~Chapter 19~
Anthea was proud as she left Julie and Ellie behind and returned with an escort. She concealed her sympathy for the children and feigned discomfort. Anthea, who made many villainous remarks, did not forget to tell her at the last minute to spend the Dukeâs money as much as she wanted. She said that it didnât matter how much money it costs, and she said she doesnât want to see dirty children, so as per Antheaâs wishes, she will make sure that her children donât go out picking flowers among themselves for a while. Maybe buy toys for the kids to play with. Since she behaved like a wicked woman by exploiting child labor to make up for bumpy roads, she wanted to add to that the extravagance and extravagance she also wanted to convey. What a useless waste of money she was spending on things she didnât need.
âI must have looked like a really bad villain this time.â
Anthea said she was sure she bit her tongue and that she spoke as vulgarly as possible.
If sheâs like this, sheâs done something big. She worked so hard that even the two people who showed favor to her were embarrassed. This evil deed will be worth at least 10 points. She didnât know how many points she needed to save, but she imagined putting up ten villain stickers at once, so she thought she could take a day off. Contrary to the expectations of Anthea, who fell asleep early, contented alone, the faces of the two maids who faithfully carried out the Duchessâ orders were filled with overwhelming emotion.
-Are the children walking around like they couldnât even eat blood porridge, and spilling the soup?
-Are you just leaving something so dirty like that?
-What are those skinny bones?
-It wasnât confirmed by a doctor.
Remembering what Anthea had pointed out, the two maids strengthened their resolve. Most of the children did as Anthea told them and started to fill the path with dirt. It didnât take long for several children to prepare the not-so-long path with dirt. As a reward, she gave them a silver coin, which was difficult to receive even if they worked all day. After that, she rented the yard of a quiet inn located in a deserted place to wash and feed the dirty children. Julie first took the tired children and washed them, and then Ellie bought them clothes and put them on the children. She was worried about their illness, and as Anthea said, they called a doctor and checked on the health of her children. Some children had mild colds and were prescribed medication. Children were bored with hard bread because their parents did not return until late at night. For the children, the innkeeper cooked soup containing crumbly but well-stored bread and plenty of ingredients. Of course, the cost was paid by ghostwriting the Duchessâ autograph. They almost misunderstood the lady for a moment, but all their misunderstandings were cleared up by Antheaâs bright smile, saying that they would trust her as she would spend as much money as she wanted. Julie and Ellie couldnât help but laugh at the bright smiles of the children who were hesitant at the kindness of a stranger.
âI guess we did just as our lady wanted, right?â
âHuh. As expected, our lady is as beautiful in heart as she is in appearance.â
Julie and Ellie felt proud despite working overtime, saying that their lady was an angel. If Anthea had seen it, it was such a completely opposite interpretation that she would have felt mortified and said that it wasnât true. The shadows of the two maids guarding the Duchessâs room kept moving throughout the night.
âMaâam, let me clean your arm.â
âYesâŚâ
After just going out for a long day, Anthea developed a fever all night long and couldnât get out of her bed. Even when she was at the countâs house, she would often get a fever like this if she stayed too much in the garden or paid too much attention to it. Antheaâs body was so weak that she thought she would fall because she fell so often. Antheaâs plan to pile up her evil deeds inside and out came to naught. In response to Antheaâs gloomy expression, Julie acted cheerful even though she had to nurse her all night.
âIâm guessing youâre not yet tired from the long journey. Youâll be fine after a few days of rest.â
Antheaâs mood didnât improve because she knew that wasnât the case. She thought she was in good health because she had survived the carriage during her month as a duke. She forgot for a moment that her body was in such a mess that she could easily collapse if she overexerted herself even a little. She tried to do her best as a villainess in the duchyâs house, but she felt pitiful as she was stuck in her bed on the third day. Should she now be armed with her seclusion and depression like her original character Anthea did? Close her curtains and let in not a ray of light.
âI donât like that.â
She often felt like this, her body falling apart, and for half a year she spent a long time in depression and darkness, and she did not want to eat away at herself. She felt like if she did that, she would really end up being the original Anthea.
