When the Villainess Died, the Male Lead Went Crazy - Chapter 152.1

“Ugh… Wife?”

Anais suddenly angrily slapped away Kylian’s hand, which had been gently caressing her cheek. The hand that had shown deep affection just moments ago was now met with a surge of anger from her, and she couldn’t bear it without pushing him away.

They had been sitting together in the audience chamber.

“You’re angry again.”

“…Yes.”

Whenever memories that she had kept buried resurfaced, Anais acted like this. Kylian, though uneasy, couldn’t help but smile with a strange expression as he saw that, even though she had slapped his hand away, she stayed by his side.

He knew now that Anais would not abandon him. He understood why she acted this way.

In fact, Kylian would have been more frightened if Anais hadn’t been angry. Anger, in itself, meant she hadn’t given up. It meant there was still hope, and that the emotions she held were significant.

Perhaps that’s why he felt relieved whenever she got angry.

“You’re very upset today.”

Kylian said with a bit of a bitter expression as he withdrew his hand. Still, he didn’t forget to express his sincerity. He wanted to show her how much he cared, making up for the affection he hadn’t been able to show before.

“My beautiful wife. My Anais.”

He said it as if he was truly happy.

Anais let out a long, exasperated sigh, as though she couldn’t help it.

“Ah, I don’t know.”

After snapping at him, she stood up from the Empress’s throne.

“Anais?”

Kylian immediately stood up to follow her, but Anais shot him a glare.

“Sit down.”

“…Yes.”

“I said sit down.”

Kylian deliberately ignored her words to gauge just how angry she was. But seeing her now, it seemed her anger was stronger than usual.

“Still, Wife… I understand. I’ll stay right here and sit quietly.”

He was about to make a joke but quickly noticed her lips tighten, so he obediently sat back down on the throne.

He stared blankly at Anais as she turned her back on him and walked away. She was, as always, stunningly beautiful. If she had taken off her cloak, he would have seen her beauty even more clearly.

Sighing, he watched her leave without even looking back, her cloak fluttering as she exited. He couldn’t bring himself to follow her, only watching from where he sat.

“Ha.”

He let out a sigh, regretting that she hadn’t looked back before leaving.

“It seemed like she was just talking and laughing a moment ago.”

The Emperor’s aide seemed flustered by the sudden coldness.

The aide was surprised at how Anais, who had seemed so composed, had changed recently. The deeds she had done during her time as the Young Duke were now all revealed since her ascension to Empress.

Because of that, all the people of the Empire revered and admired her, partly due to her noble character.

But this behavior was unexpected. Just moments ago, the Empress and the Emperor had been talking and laughing happily together.

“I like it when you smile at me.”

“We’re in the middle of work, Kylian.”

She smiled as she spoke. At that moment, the Emperor gently caressed her cheek.

“Wife?”

But she slapped his hand away.

“It’s only natural for the Empress to be angry with me. So…”

“Yes, I’ve sent my eyes out. I’ll find out why she’s angry soon enough.”

The aide said, thinking of the Empress’s closest lady-in-waiting, who would likely know what was going on.

The Emperor had no personal attendants, as Kylian, due to his past with Lilith, kept his distance from women. Though there were female servants, he never got personally involved with any of them.

“I hope you find out quickly.”

“Yes.”

Kylian sighed as he swept away the hand Anais had slapped away, unable to hide his emotions. He could still feel the lingering touch of her beautiful hand, which left a clear memory on the roughened skin of his palm.

* * *

That evening, Kylian had planned to invite opera singers to the palace for Anais.

Since it was the most popular opera in the capital at the time, Kylian decided to renovate part of the palace’s performance hall to show it to Anais. Considering the time it would take to leave the palace and travel to the small theater, he thought it would be better to bring it here.

Anais, who often worked through the night, valued every moment and would certainly stay up late if she couldn’t finish her work. He wanted to create a special memory with her, preparing this event for a day when her work was finished early.

“So, this is the opera that’s been trending lately?”

“Yes, that’s right. I know you like opera, Wife.”

“Ah, that’s right. I had forgotten for a moment.”

Anais had liked opera even back when she was the young Duke, but with her busy schedule lately, she had momentarily forgotten. Realizing that Kylian had planned this for her sake, she felt her heart warm, and before she knew it, her eyes grew misty as she smiled.

“It’s really wonderful.”

“I’m glad you like it. I love the Wife more than anything in the world.”

Anais was now accustomed to Kylian’s sudden declarations of love. Whenever the moment was right, he would express his feelings. She wasn’t as embarrassed by his bold confessions as she used to be.