She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 110

‘What was that just now?’

Idel rubbed her eyes, frowning. She couldn’t believe the figure she had just seen in the hallway.

‘It was clearly Sigmund… Did I see a hallucination because I’m too tired?’

Logically, that should be correct. The figure disappeared in the blink of an eye, and it was true that she was exhausted from all the events that had transpired today.

‘But did I see it wrong because I’m tired?’ is actually a cliché line.’

Especially in a bizarre world like this, it was a line that could lead to serious trouble later if spoken carelessly.

Recalling that point, Idel slowly moved her steps with suspicious eyes. This was to see the place where the phenomenon occurred more closely.

The hallway, upon closer inspection, had nothing special about it. The pillars were large enough for children her age to hide behind, but if that were the case, she should have spotted him now.

‘Did something go wrong with the artifact, connecting me to Sigmund?’

…No, that shouldn’t be it.

‘Because the clothes he was wearing seemed different.’

Under normal circumstances, it would have been difficult to state that with certainty, but today she could. Sigmund, invited to a debut, was wearing a noticeable uniform, befitting a crown prince.

‘The clothes the child in the illusion was wearing were closer to a priest’s robe than a uniform.’

Similar to Priest Othello’s just a moment ago.

As Idel was trying to piece together what she had seen by searching her memory, Sedna, who had gone into the inner chamber momentarily for a procedure, called out to her in a puzzled voice.

“Thank you for waiting. Now I will guide you inside… Sister?”

“…Priest Sedna.”

“Is there a problem, perhaps…?”

“No, not exactly.”

She lightly waved her hand and turned back towards the priest.

“Something just caught my eye for a moment. Priest, um… are there children my age inside the temple?”

“Children your age? Of course. The Temple is a place where we practice the Goddess’s love. We have young priests who have been called by God since childhood, too. But why are you asking that all of a sudden?”

“Ah, it’s nothing else, but I thought I saw a child in the hallway.”

“Pardon?”

Priest Sedna’s eyes widened when she heard Idel’s words, and he tilted his head slightly.

“A child alone? That can’t be. The children are being cared for by the priests inside the inner chambers. They can’t easily come out because they have to follow a procedure, like what I just did. They don’t generally bring children over to this area in the first place.”

“No? Why?”

Priest Sedna heard Idel’s question and pointed to the right side of the hallway for her.

Idel, shifting her gaze to follow the priest’s hand, lightly clasped her own elbow.

The priest saw her reaction and nodded in understanding, then spoke again.

“Yes. As you can see, the right side of the hallway holds the cemetery for those who have requested eternal rest in the Temple.”

“…”

“Since death is also the providence of God, it’s not simply because it’s a cemetery that we keep the children away. There’s no need to overly fear death. It’s just that funerals are often held here, and people frequently come to visit the deceased. A certain solemn atmosphere is required. It’s a bit much to let the children roam around freely…”

“I understand.”

After all, if children were allowed to wander without restraint, they would inevitably cause a ruckus.

Idel agreed with the priest, but her eyes held a trace of doubt.

“Then the child I saw…”

“Hmm…”

Priest Sedna rubbed his chin for a moment and looked at Idel with kind eyes.

“Perhaps there might be a child who snuck out. It’s difficult, but children who make the impossible possible exist everywhere.”

“Ah.”

“Or perhaps you were too tired and misidentified what you saw, Sister. Your complexion isn’t very good right now, either. Let’s head inside the inner chamber right away.”

She added that she would be better after treating her injuries and resting well and naturally led Idel into the inner chamber.

Idel followed the priest into the inner chamber without any objections. Everything he said was reasonable.

‘A child so similar to Sigmund that I mistook him for the Crown Prince suddenly appearing near the temple’s cemetery…’

If something like that happened in this over-the-top world, it could be one of three things.

‘I was truly exhausted and saw a hallucination; Sigmund’s twin brother is alive, or failing that… the ghost of that twin appeared before me, asking to resolve his grudge.’

