I Was Meant to Be the Evil Wife, But the Cold Marquis Fell for Me - Chapter 2

—Morning.

When Liliana awoke to the presence of people, she saw two maids standing by the door.

“Good morning, Madam,” they greeted in unison.

They were Elina and Anne, the maids assigned to Liliana.

Yes! Elina, the heroine of the novel “I’m a Talentless Maid, Yet the Cold Marquis Dotes on Me?! ~ Turns Out I Was the World’s Only Saint”. She was destined to fall in love with Leivis, the marquis. A girl with immense magical power who would later awaken as a saint, adored by the marquis.

With her light-colored hair and healthy smile, Elina was a resilient girl who had once been dismissed from another household but was taken in by Leivis, serving faithfully for years. Trusted by both the household and the marquis, she now attended directly to the lady of the house.

Anne, meanwhile, was the very model of a composed maid—calm, proper, and supportive. She was Elina’s friend and an important ally who would help her at key moments.

(In other words, both of them are my enemies.)

Under the refreshing morning light, Liliana rose bitterly. She hated to think this way, but their actions combined with her own misdeeds would eventually lead to her downfall.

(Well, ninety percent of it is my own fault.)

She looked at them. Though they must have noticed that she had spent her wedding night alone, neither showed it on their faces. What they truly thought, or what they might whisper later, was anyone’s guess.

(Fine! Just remember that the marquis didn’t touch me last night.)

If they pitied her, so be it.

“Help me get ready for the morning.” Liliana said coolly, hiding her emotions.

Though the story cast them as her enemies, nothing had happened yet. She hadn’t bullied anyone.

So, she would proceed as mistress and servants, nothing more.

(If I act normally, my ‘villainess score’ shouldn’t rise.)

She decided to call the countdown to her ruin her villainess score. The higher it climbed, the closer she’d be to destruction. By being mindful of it, she hoped to change her actions.

Above all, she resolved never to antagonize Elina. If she harmed her, Leivis, who would one day love Elina would condemn her.

“…And bring breakfast here,” she added.

Normally, husband and wife shared meals, especially breakfast. What would these maids think of a new bride who had neither spent the night with her husband nor dined with him in the morning?

“Yes, Madam,” Elina replied brightly, her smile dazzling and adorable. A poor showing for a servant, but perfect for a heroine.

(So, this is the saint.)

She almost imagined a halo behind Elina. Thinking of Leivis loving her filled Liliana with complicated feelings.

Surely it was Elina’s cheerful nature that would draw him in.

◆◆◆

After dressing perfectly and enjoying a lavish breakfast, Liliana sat at her desk to draft her life plan.

(Let’s see! My villainess score shouldn’t be too high yet. I refused the wedding night, but I haven’t harmed the servants, stolen money, or taken lovers.)

It was only the day after her marriage.

(From now on, I’ll avoid raising my score. I’ll keep my distance from my husband, resist my family’s demands for money, and never touch the marquis’s assets. Perfect.)

Her plan was to maintain a white marriage. A marriage without intimacy until Leivis inevitably strayed toward Elina. Then she would receive alimony and divorce quietly.

Elina, though of low birth, had immense magical power and would become a saint. With her good nature and role as heroine, their love story was inevitable.

After divorce, Liliana would take the alimony and enter a convent, donating it all and living as a sister.

“—A flawless life plan,” she murmured with a sly smile. Realizing how villainous she looked, she massaged her lips to soften her expression.

(The sooner Elina and the marquis get together, the better.)

That was the most crucial part of her plan, something beyond her control. She didn’t intend to obstruct the story’s main plot; if she did, she wouldn’t know what to expect. She wanted Elina and Leivis to unite smoothly.

Though she disliked the idea of a married hero, a white marriage would lessen the conflict. Their relationship might progress faster than in the novel.

(If that doesn’t happen, I won’t get alimony. Worse, I might be the one paying damages, since I plan to refuse intimacy altogether.)

After all, she had been bought to bear heirs. Refusing forever would surely make her the guilty party.

(Should I help them along? …No, fate will unite them anyway. Better not meddle.)

Still, it was strange! Waiting for her husband to cheat with a maid.

She could, in theory, compete for him. But that was a battle she would lose. In the novel, even when cast out, she hadn’t borne his child. That was why the divorce went smoothly.

(If I had a child, maybe I’d stand a chance. But that’s impossible now. I already refused the wedding night.)

So instead, she would turn enemies into allies.

By treating Elina and Anne kindly, she might not win their support, but at least avoid their hostility when the time came.

She would extend this kindness to all the household staff. The more allies, the better.

It was a completely different way of living than before, and she wasn’t sure she could manage it.

(I can do it! If I put my life into it, I can do anything.)

Faced with the grim fate ahead, she would do whatever it took.

At that moment, a knock sounded at her door.

“Madam, may we come in?”

“Please do.”

The butler and the housekeeper entered. Liliana rose with a smile, facing them.