BJ Villainess

Euges was napping on the couch sofa placed on the terrace. As he lifted his eyelids, he saw Joanna approaching him with a handkerchief in her hand.

“Oh gosh, look at all this cold sweat. You must have had a nightmare.”

“I’m fine.” He really wanted to harshly push her hand away due to his irritation. However, with utmost patience, he simply turned his head to the side to refuse her offer and then glanced over her shoulder.

“I don’t see Theresa.”

His comment, implying that Joanna should stop fussing around and leave, stiffened her previously innocent expression. She retreated to the side, unable to hide her hurt feelings.

“…Madam Rodrigo is playing with the children. I’m taking a rest here because I get dizzy in the sunlight.”

 Euges did not respond but lazily observed Theresa. Thanks to Joanna moving aside, he finally caught sight of Theresa running across the lawn. Her cheeks, warmed by the sunlight, looked like ripe fruit. It made him inadvertently frown as if biting into them would release their juice.

The way she carelessly wiped her sweat-drenched face with the back of her hand seemed utterly common. And what about her undoing her hair tie to tightly bind her long hair? She was a woman who needed to be taught everything from scratch if she was to avoid criticism in the imperial palace. However, seeing that her manners had improved since spring suggested she wasn’t bad at learning.

Then, by chance, their eyes met.

“…” Euges momentarily forgot reality.

Theresa set against the malevolent aura emitted by all the malice around, stood out even more outside the dungeon. In his eyes, which saw the essence, Theresa appeared strange and mystical. She felt like an entity not of this world, causing a sense of alienation. It was as if… facing a god would not look dissimilar to this, he mused, getting lost in such an outlandish thought when Joanna spoke to him.

“You must love your wife a lot.”

. She was truly bothersome to deal with. But since he had lost a bet to Theresa, he had no choice but to fulfill his role as a husband.

Euges adjusted his posture to be too relaxed to host a guest and casually asked, “Does it seem that way?”

Love, what a foolish question.  Joanna was just trying to engage in conversation, using Theresa, who she knew he had an interest in, as a pretext. This was not love. Joanna’s cheeks reddened under Euges’s intense gaze.

“You’re always so kind, Duke Rodrigo.”

She was completely mesmerized by his facade. That’s why, since entering this mansion, she had left her daughter to fend for herself and kept making advances towards him.

“Have I been kind?”

This time, Joanna responded with a slightly sulky expression. “Yes, to me, you’re cold, though.”

She twirled her hair and sneaked glances at him. “I want to be closer to you, Duke. We’re going to be family soon, after all.” She said, smiling bashfully. Her attitude clearly showed she knew how appealing she looked to others.

Euges suddenly felt irritated. Even such a vile creature had to swallow its pride and approach him in such a disgusting manner, but what about Theresa? Theresa, who had been briefly making eye contact, turned away with an expression that said, ‘Ah, you’ve woken up from your nap,’ and returned to the children without any lingering smile.

“

.”

Anyways, he had known since she wandered around with that ignorant face. Theresa was not pretending to be innocent; she was genuinely foolish.

“What’s the matter, Duke?” Joanna, noticing Euges clicking his tongue while looking at Theresa, showed interest with a brightened face.

“It’s nothing.”

“If you have any worries, please tell me. People in social circles come to me for advice when they have issues.”

“Is that so?” He responded indifferently to the content he had no interest in, yet Joanna persisted in the conversation.

“I heard you two don’t share a bedroom. Is that the issue?”

There was a hint of meddling in her tone, which was slightly amusing.

“I’ve never shared a room with anyone, so we use separate bedrooms. Is there a problem with that?”

“

… Actually, my husband and I also have separate rooms. It’s important to respect each other’s privacy.”

Euges was sick of this pointless conversation. He would rather smoke a cigar during this time. However, since Theresa was spending time with the children, he had banned smoking and drinking, losing all his hobbies. Recently, his new pastime had become killing time on this terrace, watching Theresa play with the children.

Just as he was getting bored of this as well, he noticed a man in splendid uniform approaching Theresa in the garden. “What’s that?” He muttered, unaware of the hostility seeping through his voice.

Surprised by his sharp reaction, Joanna also turned to look at the garden. She smiled awkwardly. “

, that’s my husband. He said he was busy, but he came earlier than I thought…”

Remembering that Duke Mintzberg was supposed to visit the mansion later due to business, Euges chuckled. If Duke Mintzberg had been of lower rank than himself, he wouldn’t have been able to enter the garden as if it were his own bedroom. This meant the Mintzberg family held more power than the Rodrigo family.

