IHTMP 03

I’ll Change My Husband First with an Abduction Marriage – Chapter : 03

Crown Prince Arpad was a man who, every time, clashed with his imperial father, then went mad from the hereditary mental illness passed down in the imperial family and died.

Once, I had even seen the bloodbath he created after turning into a crazed murderer.
‘I almost died by that hand, too.’
But the only one who can stand against Ludwig, who has the Emperor’s favor behind him, is him alone—the one with legitimacy.

Besides, I had decisive information obtained in my third life.

Though I had to suffer terrible pain as the price.
‘Because I know how to keep Crown Prince Arpad from going mad.’
Even so, I couldn’t just rush out right now to find the Crown Prince.
‘Someone will come soon.’
And two of them, at different times.

This is now the fourth time I am experiencing this point.

Moreover, it is right after a regression.

Of course I couldn’t help but remember it vividly.

From tonight until the wedding, I especially remembered what would happen.

After roughly gauging the time and hiding the paper knife in the hidden space inside the jewelry box.

I threw open both the window and the door.

And long after the first person I’d been waiting for entered the room……

I screamed so loudly it would echo through the entire mansion.
“Kyaaaah!!!”
So that anyone with intact hearing would have no choice but to hear it.

So that everyone would have no choice but to come running to my room.
* * *
A familiar man’s voice was flustered to the point of sounding unfamiliar.
“What on earth is this…….”
In all three lives, I was that man’s wife, but this was the first time I’d heard a voice of his so panicked and at a loss.
“What am I supposed to do about this……!”
‘So in front of me, it was always nothing but lies and pretense.’
I moved only my eyes to look toward where the sound came from.

The person standing there was a handsome man with a fairly fine face, though not on the Crown Prince’s level.

Dull ash-gray hair, and reddish-brown eyes that in my first life I’d only thought were beautiful.

In all three lives, he was my husband, and my enemy—the one who only used me and threw me away.

Grand Duke Ludwig Kielrn.

The current Emperor’s nephew, and Crown Prince Arpad’s rival.

Right now, he was my fiancé, and by tomorrow morning, he would hold the wedding and become my husband.

He snapped at me in anger.
“How did the dress end up like this?

The wedding is tomorrow, so what the hell are we supposed to do about this?!”
Pointing back and forth between the ruined wedding dress and me.
‘Ah, the angry expression and the accusing tone are familiar.’
Because I saw them so often in my past lives.

I diligently continued the act I was doing.

Squeezing out tears with all my might, I sniffled.
“I-I’m sorry.

Ludwig.

It’s a dress you gave me, and I couldn’t protect it.”
Sob, sob!

Even to my own ears, a sorrowful cry filled the room.

And I deliberately repeated “I’m sorry.

I’m sorry,” like a madwoman.

Like a bride in despair because her dress was ruined the day before the wedding.

Then Ludwig, who had been blaming me, instead looked at a loss.

Because it became as though he had been pressing the greatest victim, who was only blaming herself.

At that moment, a sweet woman’s voice tickled my ear.
“Stop it, Brother.

Our new sister-in-law must be reflecting more than anyone.

Don’t get so angry.”
A voice I knew well.
“Goodbye.

Miss heroine of the original story.”
Without realizing it, I almost let out a curse.

My whole body trembled like an aspen.

It’s really a good thing I’m pretending to cry.
‘What X-ing bullshit!’
If you only hear those words, you’d think I’m not the one who shredded the wedding dress into a mess.
‘…Ah, I did do it, didn’t I?’
I was acting so hard I’d even forgotten that I tore it up.

But confessing that I did it would be insane, so of course I had no intention of doing that.

While I cried my eyes out, the owner of that coquettish voice had already approached Ludwig’s side.

Through my fingers, I stole a look at that loathsome sight.
“Even if it happened because our new sister-in-law was careless and didn’t lock the door, don’t be so angry.

The one who’s saddest that the dress ended up like that is the bride, isn’t she?”
“You’re too kind for your own good, Evangeline.”
Evangeline—no, the possessor whose real name I couldn’t know—was there.

She twisted her honey-colored blonde hair and smiled brightly.

Even with me, her fiancé’s bride, right in front of her, she gently stroked Ludwig’s shoulder and soothed him.

By anyone’s eyes, it was not behavior to show to another woman’s man.

Besides, it was behavior that absolutely didn’t fit someone who called him “Brother” and called me “new sister-in-law.”
‘“Brother” can freeze to death.’
The reason she, who is called the flower of high society but is no more than the daughter of a marquis, could call the imperial Ludwig “Brother” was simple.
‘Because she’s the former husband’s daughter the current Empress brought with her.’
Normally it would have faced a lot of opposition, but the current Empress was originally a maid of the former Empress.

