The Villainess Who Was Dumped Got Married into My Family, a Mob Noble from the Frontier, and Turns Out, She's an Amazing Capable Wife? - Chapter 10: The Forceful Man - From Alicia's Perspective

Chapter 10: The Forceful Man – From Alicia’s Perspective

I, Alicia Gran Oldwood, was disowned by my fiancé and abandoned by my noble family, the duchy. Consequently, I was sent to manage a neglected land known as the Brave estate.

The Brave family’s mansion lacked any decorative furnishings; it was quiet, with only the occasional sound of servants’ voices and footsteps.

What puzzled me a bit was that, since arriving here, the dark emotions that seemed to fill my heart began to subside. Unlike when I lived in the royal capital, I wasn’t plagued by nightmares and could sleep peacefully.

Perhaps being sent to this distant land called “throwaway land” made me accept that I would never return to the ducal household again.

The simple room, simple clothes, and simple meals were all perfectly suited for me now that I had lost everything.

For five days, I did nothing but sit in my room, giving me plenty of time to think. 

However, I was still clueless about what to do next or what I should be doing, spending my time in a void of nothingness.

Then, one day, there was a knock on the door.

“Good morning, Lady Alicia, it’s time for breakfast.”

The voice belonged to Ragna Vel Brave, a young lord of the same age as me, who governed this land.

Besides our first meeting, we hadn’t seen each other at all, despite living under the same roof. 

His smile was a bit painful to face, and above all, I was too bewildered to want to meet him.

As I reamined silent, the knocking grew louder, and the door creaked as if it was about to break.

“I’m up! I’m up, so come in! The door’s going to break!”

After I shouted for the first time in a while, he entered the room with a casual “Excuse me,” as if nothing was wrong.

When I asked him what he would do if the door broke, he simply smiled carefree and said, “We can just fix it again.”

I didn’t understand what he meant.

In the Brave household, it was common for fights to break things around the house, and he bragged with a smile about becoming good at repairs.

I really didn’t get it.

As I was feeling overwhelmed, he took a tea set out of a cart and started pouring a black liquid into a cup.

“Do you want milk? How about sugar?”

He asked, but I couldn’t answer.

I had never drank coffee before.

“I’ve never had it, so I don’t know.”

I answered honestly, and he seemed a bit apologetic as he said, 

“Sorry we couldn’t get tea ready, since we’re out here in the countryside.” 

“I don’t mind…” 

This wasn’t the duke’s house but the Brave family’s home. 

My place was here in this simple room, and coffee was more than enough instead of tea.

Taking a gulp with that thought, I was taken aback by its bitterness and started coughing.

“Cough, cough, it’s bitter…” 

“That’s because you drank it black…” 

The coffee he handed me next had milk and sugar in it, which tasted sweet and gentle. 

I could drink this, and actually, it felt more comforting than tea, which I drank out of formality.

“I’ve been wondering,” 

I found myself asking, a bit more relaxed.

“Why did you bring breakfast yourself when there are servants?” 

It had always been like this, and it was the same when I first came to this house.

But today was different, and I somehow ended up asking him.

I guess I asked out of a simple curiosity, probably because I hadn’t talked to anyone for so long and somewhere deep inside, I wanted to talk to someone.

“Well, because we’re short on help. If needed, the servants fight too, and most of them have died in battle.” 

“…Is that so?”

My casual question had a much heavier answer than I expected.

We never really clicked, right from the first time we met. 

He’s a peculiar man.

As I stayed silent, not knowing what to say, Ragna suddenly lifted my hair.

“Lady Alicia, you are admirable.” 

”…”

I tried to turn my face away, but he grabbed my chin, making it impossible to move. 

What’s with this man?

Ignoring my glaring eyes, Ragna simply continued,

“Here, it’s a symbol of pride and courage, a sign that you’ve fought bravely.” 

“…” 

“Of course, I have them too.”

He brushed his bangs back to show a painful-looking scar that seemed to have been stitched multiple times on his forehead. 

Upon closer inspection, I could see several scars on his neck, hidden by his clothes. 

It seemed like a testament to someone who had lived through numerous skirmishes with neighboring countries and monster attacks in this place known as “neglected land.”

“We don’t deny our scars here. In fact, we take pride in them.” 

His words reminded me of what lower nobles, who were after the duke’s wealth, would say to me after a scandal, saying, “Being scarred doesn’t change your beauty.” However, his words carried a different weight.

I stopped glaring and tried to simplify my thoughts.

Proof of battle, huh?

Was what I went through even considered a battle? 

What was I even fighting for?

“Hahaha, well, one reason I brought breakfast was to have this chat with you.”

As I fell silent, Ragna said, letting go of my hand and stepping back a bit with an awkward smile, trying to change the subject.

“This territory might be full of rough folks and seem empty, but it’s rich in nature. How about we take a walk together? Against the backdrop of nature, human conflicts seem so trivial here.”

“Trivial…”

Was I fighting for the pride of nobility? The duties of the ducal family?

No, it wasn’t anything grand like that.

I just couldn’t stand the presence of another woman in my place and overreacted, ending up in a place I can’t return from, having lost everything. 

It’s trivial. I should have been able to do so much more, but I was truly petty.

Feeling my spirits sinking, I responded to Ragna, who was trying to be considerate by inviting me, 

“I’ll go.” 

It would be troublesome to keep sulking in someone else’s house, and a bit of fresh air might do me some good.

“Would you show me around this land?” 

“Yes, I’d be glad to.” 

Despite his occasional rudeness, I found myself slightly curious about Ragna, who, unfamiliar as he was, tried his best to be considerate.

The last time I could remember giving someone a carefree smile like Ragna’s was a very, very distant memory.