She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 73

“I see.”

The duke no longer opposed Idel’s answer.

It was because, in this matter, Idel held the ‘disposal rights’ over them.

“If that’s your intention, I take it you will accept Count Bright’s proposal.”

“Yes.”

“I will send a guard and carriage to the count’s residence at an appropriate time.”

“Understood.”

With those words, silence settled in the office. The awkward atmosphere that had swept through Idel’s room the day before lingered between the two once more.

‘Well, since I’ve received approval, this should be enough.’

Glancing at the duke, who seemed more irritable than usual, she sprang up from her seat and spoke.

“Then I’ll head to the reception room. There’s no point in dragging this out any longer. So, I’ll take my leave.”

Rather than wasting time here, it would be better to send another note to Sigmund.

‘Or I could quickly join Count Bright and leave the duke’s residence.’

Just as Idel grasped the doorknob of the office, she heard her name called from behind.

“Idel.”

Turning her head reflexively at the sound of her name, Idel tilted her head slightly, indicating he should speak if he had something to say.

“I was going to let it go, but there’s something I want to ask.”

“What is it?”

“……”

Despite his stiff expression, as if he were about to spit venom, the duke struggled to find his words.

Idel narrowed her eyes as she observed the tense duke. His demeanor was particularly strange today.

‘His face looks more haggard than usual.’

Just as Idel frowned, wondering what he was trying to ask, the duke spoke.

“It’s about the boarding school…”

“Ah.”

Idel let out a small gasp at the topic the duke brought up.

‘Is that what he hesitated to mention?’

It was somewhat unexpected, but it wasn’t a topic he couldn’t bring up.

‘Since I was bullied in the duke’s residence.’

No matter how much the perpetrators were removed, the ‘space’ before and after the bullying could not be the same. Space and memory are closely related.

‘Dr. Aiman must have suggested it.’

He probably proposed separating the location for the sake of her mental health, even if only for a while.

Of course, that was out of the question.

‘Setting aside my mental health, Melisa wouldn’t let it go.’

It was like creating a suitable environment only for the bird to suddenly fly away.

Shaking her head lightly inwardly, Idel answered the duke boldly.

“I’m fine. Is there a problem?”

“……No, there isn’t.”

His delayed response and oddly subdued voice bothered her, but she couldn’t kindly ask what the issue was.

That wasn’t something Idel Clementine would do.

After briefly scanning the duke’s condition, Idel spoke again in a cool tone.

“If you have nothing more to say, I’ll take my leave.”

“…….”

There was no answer from behind, but Idel left the office without caring.

“Ha…”

Vincent watched Idel leave the room, a quiet sigh escaping his lips.

‘I’m fine. Is there a problem?’

Idel’s earlier response kept echoing in his mind.

A problem? Of course, there was.

Why wouldn’t it be a problem that a child who had suffered such terrible things was cherishing a boarding school brochure?

‘And she immediately cut off the conversation, saying she was fine with the boarding school, even though I only started to broach the subject.’

Most importantly, the ‘desperation’ had vanished from the child’s eyes. The contradictory desperation she had shown when she said she didn’t want love.

Idel’s more relaxed demeanor was due to Melisa’s words, “There’s no need to act badly anymore,” but the duke had no way of knowing this.

Taking another deep breath, the duke suddenly recalled his conversation with Dr. Aiman.

‘You need to change Miss Idel’s living environment. The room she is currently in will keep bringing back memories of the past.’

‘…Like a boarding school?’

‘A boarding school? Hmm… I wouldn’t recommend that. What Idel needs is not a completely new environment, but emotional stability.’

‘Emotional stability…’

‘Perhaps moving Idel’s residence closer to Gianna’s would be a better option?’

As Dr. Aiman’s voice still echoed in his ears, he closed his eyes tightly.

The headache that had begun when he learned the full story throbbed, spreading over his eyelids.

‘How utterly incompetent.’

He couldn’t even fully grasp what was happening within his own domain. Vincent, who had been blaming himself, let out a small, bitter laugh.

‘This is just nonsense.’

All of this stemmed from his rationalizations.

His cowardice in not being able to love the child, his arrogance in thinking he could avoid regret by watching over her directly, and his carelessness in not actually taking proper care of her.

Frustratingly, at this moment, the image of Melisa from the past flickered before him.

Her face, filled with intense emotion as she glared at him and Rowena, was vividly clear.

‘Calm down? Did you just say calm down? Would you have been this composed if it were your daughter?’

‘Then is Idel someone else’s child?’

…Someone else’s child.

Recalling Melisa’s bitter words, Vincent slowly opened his eyes.

It might already be too late, but as Rowena had said, it was time for him to change as well.

Before he faced a moment he would regret even more than now.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

Unlike Vincent Clementine, Idel’s steps toward the drawing room were quite light.

This was partly because she was unaware of the misunderstandings her words had caused, but also because she had successfully managed to go out.

As Idel entered the drawing room, Vivian, holding a teacup, greeted her with a warm smile.

“I was just thinking the tea was getting cold, and you came at the perfect time. Did you get permission from the duke?”

“Yes, I can go right now.”

“Great.”

Vivian received her coat from a maid and extended her hand to Idel with a polite demeanor.

“Shall we go?”

“Um… yes.”

Idel hesitated for a moment at Vivian’s overly formal attitude but eventually placed her hand on Vivian’s.

Compared to Vivian’s hand, hers was small and adorable. Vivian held onto it tightly, smiling happily as they walked.

“Seeing only the maid from before following you, it seems the duke plans to send a guard to the count’s family later. Am I right?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“Because I insisted on it?”

The count, with a playful smile, whispered softly as he helped Idel into the carriage.

“I thought it would be better for you to move this way. Am I wrong?”

That was true. Idel silently nodded in agreement and settled into her seat.

Once she confirmed that the carriage was leaving the duke’s residence, Idel let out a small breath and straightened her posture. She needed to explain the situation that she hadn’t conveyed in her letter.

However, before Idel could voice any of this, a soft laughter escaped from Vivian, who was sitting across from her.

“Ha ha.”

With her eyes crinkled in a smile, she looked at Idel with warmth.

Receiving that affectionate gaze without understanding why, Idel raised her eyebrows slightly.

“…What’s so funny?”

“Oh, I’m sorry. I wasn’t laughing at you. It’s just that I never imagined I would receive a request for help from you like this. Neither I nor Ivan.”

“Ah.”

In fact, Vivian was right. If Sigmund hadn’t contacted her urgently, Idel wouldn’t have asked for help in this manner.

Noticing the subtle change in Idel’s expression, Vivian added calmly.

“There’s no need to think too deeply about it. I’m just happy. You should have seen Ivan’s expression when he received your letter. His cheeks were flushed as he rushed over; it was incredibly cute. He was so excited that his glasses got crooked!”

“…Ah, um, yes.”

“Well, putting aside that personal joy, the Count of Bright family would never refuse your request. I believe Farell is involved in this matter.”

Vivian looked at Idel with an apologetic expression, as if to say, “When did I ever boast about my partner?”

“From the moment we heard that Farell escaped from the Karimba Monastery, we’ve been searching for him.”