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TVEML 07

TVEML

#7. The Maid Who Poisoned the Food
(Originally posted: 2023.12.04)


As she hung her wet dress near the window, Eshika furrowed her brows.

All she had done was go for a wash.

It wasn’t unusual for martial artists to bathe in lakes.

Of course, before awakening her past life as a spirit, she had never once bathed in a lake.

At her family home, the Brigitte Baron household, warm water was always prepared for her. But here…

They always brought her ice-cold water to wash with.

After washing in that water, she would always suffer chills and catch colds frequently.

But she couldn’t go without bathing, so she had no choice.

“The more I think about it, the more pathetic and petty the Grand Madam’s sense of class seems.”

And then she thought,

“Still, thanks to that, I met the Crown Prince.”

Resvan Deon Lusane—he had black hair and dazzling golden eyes, the Crown Prince of the Tyresian Empire.

Looking into his eyes had reminded her of someone.

“An eagle can’t be happy in a cage, Yeongnyeong.”

What if she had taken that man’s words to heart?

Eshika shook her head with a bitter smile.

It was only the eyes that were similar. She decided not to dwell on it.

“Anyway, it’d be troublesome to draw attention from a master-level expert during this period. I need to be cautious.”

The moment she made eye contact with Resvan, Eshika saw through his level of martial arts.

“He’s definitely a master on par with the peak.”

Resvan was a born warrior, hiding a power far greater than what he had ever revealed.

“Even if I return to my prime, I’m not sure I could beat him.”

As a martial artist, her current physical condition was like being on a beginner’s path.

Just as experts could sense each other’s strength through posture alone, drawing his attention could lead to unnecessary suspicion.

His status aside, Resvan’s character was known to be aggressive—getting involved with him would surely be a hassle.

Fortunately, in the novel, Resvan rarely stayed in the capital, Torres, as he was often at the forefront of conquest wars. Once the capital moved to the new territory, her ties with Klaus would likely be severed.

“Well then, I should eat.”

Eshika opened the door.

Outside, a tray with various seasonal foods had been left.

Sella must’ve stolen them from the kitchen out of necessity.

“Hmm?”

Eshika’s icy blue eyes glinted.


On a dusky night with a crescent moon hanging more distinctly in the sky, Kalian stood on his room’s balcony, sipping from a glass and feeling the breeze.

Only his violet eyes shone coldly and intensely beneath the night sky.

It had been ten days since Eshika Klaus had left her room.

“What the hell is she scheming?”

It was irritating to see her face, but it was also unsettling that she wasn’t showing it at all.

The Grand Madam had said they must maintain good relations with House Brigitte, and Kalian had agreed.

Though he hated seeing Eshika flaunt her family’s power to gain influence.

“Is she trying to demand a divorce?”

When she came running to him, her blue eyes were filled with tears.

He scoffed.

“As if.”

Kalian’s lips curled into a condescending smirk.

The Eshika he knew didn’t have the guts to demand a divorce.

“That woman thinks she can buy Klaus’s honor with the pocket change her family provided as dowry.”

She was the type who always flaunted her wealth and delighted in tormenting those weaker than herself.

“Inside, she’s filled with a pitch-black snake—too dumb to even know how to use her fangs. Not dangerous, but certainly venomous. Even as husband and wife, you must keep a distance.”

His mother had always been harsh and strict, but she was an excellent judge of character.

The impression she had shared after meeting Eshika for the first time aligned perfectly with Kalian’s own, solidifying his opinion of her.

“Whatever you’re scheming in that room of yours…”

A chilly breeze tousled Kalian’s hair.

“Within Klaus, nothing will go as you wish.”

His train of thought was broken by the sound of a door opening.

When he turned, Yurie was standing with a tray in hand, flinching slightly as their eyes met.

Yurie Anesis.

Brought into the ducal house as Eshika’s maid, she was the complete opposite of her mistress.

Her soft blonde hair and red eyes gave off a lively air that didn’t quite suit the stiff atmosphere of the Klaus estate.

Hesitating slightly, she walked over to Kalian.

A subtle scent of apples tickled his nose.

“Why are you out here at this hour?”

Kalian’s voice made Yurie’s eyes waver slightly.

Come to think of it, his mother had recently appointed her as head maid.

Yurie was diligent, but given her closeness with Eshika, the appointment was unexpected.

“I… just came back from seeing Eshika.”

She hesitated before continuing.

“But Eshika…”

“I don’t want to hear about her.”

“But… I think she’s misunderstanding our relationship. Because of the ring Your Grace gave me. I wanted to clear it up, but she just lashes out with sharp words… I don’t know what to do.”

“Yurie. Enough.”

Kalian’s voice was cold as he cut her off.

“…Ah.”

Covering her mouth briefly, Yurie spoke in a subdued voice.

“I’m sorry. I should have remembered that I’m no longer Eshika’s friend, but the head maid of House Klaus. I forgot my duty.”

Yurie Anesis was fundamentally different from Eshika.

Even when Eshika was in the wrong, she was too proud to admit it.

She ignored hierarchy and tried to impose her will.

She’d even slap people on a whim, exhausting Kalian.

“Forgive me. I won’t go against your wishes again, Your Grace.”

Yurie looked up at him with warm, red eyes, watching him cautiously.

As if trying to breathe warmth into his frozen heart.

After a pause, Kalian murmured,

“You really are a fool.”

“…Pardon?”

He swallowed the words, “Defending a woman like her, even as a friend?” and continued quietly.

“And I’m a little disappointed.”

Yurie’s eyes widened.

“A misunderstanding… That you accepted the ring that way. I… I don’t think it was just a misunderstanding. When I gave you that ring.”

