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

Rishe clung to Arnold’s back and managed to string a sentence.

“Too greedy.”

Arnold smiled self-mockingly in response.

“That’s not the kind of thing you say to someone who’s forced you into marriage.”

He was still under the impression that their marriage was forced.

Rishe was unhappy and couldn’t help but protest, like a snarling puppy.

“…At the end of the day, it was definitely my intention to accept this marriage.”

But Arnold didn’t seem to understand. His hand gently stroked Rishe’s head, as if to say, “That’s not true.”

“Even if you hadn’t nodded there, I would have had you.”

Still trapped in his arms, Rishe listened.

“By any means necessary; no matter how much you had refused.”

“…!”

Rishe raised an eyebrow and tried to wriggle away from Arnold.

But he would not allow it. With Rishe still in his arms, Arnold plopped down on his side on the bed.

As they both lay down, his arms relaxed a little.

Rishe looked up at Arnold up close.

“…We’re still fighting.”

“Huh?”

“Because Your Highness Arnold hasn’t grasped it yet.”

When she told him that with heaps of disapproval, Arnold only chuckled.

“Whatever you want.”

His fingers tucked the earlocks from Rishe’s cheek to her ear.

When Rishe cowered from the tickle, he soothingly said.

“I’ll keep you company as long as you want.”

“…”

Sure enough, they couldn’t even have a real fight.

Rishe should have been dissatisfied with it, but when he was gazing at her gently, she couldn’t say anything.

“That aside, you’d better close your eyes now.”

He hugged her again and then patted her on the back.

“Sorry, I woke you up…We’ll finish our little spat tomorrow.”

“…”

Rishe thought that this wasn’t how marital spats go at all.

But without voicing that out loud, she clung to him in frustration and closed her eyes tightly.

It was quite tough to have a good marital spat.

While feeling this way and thinking about how to make Arnold understand her, Rishe dozed off again.

***

When Rishe woke up the next morning, Arnold was no longer in her room.

“…”

She sat up in her bed and blinked hazily as she checked the surroundings.

She lazily got off the bed and took twice as long as usual to get ready.

After she changed her dress, she looked at the side table and found a few sheets of papers on it.

They were the records of the money exchange office that she had asked Arnold to provide.

Rishe picked it up, looked through it, and gasped.

I have to thank His Highness Arnold for this…

A knock sounded in the room, breaking her train of thoughts.

Only one other person knew that Rishe and Arnold were using this room. She opened the door and sure enough, there was Oliver standing there.

“Good morning, Rishe-sama.”

“Oliver-sama, if it’s His Highness Arnold, he’s already left the room…”

“I know. My master, in fact, kicked me out of the office.”

When Rishe tilted her head in bafflement, Oliver gave her a refreshing chuckle.

“It happens often when he wants to concentrate on his official duties alone. The mere presence of others seems to bother him.”

“I see.”

“I’m a bit bored, so I thought I could help you out, Rishe-sama. Is there anything I can help you with that a maid can’t do?”

Rishe had been sleeping with Arnold, all because she was scared of ghosts.

Rishe didn’t want her maids to take notice, so she didn’t even tell them about this room, so Oliver must be concerned about that.

She was about to refuse him, but then she suddenly remembered something.

“Then, Oliver-sama, if you don’t mind, I’d like to ask your help to carry some bags.”

The dresses and bags that Harriet had tried on last night were temporarily stocked up in the wardrobe.

She wanted to carry her dress to the washroom for a light wash. It was a reasonably heavy item, so a man’s hand would be very helpful.

“I’ll be happy to oblige. Your breakfast is being prepared.”

“Thank you. This way, please.”

Rishe left the room with Oliver and went downstairs to the wardrobe room.

Then she heard light footsteps on the way.

“Rishe-sama!”

“What’s wrong, Elise?”

Else came up from downstairs and looked on the verge of tears when she saw Rishe.

“Oh, sorry to bother you so early in the morning. I have to tell you something, Rishe-sama…”

“You look pale. It’s alright, just take your time.”

Rishe ran up to Elise, who was gasping for breath on the stairs, and gently urged her on.

While heaving heavily, Else held out the gunny sack in her hand to Rishe. It was a small bag, enough for her small hands to wrap around it.

“I was sorting through yesterday’s bags in the dressing room, a-and then I found this…”

“This is…”

She untied the gunny sack and opened the mouth to reveal the contents.

Rishe couldn’t help but be dazzled by the brilliance.

“Garkhain gold?”

The gold packed in the bag were gold coins with an eagle design on them. And in the middle of the gunny sack was an embroidered national emblem of Fabrania. No matter how people looked at it, nobody would have ever guessed that it belonged to Rishe.

Why do I have all this stuff in my bag?

Rishe speedily sorted the situation out in her head.

This definitely belonged to Harriet. They were probably the Garkhain gold coins that the King of Fabrania had given her.

The timing of its arrival in Rishe’s bag must have been yesterday in Harriet’s room.

The question was, how did it end up in her bag?

Did it get mixed in by accident when we were rushing out of the room?…That’s impossible.

The bags had been put together on the couch in the room. It was hard to imagine that Harriet had thrown out a bag full of gold coins.

“Elise, can you remember in which bag this bag was placed?”

“Yes, I do. It’s the red one with a thin chain for a handle…”

Rishe jogged her memory from last night and pictured Harriet’s room in her mind.

The red bag must have been placed in the middle of the couch, squeezed in with the other bags.

At that time…

The female knights of Fabrania arrived, and she had to leave the room immediately.

At that time, it was Harriet, not Elise, who packed up the bags that were in the middle of the couch.

Harriet-sama stuffed the bag of gold coins in my bag ――……

When Rishe realized this, she felt utterly ashamed of her naivety.

She was so wary of the knights’ movements that she didn’t pay attention to Harriet. But even if she knew what Harriet had done, the reason for it remained inexplicable.

“What should we do, Rishe-sama…?”

The pale Elise voiced out what her concerns might be.

“This is going to give Harriet-sama the wrong impression that we stole her gold…!”

“…”

If that were to happen, it would undoubtedly lead to a serious diplomatic discord.

“――Rishe-sama.”

Oliver, who had been quiet all along, stashed his usual smile away and called Rishe.

“Please, can you tell me more about it?”

“Olivers-sama…”

The normally calm Oliver exuded a tense air.

Rishe could feel a quiet murderous intent in the atmosphere. She had heard that Oliver was cut off from knighthood ten years ago due to an injury, but before his injury, he must have been a really good swordsman.

Everything she would tell Oliver would reach Arnold. That was why she had to choose her words carefully.

When Rishe looked down at her hand, she gasped.

No way…

She opened the gunny sack and picked up a gold coin that seemed to be brand new.

The surface engraved with the national emblem of Garkhain shone like a mirror.

This is the reason why Harriet-sama took the actions that would make me and Else suspects…

Rishe’s reflection there was her looking at herself.

Harriet-sama…

What came to her mind was the information Arnold had given her about the money exchange. She compared it to what had happened in her past life and came to a conclusion.

――That’s why you’d be executed in the future, isn’t it?

Rishe let out a heavy breath.

“I’m sorry, Oliver-sama.”

She then looked straight up at Oliver.

“I will tell you about the situation later. But first, I would like to ask you a favor.”

“…?”

T/N: The wedding is sooooo long in coming, I’m dying for it…and here comes another plot twist. I’m curious to know what Harriet’s cooking up…