She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 59
“That’s not it…”
“What on earth happened that made my beautiful daughter think like that?”
Melisa gently stroked Idel’s cheek with her finger.
Idel, trying to disguise the chills running down her spine as anxiety, met Melisa’s gaze with shaky eyes.
In the space where only darkness reigned, except for the faint light leaking from her room, Idel thought she saw Melisa’s violet eyes glinting strangely.
“Hmm? Idel, I’m asking you.”
“It’s… because everyone hates me and bullies me.”
Holding back tears that felt like they would fall at any moment, Idel’s voice trembled slightly.
“I don’t want to be alone. It’s scary…”
“If my daughter is nice, do you think those people will stop bullying you? Do you think they will side with you, Idel?”
“…No?”
Melisa smiled broadly at the naive question.
With her gaze still looking down, Melisa leaned forward. The shawl draped over her shoulders slipped down, dragging on the floor, but she didn’t care.
“Well… if you’re really curious, how about we do this?”
“Hmm…?”
“Try doing what you want for a while. Try to reconcile with Gianna at the banquet, and see how people react. What do you think?”
“…Is that really okay?”
“Of course, it is.”
With a relaxed gaze, as if the outcome was already determined, Melisa coldly looked down at Idel.
“So, do you feel a bit more at ease now?”
“Yes…”
“I’m glad.”
With a smile that only lifted the corners of her mouth, she gently patted Idel’s head.
“Now, you should go back and sleep. Children shouldn’t stay up too late.”
Idel nodded silently and gave Melisa one last tight hug.
Naturally, Melisa did not return the embrace.
With a more relaxed expression, Idel stepped back from Melisa and offered a light smile as she bid goodnight.
“Goodnight, Mom.”
“Yeah. You sleep well too, Idel.”
Melisa’s gaze lingered on Idel’s red hair as she walked away, shimmering in the dim light.
Her retreating figure looked comfortable, as if she had never hovered near her biological mother’s room. All because of that small permission she had given.
‘She has no idea that she’ll be hurt even more because of that.’
Unfortunately, and as expected, Idel made the wrong choice. Instead of simply falling into her hands, she decided to make one last struggle.
‘Well, it can’t be helped. I’ll have to tie up the loose ends as planned.’
A fleeting coldness flickered in Melisa’s purple eyes before disappearing.
She was looking forward to the sight of the child getting hurt at the banquet.
‘Of course, I’m also looking forward to seeing my lovely sister crumble once again as I cut Sylvia away with my own hands.’
Just imagining it brought her a thrill. With a habitual sigh, she slowly adjusted the shawl that had slipped down.
Feeling her body heat rising more quickly than usual, Melisa let out a light snort.
‘It’s about time to make some more medicine.’
After all, she needed to concoct a ‘potion’ for Idel as well. Thinking she might as well get rid of her, Melisa slowly closed the door.
The silence that had briefly been interrupted by Idel and Melisa’s conversation sank back down with the darkness.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
And finally, that day had come.
With Sylvia’s unobtrusive consideration, Idel sat while Diane attended to her, gazing blankly into the mirror.
The reflection showed her wearing a much more extravagant dress than usual. The hem was adorned with lace and ribbons, along with cute accessories.
“…Diane, aren’t you going a bit overboard with the preparations? This seems excessive.”
“Excuse me? Excessive? We have to do this much! It’s not just any day; it’s ‘that day’!”
Diane, who locked eyes with Idel through the mirror, clenched her fist. She had been very excited since this morning.
Idel understood.
For Diane, today was like the opening day of a long-awaited performance.
‘Sylvia and Gianna are perfectly prepared as well.’
Thinking this way truly made it feel like they were putting on a play.
Sylvia would manage the ‘banquet’ as planned and thwart Veronica’s schemes, while Gianna would pretend to reconcile and accept the food she offered.
There was one difference, though…
‘The fact that this play doesn’t actually have a happy ending.’