Anthea shook her head and tried to shake off her negative thoughts. She has lived so that even her weakness can be to her advantage. When she was sick, she became more prone to whining. She abused power at the same time.
âMy lady. I brought soup.â
Her soup, which had felt very savory until yesterday, gave off a sweet smell. She said it was hearty so far, so it seemed like there was a lot of meat in it.
âI donât want to eat.â
âBut you have to eat it to gain strength.â
âGet it away.â
Even though Ellie felt sorry for Antheaâs helpless push against her, she quietly backed away.
Her body must also have energy. As her stamina was low, it was difficult to suppress her irritation. She closed her eyes, wishing she would just go to sleep, and in an instant her beasts came rushing in. While she was half-asleep, moisture touched her lips and she was thirsty, so she took the food and fell asleep. How much time has passed?
âHuh!â
Anthea, lost in her nightmare, gasped and opened her eyes. One wall of the room, which should have been dark, was glowing softly due to the magic stone. Anthea was the only one in the room. No matter how busy Anthea was when Anthea had a fever or was lying down, the people who always came to visit were nowhere to be seen. The faint scent of her sachet, which Mary had specially dried for Anthea, who had nightmares when her fever rose, could not be smelled anywhere. As she tossed and turned, she couldnât even hear Nathanâs soft voice gently stroking her hair and whispering sweetly to her. There was no Countess, who told her to have sweet dreams, made her drink after cup of flower tea that she would not drink, and changed her cold towels until her fever went away.
âMotherâŚâ
As she struggled with her motion sickness in her carriage, she was still able to hold on. As she arrived at the duchy and planted her feet on the ground, she felt like the ground was more unstable than ever. She was okay though. She would be back in half a year.
âWell⌠UghâŚâ
As her fever rose and emotions took precedence over reason, her buried longing came to the fore. Without realizing it, she sobbed and let out her longing for someone she couldnât tell whether it was her parents who had abandoned her in real life or the Countess.
âUh⌠mom⌠Iâm sickâ
Anthea, who had been crying, fell asleep again due to her fever rising.
* * *
Itâs refreshing. Her body and mind were as refreshed as the clear sky seen outside the window. As she stood up with her clear head as if she had truly rested for the first time in a long time, Julie, who had been by her side since then, supported her. Unlike Ann Shea, who looked refreshed as if she had just woken up from a good nightâs sleep, Julieâs face was as if she had been by her side all night.
âDid you stay up all night because of me?â
âI took a short break while changing shifts with Ellie. More than that, madam, are you feeling better now?â
âHuh. Iâm fine.â
âEveryone was surprised because you suddenly developed a fever. I was upset when the doctor said it was because you were very nervous and only gave you fever reducers⌠Iâm glad your fever is gone.â
Anthea felt ominous at Julieâs relieved face.
âAh, maâam! Youâre awake. As expected, you are a good person.â
The pure joy that was the kindness itself bloomed on Ellieâs face as she just opened the door and came in. That wasnât a joke. What on earth happened while she was asleep? Antheaâs face was like an angel, so itâs not like sheâs forgotten all her evil deeds. As a result, all the villain points she had accumulated were lost.
âI was punished for doing something bad, so donât worry too much.â
âYes? Are you saying youâre mean?â
âHuh? Wasnât I bad yesterday?â
Something didnât make sense. What? Even though she was puzzled, Anthea calmly explained to Julie that she was sleep deprived because she was taking care of herself.
âI told the kids to carry dirt. I said I didnât want to see them because they were skinny and dirty.â
âOh, thatâs it.â
What, actually, Julie was the villainessâs aptitude? Anthea was rather taken aback by the so calm reaction.
âThe kids were so wild that the bumpy road was almost completely covered.â
âYeah, right? Child exploitation is bad.â
âThe kids who were already dirty got even dirtier, so we rented a nearby inn.â
âHuh?â
âThe clothes were too old, so I bought new clothes for them all.â
âBuy me new clothes?â
âYes. My lady told me not to worry about money, so I spent it well.â
