The Villain's Sickly Wife Dislikes Being Overprotected - Chapter 2.16

***

“I’m not seriously injured. I’m fine now. Thank you for your concern.”

I replied to Lady Stober.

I don’t understand why she approached me again, given our awkward relationship.

“I’ve been thinking about what you said to me earlier in the waiting room.”

Lady Stober quietly continued.

The fast music and the merriment of the banquet now seemed to belong to a different world. It was as if only Lady Stober and I were separated from the banquet by an invisible barrier.

“It’s true that I’ve been rude to you, Duchess, a few times before. You must have felt my negative emotions towards you.”

Since it was true, I nodded between her sentences.

“If I’ve offended you, I apologize.”

The lady even showed her politeness by slightly bowing her head to me.

Has she truly reflected on her actions? I listened to her continued words, half surprised and half skeptical.

“I think I was rash. I wanted to maintain a cordial relationship with you, Duchess, but I guess I didn’t express that properly.”

She suddenly raised her hand to call a servant. The servant approached with a tray carrying two champagne glasses.

“Shall we have some champagne together as a gesture of friendship from now on?”

She picked up one glass first and offered it to me. I hesitated for a moment, staring at the glass.

I hadn’t yet said I would accept her apology.

My distrust towards Lady Stober wouldn’t be resolved just by a few words and polite gestures.

As I was contemplating whether to accept the glass with an uneasy feeling, a new voice appeared.

“Oh my, are the two of you making up?”

Damn onlookers.

“Did Lady Stober extend the olive branch first? As expected, her class is different, truly different!”

“But surely the Duchess won’t refuse, right? That would put Lady Stober in a very awkward position.”

Thanks to their impeccable timing, if I were to refuse the champagne glass now, I would be the only one looking bad.

“Haha……”

I forced a laugh and took the glass Lady Stober offered. A subtle smile had been on her lips the entire time.

This is suspicious, no doubt.

The Lady Stober I know isn’t someone who would easily take such a submissive stance. Even in the original story, she was the one who deliberately tormented the saint who entered the Crown Prince’s palace.

“Surely you’re not suspecting that I’ve done something to this champagne?”

She hit the nail right on the head. That was exactly what I had just thought.

“Then shall I drink first? To put your mind at ease.”

She picked up the other glass from the servant’s tray and took a sip.

“How about it, can you trust me now?”

I saw with my own eyes that she swallowed a mouthful of champagne.

The lady even smiled at me with composure.

“I don’t know why the sudden champagne, but……”

I snatched the glass from her hand and gave her mine instead.

“……If you don’t want to be suspicious, you should drink mine too.”

How would I know if what’s in this glass and that glass is the same?

At this, Lady Stober’s smiling lips instantly hardened.

“If we’re to truly reconcile and become close, shouldn’t we go through this much of a process?”

She stared down at the champagne glass with a stony face. Then, as if she had made up her mind, she took a few gulps of champagne in one go.

“Is this enough now? Do you trust me now?”

She switched the glasses back to their original positions.

“……I’ll trust you.”

“Now there were watching eyes, and no more excuses to make.

Although I hadn’t completely let go of my suspicions, I no longer had any pretexts.

I drank the champagne that had returned to my hand.

***

Something still felt off.

Even though I had drunk the champagne, an uneasy feeling remained, so I secretly followed Lady Stober.

After sharing a glass of champagne, we exchanged some formal conversation before parting, and Lady Stober left with quick steps as if she had something to do.

While trailing her, I noticed masks placed alongside refreshments on a table at one side of the banquet hall. It was one of the things prepared for the entertainment of the party. Since it wasn’t a masquerade, not many people were wearing them.

I quickly grabbed one and roughly covered my face. It was out of concern that Lady Stober might notice my presence.

Lady Stober’s steps were as fast as someone being chased.

She left the bustling banquet hall and entered a corridor. Fearing I might lose her, I had to move as quickly as she did.

The hem of Lady Stober’s sky-blue dress disappeared around a corner of the corridor. It didn’t seem to be a path used by banquet attendees, but rather one used by servants.

Why would the noble Lady be going down such a path? It was a suspicious circumstance.

I approached as carefully as possible, worried that even the sound of my shoes might be heard.

Turning the corner, there was a hallway lined with several rooms. More accurately, they looked like storerooms rather than rooms.

There were multiple doors, but I couldn’t tell which one she had entered.

Being careful not to make even the slightest sound, I first stood with my ear against the nearest door.

There was no sound coming from inside.

Unable to waste time, I moved to another door.

As I got close, almost leaning against the door, I could hear some voices coming from inside.

“She was less stupid than I thought.”

“Pardon?”

“I’m saying she switched the glasses with me.”

“Th-then, my lady, will you also soon… have symptoms of delirium…!”

“Don’t be so noisy, just give me the antidote. The one I told you to keep ready.”

“Y-yes…”

What? Symptoms of delirium?

I pressed my ear even closer to the unbelievable words.

“Damn it, why am I so angry.”

Lady Stober was furious that I had switched the glasses.

So she had drugged the champagne, and soon the effects would kick in, causing symptoms of delirium.

Right, it was strange from the moment she approached saying she wanted to become close. She certainly approached with this plan from the beginning.

“If I’m away for too long, someone might come looking, so hurry up and give it to me.”

From the atmosphere, it seemed Lady Stober would drink the antidote and soon come back out into the corridor.

I quickly opened the door of the room I had earlier sensed was empty. Fortunately, as I had hoped, it was an empty storeroom with no one inside.

Hiding my body in that room, I left the door slightly ajar so I could confirm when she came out and waited.

I pressed myself against the wall, even holding my breath.

This empty storeroom I had hurriedly entered without knowing what it was for turned out to be a place for storing cleaning tools.

While I was focusing only on the situation in the corridor, the musty smell of damp mops assaulted my nose. Suddenly, nausea rose up and at the same time, my head started to feel dizzy.

Why does it feel like my head is spinning and I can’t see straight?

Something felt off.

It seemed like my vision was blurring, or rather than a vision problem, it felt like my mind was becoming jumbled.

It felt like resentment was constantly rising from my chest, and if I didn’t torment someone, this anger wouldn’t subside.

Is this the symptom of delirium…?