Living as the Villain’s Stepmother - Chapter 198

“But, even though I worked hard, it was only possible because of your help. I’m thankful to you,” Lila was feeling sentimental.

“What you did was the right thing to do for the relationship between a husband and wife,” Lacias stated.

“Even so. I feel like I’ve never really said it properly.”

“How about ‘I love you’ instead of ‘thank you’?”

Lila’s face blushed. “You’re talking nonsense!” she said as she looked down to the ground.

“Are you embarrassed?” Lacias asked.

“It’s not that, it’s just…” Lila did not know how to explain the truth to him.

“If it’s hard, then you can say it when you are ready.” Lacias smiled. “It’s something I’ll hear eventually. Until then I will just have to be patient.”

***

There was much to be done, even after getting the mine back. Lacias took care of the aftermath of Doug Blake, but Lila’s testimony was also required, so she still needed to be around. Also, they had to get permission from the Empire for the change of ownership of the diamond mine. Lastly, Lila needed to help Senior Hiln become the head of the Hiln family.

Because she was such a strong ally to the Wipere family, Senior’s position solidified as the best prospect to head her family. The status of the Hiln family grew as well.

Lila’s days were always busy. She kept considering the possibility of a honeymoon. But, as it stood right now, the desk was almost collapsing with the weight of official documents. She couldn’t leave without these issues unattended. It was just one of many excuses that had her keep postponing the honeymoon way into the future.

The real truth, though, was her plan to run away. She didn’t want the servants to be troubled for no reason by putting the honeymoon in the near future. If they received news of the Wipere couple going on a vacation, they would be preparing for many days, maybe even weeks in advance. There was no reason to cause all of that bother.

She was exhausted from the amount of work she had done this day. She was certain that she would fall asleep as soon as she lay down on the bed. But she couldn’t rest yet. There was something she had to do today. Something that she had been putting off. She needed to find a place to settle, once she left.

Lila was feeling sad. Once she finished these last few tasks, there was nothing more for her to do here. All of the other tasks that she left behind; others could take care of. But still, it was hard to say goodbye. Lacias, with his kindness, and the adorable Hir. All of the knights and servants she had become friends with. She would miss them all.

It’s something I have to let go now. Be strong, Lila, she thought as she unrolled a map of the kingdom.

She scanned the regions, thinking it was best to avoid the places she had lived before. It was overwhelming as there were so many places with unfamiliar names. The places outside of the Empire were even less familiar. Should I just go into the countryside? she thought. It would be a lot more secluded.

If she disappeared, would Lacias come search for her? Or, would she be forgotten by him, like a brief summer shower? It was really hard to know what was going on in Lacias’ heart. If he was the same Lacias from the original book, then he would never look for her. But if it’s the Lacias that she saw now, then he might search for her for a long time. He might miss her.

Lila felt the weight of her decision, pressing down on her. Lacias loved her. She knew that he didn’t care about the contract. She needed to be somewhere secluded. Somewhere, where he couldn’t find a trace of her. Somewhere, where he would give up hope and leave her be. But which way should I go?

It couldn’t be within the Empire. If she stayed within the Empire, then there wasn’t a place that Duke Wipere’s influence didn’t touch. So, the empire was excluded. Lila scanned the world map. Out of all the unfamiliar names, one name caught her eye. The Nixon Kingdom. She felt like she had heard this name a few times. Then she remembered. It was the place that Lacias said experienced snow. There was never any snow in the empire. Lila’s interest was perked. She would love to live somewhere that had snow. It would remind her of her past life.

She had one concern. Would Lacias think of the Nixon Kingdom, since Lila had mentioned once that she wanted to go there?

Apparently, it was said the Nixon Kingdom was so small it was hard to see, even when you were standing in it. Lacias might not be able to find her in a place like that. If she truly knew Lacias’ thoughts, he would think she had gone to a place that she had never mentioned before. Nixon Kingdom really wasn’t a bad choice.

The other benefit was that it wasn’t too far from the Empire, so she’d be able to hear the news of Lacias and Hir from time to time. She was sure the Empire’s newspaper would be available in Nixon Kingdom. Making her decision, Lila put a small star beside Nixon Kingdom on the world map.