She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 78

Idel’s mind was suddenly filled with a jumble of thoughts.

Knowing that this was a chaotic world, she understood that bizarre things could happen here, but she never doubted Melisa’s gender.

‘Well, it makes sense since she came looking for the duke’s child, right? In the duke’s family?’

That was the beginning and the center of all this chaos. She placed her hand on her chest, which began to race, and let out a small, hollow laugh.

‘Then what am I?’

Duke Clementine is not her biological father. She accepted that from the start, as her younger sibling’s book report confirmed it. But while she thought she was sure about her biological mother, it turned out…

‘It turns out my mom isn’t even a biological woman?’

Then who is her mother?

‘Wait, am I actually Melisa’s child?’

To be Melisa’s daughter, Melisa would have had to have been intimate with another woman. But did Melisa really do that with another woman?

Someone who loved her younger sister to the point of madness?

‘No way.’

Her sister felt the same. The near-mad love that the villain in this chaotic world showed resembled pure love at a glance.

Of course, she argued that it was an insult to pure love, but now it seemed easier to believe that. However…

‘Wow, who is this! This is a treasure I worked hard to obtain!’

Yes, the merchant’s words lingered in her mind.

‘I should have paid attention to the merchant’s face back then.’

If she knew that person’s gender, she could understand the true meaning of the phrase “a treasure I worked hard to obtain.”

‘No, why did Melisa suddenly change from Liam to Melisa? What kind of crazy person adopts a boy and raises him as a girl?’

For a lifetime!

‘Did the Count Lopez family get married knowing this fact? No, isn’t it impossible to have a marriage in the first place?’

As the questions spiraled endlessly, Idel squeezed her eyes shut. Her head was starting to throb.

‘Phew. Let’s organize this from the beginning.’

The ‘Liam’ who lived in the orphanage was chosen one day by Count William Silverstone to be adopted.

However, for some reason, Liam ended up living as ‘Melisa.’

As Melisa Silverstone, he fell in love with his younger sister, while his sister Rowena married the duke, completely unaware of everything.

Of course, Melisa couldn’t just stand by. Because the person who should be by Rowena’s side was not the duke, but himself.

‘So I entered the duke’s family in her place… is that it?’

The more she organized, the more absurd it became.

‘Even without my birth secret and the original plot of the Duchess’s return as a villain, it’s this crazy.’

Having barely organized the shocking truth, she closed the admission and discharge list.

No matter what information was here, it seemed no longer important.

‘Still, I should take care of it.’

Holding the old book tightly, Idel turned her body toward Sigmund.

“Did you find anything else?”

“Uh? Yeah. It seems there’s something like a patron list, but hey, wait a minute.”

“Yeah?”

“Why does your face look like that?”

“Huh?”

“Your face is as pale as if you’ve put on some powder. Do you think it’s just your face?”

“Huh? Me? I’m fine…”

Sigmund frowned as he faced Idel.

Could it be that there’s some curse here that shouldn’t be touched, and she might be affected by it?

Idel looked around, but fortunately, she felt no signs of that at all.

‘Is it possible for someone to turn so pale without a curse? Even her lips and hands are trembling!’

With the unresolved question, Sigmund raised an eyebrow slightly. Idel really seemed unaware of how unusual her condition was.

Clicking his tongue in disbelief, Sigmund moved closer to Idel and grabbed her hand.

Her cold hand fit snugly into the warm hand of Sigmund.

“……What’s going on?”

“What do you mean? I’m just checking if this is due to a curse.”

“Ah, it’s not that, so let go.”

“That’s not for you to decide; it’s for me to decide. You don’t even know your own condition.”

Sigmund completely ignored Idel’s words and changed the subject by presenting a piece of paper with his other hand.

“This seems to be the patron list I found. I noticed a few interesting names here. My master said he absolutely hated dealing with the Fleet Guild, yet here it is, his name written boldly!”

“Patron….”

“From what my master said about needing to move and avoiding deals, it seems he has completely cut ties with Nox now.”

Sigmund’s words went in one ear and out the other for Idel.

There were far more places supporting Nox than she had thought, and among them was a name familiar to Idel.

[Lopez]

“Ha… So they were of the same kind. They married Melisa knowing everything.”

Now it started to make sense why the original Idel didn’t ask the Count Lopez family for help.

‘No matter how much it was revealed posthumously that he wasn’t her biological father, legally, she was still family, so I thought it might be worth appealing to their emotions.’

But with this, there was no way that would work.

Thinking back, she realized she didn’t have many memories of receiving genuine care even before she became aware of her past life.

‘If there was any affection, it was just the love of the late Count Lopez.’

In other words, whether she was Melisa’s child or not, she was nothing more than a useful tool to them.

‘When I said Sigmund and I were friends, Melisa’s lack of reaction wasn’t just her personal issue; it was natural for her not to know what I was doing.’

The Count Lopez family had only provided her with the bare minimum of etiquette and education required of a noble, showing no interest whatsoever!

Idel unknowingly bit her lower lip.

She knew.

She was fully aware of how miserable her situation was. Wasn’t she going through this hardship just to escape that place? But…

‘It feels like I’ve been blindsided again. If they thought of me as one of their own, they should have informed me about these things.’

As the pressure on her lip intensified, someone grabbed her hand tightly. It was Sigmund.

“Hey. Pull yourself together.”

“…….”

“I don’t know why you’re acting like this, but it’s not going to do you any good right now.”

“…Yeah. You’re right.”

At Idel’s vague response, Sigmund glanced at her.

“I also want to grab my master by the throat and ask him what he’s doing running around. But getting angry right now will only hurt my fist.”

“…….”

“Just remember that you got what you wanted. Both of us, honestly, if it weren’t for that Count you brought, we would have been finished long ago.”

Sigmund’s words were far from gentle. They felt rather blunt, but they were just what Idel needed to regain her composure.

“Yeah, thanks.”

“…….”

“As you said, we’ve gained quite a bit. Let’s head back up. We’ve both spent too much time here.”

“Well, these days my master has been keeping a close eye on where I am. He never did this when I was a little kid; I wonder why he suddenly started.”

‘Why? It’s probably because of you, the Crown Prince.’

Suppressing the thought that instinctively sprang to mind, Idel opened her mouth to him.

“Be careful. It’s clear that they’re targeting you now.”

“…….”

“It won’t just end with you getting caught. If kids like us are taken hostage, the situation will only get worse, you know?”

“I know; you don’t have to tell me.”

With a dismissive wave of his hand, Sigmund walked toward the entrance. He grabbed the rope hanging near the entrance and quickly pulled himself through.

Watching Sigmund disappear in an instant, Idel sighed softly.

Perhaps it was because she had gone through a series of shocking events, but she felt extremely exhausted.

‘First, let’s head up.’

As she shook her head at her overly voluminous dress and her somewhat short stature, an arm reached in from the entrance.

Since she had asked Vivian for help before entering, she naturally thought it would be her…

“Hey, stop dawdling and come up quickly.”

The hand reaching out was not Vivian’s, but Sigmund’s.