anything wrong with her being a pushover, of course.

Melissa grinned, already feeling good even before she looked into the man’s background.

It was her mistake to be so caught up in her own mood that she failed to notice the cold gaze Altair was giving her.