The Villainess Enjoys Her Seventh Life as a Free-Spirited Bride (hostage) in a Former Enemy Country

“Really, I’m glad…”

“Rishe?”

She lost strength.

At the same time, her consciousness, which she had been holding onto with sheer willpower, drifted away.

***

“Sister-in-law?!”

Theodore couldn’t help but squeal when he saw Rishe suddenly fall.

Her brother quickly hugged her, who was limp and weak. Theodore hurriedly stood up and rushed over to them, wiping away his tears with his cuffs.

“What’s wrong with her?　I’m pretty sure she tripped and fell down earlier, but…”

Could it be that her earlier performance of ‘I collapsed because I’m sick’ wasn’t an act, but a fact?

Realizing this possibility, Theodore paled.

“What should I do? Could it be because I held Sister-in-law captive?”

“No.”

His strangely calm brother looked down at Rishe in his arms and muttered.

“She’s just sleeping.”

“Heh~?”

The unexpected reason gave him pause.

But looking closely, Rishe was indeed breathing smoothly, sound asleep.

“No kidding…”

It was abnormal to take a nap under these circumstances.

Unlike Theodore, who muttered dumbly, his brother was smiling a little. Seeing that, he thought, ah.

Here’s another expression I’ve first seen on my brother.

Even though he witnessed it, he didn’t feel as bewildered as he did a moment ago. He marveled at his brother’s mysterious change of heart.

“Theodore.”

He was flabbergasted when his brother suddenly called his name.

“Do you have a carriage ready somewhere?”

“Of course.”

He wasn’t used to being spoken to by his brother, which made his reply sound curt.

“It’s parked a distance away. If you want to carry Sister-in-law, I’ll call them right away.”

“Yes, please.”

After saying that, Brother carried Rishe up.

“I’ll let this one rest in the room below until the carriage arrives.”

“Got it.”

Theodore nodded and then wiped the tears from his eyes again.

He thought it was ridiculous to have his elder brother carry the princess.

“Big brother said please. He meant…”

The cheek that his brother slapped still stung.

But his chest felt terribly warm.

Wake up. I can’t just sit around in a daze.

After all, it was the first time that Big Brother had ever relied on him.

***

When Rishe slowly blinked her eyes open, the sunshine greeted her.

To be precise, she was on a bed where the sun shone.

She was in a dreamy space, tucked in fluffy beddings and fluffy sheets.

As an added bonus, she could hear the pleasant sound of a writing pen.

While she listened to it, her consciousness slowly sank back into slumber.

A pen?

That got her wondering and finally sobered her up.

Then she saw Arnold at his desk a distance away, running his pen over a document.

“Huh?”

“What? You’re up already?”

Arnolt paused his task and smiled at Rishe.

“Your Highness?!”

“You can go back to sleep if you want. It’s only been half a day.”

“What do you mean, half a day?”

For all intents and purposes, this was Rishe’s room in the detached palace. In a state of confusion, Arnold explained what was going on.

“You suddenly collapsed and then started sleeping soundly on the rooftop. I brought you back in my foolish brother’s carriage, but I can’t leave a person in a coma alone in the room. Much less let a maidservant who doesn’t know what’s going on take care of you.”

“Uhm, is that’s why Your Highness stayed awake?”

“I needed to get some work done, anyway, so I didn’t have time to sleep.”

“I’m sorry!!”

She hurriedly sat upright on the bed, and bowed her head. Then she paled as she realized that the dress she was wearing was a simple nightgown.

H-How?!

“Don’t worry. It was your handmaiden, Elise, who changed you.”

Although her thoughts were preempted, she felt relieved.

She slowly looked up, and Arnold got up from his chair. He stood in front of her and asked, “How are you feeling?”

His voice was gentle, and she felt strangely perturbed with his well-outlined face looking down on her.

“I-I’m all right now. I’m sorry for troubling you.”

“It’s good to know you’ve recovered.”

Arnold then took out an envelope from his pocket.

When she received and opened it, she found a white piece of paper with four fold marks on it. The words were spelled out in a brushstroke she had seen sometime ago.

[Dear Sister-in-law.]

It was a letter from Theodore.

[I’m sorry for all the horrible things I’ve done to you. I have a lot to say, but scratch that — First, I’ll definitely pay what I owe you. For that, I’ll lend you my men from the favelas. If you ever need people in the underworld, you can always count on us.]

Rishe chuckled inwardly.

The offer itself is quite reassuring.

If she could, she didn’t want to resort to that.

[Most of all, I’m very grateful. — So, thank you.]

The candor of the thank you letter made her stroke it gently with her fingertips.

“You had a talk with His Highness Theodore.”