And she had also been the wet nurse personally chosen for the Crown Prince by the former Empress.

Because of that, the Emperor brought her in as Empress so she could look after his son.

Of course, even the Emperor likely never imagined that Empress would end up driving a wedge between him and the Crown Prince.

In any case, because of that, Evangeline, the Empress’s daughter, received treatment almost on par with royalty.

Since they had grown up together since childhood, she even said herself that she and Ludwig were practically cousins.

Using that as the reason, she was the one who first called Ludwig “Brother,” and called me “new sister-in-law.”

To me, who knew what kind of relationship those two really had, their behavior was…….
‘…disgusting.’
Calling him “older brother” as though they were cousins, and in the end, cheating, saying it didn’t matter because their blood wasn’t mixed.
‘Well, maybe she thought it didn’t matter because she’s a possessor.’
In any case, it’s none of my concern.

Looking at that sticky touch, it seemed those two would become deeply involved again this time—no, they already seemed to be.
‘This time, I’ll definitely toss both of them into the trash can together and take care of them.’
Grit—without realizing it, I clenched my jaw so hard I tasted blood on my lips.

But Ludwig didn’t notice at all, even though his fiancé was bawling and bleeding from the lips.

He was only busy flirting with Evangeline.

I kept crying, then pretended to go weak in the knees as strength drained from my body.
“Ah……!”
And while doing so, I succeeded in collapsing toward Ludwig in an entirely natural way.
“Hylia!!”
Only then did Ludwig notice my state and reach out to support me.

Thanks to that, Evangeline, left hanging, failed to manage her expression for a moment.

In the meantime, I launched my decisive attack.

I burrowed pitiably into Ludwig’s arms and cried out.
“I’m scared, Ludwig!”
“Hm?

What all of a sudden……?”
I looked up at Ludwig with eyes moist with tears.

Since this was before I’d been put through hell because of this adulterous pair, I was maintaining the best looks of my life.

In other words, it was when I was called the continent’s greatest beauty.

Anyone is bound to go weak before a beauty’s tears.

Even if that’s right in front of the mistress.

I could see that Evangeline couldn’t quite hide her jealousy and sense of defeat.

Pretending not to see it, I focused only on Ludwig.
“You know I screamed because someone ruined the wedding dress before you came into the room, right?”
“Yeah.

I know everything.

Your scream was so loud that I and Evangeline, and even the servants outside the room, all came running.”
He looked like he was about to get annoyed.

It was absolutely not the tone of someone comforting his heartbroken fiancé.
“Actually… before I came into the room, I saw it!”
“Saw?

What… ah, don’t tell me you saw the culprit?!”
While making my whole body tremble with fear, I nodded.

Then Ludwig’s anger took shape.

As though I were the culprit—though I am, in fact—he grabbed my shoulders and shook me, raging.
“Who was it?

Tell me!

I’ll kill them right now!”
It was the wedding dress to be used at the wedding between me and Ludwig.

It was a big problem to find a dress fitting our station a day before the wedding, but since the design had already been fully revealed, if it suddenly changed, people would have plenty to say.

A hot-blooded man like Ludwig naturally had reason to get angry.

To him, as he flew into a fury, I answered in a voice still full of fear.
“I couldn’t see her face.

She ran away too fast.

But… I could tell she was a woman.”
“…A woman?”
I continued, nonchalantly dropping a bomb.
“I’m so scared, Ludwig!”
Burrowing deep into his arms, I cried out loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear.
“What if someone wants to interfere with our marriage?

I’m scared because it feels like there’s someone nearby who hates me, and wants to shatter our happiness.”
“…!”
He tried to pretend otherwise, but I felt Ludwig flinch.
‘Yes.

There is someone like that nearby.

More precisely, right in front of us.’
And I could be certain that right now, Ludwig and Evangeline were panicking and exchanging glances with each other.

Probably.
‘Could it be you, Evangeline?’
‘How could that be, Brother!’
They’d be trading looks like that.

Even before she revealed that she was a possessor, Evangeline acted as though what was mine was naturally hers.

I’d even heard her say this.
“In the end, this is how it was always going to be.

From the start, Ludwig and the position of Crown Princess were mine.

I only left them in your care for a little while.”
Of course Ludwig couldn’t not know that.

The person who disliked this wedding the most, and thus had the motive to ruin the dress.

In truth, isn’t there only one?

Evangeline, Ludwig’s mistress.

There was no way Ludwig wouldn’t think of that.
‘Good.

I’ve planted the seed of doubt.’
Held in Ludwig’s stiff arms, I smiled secretly.