The Strongest Magician Can Only Love His Dead Wife — After I Reincarnated, My Cute Younger Husband Turned Yandere - Chapter 18

(Ah, ara…? Somehow, this reaction is different from what I expected.)

Only now did Rubia realize there might be a massive discrepancy between her understanding and that of Arsenio and Jimena.

“I took you mother and daughter into my mansion because I pitied you having nowhere else to go. And because I bore some responsibility for your circumstances.”

“That’s because you fell in love with me at first sight.”

“Wrong! I have no interest in anyone but Rubia!”

At Arsenio’s voice cutting off Jimena’s clinging words, she widened her already round eyes even further.

As she stood there with a face that still seemed not to comprehend what was being said, Arsenio pressed on with his words.

“Didn’t you understand what I meant when I spoke to you on your first day here? I said you could live as you please, as long as you didn’t disturb my days of remembering my late wife.”

That made Jimena’s statements take on a completely different meaning.

Jimena herself lowered her eyebrows worriedly, placed a hand on her cheek, and tilted her head slightly. Her gestures showed she was genuinely perplexed, unable to comprehend the meaning of Arsenio’s words.

“You did say that. But a new love is more important, isn’t it? Your wife has passed away, after all.”

Only now did Rubia realize that Jimena’s words and actions until now had been based on her own assumptions.

Self-righteous—the word didn’t quite capture it. She was so indifferent to others’ feelings it was almost pathological. Rubia hadn’t noticed until Arsenio’s return because he had been absent and Jimena had seemed so innocent.

In truth, Jimena probably had no awareness that she had been lying at all.

In her mind, she was undoubtedly Arsenio’s lover, and right now her lover was saying incomprehensible things to trouble her.

She must have even thought she needed to scold her troubled lover and guide him back to the right path. Seeing this, Rubia felt slightly creeped out.

Remembering something, Rubia glanced toward Viscountess Piatti, who was looking down awkwardly.

Had she believed her daughter’s claims about being Arsenio’s lover, or had she wanted to believe them? Either way, she seemed more reasonable than Jimena.

And Jimena had likely touched Arsenio’s raw nerve without even realizing it.

“Cherishing memories of the dead forever while neglecting the present is ridiculous. It’s a waste of time. So, Al—”

Arsenio immediately brushed away the hand she extended toward him.

Jimena, probably unprepared for such treatment from her ‘lover,’ staggered slightly.

“—A waste of time?”

“Yes, that’s right. Because…”

Only then did Jimena seem to gasp and fall silent.

She must have noticed Arsenio’s swelling black magical energy again, radiating an unsettling, restless aura.

But realizing it now didn’t undo what she had already said.

“What are you misunderstanding? If Rubia hadn’t advised me to be kind to others, I wouldn’t have taken care of you mother and daughter at all. I brought you into this mansion because I thought it would make Rubia happy. Because I thought she would be proud of me. Without Rubia’s teachings, I would never have cared for you. To you, Rubia is essentially your benefactor. And you call cherishing memories with her ‘a waste of time’ and ‘ridiculous’?”

Arsenio spoke in a fast, flat voice, unable to hide his anger, his tone frayed.

Faced with Arsenio’s completely unapproachable attitude, the Viscountess had turned completely pale, and even Jimena had lost color in her face this time.

Her blue-tinged lips trembled uncontrollably, and she burst into tears with a loud wail.

“Why are you saying such terrible things? I love you this much! I’m the one who’s right for you!”

“One-sided affection is nothing but violence.”

“That’s…”

Rubia watched Jimena, who had covered her face with both hands and was sobbing for a while, with indescribable feelings. Eventually, she began to hear Jimena muttering something from behind her hands.

“…if only… then…”

“Jimena?”

Perhaps finally worried, the Viscountess gently placed a hand on her daughter’s shoulder.

When Jimena looked up again, surprisingly, she was smiling.

“…It’s alright, Mother. If only Rubia weren’t here, everything would surely return to normal.”

“—Eh?”

“Al acting strange is all Rubia’s fault. It’s because Rubia used some strange magic. If we just break the brainwashing, all the mistakes will be corrected. So…”

Jimena pulled out the hairpin decorating her hair. The motion was so natural that Rubia had no idea what she intended to do next.

“So, you see, Rubia. This is your deserved punishment.”

Jimena, hairpin in hand, lunged at Rubia with astonishing speed. It was shocking where this usually gentle girl found such courage.

Rubia instinctively tried to twist away, but it wasn’t necessary.

“Don’t you lay a hand on my wife!!”

Arsenio’s voice rang out sharp and loud like thunder as he used his magical energy to blast Jimena away.

“Gyaah…!”

Jimena let out a muddled scream as she was sent flying.

But that alone seemed insufficient to calm Arsenio’s heightened anger. His magical energy writhed like restless tentacles, poised to attack Jimena at any moment.