As Kalian spoke, Yurie stared blankly at him before her cheeks flushed red.

It was the beginning of something romantic, with every day deepening their interest in one another.

Soon, Kalian spoke again.

“It’s a pleasant night. Shall we go for a walk?”

Yurie nodded slightly, shyly meeting his gaze with a small smile.


Sella was about to peek into the room after placing the food tray outside when someone inside yanked her forcefully inward.

Bang! The door slammed shut, and Sella hit her forehead on the floor, shutting her eyes.

“P… Please… have mercy…”

Her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Someone dragged a chair in front of her and sat down, legs crossed.

Then, a low voice spoke.

“You’re trembling so pitifully, yet I don’t feel the slightest pity for you. Do you know why?”

“…M… Madam…”

Then, a foot pushed the untouched food tray toward Sella.

Seeing the untouched dishes, Sella turned pale.

“Eat.”

The voice whispered near her ear.

Sella’s hands shook.

“I said, eat, Sella.”

Her name sounded like a death sentence.

She clenched her eyes shut tighter.

The person in the chair reached out and yanked Sella by the hair.

She squeezed her eyes shut even more to avoid looking.

“Countless people have mixed poison into my food. Royal consorts, concubines, spies… There were days when the Poison Sect prospered just trying to kill me.”

The chilling voice, hard to tell if it belonged to a man or woman, seemed to strangle her.

“But I, the daughter of the Heavenly Demon Sect Leader, possess a body immune to all poisons. Even the deadliest toxins—formed from vipers, toads, and venomous centipedes devouring each other—couldn’t reach my core.”

She had too many enemies to count.

She could tell whether food was poisoned just by its color.

“And no one who’s ever poisoned my food has survived.”

“…Ugh…”

“I’ll spare tearing your flesh and bones since the situation doesn’t allow it. Your punishment is to eat what you made and atone for your crime. Eat.”

Then she shoved Sella’s head down.

Right before her eyes was the salad she had laced with poison.

If she ate it, she would surely convulse and die.

Sella clasped her hands and begged frantically.

Eshika had already seen through her.

“Please… please spare me, Madam…”

“That ‘madam’ title bothers me too,” Eshika muttered, frowning and pulling Sella’s hair.

Sella looked up—and was stunned.

“L-Lady…?”

The icy blue eyes staring back at her belonged to none other than Eshika Klaus, the owner of this shabby room.

“Did you call me ‘madam’ knowing who I really am?”

Come to think of it, Eshika had never said she was someone else.

The idea of her being a hidden assassin threatening the duchess—had been Sella’s own assumption.

“She’s the duchess… but… different…”

Like a herbivore in front of a predator, Sella could instinctively sense it.

This woman, who identified poison at a glance and tried to shove her face into it without a blink, was not the same duchess she had known.

She had the aura of a ferocious beast.

But she couldn’t die like this.

“L-Lady… why are you doing this to me…?”

Sella trembled and protested.

“You weren’t like this…”

Eshika replied coldly, not even twitching a brow.

“Are you referring to my foolish past, when I was too scared to stand up to insects like you?”

Her blade-like voice made Sella flinch.

Eshika Klaus had been young and easy to push around.

She’d bought her title with money, yet nobody acknowledged her, forcing her to grovel even to maids.

But now…

“You always brought me garbage food—an outrageous offense.”

Her voice was as cold as frost, threatening like a blade at the neck.

“And when given a chance to make amends with quality food, you threw it away. How dare you…”

Eshika’s grip tightened, making Sella’s head ache.

From that fragile-looking wrist came a grip Sella had never imagined.

She couldn’t even turn her head.

Her murderous gaze made it feel like her heart would stop.

“You tried to poison me with this food.”

“Please, Lady… forgive me… sob…”

Tears streamed down Sella’s face.

They were tears of raw, primal fear.

She had only tried to silence someone who knew too much.

“You’re dead either way. If it gets out that a maid tried to poison the Duchess of Klaus, not even your family will die peacefully.”

Sella’s trembling worsened.

The Empire’s law was strict.

Even if the duchess was unloved and scorned…

If Eshika had died and the truth came out, Sella and her entire family would be executed.

Even if she died now, there was no guarantee her family would be safe.

Eshika already knew everything about her crimes—had even counted those she intended to kill.

“Sob… I was wrong… please forgive me, Lady…”

Sella sobbed, begging for mercy.

“Please, spare my family…”

Somehow, the woman in front of her—Eshika Klaus—was no longer the mistress she had known.

Her eyes gleamed fiercer than even the Grand Madam’s, who was terrifying even in summer.

She was like a lioness returned from the depths of hell, striking instinctual fear.

A surge of regret crashed over Sella.

“Please, if you give me one more chance…”

With tear-filled eyes, Sella pleaded for one last mercy.

“I’ll live for you from now on, my lady…”

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The Villainess Enjoys Married Life

The Villainess Enjoys Married Life

악녀의 시집살이는 즐겁다
Score 9.7
Status: Ongoing Type: Author: Released: 2023 Native Language: Korean

Summary:

“You foolish woman. I wish you would just die.”
Her husband, Duke Klaus, was a cold, silent witness to her suffering.
“No wonder your child turned out like this, coming from such a worthless family.”
Her mother-in-law despised her from head to toe.
“The one your husband truly loves… is me.”
Even her closest friend betrayed her.

In the body of a duchess tormented and abused to the brink of death, the infamous villainess Cheon Yeong-ryeong awakens.

They say the end of revenge is empty?
That’s nothing but empty consolation from those who’ve never truly tasted revenge.

 

After all, the banquet held over your enemy’s grave is always delightful.

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