Idel trusted Melisa. If it were her, she would surely have prepared a grand betrayal event.
Of course, trusting Melisa and preparing for the event were two separate matters.
‘What if the event I’m thinking of is different from what Melisa has prepared? I need to be ready for that.’
After confirming what dishes would be served at the banquet through Gianna and Sylvia, Idel busily talked about her food preferences while Diane was away.
She mentioned that she wouldn’t touch the apple pie among the desserts and would definitely eat the accompanying sorbet.
And then she would whisper the opposite to Veronica.
‘I should either eat very little of the accompanying sorbet or skip it altogether. The dessert is apple pie, so what’s the point in ruining my palate?’
In this way, when the truth came out, the servants’ testimonies would serve as a trap to catch Veronica.
‘Of course, this is also thanks to Veronica’s aristocratic mindset.’
Although Veronica was mingling with the servants due to her plan to harm Idel, she was originally the type of person who ignored those of a lower ‘rank.’
‘In other words, it means there’s no worry that the words I let slip to the servants will reach Veronica’s ears. From what I’ve observed, she hardly engages in conversation unless she’s giving orders.’
After all, maintaining a distant image in everyday life would help her avoid blame in case of an emergency.
How could she possibly be complicit in such wicked deeds if she didn’t even interact closely?
Anyway, with several safety measures in place, the ‘performance’ at the banquet would be reassuring.
It was just then, while she was pondering the events that would unfold shortly, that Diane’s unconscious humming tickled Idel’s ears.
“Hmm, hum! Hmm~!”
“……”
She really seems to be having a great time.
Perhaps Diane was wearing a prouder expression than expected?
The conscience that had been brushed aside until now gave a little poke.
‘They’ll be in for a big surprise later…’
I’m not sure how much Melisa has prepared, but at the very least, it would be a stomachache.
From her perspective, things would unfold as planned, but for Diane and Gianna, it would be a bolt from the blue. Idel would firmly believe that she wouldn’t get hurt.
‘But still, this is the best option.’
It was safest to think that things had accidentally deviated from the plan and that a minor incident had occurred.
If the two of them learned more deeply, they would inevitably have to reveal stories related to Melisa…
‘If I could ensure my safety even after that, I wouldn’t be going through this kind of hardship.’
I’m sorry, but it can’t be helped.
‘After this is over, I won’t question what the two of them say for a while.’
And much later, once everything is resolved, I’ll tell the truth and apologize. That’s the least I can do.
It was around the time Idel was organizing her thoughts that Veronica called the two of them with a knock on the door.
“Miss Idel, it’s getting late. You need to head to the banquet hall now.”
“Really?”
“Yes. The others have already arrived.”
Then why didn’t you call me a bit earlier?
Idel responded gruffly in her mind to Veronica’s not-so-subtle remark and slowly rolled her eyes.
There weren’t enough people for it to be said that someone had come to fetch her. More accurately, Veronica was the only one.
Raising one eyebrow slightly, Idel spoke in a sharp voice.
“Why are there so few people? Where are the other servants? Why is it just you?”
“Ah!”
Veronica let out a small exclamation in response to Idel’s question.
“I forgot that this is your first time attending the Duke Clementine’s banquet. It might feel a bit unfamiliar, but this is the tradition of the duke’s household.”
“Tradition?”
“Yes, although it’s called a banquet, the Duke Clementine’s gatherings are actually more like family meetings. Since private and intimate conversations take place, only a minimal number of servants are present to attend to the host.”
After explaining to Idel in a friendly manner, she flashed a light smile.
“So today, the ones attending to you are me, Diane, and Ivanna—just the three of us.”
Ivanna?
Idel narrowed her eyes at the name that sounded somewhat familiar.
Only then did she notice the maid standing behind Veronica, hiding and clasping her hands together. What’s up with that? I didn’t even realize she came along.
Idel stared at her for a moment before suddenly parting her lips slightly. She remembered.
‘That’s her, the one who pretended to accidentally pull my hair back then.’