One might ask what a grudge-holding ghost is doing in Western-style fantasy, but well.

‘That’s what makes it even more ridiculous. And the way it vanished without a trace in such a short time.’

Idel increased the possibilities without prejudice and entered the place Priest Sedna led her to.

‘I’ll think about this again after hearing why the Saint sought Sigmund.’

She didn’t want to rack her brain any further right now. She was terribly exhausted. So much so that she felt she would drift off to sleep the moment she closed her eyes.

* * *

A strange ceiling.

Idel slowly blinked her eyes, slowly rubbed them with her hand, and let out a deep breath.

‘It seems I fell asleep right here at the temple. And quite soundly, too.’

The view outside the window, which became visible when she turned her head, was already dark as the sun had set.

She had said she was tired enough to fall asleep instantly, but she hadn’t intended to sleep this deeply.

Idel slowly raised her upper body and leaned against the headboard of the bed. Since the sleepiness hadn’t completely worn off, various thoughts were floating in her mind.

‘Is the treatment finished? What about Sigmund? Is he still with the Saint? Dante must be shocked because of Patrick, and I need to settle the affairs concerning the Ducal house…’

She had a lot of things she needed to do, but none of them could firmly grasp Idel’s attention.

‘No. If I stay like this, I feel like I’ll fall asleep again soon.’

The moment Idel lightly slapped her cheeks with both hands, focusing on the sole thought of needing to wake up, the temple door opened with a creak.

And her eyes met with someone she hadn’t expected to be there.

‘Duke Vincent Clementine.’

The Duke looked somewhat haggard compared to the morning.

‘Judging by his slightly widened eyes, he didn’t expect me to be awake already.’

Thinking that far, Idel finally realized that his presence here was only natural, if anything.

Since his ward had been continuously asleep, the temple had no choice but to contact the guardian and ask them to take her.

‘Well, the relationship between that guardian and ward is a little ambiguous now, though…’

While Idel slowly rolled her eyes, recalling the events at the ballroom, Vincent quietly closed the door to the room.

Just as Idel had guessed, Vincent didn’t expect the child to be awake.

The priest who had treated Idel’s injuries and looked after her said that deep fatigue had accumulated in the child’s body and that she might not wake up from sleep until tomorrow at the latest.

‘Furthermore, they said remnants of the curse also remain, and that also requires recovery.’

Although those remnants would naturally disappear over time, he was told that their energy could be a burden on Idel’s body for now.

But isn’t it said that humans become accustomed through experience?

Having faced Idel in a similar situation long ago, he was able to adjust to the current circumstances without difficulty.

‘Even her rolling eyes are similar to back then.’

It was as if time had rewound to that moment.

Taking a short, deep breath, he approached the bed where Idel was lying and sat down on the guardian’s chair.

Meeting the child’s blue eyes, which held awkwardness, Vincent slowly moved his lips.

“Idel, how do you feel?”

“Uh… I’m fine. I guess I was just a little sleepy.”

“No discomfort anywhere?”

“Hmm, no.”

“If so, that’s a relief.”

He spoke calmly despite Idel’s short answer and quietly reached out a hand to cover Idel’s eyes.

“If you’re not in pain, go back to sleep now. The priest strongly advised that your body needs sufficient rest.”

“That’s true, but… Didn’t you come to pick me up?”

“I did.”

“Then it’s fine. I am sleepy, but it’s not like my body won’t move, and there’s no need to trouble the Duke by making me go back to sleep again.”

Idel took hold of the Duke’s hand, covering her eyes, and pulled it down while grabbing the blanket with her other hand.

“Let’s go back now, Duke. Ah, did Sigmund go to the Imperial Palace already?”

“…”

“Duke?”

Idel slightly tilted her head at Vincent’s lips, which seemed unwilling to open.

Just as she was frowning, wondering why he was acting so suddenly, the Duke’s lips finally moved.

“The title has reverted.”

“Pardon?”

“Do you no longer intend to call me Dad?”