Villainous Husband, the One You’re Obsessed With Is Over There - Chapter 197

Chapter 99.1

Countess Fallon finally lifted the spoon with trembling hands. As she stirred the food slightly, the nauseating smell stabbed her nose so intensely that she could hardly hold back the urge to gag.

There was silence.

When she raised her eyes, the Emperor was looking in her direction.

“Don’t you like the food?”

He asked casually.

Feeling the hairs on her entire body stand on end, the Countess stammered, unable to keep her composure.

“Y-Your Majesty. This is…”

“Yes, that’s what Angie ate that day. Why?”

Without feigning ignorance or hesitation, Raniero calmly admitted where the food came from.

His persistence left her rather at a loss for words.

She couldn’t stop her hands from trembling, and the spoon clattered against the plate, making an unpleasant sound. On the other hand, Raniero smiled and tilted his head slightly. It was an angelic face, as Angelica had once thought.

“Didn’t you hear me?”

“Your Majesty…”

Countess Fallon swallowed dryly before speaking.

“What happened to the Empress wasn’t something I orchestrated.”

She nearly bit her tongue. In the meanwhile, Raniero began to eat his soup as if nothing had happened leisurely. The Count could only stiffen, unable to even help his wife.

The Countess protested once again.

“Your Majesty, I swear to you what I have done…”

“I know.”

“If, if you don’t believe me.”

“I believe you.”

Countess Fallon’s face brightened momentarily when he said he believed her. But the next moment, the words that fell from him stunned her.

“I know, I believe you. Now eat it.”

At this moment, no logic is applied to the Emperor of Actilus.

If he said to eat, one must eat.

“Do you think I didn’t know that there’s been a rumor going around lately that I’m not the same person these days?”

With Countess Fallon, who still couldn’t lift a single spoon, by his side, Raniero continued his meal elegantly and leisurely. He slightly leaned his upper body towards her, whose face turned ashen and was trembling, as he persisted.

“Wasn’t this what you all wished for?”

An emperor who was cruel without any context or reason.

“It’s strange. I granted you your wish, yet it doesn’t please you? Now, eat.”

He insisted.

“It’s a dish specially prepared for the Empress, so all the ingredients used are of the highest quality.”

“But here…”

“But?”

A dimple appeared on Raniero’s cheek. Before him, the word ‘but’ was forbidden, though who dared to defy him with such a word?

Actilla’s successor only allowed absolute obedience.

Realizing the inevitability of the situation, Countess Fallon glanced down at the soup with despairing eyes. Even the Count couldn’t easily step forward since it was obvious that Raniero would surely be displeased no matter what he said here.

They knew that much.

The Countess bit her teeth.

‘Yeah, it’s fine.’

She consoled herself.

‘Just close your eyes and eat.’

The poison that was fed to Angelica required a consistent intake over time to accumulate in the body and take effect. Considering her limited appetite, despite ignoring Viscount Gongfyr’s protests and adding a slightly larger amount, it wouldn’t reach a lethal dose.

In that sense, it could be dismissed as merely eating spoiled food. It wasn’t a pleasant thought, but…

‘…Eating won’t kill me.’

Countess Fallon forced a smile as she lifted a spoonful of soup.

Despite the revulsion welling up inside her, she swallowed as much as she could without chewing, trying to hold her breath. Perhaps because it was still chilly and the food hadn’t been completely gone, it wasn’t as bad as she had feared.

And so, the meal of the three began.

The Countess focused solely on disposing of the food down her throat. Instead of becoming accustomed to the spoiled food, each bite only added layers of repulsive odor throughout her mouth.

“Uuuk…”

She couldn’t hold back any longer and vomited.

Beside her, the Count was at a loss, but Raniero paid no attention. Only after she reluctantly finished the soup did he clap his hands lightly, signaling for the fish dish to be served.

The expression on the Countess’s face darkened even more at the sight of the food being brought out.

As expected, the fish dish was also prepared for Angelica’s meal a few days ago. The untouched fish dish looked clean at first glance, but upon closer inspection, the layer of oil from the sauce poured on it appeared to be separating, making it very unpleasant.

Still, there was no other choice. They had to eat this too.

The only consolation was that since only the meat soup was poisoned, the food they were about to eat was safe from poison, just spoiled.

“You’re eating well.”

As she heard praise from her side, Countess Fallon, who was cutting the food helplessly, paused and flinched.

“It’s nice to see.”

“T-Thank you.”

“Yeah… What was it again? You mentioned something suspicious about the connections between Duke Nerma and Viscount Gongfyr, right?”

“Yes…”

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