She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 115

Evelyn Harrington, famous in Imperial high society by her nickname “Canary,” had recently lost her zest for life.

‘There’s nothing, nothing, absolutely nothing!’

Was it because she had already tasted the ultimate thrill?

No matter how wide she opened her eyes or how sharply she tilted her ears, there were no stories nearly as interesting as before.

“No, really, is this allowed? Is it okay for the Empire to be this peaceful for years on end? It’s not just a day or two anymore.”

“My Lady, peace is a good thing. Imagine if something big happened. How could you live with your heart constantly in your throat?”

“Ah, you only say that because you weren’t there. If you had seen Lady Idel Clementine’s debutante ball, you’d be talking just like me!”

Her maid, Claire, shook her head as she looked at her mistress, who was sprawled across the bed like laundry hanging on a line.

“My Lady, you know you’ve been acting strange since then, right? You stopped reading the newsletters you loved, and even though you’re not a journalist, you’re wandering around hunting for rumors…!”

“Do you think I’m doing this because I want to? ‘Ask the Veil!’ suddenly stopped its serialization—what else am I supposed to do? That was the only joy in my life.”

“Do you know how shocked the Master was when you earned the nickname ‘Canary’ in social circles?”

“Why would he be shocked by something like that? Dad should be grateful that I’m not, you know, the subject of the rumors I chase. He clearly doesn’t understand that there are plenty of insane things happening in this Empire!”

Well, not that she could find any lately, no matter how much she dug.

Scrunching her nose as she swallowed the bitter reality, Evelyn hugged her pillow and rolled her eyes.

‘By the way, I wonder what my ultimate stimulant, Lady Clementine, is up to these days?’

Idel Clementine was a young lady whose name had already spread far and wide even before her social debut. Although they weren’t good rumors, even that had worked out in her favor in its own way.

‘Because she was seared into everyone’s memory at the debutante ball!’

Honestly, among those present, there wasn’t a single person who didn’t re-evaluate Idel Clementine.

‘I am a living witness! I saw it clearly with my own eyes.’

She had watched the reactions of the invited nobles shift by the second.

People were horrified by the fact that Melisa Lopez—known as a legendary villainess—was actually a man; they were moved by Idel, who had resisted Melissa’s instigation; and they were intensely curious about the bizarre nature of their relationship.

‘And the relationship between Lady Idel, His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince, and the Young Lord of Knightley—that added just the right pinch of spice, didn’t it?’

Honestly, at the time, everyone acted as if they’d had one too many drinks.

‘Well, I’m not exactly one to talk.’

Her own heart had been pounding until the moment she lay down in bed that night.

At any rate, Evelyn had sincerely looked forward to Lady Clementine’s flashy social activities. If her debut was that spectacular, she couldn’t imagine how thrilling things would get from there…!

But what on earth?

‘There hasn’t been a peep since then!’

It wasn’t exactly that there were no stories. Sometimes, a lack of news bred its own rumors precisely because it was “no news.”

The most prominent rumor was that the Ducal House had quietly ushered the second daughter away.

“They might not have stripped her of the name, but perhaps they sent her abroad to some quiet place for studies? Otherwise, there’s no way it would be this silent.”

“The image she showed back then was impressive, but… honestly, I think the Duke and Duchess have fulfilled their responsibility just by doing that much.”

“Why is that?”

“Setting aside her abilities or character, strictly speaking, she’s not even ‘half-blooded’—not a single drop of the Duke’s blood flows in her. Besides, she isn’t even ‘blue-blooded,’ is she? It’s a bit unseemly to bring a commoner into a ducal house, not even a baronial one.”

The supposed locations where the Duke’s family had hidden the second daughter changed from foreign countries to convents and occasionally to boarding schools.

‘What did they say… that because her red hair was too conspicuous, they must have made her wear a disguise?’

Regardless, while the location varied with every story, one thing remained constant:

The whispers regarding “Idel Clementine’s uncertain origins.”

‘Of course, even that was short-lived, since Duke Clementine stepped in himself and issued a stern warning.’

The rumors vanished quickly. It was because Duke Vincent Clementine—famous for his integrity—declared he would meet any mention of Idel’s origins with zero tolerance.

Since their reputations were on the line, the nobles didn’t mock her openly anymore, and Evelyn secretly felt a sense of justice watching them tuck their tails between their legs.