Having been murdered for his power before, he had never been treated as inferior to anyone. It was a refreshingly terrible experience. His good mood plummeted as Joanna added fuel to the fire.

“Madam Rodrigo invited my husband here, so shall we wait here for them?”

“I don’t know.”

How long was he supposed to watch them laugh and chat together? Euges walked briskly towards the garden. The closer he got, the clearer Duke Mintzberg’s affectionate expression and cheerful voice became.

Duke Mintzberg was the first to notice his approach. “

! Could you be Duke Rodrigo?”

At Duke Mintzberg’s words, Theresa also turned to look at him. Expecting her to be enjoying her conversation with Duke Mintzberg, he found instead that Theresa looked overwhelmed, like a dried squid, having exceeded her capacity for social interaction. Then, upon spotting him, she beamed like a child.

“You’re here? I was just about to call you.” She reached out to him as if it were the most natural thing.

Euges, too, was about to take her hand when he suddenly realized. Since the bet ended, they had always held hands upon meeting, which had unknowingly become a habit for both of them.

“How timely—”

Theresa’s words were cut short because Euges impulsively cupped her cheeks and kissed her forehead. He slowly pulled away, responding to her wide-eyed gaze.

“I was watching you.”

Yes, he had been watching only Theresa naturally, as if he couldn’t feel any strangeness in himself.

Then, a cough from the side interrupted them. Turning his head, he saw Duke Mintzberg smiling amiably, attempting an introduction. “I’m Patrick Mintzberg. I’m sorry for visiting only now, despite your kind invitation, due to being busy with work.”

Euges felt the urge to strangle this unwelcome guest but restrained himself, holding Theresa’s hand. He shook Patrick’s hand with his characteristic arrogance. “Euges Rodrigo.”

“

, nice to meet you. I’ve heard you’re quite handsome, but you truly are impressive!”

At that moment, Joanna approached, holding Abigail’s hand. “How could you arrive so late when Madam Rodrigo invited us? I’ve been waiting for you, Honey.”

“Did you wait long? I’ve been busy with a new business venture.” Patrick wrapped his arm around Joanna’s shoulder and kissed her on the lips with a loud smack.

Joanna, glancing at Euges, playfully scolded Patrick with a shy expression. “

, come on. People are watching.”

Theresa, watching the Mintzberg couple’s display of affection, relaxed her tense shoulders.

Euges felt confident that he knew what she was thinking.

That’s probably the naive thought she had.

“Daddy!”

After the brief introductions, they were heading towards a shaded area when Cecilia came running. Normally, Euges would have barely reacted, but he eagerly lifted Cecilia and placed her on his arm. With his other arm, he pulled Theresa close by the waist. It amused him how Theresa’s eyes widened like a startled rabbit whenever he acted this way.

Watching this, Abigail begged Patrick. “Daddy, pick me up too.”

“Alright, alright. Oh! My little lady has grown so much since I last saw you.”

Theresa, already warm from playing with the children, felt even hotter when clinging to Euges, who had a high body temperature and kept fanning herself with her hand.

Joanna pointed out an embarrassing detail with a concerned look. “Oh my, Madam Rodrigo is sweating a lot. I can’t believe we had her standing in this scorching sun. That’s my mistake.”

“I’m fine. But we can’t stay here any longer, so let’s go inside.” Theresa replied nonchalantly and looked at Euges. “I’m sweating.”

“So?”

“I think just holding hands would be enough. It’s sticky.”

Euges gestured towards the Mintzberg couple with his chin. “Over there, he can’t hold his wife because he’s holding his daughter with both arms. I can, though.”

At this, Theresa whispered in his ear so Cecilia wouldn’t hear. “You’re right. We’re ahead of them.”

Euges held his breath for a moment. The horribly sweet scent invaded his lungs and took over.

While he hesitated, Theresa slipped out of his arms. “Since I can’t keep greeting guests like this, I’ll go to my room for a bit. Meanwhile, please entertain them. Understood?”

Theresa quickly left after spouting her words like a rapid-fire gun, not giving Euges a chance to refuse. Although he agreed to play the role of her husband, he wasn’t used to her leaving without his consent. Moreover, she dared to assign him a task.

Cecilia tilted her head curiously. “Daddy, why are you smiling?”

“…Go play with Abigail.”

“Okay!”

Euges carelessly let Cecilia go and, frowning, touched his mouth. “Why was I smiling?”

There was nothing funny.