She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 101
Vincent could not easily open his mouth.
Like someone who had forgotten how to speak, he gazed at the child standing before him for a long time.
The slightly flushed fair cheeks, the hands that were still small compared to his own, and the gaze that looked straight at him.
‘……Dad.’
He chewed over what Idel had said in his mind and tightened his jaw.
Vincent Clementine was not a man who repeated mistakes. Letting the current reality slip by, lost in unresolved emotions and regret, was enough from that time three years ago.
So, he swore, he had accepted Idel as his child.
He was merely being careful because he wanted to ‘correctly’ button the first button, which he had previously fastened incorrectly, this time.
“……Dad?”
“……”
There it was again. The Duke tightly clenched his fist at the surge of emotion he felt for the first time since Gianna was born.
“Vincent.”
“Ah…”
Only after the Duchess, who couldn’t bear to watch, jabbed him in the side, did he snap out of it and carefully take Idel’s hand. The child’s hand, which he held, was slightly damp.
‘Is she nervous?’
Now that he thought about it, it was understandable. It was the first dance of her debut, and she had chosen Vincent as her partner.
‘And she called me Dad for the first time.’
Idel, holding hands, walked to the center of the hall, released his hand, and stood before him.
Before starting the dance, the child seemed to turn her head and make eye contact with familiar faces one by one.
‘Count Bright, the aide named Colton, Dante, and the Crown Prince… They are all people Idel treats comfortably.’
It seemed she was trying to calm his mind by looking at those she was close with. The last person the child looked at after scanning the crowd was none other than Melisa.
Leaning against the right pillar where no one was standing, she was seen raising her glass in greeting at Idel’s gaze.
The Duke quietly watched Melisa’s composed appearance before turning his eyes back to the child.
‘……After today, I’ll have to have a serious talk about Melisa as well.’
When the Duke first permitted Melisa’s stay, he had clearly set the deadline as Idel’s debut. This was because he thought that by then, the child would be able to accept him and Rowena as family.
However, contrary to his firm words, he also knew. New family was family, and parents were parents.
‘Severing the relationship due to the adults’ circumstances would only leave a scar on Idel.’
Idel was a smart child, so if they talked, she would surely understand the nature of the family she belonged to as well.
It was about the time Vincent was thinking this. Idel, having taken her gaze off the people, slightly lifted her skirt with both hands and offered a light curtsy towards him.
“It is an honor to be with the Duke.”
The common greeting she had heard hundreds of times in social circles felt new today. A faint warmth settled on his face, which had been stiff, at the sight of Idel blinking her eyes in a prim manner.
Releasing his expression, which had been hardened by tension, he took a short deep breath and politely extended his hand.
“The honor is mine to share the young lady’s first dance.”
As their hands met, soft music filled the hall. It was the dance that all nobles performing their debut danced.
Although they could not see the gorgeously flowing lines of the dance that would make jaws drop due to the height difference between the Duke and Idel, no one expressed any complaint.
It was because the sight of the young lady with a look of intense concentration and the Duke gently leading the dance to match the protagonist was quite lovely to behold.
“What should I say? It’s different from what I expected, but even a debut like this feels nice.”
“Haha, it was a very long time ago, but when I was young, the family elder used to dance with them at the debut. The trend has changed a lot now, but seeing this after a long time brings back old memories.”
While the attending nobles admired the dance, Idel was overcoming the tingling tension that spread across her chest.
‘The song is almost over.’
That meant the moment Melisa had requested of her was fast approaching.
The conversation she had with her last night came to Idel’s mind.
‘Idel, I once asked you if you’d do me a favor, didn’t I?’
‘Yes! I said I would help you, Mom!’
‘That’s right. You said you would help your poor mother who has to take medicine. Now, Idel. Take this.’
‘What is this…? A hair ornament?’
‘Yes, it’s a hairpin. Regarding the debut ball tomorrow. At that time, could you secretly prick your father with this ornament?’
‘……Huh?’
‘Ah, my. There’s no need to look so scared. I’m not telling you to stab him so he gets badly hurt. Just a little, just like when the doctor gives our Idel an injection, a quick little prick is all. That will be the end of everything.’
‘……Why? Why do I have to do that to Dad? What if it hurts when I prick him?’
‘Idel, you said before that your dad didn’t seem to think of you as his daughter, didn’t you? If you do this, we can find out the truth. It’s like the final test to confirm your father’s heart.’
‘The final… test…’
‘Or, does our Idel like Dad better than Mom now? Not enough to grant your sick mother’s request?’
The rattling sound of the ornament delicately pinned in his hair made Idel’s nerves sharp.
No, to be exact, it was Melisa’s expression, which he glimpsed every time he turned his body while holding the Clementine Duke’s hand.
Unconsciously, Idel tightened his grip on the Duke’s hand and slightly twisted one corner of his mouth.
“Duke, I’ve truly, truly waited a long time for today.”
“Hmm?”
“Enough to have dreamt of this moment dozens of times.”
Before the Duke could reply to Idel’s meaningful words, the music ended with the magnificent ensemble of the instruments.
The people in the hall sent thunderous applause and praise toward the protagonist who had successfully completed the debut dance.
Instead of the standard bow to conclude the dance, Idel suddenly threw her arms around the Duke’s neck. Then, she whispered softly to the Duke, who was involuntarily bent over and embracing her.
“Thank you, Dad.”
“…What?”
“I have one last request: when I let go, quietly call the Knights, just in case.”
“Wait, Idel.”
[Idel, stab the Duke with the ornament. Now.]
“Now!”
Idel yelled that and bit her lower lip hard. It was to push away Melisa’s command that suddenly echoed in her head and return the favor.
Idel removed the hair ornament that was beautifully holding her hair and twisted her body to throw the sharp pin.
The target was naturally Melisa, who was leaning against the pillar.
Her fingertips trembled because she had not completely broken free from the curse, but this much was no problem.
‘Because I trained assuming my body wouldn’t move as I wished.’
She didn’t know how much she had overworked her body to learn both close combat and long-distance fighting.
‘Even when my whole body was tingling from muscle pain, I sharpened my sword to not lose concentration.’
To absolutely not fail in this very moment.
Idel’s blue eyes sharply focused on Melisa. The hair ornament flew without wavering, grazed Melisa’s cheek, hit the pillar, and fell to the floor.
Clack, clink…!
The hall was filled with silent shock, with the sound of the hairpin rolling on the floor being the last noise.
No one had imagined an incident like this would occur.
Not even Melisa and the Duke, the parties involved in the incident.
“Ha…!”
Melisa, who let out a hollow laugh from deep inside, raised her hand and touched her cheek. A deep cut had been made, and scarlet blood dripped down her cheek onto the floor.
Melisa wiped her cheek with her fingertip, checked the red blood once, and slowly lifted her gaze. Her purple eyes were filled with anger, annoyance, and disappointment.
“…Idel, what is the meaning of this? Throwing such a dangerous object at me, of all people, your mother.”
Melisa’s low voice fell onto Idel without inflection. Idel, with her hair messed up from pulling out the ornament, smoothed it down with one hand and flashed a bright smile.
“What are you talking about, Mom? You ordered me to stab the Duke with my hairpin.”
“Ha! I ordered it? From this distance? Idel, even if you’re going to lie, you should at least make it plausible for the situation.”
“A lie, you say.”
Idel’s face, which repeated Melisa’s words exactly, subtly twisted. With an expression that looked both like laughing and crying, Idel opened her mouth as if spitting out the words.
“You were the one who lied, Mom. Or should I call you Dad?”