As someone who had witnessed Idel’s spirit firsthand, Evelyn harbored a considerable amount of goodwill toward her.

However, as the saying goes, “If you don’t have teeth, you chew with your gums.”

Since Duke Clementine had made it impossible to discuss her origins, people began to gossip about her marriage prospects instead. There was plenty of reason for it. At the very least…

‘Oh, for goodness’ sake. I told you, I have someone I promised to marry a long time ago. How many times do I have to say I’m not interested in anyone else?’

As long as His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince—the man set to turn the Empire’s marriage market upside down—continued to dig in his heels like this!

“No, why is everyone so certain that the person His Highness mentioned is the second daughter of House Clementine? It could be a young lady from another noble family, couldn’t it?”

“Don’t be ridiculous! The only time His Highness has ever attended a noble lady’s debutante ball was for the second daughter of House Clementine. Besides, he personally requested a dance. Honestly, at this point, we have to assume His Highness’s partner has already been decided—”

“Decided? Don’t even breathe a word of that. Are you unaware of how much interest the Imperial Family takes in the marriages of royalty? I don’t want to bring up her origins, but… you know, it’s simply impossible. For the sake of the Empire’s peace, even!”

This topic, a mix of half-positivity and half-denial, reached its peak during the Crown Prince’s Coming-of-Age Ceremony.

For reasons unknown, the “Idel Clementine” of the rumors did not attend the ceremony. In response, the Crown Prince stubbornly insisted that he would not have a “first dance” with anyone.

‘And was that all? When Her Majesty the Empress scolded him, saying that procedure wouldn’t allow it, he went so far as to point out the Young Lord of Knightley and declare he’d dance with him instead.’

The utterly bewildered young lord of Knightley eventually ended up as his dance partner due to the Crown Prince’s relentless persistence.

Looking back now, it was an unprecedented event in the history of the Empire.

‘To be honest… I didn’t hate it.’

Actually, it wasn’t just her; a significant number of young ladies watched the two of them dance with breathless interest, pretending to be unbothered. The sight of the nonchalant Crown Prince and the beet-red face of the young Knightley heir was enough to make even a stopped heart skip a beat.

It was only natural that Dante of Knightley became the man of the hour among the young ladies immediately afterward. So did the news regarding Idel’s absence from the ceremony.

‘The only people who didn’t get swept up in this atmosphere were… well, probably just a small group of people, including Lady Amelia Lewis.’

Now that I think about it, quite a few of those people were the stars of the stories in ‘Ask the Veil!’…

‘Well, I suppose those people have every right to be sick of rumors!’

Since ‘Ask the Veil!’ had been such a massive hit in the Empire; they had certainly endured their fair share of public scrutiny.

Regardless, the rumors regarding the young lady who used to shake up high society—whether she was present or not—had finally fallen silent.

“With no more firewood, the embers were bound to die out… Sigh.”

Evelyn, chewing over her memories, let out a deep breath. She was truly, painfully curious.

‘Lady Idel, where are you, and what are you doing right now? You are alive, aren’t you?’

If so… wouldn’t it be about time for you to show your face in high society again?

‘Ideally, as a storm that shatters these boring days!’

Even as Evelyn lay sprawled on her bed, writhing in boredom, the bells at the Temple rang out holily to signal the hour of prayer.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

Hearing the bells, the priests sought out empty prayer rooms or offered their thanks to the goddess from wherever they stood.

While everyone was focused on their prayers, a figure clad in the distinctive robes of a wandering priest quietly slipped past the prayer rooms.

After passing countless chambers, the figure reached a remote corner of the temple and paused to scan the area. It was the careful look of someone ensuring they weren’t being followed.

Once satisfied, the priest opened the door to a small, side-chamber prayer room and stepped inside.

Upon arriving in the room where a holy statue of the goddess stood, the priest did not offer a prayer. Instead…

“You’re finally here? You’re a bit late.”

“Things happened. But why are you here?”

“Well, perhaps because my cold-hearted fiancée, who even skipped my Coming-of-Age Ceremony, is now ghosting my messages?”

…they held a secret rendezvous with the Crown Prince of the rumors. At the Crown Prince’s casual gesture, the deeply pulled-down hood slid off.

Brilliantly captivating red hair and sharp blue eyes.

It was Idel Clementine, the very person Evelyn had missed so dearly.