The Viscountess is Clever [Romance/Kingdom Building]

“Are the people depending on you nothing more than a means to an end for you then?!” Miller argued, his chest heaving as the tension reached its boiling point. “You love them when it is convenient and beneficial for you, and discard them the moment real trouble strikes?!”

Gazing at her in deep disappointment, Miller finished coldly, “Maybe Lord Ivan was actually onto something... perhaps you really are selfish and don't care about the people who struggle and suffer for you.”

“W-what did you just say?”

Francesca’s face morphed into heartbreak as tears brimmed in her eyes. “Yeah... sure! I am just a selfish bitch! Are you satisfied now?! Well, I won’t be giving up the necklace! Not now, not ever!”

Stomping her cane hard against the floor, tears dripping down her cheeks, she turned around and hurried out of the study as fast as her leg could manage.

Thump!

Miller sank heavily into his leather chair as Francesca slammed the study door behind her. He held his forehead in his hands, clenching his fists in sheer physical exhaustion.

He stared at the mountain of legal documents spread across his desk before letting out a long, ragged sigh, violently sweeping them off the table.

“None of this... none of this will be enough to save Jeckson...!”

He felt as though he were holding a sword in his own hands, slowly cutting off the neck of his loyal aide, a terrifying image that haunted him as the hours of the night dragged on. His heart ached desperately for what he had just said to his wife, but the terrifying prospect of his own incompetence dooming Jeckson amplified his distress just as much.

‘I will serve you with my life, my Lord... just... please make sure that the little girl stays safe and fine.’

Jeckson’s quiet words from the day he pledged his loyalty echoed loudly in Miller's mind.

“I need to figure this out...” Miller muttered to himself. He knelt down, gathering the scattered documents from the floor and frantically going over them once more, a dark, serious expression taking over his features.

Did I really have to be so aggressive? I could have been gentler with her... Miller thought, skimming through the lines of text as his mind spun in circles. “No... she was being completely unreasonable. How could she possibly value a piece of jewelry over a human being's life and the safety of our people against starvation this winter?”

She isn't stupid. Francesca is logical and pragmatic... Why would she be so fiercely against a simple gem?

Miller paused his pen mid-sentence, muttering aloud into the quiet room, “Even so... she didn’t even try to confide in me about why it matters so much... Am I truly not the person she claims to love?”

That’s right... a monster might not abandon another, but... no one ever said they truly love each other.

Miller clenched his fist on the desk, his jaw tightening. “I love her, though... Even so, I am not in the wrong here. She was being cold and unreasonable when so many lives are at stake.”

Swoosh...

Francesca collapsed onto the large bed, tears pouring freely from her eyes as she buried her face into her pillow, sobbing uncontrollably.

“I... I just wanted a peaceful life... Is that really too much to ask for?” she choked out through heavy breaths, her mind racing back to their terrible argument in the study.

‘They were right about you, Francesca. You are nothing but a crippled curse who exists only to make everyone around you completely miserable.’

Her perfect recall memory ruthlessly resurfaced Ivan’s cruel words from seven years ago.

She lifted her head, staring up at the pale moon outside the window. “Am... am I truly a curse...?”

She pressed a hand to her forehead, trying to sort through the chaos in her mind. I understand it is partly my fault for not telling him why the Azure Tear is so important... it literally might be the only thing keeping me alive in this second chance. But just because he didn’t know that... he didn’t have to be so cruel...

“‘Duty this, duty that’... Is being my husband just another formal duty to him, too?” Frustration and anger began to bloom in Francesca's chest, but her sharp, logical side quickly fought to keep her emotions in check. She closed her eyes, letting out a tired sigh.

But he is under immense stress because of Jeckson’s impending case and the trade embargo that could cause our citizens to starve this winter...

Still, that doesn't mean he had any right to say such hurtful things...

Francesca placed her cane onto the nightstand and stared blankly up at the dark ceiling.

“That's right... I am not the only one in the wrong here,” she whispered softly into the quiet room, slowly closing her heavy eyes and drifting off into an uneasy sleep.

Clink... Clink...

The gentle, rhythmic clinking of fine porcelain and silver utensils echoed softly through the dining hall as the Viscount and Viscountess ate their morning breakfast together in unusual, suffocating quiet. The warm morning sunlight streaming into the room was bright and welcoming a stark, complete opposite to the heavy mood hanging over the two people present.

There was no lively conversation between Francesca and Miller like there usually was; both simply kept their eyes lowered, eating silently.

The silence dragged on.

…

“Pass me that...” Francesca requested in a flat, monotone voice, gesturing toward a sauce vessel sitting next to Miller’s plate.

Without saying a single word or making eye contact, Miller picked up the small pitcher and passed it over to her side of the table.

The awkward, icy silence continued to linger, visibly unsettling the surrounding household staff as the quiet breakfast proceeded.

“My Lord, My Lady...” Stella reported, stepping respectfully into the dining hall and bowing low. “The Council members have all arrived at the castle. The formal assembly is scheduled for this evening, where Lord Ivan will also be in attendance.”