Because She Had A Time Limit, She Became The Villain’s Daughter-in-law - Chapter 97

Evan was internally swearing at himself.

‘…Are you really crazy about your desires?’

Just because Laria’s body and his body overlapped by chance, why was his head turning blank like this? No matter what she said, he couldn’t hear well, and only a few words entered his ears during the soaring imagination.

Laria didn’t know much about making a bet to recognize the other first during the masquerade.

Just because she wore that one mask and changed the color of her hair, there was no way he couldn’t recognize Laria. Every single gesture, every step, every wave, he can recognize her at once.

Carrying her as he walked out of the garden, he said in a subdued voice.

“Go and call Serena right away.”

“What?”

“Your ankle, ask her to take a look right away.”

“Ah… Ah, I guess it’s okay? It should get better after a night’s sleep? Why do I have to call Serena, who doesn’t even stay at the Duke’s residence tonight? I’ll take time and call her tomorrow morning.”

“How much salary did she get? This is an emergency.”

Laria didn’t answer.

By the time he reached the carriage with Laria, she was already asleep. He told the carriage to leave for the Duke’s residence and then laid her on his lap. He took off her mask.

“Hoo…”

He didn’t know, but it looked like all the blood pooled on his face.

“As, a…a woman you want to embrace, like a lover. Do you like me that much?”

…A woman he wanted to embrace. That was not enough. If she could look into his head now, she would run away.

‘Just because I accidentally overlapped once with you, I wasn’t able to come to my senses like a beast.’

However, Evan couldn’t say that.

If he told the truth now, Laria would have no choice but to think of her duty to bear the successor.

Still, he had publicly declared to all the servants of Duke’s residence, ‘I will not let you go if you bring up the story of the successor.’ This was because they were now of adulthood and had come to an age where they would be under pressure.

…So. Evan had no choice but to lie.

“I…I never thought of wanting to embrace you like that…”

How lucky he was to be in the middle of the masquerade now because he didn’t have to show his distorted expression.

No, actually, not only that time, but the whole time he was on the field, he couldn’t control his expression… Wearing the mask was a huge advantage. It meant that it was okay for him to gaze at her with all his heart.

Even though he was able to find Laria as soon as the masquerade started, Evan pretended not to know because he wanted to get her a little more into his eyes. It made her feel bad to see Elanie mingling with her, but he didn’t follow her when the two of them went to a remote place.

It was because Laria wouldn’t want him to eavesdrop on private conversations.

Of course, he didn’t just feel bad for Elanie. Seymour, like a salted oil* wearing a white butterfly mask, was looking around, exuding an atmosphere of ‘finding Laria.’
[ T/N: It’s not salty tasting oil, but oil that is added salt flakes into it, like the ones you see in k-bbq, read more here, 기름장 ]

Evan hated Seymour.

When he saw the letter in the Borotna villa, he did not like his writing.

He was even handsome. Unlike him, who had a sharp impression, Seymour had a good, round impression. He was reluctant to admit it, though it felt similar to Laria.

…Sunny blonde hair and fresh green eyes. Moreover, he was told that Seymour had amassed quite a fortune through successive business and investment successes. In Seymour’s face, the confidence of his success appeared brightly.

On the other hand, Evan was constantly anxious, so he always had a gloomy aura.

Seymour’s presence was not the only concern.

He was afraid that Laria would get sick more, he was afraid that she’d be lonely in a faraway villa, He was afraid that she would find the Duke’s residence to be uncomfortable because she was too well adapted to the villa, he was afraid if the wind blew her away, he was afraid the sunlight would sting her…

So, of course, his wish was ‘just as it is now.’

When the knights’ march began, Laria even left Elanie and looked around for him frantically. Even though he was not a child anymore, so he’d overcome his trauma, Evan liked Laria, who was worried for him.

However, she was just running around like that, and ran into people and thought that she might fall.

It broke his heart that Laria eventually injured her ankle, but it was dreamy for him.

Even if they didn’t dance once, even though he didn’t take off his mask and couldn’t look into each other’s eyes properly… Even if he couldn’t show off his love by holding hands proudly in front of people…

…It was with Laria anyway.

While Evan didn’t like it, Serena seemed to be a real doctor as Laria didn’t look sick at all anymore. Nevertheless, he was always anxious.

In his childhood, he often had nightmares of losing her, even though Kalaudin told him it was a mild lung disease. There was no more binding system in the relationship between men and women than marriage.

She was the only one who should not leave this world…

That was enough.

* * * 

“So, as the fortune telling told me, I had the courage to tell my heart.”

Elanie was talking to Seymour next to her, blushing.

[ It will be an opportunity to deepen your relationship with the person you wanted to get closer to. ]

The person she wanted to get closer to was, of course, Laria.

