The Villainess Wants to Make Her Husband Slim Down

CHAPTER 33

Without changing her tone at all, Gerda bowed to Alois. Then, raising her head, she passed right by Alois as if that was the full stop on their conversation. Alois grimaced bitterly as Gerda walked straight past him with her shoulders squared, the expression on her face not moving an inch.

But, Camilla didn't see that face of his.

When Gerda bowed and moved past Alois, she caught Camilla's eyes.

When Gerda strode towards the end of the hallway where she stood, was that where she was always going to go? Or was it because Camilla was there? At any rate, she made a beeline straight for Camilla.

And, passed her by. She didn't drop her speed at all as she breezed straight past Camilla, only sparing her a single glance.

Camilla only caught a glimpse of her face for an instant. And of those eyes that bore a quiet, yet deep, hatred.

She didn't say a single word. She didn't stop walking. She barely even breathed.

Yet, those eyes alone sent a chill up Camilla's spine.

Resentment, Loathing, Envy, Malice. She had been on the receiving end of all those emotions and more back in the capital. Camilla had no shortage of enemies. There were quite a few people who hated her, some of whom made no attempt to hide it. She was used to seeing people's faces twisted in disgust as they looked at her.

But, the look that Gerda had given her... Was something else entirely.

Her high brows covered those eyes in shadow, with only that dark look looming out of the abyss.

It was after Gerda's footsteps had echoed into the distance that Alois noticed Camilla standing there, rooted to the spot.

At first, he was surprised, but that turned to worry as he approached the unusually quiet Camilla. His huge frame hadn't changed much at all, but it seemed like the earthquakes caused by his steps didn't shake the floor beneath her feet as much anymore.

It was definitely quieter than before, but Camilla didn't notice it. She still felt that chill gripping her chest.

"Camilla, have you been there long? Did you perhaps see that shameful..."

"Ah, no."

Camilla raised her face with a start.

Before she knew what was happening, Alois stood in front of her.

Recently, despite his huge body still matching his reputation, he was having trouble fitting properly into his regular clothing. So, thanks to the new clothes that had been tailored for him, he cut a slightly refreshing impression.

Unfortunately, Camilla couldn't tell the difference the change from gigantic to enormous. The only reason the servants of the house could notice was that they had spent years living and working around Alois. Meanwhile, that red face of his was festering even worse than before, with the puffy skin around his eyes making him look even more like a toad than usual. For Camilla, he was still far from her ideal.

That pockmarked face of Alois shifted as he grimaced as if he were troubled by something.

"I am deeply indebted to Gerda for everything she does, since she has been handling the day to day tasks of organizing the servants in the mansion for a long time... It's just unfortunate she has that side to her."

As Alois said that somewhat gloomily, Camilla finally let go of the breath she was holding. Thanks to the surprise of having him suddenly appear before her, and that pitiful remark of his, she had finally managed to recover some of her cool.

– She only looked at me for a moment.

She was also merely a servant.

– So, just why did I react like a skittish fawn!?

Her newfound calmness didn't take long to give way to anger. When Gerda's eyes were far away, that fear she felt suddenly seemed illusionary. She felt foolish for ever being cowed by the glare of some middle-aged servant. Since she was staying in Alois' mansion as a guest, even if she was a foreigner, Camilla still ought to be far higher in social rank than someone like her. Just why on earth should she be frightened like that?

"Lord Alois, just who is that Gerda woman?"

Suddenly rounding on Alois rather assertively, Camilla posed that question to him.

"I do not want to believe it, but is she possibly another member of the Ende family?"

There seemed to be no shortage of people from the Ende family in this mansion. Since the Montchat and the Ende were so tightly entwined, you could find members of the latter working all sorts of posts in this mansion. Man or woman, they seemed to be everywhere you looked. As for the ones with that characteristic Ende blonde hair, there were four of them, though she knew the one that definitely wasn't against her.

Gerda's natural hair colour wasn't blonde, but a dark brown. She also had a sharp facial expression, at odds with the usual 'cute' faces of the Ende family. However, judging by the way she spoke, she seemed to have something of an affinity for them. Was she speaking as the head maid of the Montchat family when she emphasized the relationship between them and the Ende or was she speaking as someone who had a relationship with that family herself?

As Camilla's thoughts raced, Alois simply shook his head.

"No, she isn't a member of the House of Ende. Although, her family has been involved with ours for just as long..."

Alois' words trailed off as he was speaking. Just what was he thinking of? He looked into Camilla's eyes, his own looking troubled as he blinked.

"Camilla."

"What... What is it?"

Camilla was a touch taken aback by his sudden seriousness. As Camilla retreated a step, Alois continued to speak.

"Why don't we have you study just a little bit? About the Montchat family, and about this land's history."

No, thank you.

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Learning about the house you are to marry into is expected of a noblewoman.

They were to become the mistress of that house from then on, after all. If you didn't know about the history, traditions and current circumstances of your husband's family and lands, how could you ever expect to be a good wife?

However, up until that point, Camilla really didn't know much at all about the Montchat family. Alois, too, didn't force her to learn anything either.

That was because, similarly, he had no intention of forcing marriage on Camilla either. Whilst she was officially here as a marriage candidate, Alois had treated her as a guest. If they weren't going to become closer, there was no point in having her learn anything.

But, recently, Alois' attitude had changed. He had begun to see Camilla in a different light after the quarrel in Grenze and the incident with Nicole.

It was as if he really recognized Camilla, and instead of treating her as a mere guest... He wanted to treat her for the reason she came in the first place. So it would seem.

When he said that he would like her to study, that's how she interpreted it.

That's why Camilla found the idea so unpleasant.

– I still need more time.

It had only been four months since her heart was broken and she was exiled from the capital. In a way, quite some time had already passed.

But, compared to the years that Camilla spent loving that man, it was nothing more than an instant.