Revenge of Reborn Villainess

It was an evening as the sun set.

After dinner, Kallian strolled through the gardens and saw a carriage pull up to the manor.

Wondering who would be driving the family carriage when his mother was bedridden due to illness, Kallian was first informed by a servant.

It was the Duchess who had returned from the tea party instead of his mother.

Eshika.

The moment her name crossed his mind, unpleasant memories from their last encounter resurfaced.

The chilly breeze emanating from her disdainful demeanor and icy gaze.

Not typical of Eshika Klaus.

Her behavior, filled with discord, only intensified the discomfort.

The remaining impression was summarized in two words

 ‘Dare.’

In an attempt to mend his ways, he tried not to show interest.

Eshika knew that his indifference was what tormented her the most.

But she acted as if Kallian didn’t exist.

It felt strangely empty without the shadow that always followed.

“…”

As the sunset, Kallian saw Eshika getting out of the carriage.

She was dressed in a pink dress that matched the setting sun, unlike the shabby clothes she usually wore after being scolded by her mother for her extravagance.

The sight of the dress fluttering in the wind caught his attention in a peculiar way.

And contrasting with the warm feel of the dress were her blue eyes.

“…”

Eshika, who descended from the carriage, was gazing into the distance.

Unlike the usual haggard look from the illness, her face looked serene.

Her silver hair, which reached to the middle of her back, blew in the wind, and her rounded forehead and prominent nose created a dreamy side profile.

Her skin is as fine as a glazed drinking glass.

I suddenly wondered what was in her eyes.

For the first time, Kallian wondered what…… Eshika was thinking.

And why she was looking at the sky with such a wistful expression.

Maybe it had something to do with her cheeky behavior lately?

Could it have something to do with her not following me around?

I don’t know, but there is no effect without a cause.

“Madam….!”

I saw a maid running toward her.

I wonder what her name was…. I can’t remember.

The maid seemed to say something to her in front of Eshika.

“You know…..”

Eshika’s lips curled slightly at the words she heard.

It’s an odd sensation, like the corner of a portrait of an emotionless girl tugging at the corners of her mouth.

Eshika was looking at the maid with a hint of a smile.

Although her eyes were cold before, now they seem different.

The beauty of the sunset was reflected in her eyes.

As if it would soon disappear, it was brilliant and fleeting…

“….”

Kallian furrowed his eyebrows.

Then, slowly, he raised his hand and touched the area around his chest.

It was Kallian’s pride and long-standing habit to deliberately ignore any curiosity about her.

But why was such an uneasy feeling pushing around his heart?

“Let’s go, Sella.”

Eshika smiled at the maid.

Yes, Eshika’s smile was always like that.

But… when was the last time she smiled like that?

I remember.

It was on the day of the wedding.

**

“Why have you been looking at me so unpleasantly lately?”

Sella was surprised at Eshika’s muttering.

“…Madam?”

“No, it’s just something like that.”

Following behind Eshika, Sella thought.

Certainly, the Duchess seemed to have changed too much.

Chasing after Duke Klaus, who showed no interest in her, seemed pitiful to all the servants in the mansion.

But now, Eshika seems to have no interest in the whereabouts of the Duke.

“Um… Shouldn’t we see the Duke for a moment? Earlier, there was a rumor among the servants that the Duke was looking for the Madam. It wasn’t conveyed to me, but among the servants…”

At Sella’s words, Eshika responded with annoyance.

“Sella, do you want me to receive the Duke’s favor?”

With those words, Sella nodded without hesitation.

Of course. Duke Klaus is the master of the mansion.

Now, even the servants openly ignore the Duchess, but if the Duchess becomes a happy couple with the Duke, no one would dare to do so.

Eshika’s lips twisted.

“As for me. I can forgive someone who has disappointed me once.”

She recalled the subordinates who, as a spirit, had no choice but to harm her at the command of the higher-ups.

“As for the second time…… yes, I might forgive them if they’re someone I’m quite fond of, though I haven’t done that yet.”

“Madam…”

“But from the third time, it’s over.”

Sella narrowed her eyes.

Eshika looked at Sella with a cold gaze.

It was a chilly gaze that made the atmosphere cold.

“You can’t fix it. And the Duke has disappointed me ten or twenty times.”

Before regaining the memories as a spirit, Eshika’s hopes were not great.

It was the appropriate attention and love from him who promised to be with her for a lifetime.

“Do you understand what I mean by now?”

Staring blankly at Eshika, Sella nodded.

The Duke will never be forgiven by the Duchess.

Yurie Anesis. That woman too.

And Sella thought.

She had already tried to poison her food once and got caught.

If she disappoints her twice, the result could be terrible.

It had been a long time since she felt a tension building up inside her.