[ Tell the hesitation in your heart. You will definitely receive understanding and support. ]

She thought the divorce law was radical and could be resisted, though Laria even looked pleased.

“But, I think I did really well. I was understood and supported.”

She murmured in ecstasy.

“It was the best masquerade, except by coincidence that I wore the same mask as you.”

She sighed and added.

“I am so sorry that she has to go away because of a matter with her family. It is urgent to distribute one Laria per person.”

“Then, have you talked to Laria about the divorce law?”

“Yes.”

Although he was a commoner who bought the Baronet title with money, Seymour Gold Litshua was quite a useful talent. She met him by chance a few times, and it seemed like fate. When he learned that Elanie wanted to enact the divorce law, he was so moved that he promised to help her both physically and mentally.

“Now, marriages between nobles are not without abnormalities.”

Seymour, never married, spoke very fervently.

“Does it make sense that if parents submit related documents without their consent, they will get married right away?”

“Hmm… Though marriages in the nobility are usually based on a political move, so there is nothing we can do about it.”

“That is not normal. At least, if they want to separate as an adult, shouldn’t they have the right to separate?”

Elanie gazed at Seymour and thought, ‘You’re a very excited person.’ She had looked at her parents and wished that there was a divorce system for her mother from a young age, although Seymour wasn’t even like that.

That was why she thought, ‘You’re such a terrible person to start thinking about divorce even though you’re not married.’ He was handsome, but he was a bit of a strange person, so he was nothing more than a pretty-looking cash cow.

“Anyway, my heart is still beating fast.”

Elanie took a deep breath and uttered.

She had wanted to be friends with Laria since 6 years ago, when she saw Laria trembling, saying that her father-in-law, who couldn’t forget his wife who died fourteen years ago, was better than her father. It was because she was thinking the same thing herself.

Numerous people ridiculed Duke Icard, who did not forget his wife and did not even remarry.

Duke Icard was still young and handsome, and the Duchy’s fortune was enormous.

So, no matter how clear his successor was, there were many women who wanted the title of Duchess. Judging from the progress in recent years, it seemed that his desire for power was tremendous. Still, it was impossible that he didn’t even think of a remarriage that has tremendous political value…

But, Elanie secretly thought that Duke Icard was much better than the Emperor. She seemed to be able to be good friends with Laria from her position as she had a father who was a playboy.

And, she originally liked cute things. When Elanie first met Laria at Avonitar, she thought Laria was the same age as her and she looked really cute.

When she coughed, Elanie’s protective instinct sprung up and she wanted to give Laria something, so she just gave up the necklace. They even grew up in the same environment, and she thought Laria’s values ​​should be the same, but Laria was smart.

“You wanted to make a custom order for a new emerald necklace for the next foundation festival, but you suddenly remembered that necklace from six years ago and wanted to do it with the same design, so you called me.”

She prided herself on the accuracy of her eyes. It was because she was sick, so she couldn’t be seen by other people, although she felt like Laria was the master of the field. As they played chess, Laria’s intelligence was unusual.

Elanie quickly wished that she would get better soon.

‘I wish she hadn’t stayed in the Southwest but in the capital all the time.’

Then, the two of them would be able to control not only the social circles of the capital but also the political world.

“I’m going to work really hard because I got her support.”

Elanie rolled her eyes and clasped her hands together.

“I need to recruit more aristocrats… I have to try.”

“Yes, maybe you need more money?”

“It’s still plenty, I’ll tell you again if I need it.”

“Don’t hesitate to say it.”

Seymour, the pretty-looking money belt, uttered with full enthusiasm.

“I swept up quite a bit of money today.”

“Today? Did you do any business…?”

“Yes. For the masquerade… It was a huge hit thanks to my partner.”

Elanie didn’t ask about the ‘partner.’

She remembered being so tired when she asked for a moment that he got so excited and so tired of praising. Laria was that person for Elanie as she made her feel supported when she discussed things with her and that it was very difficult to find someone who fit so well…

“It’s very fortunate. Don’t bother explaining because I am not interested.”

Elanie answered dryly about the pretty-looking cash cow’s current situation, and she got up.

“Well then. I’ll have to look around to see if everything’s okay in the masquerade.”

As she went around, she witnessed a sight that was truly stunning… A woman was playing with a parrot, and she was playing a terrible game.

“Help me. This warlock made me a parrot.”

Seeing the way the parrot was talking, it was not that it was making a mistake because it was clumsy and impulsively got excited, though it seemed like she had prepared it with determination. Black magic was strictly regulated by the country since magic that could be cast on people can mess up with the world.

“No, it’s okay to joke around, but how can you dress up as a warlock… How can you be so brazen when it’s banished by the country? …This is an act of deceiving the Empire.”

Elanie decided to take her mask off right away and humiliate her.