Living as the Villain's Stepmother

Chapter 68 - Out of His League (2)

"Who sent it?" Lila asked.

"I don't know since I didn't open it." Lacias shrugged.

"Oh." Why did she even think that Lacias would open it without her knowledge? She scratched her cheek with a finger before breaking the red seal off the paper.

Lila's eyes grew wide at what she read.

Hello, your choice in men has definitely gotten better, but you're far much better than he is! You are out of his league, so don't keep to yourself all the time, okay? You look great recently.

What was this nonsense? Someone really took the time to write this in a lavish card? Studying the handwriting, Lila assumed that it was written by a woman, and she was suddenly reminded of the cards that contained trivial messages that Madame Marshmell kept like it was some sort of a precious item.

It had the same handwriting. Lila thought as she scrutinized the card once again. She had spent countless nights memorizing the cards that she was able to recognize instantly. Why did Madame Marshmell even keep such unimportant cards?

Could it be that the person who sent this knew Madame Marshmell well?

Maybe she was a dear friend to Madame Marshmell, but if that was the case, why did she send the card anonymously?

Deep in her thoughts, she only noticed Lacias watching her after a beat of silence that stretched for too long. She wondered what she should do about the letter and flipped the card facing downwards on the table.

"Why are you hiding it?" Lacias tilted his head, finding her action a little bit suspicious.

"It's nothing." Lila stammered, avoiding his eyes.

"If it's nothing, why are you hiding it then?" His voice remained steady.

"I don't want to trouble you, you see.." Lila said.

Lacias studied Lila, who was looking at the table as if it was the most interesting thing. Both remained unspeaking for quite a while, and it was Lila who broke the lingering silence. "Do you want to see it?"

"I didn't want to, but the way you're hiding it made me curious." Lacias responded. Lila thought she should've placed the card next to her like it was nothing, but she was too caught off guard to appear unbothered.

"It really is nothing." Lila said, and when she saw Lacias patiently waiting for her to go on, she told him what was written on the card and phrased it a little bit more differently. Lacias raised his eyebrows. "Why did you try to hide it?" He didn't get why she was so troubled about it.

"It's just that.. I thought you wouldn't be pleased. It's not really pleasant to the ears."

"It's the truth, though." Lacias said firmly.

"What?" Lila wasn't able to restrain herself. Did she hear him right? She was obviously the lesser one in this marriage. She did not have any money attached to her name, nor was her name of importance. Everything about her fell short compared to Lacias, and hearing such words from Lacias himself was just jarring.

"I'm serious. Why won't you believe me?" Lacias prodded.

Lila blinked, unsure what to say. "You are?" She was looking at him intently, waiting for his explanation as to why he thinks that way.

"You are wise and decisive.." Lacias started, earnestly staring at her so she'd know how genuine he was. "You can also embrace other people, and you are realistic in all things." Lila only stared at him in response as Lacias went on, "And being able to see yourself as objectively as you could is one of your amazing traits." Words keep stumbling out of Lacias' mouth, unhinged and Lila reddened at the unwavering attention.

"And lastly.." Lacias said in a soft voice, "You're really so beautiful."

Lila's breath hitched at the honesty dripping from his voice. "So beautiful that I just can't take my eyes off you."

Lacias' words hang in the air like a spell, stunning Lila into silence. She cleared her throat in an attempt to ease the awkwardness of the situation. Her cheeks a bright red, brought a smile to Lacias' face. She was not at all unaffected by him.

"I hope our wedding day comes faster, so I could tell the whole empire that you're my wife."

* * *

Marriage. Lila had forgotten it for a while. She knew that she would be preoccupied with the wedding preparations, which was why she took Hir on a picnic in the first place. She would also need to make Senior the head of the Hilns after her marriage, and help Hir with his rings too. There were so many things on her plate.

And she still didn't know how to use her own ring.

She was having an inner turmoil with herself, thinking that she wasted a lot of time without achieving anything. It only had been a few days, but she felt like time had passed her by so quickly.

The dismay must be evident on her face that Lacias misunderstood it altogether. "Are you having doubts with our marriage?"

Lila shook her head. "No, it's not that."

"Just like what I said before, I don't want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable." Lacias said.

"It's really not that. I was just thinking of something else."

Marrying into the Wipere family was a stroke of luck for Lila. She would be standing beside them at the center of power, being the Countess to all and the ultimate Cinderella.

She was about to explain further when the maid's hasty footsteps drew close. "Young master has woken up!" The maid panted.

Lila immediately stood up from her chair.