Arnold merely raised a brow in response.

“Why do you think so?”

“Otherwise, you wouldn’t have kept this letter, right?!”

Arnold didn’t answer, but that was a sign of affirmation.

At any rate, it was a relief.

She thought this has achieved a little change in her present life.

Above all, the brothers seemed to have gotten closer.

She smiled happily and was asked by Arnold.

“Why are you smiling like that?”

“That’s because I’m happy about it, of course. Because my husband’s family relationship is better than satisfactory.”

“Strange girl.”

Arnold lowered his eyes and looked at her.

His expression was softer than usual.

However, he seemed to have been struck with a thought and said, “I had forgotten. Think of something you want in the next few days.”

“Something I want?”

He wasn’t talking about something she wanted to buy, right? While she was wondering why, Arnold continued.

“I’ve broken my vow not to touch you again.”

“?”

“You’ve given me permission if I’m wearing gloves previously at the soiree, but I didn’t abide by that restriction at that time either.”

Did something like that happen?

She twisted her head because she couldn’t remember.

As far as Rishe could recall, whenever she saw Arnold these days, he seemed to have been wearing black gloves.

For example, right now.

“Uh…”

Then, it dawned on her.

He was referring to the incident that happened in the chapel about a week ago.

Arnold wore gloves then, too, but it wasn’t her hands that he touched.

It wasn’t my hand, it was my lips.

Immediately after, Rishe’s face burned.

“I-I don’t want anything!”

She hurriedly shouted and grabbed the sheets to hide her face. Arnold put on a hateful grin at her display.

“Besides that, why did you do it?”

“Do you want to hear it?”

“I don’t want to!”

She really wanted to pursue it, but couldn’t help but reject it with all her might. But she’s been terribly nervous about that matter, even last night when she saw Arnold for the first time in a long time.

She was talking to Theodore, but as soon as she saw Arnold’s face, her body went rigid.

It was for this reason that she felt relieved when he treated her as he normally did, thinking that Arnold had forgotten about it.

I knew he’s up to something! Or not! I don’t know what’s going on anymore, so I’ve been trying to brush it off!

“Rishe.”

“What now!”

While hiding her rosy face under the sheet, she stared at Arnold with only her eyes visible.

Arnold chuckled and said softly.

“I’ll look after my little brother.”

“!”

That was unmistakably an older brother’s words.

They were words that contained a sense of responsibility plus hard work for his younger brother.

If only Theodore was listening. Despite that thought, Rishe shook her head. “No”.

“He’s my brother-in-law, too.”

Arnold looked a little surprised, then chuckled again.

“Is that so?”

“Yeah.”

Although the burning in her face has subsided, there was still something hot in her chest.

A little troubled by this, Rishe looked down.

***

Evening.

Oliver, Arnold’s squire, was holding his aching head in his hands as he finished listening to the explanation regarding his lord’s absence in office.

“So, in the end, His Highness Theodore made friends with Rishe-sama. So, that’s what it boiled down to?”

“Is there a problem?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

Oliver couldn’t help but pour down the words he had been enduring on Arnold, who had gone to his office desk.

“Your brother is no ordinary prince. That man leads an underworld that is involved in criminal activities, right?”

“Looks like it.”

“As you probably know, the maidservants in the castle are completely fond of Rishe-sama; then there’s the Aria Trading Company, which has been attracting attention from many countries in recent years; His Highness the Second Prince and the residents of the underworld he leads.”

Oliver counts them off. The Crown Princess has made many contacts in her first few weeks in the country.

“Don’t you think Rishe-sama’s game pieces are expanding rapidly?”

It could be taken as some sort of a threat.

But Arnold didn’t seem to care.

“What does it matter? It’s better than having a wife who’s living in isolation.”

“My Lord…”

Perhaps his master has left this situation unattended on purpose.

Realizing this, Oliver heaved a deep sigh.

“I understand, as My Lord commands. That aside, I have a delivery for you.”

Oliver held out a letter. Arnold’s brow furrowed when he saw the stamp on the sealed wax.

His master reluctantly took the envelope and opened the letter inside to look through it.

Then he gave a soft cluck of his tongue and handed the letter back.

Oliver took the letter with a reverent bow.

“This is…”

The letter was written by an important person in a certain country.

First, he congratulated the Crown Prince Arnold on his engagement.

However, due to some circumstances, he couldn’t congratulate him in person at the wedding ceremony in about two months’ time.

Accordingly, it was written that he wished to visit the Garkhain Kingdom with celebratory gifts ahead of the wedding ceremony.

What a way to go, again!

Oliver held his hand to his forehead at the proposal, which was likely to cause a stir.