She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 111

At Vincent’s question, Idel froze instantly. It was a different kind of bewilderment than the hesitation she had felt at Sigmund’s words in the carriage.

Because she had been so preoccupied with escaping Melisa’s curse, she was ill-prepared for something like this.

‘Are you asking why I won’t call you Dad…?’

Wasn’t it a given that she was leaving the duchy now?

‘Ah, of course, the Duchess did warn Melisa not to touch her daughter. But I thought she only said that because she had to protect a child from a madman…’

Reaching that thought, Idel blinked her eyelashes with an awkward expression.

Of course, the solid wall between Idel and the ducal couple no longer existed.

The misunderstanding had long been cleared, and Idel hadn’t drawn any lines herself.

During the time she spent narrowing the distance with them while following Melisa’s plan, how could she have possibly avoided growing fond of them?

‘Especially with people of this kind.’

For Idel, not giving her heart to the people of the Duchy was even harder than not getting caught by Melisa.

‘To be honest, I failed in the end.’

Not only had she opened her heart to Gianna and Dante, but every time she thought about leaving the Duchy after breaking the curse, she felt a hollow sensation in a corner of her heart.

‘But even so, I thought that once the whole truth was revealed, we would no longer be family.’

Perhaps they could be patrons.

She could be a cherished child, a close younger sister, or an intimate friend.

Receiving the protection of the Duchy under such titles was certainly possible.

‘Because the Duke, the Duchess, and Gianna are not people who are stingy with their affection.’

Furthermore, Idel knew.

Even if the relationship had begun with a lie, the time and emotions they shared would not vanish all at once just because of the obstacle named ‘Melisa.’

‘But family is a different matter, isn’t it?’

—

Idel had already proven at the banquet that there was no biological connection between her and the Duke.

Furthermore, with the revelation that Melisa was actually a man, the “aunt” connection between Idel and Rowena had become nothing more than a meaningless shell.

In other words, the couple had not even a fingernail’s worth of obligation to take responsibility for Idel as “family”—especially when there were plenty of better alternatives available, like a formal sponsorship.

‘So, there’s no way I could possibly utter the word “Dad” in a situation like this…’

She had never been particularly casual with the Duke, but today it felt especially difficult to look directly into those blue eyes so similar to her own.

While Idel shifted her gaze to avoid him, Vincent took in every detail of her unexpected reaction: the panic spreading across her usually sharp, composed face, her hesitation, and her trembling eyes.

Over the image of the child acting uncharacteristically restless, he recalled words she had thrown at him in a similar situation long ago.

‘You hate me, don’t you, Duke? Well, I hate you too.’

‘So it’s fine if you keep hating me. I don’t expect love from a father who just suddenly appeared out of nowhere, anyway.’

At the time, Vincent had read stubbornness and a strange sense of desperation in Idel’s eyes.

‘Back then, I couldn’t understand those emotions at all…’

But now, those words and feelings made perfect sense.

If the child had been harboring the entire truth alone this whole time—if she had known from the very beginning that she could never truly be the daughter of this house…

‘Then saying you didn’t want a parent’s love must have been the only defense, the only vow you could voice to protect yourself.’

The Duke tightened his grip on the hand Idel held. That hand, still tiny compared to his own, pierced his heart exceptionally deep today.

He thought of the emotional hardship the child must have endured, resigning herself to losing all “family” and being left alone, just as Melisa had said.

Vincent was only alive because Idel had been willing to let go of everything she possessed.

Her family, her stable life as a noble, and in the long run, even her future. Idel had to sacrifice so much just to make this “now” possible.

—

“Idel.”

“……”

“Not all families in this world are forged by blood alone.”

One only had to look back at the beginning of his relationship with Idel to know that was true.

Vincent had granted Idel the name of Clementine, yet he hadn’t been able to truly consider her his daughter. He had even gone as far as telling her directly that he wasn’t confident he could love her.

But what about now?

