The Villainess Wants to Make Her Husband Slim Down

CHAPTER 77

4 (3) – 4

"Klaus, just what are you thinking!?"

After returning to the Lörrich mansion on leaving the cellar, Alois confronted Klaus in his room.

"Do you actually realize just how precarious a situation you're in right now? Yet you're still sneaking out to visit people in town alone, and now this...!?"

Saying that, Alois rubbed his forehead. He felt like he'd grown wrinkles from the stress of the past week.

"Ah, so that's the reason you agreed to come along today, right?"

But, Klaus' kept his cool. With that relaxed expression of his not cracking an inch, he nestled down into his favourite lounging chair and crossed his legs.

It wouldn't be hard to interpret that irreverent attitude of his as pure mockery.

"You feel responsible for getting me into this now, so if I happened to die it wouldn't rest easy on your conscience. You sure are a kind and gentle lord, aren't you."

"Guh," Alois couldn't say a word. It was a bullseye.

Alois didn't regret pushing Klaus into competing to become the successor. Even putting aside his personality and talent, it was natural for him to be in that position in the first place.

However, Alois' decision had jeopardized Franz's position, which he must have thought all but secured.

Alois, the Lord of Montchat, had made his feelings known. What's more, the Baron Lörrich, Rudolph, who had little power to go against him would have to fall in line as well. In quite a stunning turnaround, it seemed like only a matter of time until Klaus became the heir apparent.

This change of fortune had been especially painful for Franz's hopes of being the next head of the family, as well as for those who supported him. For some, it was too late to even go over to Klaus' side. What's more, Klaus had built up a reputation for being notoriously hard to please when his brother's former supporters came to curry favour with him.

They would much rather have Franz in charge than the difficult to control Klaus. So, to that end, they had been coming to treat with Alois in the hopes of changing his mind nearly every single day.

However, there aren't only the diplomatic sort who support or are subordinate to Franz's faction. There are also those who would not be remiss to resort to much more direct and simple methods.

In particular, there was Lucas, the uncle of Franz and Klaus who was obsessed with his ideal of the monolithic personality of Einst. He was the kind of man who wouldn't balk at using force.

– And if that's the case...

"Why are you going to such lengths to stand out, then? And this 'Successor Selection Festival' only sounds like a huge provocation to me."

"Well, yeah? It is meant to provoke, after all."

As he said that like it was just a matter of course, Alois felt like those premature wrinkles had doubled.

"If things keep going the way they are, I'll have to watch my back throughout the entire year. So, why don't we settle this with one big bang?"

"You are honestly... the most reckless man I've ever met."

"Hey now, that's not true. Unlike you, I do actually value my life. I'm giving this proper thought, y'know."

"But..."

'Proper thought' won't protect him from a knife between the ribs. His enemies were in this very house. No matter what he did or where he went, chances are he was being monitored.