She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 77

And there was a well.

“Hey, isn’t that the well you mentioned?”

Idel swallowed hard as she looked at the spot Sigmund was pointing to. It was old and partially broken, but it was definitely a well.

‘It really exists? And there’s even a big tree next to the well…’

At this point, she couldn’t help but recall Patrick’s words. For now, it was best to use any clues they had.

‘Let’s think about Patrick’s intentions later.’

Idel frowned slightly as she remembered what Patrick had said.

‘Miss, have you ever heard that rabbits dig multiple burrows? I found one under the tree next to the well not long ago.’

‘There are always unexpected treasures in places like that.’

The tree next to the well…

Idel lightly rubbed her chin with her finger and strode toward the tree.

The grass had grown up to her knees because it was abandoned and unkempt, but fortunately, she didn’t stumble.

That was partly because Sigmund had cast a light magic spell, despite his annoyance…

“Miss, be careful.”

“Oh, thank you.”

Whenever her steps felt unsteady, Vivian was always there to steady her.

As the three of them approached the large tree next to the well, Idel immediately directed her gaze toward the roots of the tree.

‘Well, just looking isn’t going to help me find anything.’

With a small sigh, Idel rolled up her sleeves and crouched down under the tree. Clearing away the tall weeds with her hands, she spoke to the two of them.

“I don’t have any exact clues from here… It seems like something is hidden under the tree, and I need to find it.”

“What’s hidden, I have no idea.”

Sigmund clicked his tongue lightly and began searching alongside Idel. Vivian did the same.

“Since we talked about rabbit burrows and treasure hunting, there might be a box buried here. Or maybe a pit.”

“Or it could be an entrance leading somewhere. Miss, I think you should check this area.”

At the voice coming from the other side of the tree, Idel brushed the dirt off her hands. Vivian pointed with her chin to a particularly large and thick tree root.

“What’s this…?”

“Oh, it might be a bit dark. Let’s get a little closer.”

Following Vivian’s words, Idel leaned toward the roots.

Among the small roots, dirt, and various unnamed weeds, an artificial structure became visible.

‘…A handle?’

Narrowing her eyes, Idel squeezed her body into the space inside the roots. It seemed too cramped for an adult like Vivian to enter, but that was fine.

‘I’m still young.’

She cleared away the obstacles around her with her hands and pulled on the handle. The door, which had been stuck for a long time, creaked open.

“Sigmund, shine some light here.”

“Yeah. I can’t see well from my side. Is there really something inside?”

“Yeah.”

There really was a rabbit burrow.

With a calm expression, Idel looked inside and turned to speak to the two.

“It’s too narrow for the Count to enter. Sigmund and I will go.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“Not really, from what I can see? But it might be a bit hard to get out. If you could lend me a hand later…”

“Of course, I will. I hope there’s something you want inside.”

Vivian’s short sigh carried a sense of sincerity.

Hearing that voice, Idel silently smiled and crawled into the ‘rabbit burrow.’ Vivian sighed, contrasting sharply with the smile Idel had on while in the carriage.

“Ugh, really, bugs… Hmm?”

Grumbling, Sigmund crawled under the tree after Idel and suddenly widened his eyes.

The space, which seemed like it would be cramped with two children inside, was surprisingly filled with many things.

“This is more like a crow’s nest than a rabbit burrow, isn’t it? There’s quite a lot here. Plus, the amount of magic spread throughout the space is considerable… Are there many artifacts?”

“Not sure? But if you’re right, it seems we came to the right place. They wouldn’t just put artifacts in a random spot.”

“That’s true.”

“There’s probably something related to the symbols here. Let’s look around.”

This was why the term treasure hunting wasn’t wrong.

As Idel opened boxes piled here and there, she lightly brushed off her thoughts. Otherwise, Patrick’s annoying expression would come to mind again.

A brooch of unknown origin, a wrinkled lemon, a worn mask, well-used makeup tools…

Just as she was examining a box full of various odds and ends, Sigmund called her.

“Hey, I think I found something.”

“What is it?”

“The identity of that symbol.”

Upon hearing Sigmund’s words, Idel quickly turned around. The paper he was fluttering with seemed to be some kind of contract.

“What is this? A magical contract?”

“Yeah. It’s similar to what you signed with my master. The content is roughly about confidentiality and such…”

“There are a lot of signatures. Many of them aren’t names, so I don’t know who they are.”

“What’s important isn’t who participated, but this.”

Sigmund pointed with his hand to the middle of the round signatures. In the center of the contract were letters she had never seen before.

“This reads ‘Nox.’ It’s one of the ancient languages that isn’t used anymore. I learned it, though.”

“So this symbol is the emblem of an organization called Nox. My mom, Patrick, and that merchant from earlier are all part of it.”

“Tch, how did my master get involved with a place like this? It doesn’t seem like a typical organization related to black magic.”

“Why’s that?”

With a displeased expression, Sigmund pointed with his chin to the line below ‘Nox.’

“The words written underneath translate to ‘For the freedom of truth.’ The truth and freedom that black magicians secretly discuss must be quite wholesome and rational.”

“Right. Unless it’s the freedom of brainwashing.”

Idel calmly insulted Melisa and turned her body to search elsewhere.

As she examined every nook and cranny, a thick book suddenly fell from a corner of the bookshelf.

Unlike the other items that seemed magically treated, this book looked particularly worn and aged.

Idel picked up the yellowed book as if entranced and began to turn its pages.

[Soltes Orphanage Admission and Departure List]

Reading the neat handwriting, Idel calmly flipped through the pages.

Each page contained portraits of the residents along with their names, birth dates, and genders. True to its name, it noted when each child entered and left the orphanage.

‘Given that there are notes on the children’s personalities and lives at the bottom… It feels like a student record. The names of the adopted families are also listed.’

No matter how closely she examined it, there didn’t seem to be anything particularly special.

As Idel gradually increased the speed of her page flipping, she paused her finger at one spot.

‘Hmm?’

Where her gaze landed was a portrait of a child around five years old. The short hair and youthful face looked very similar to someone she knew.

Suddenly, her younger sibling’s voice echoed in her mind.

‘Ah, I should do something nice for my sister. There are plenty of plot twists anyway!’

‘It’s about the duchess’s sister mentioned here. Melisa Lopez. In fact, she’s not the biological sister of the duchess. Is this really important?’

…Right. Melisa was not Rowena’s biological sister.

‘This was the information I initially wanted to confirm at the orphanage.’

I should have looked for the orphanage list from the beginning. Idel lamented inwardly as she quickly checked the departure information. No matter how much Melisa resembled her, it could be someone else with a similar appearance.

[Adoptive Parent: Count William Silverstone]

……That’s right.

Although it had now passed to a distant branch, Silverstone was the previous surname of Melisa and Rowena.

Confident that she was looking at Melisa’s information, Idel tried to take in the details. No, it would be more accurate to say she was trying to.

Because…

‘……Liam? Melisa’s name before adoption was Liam? And a boy?’

The moment she saw Melisa’s name and gender before adoption, her mind went blank.

‘Melisa Lopez was actually a boy?’