“I will be honest with you. The moment you called me ‘Dad’ at the banquet, I was beyond happy. My heart swelled so much that, ridiculously enough, I couldn’t think of a single thing until you reached out your hand.”

“……”

“And long ago, when we spoke about the boarding school, I was so troubled that I stayed up all night with my eyes wide open.”

Cupping Idel’s cheek with his other hand, the Duke looked deep into the child’s eyes.

Idel’s eyes were trembling faintly, like someone who had never expected to hear such words in her entire life.

Taking in those emotions fully, Vincent continued slowly.

“With just a single word, you have sent my spirits soaring to the heights and dragging them down to the floor.”

“……”

“And I only know of one emotion that can make a person feel that way.”

“……”

“Love.”

At the Duke’s short declaration, Idel bit her lower lip hard.

“Idel, Rowena, and I love you. Whether you truly inherited my blood or not simply does not matter.”

“…Why? How…?”

“Are you asking why we came to love you?”

Vincent furrowed his brow slightly as he listened to Idel’s somewhat hollow, sinking voice.

“Well. It would be nice if one could simply attach a reason to love. But if I had to give you one, then I suppose this is it.”

“……”

“It was because the emotions of responsibility and regret forced me to look at you properly—and once I truly faced you, I found you to be lovely. Just as Gianna said.”

“……”

“…Idel. I cannot force you if you do not wish for it, but won’t you give me the chance to be called ‘Dad’ from now on?”

There was a heavy weight to Vincent’s words. If one had to categorize him, he was the type of person more like Dante than Patrick.

The kind of person who never spoke empty words; serious, blunt, the quintessential ‘Northern Grand Duke’ archetype.

Hearing such sincerity from a man like him, Idel’s lips parted involuntarily.

“……People will surely have things to say……”

“What do you take the House of Clementine for? The stares or the idle chatter of others are not things you need to concern yourself with.”

“Melisa and Knox aren’t dealt with yet, either……”

“Which is all the more reason you must remain under our protection. What do you plan to do if they target you? It’s not exactly my place to say, considering I only kept my life thanks to you, but Idel—I have no intention of letting you face danger alone again.”

Rebutting all her excuses with the same decisiveness he showed during swordsmanship training, he quietly called her name.

“Idel.”

“……”

“No other reason matters. The only thing that is important is your heart.”

Vincent’s blue eyes wavered with a profound seriousness.

“Do you have the heart to accept Rowena and me as your parents?”

Listening to those words, Idel slowly closed her eyes. The Duke had set aside his status and chosen to let himself be the one chosen.

‘He could have just decided things however he wanted—whether to keep me as family or cast me out after reclaiming the family name.’

Instead, in the name of love, he had insisted on handing her the hilt of his sincerity.

With her eyes closed, Idel stared at the hilt he had placed in her soul.

‘Setting everything else aside, do I want to accept them as my family?’

What a foolish question.

‘……No, on the contrary, maybe it’s a very wise question.’

Because this was a fight where the answer was already decided—a fight she couldn’t possibly lose.

Idel’s eyelids trembled as she slowly opened her eyes. She then quietly met the gaze of Vincent, who was still watching her.

“I…”

“……”

Having started calmly, Idel fell silent again. Was it because she had been used to hiding her inner thoughts for so long?

Even though she had made up her mind, her true feelings didn’t fall from her lips easily.

No, perhaps it was because she wanted to answer his sincerity with the best possible words.

Even now, countless phrases were drifting in and out of her mind.

“I……. That is…”

“……”

I want to be family.

If possible, I don’t want to leave this place.

‘To be honest, I also……’

The words she had carefully selected surged up to the edge of her throat, yet Idel couldn’t quite bring herself to say them to Vincent.

Leaving all those words behind, there was only one thing she could convey to him.

“……Thank you for saying that, Dad.”

Of course, contrary to Idel’s thought that her response was lackluster, for Vincent, it was an answer that was more than enough.