She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 85

Melisa let out a light sigh upon hearing Dante’s words and opened her mouth.

“Fighting? What nonsense are you talking about?”

“…Isn’t it?”

“It seems that both Idel and Sigmund were excited to meet a friend after a long time. They broke a vase while running around in the room. As you can see, the aftermath is quite the sight.”

She gestured for everyone to look around and gently patted Sigmund’s head.

Her hand movements were careful and affectionate, as if she had been close by to check on the child’s condition.

“I was worried there might be serious injuries, but thankfully there aren’t any. Are you feeling any discomfort?”

“…No, I’m fine.”

“Good. If you feel unwell later, let me know. I’ll get someone for you.”

After telling Sigmund this, she turned her gaze to Dante and spoke.

“So, what was so urgent that you forgot your manners?”

“That is…”

Dante’s green eyes briefly looked down. Just as he was choosing a more specific excuse, a familiar voice suddenly interrupted him from behind.

“Oh dear, I was wondering where you were rushing off to, and it turns out it was the young lady’s room? Oh my!”

“Ah, Patrick.”

“Last time, you crawled up to the balcony to take a walk with Idel…! Were you that upset about reducing your lessons?”

Dante quickly nodded at Patrick’s teasing remarks.

“I wanted to tell Idel, of course. If I had known a friend was here, I would have come later.”

“Hmm? Now that I think about it, there’s a child I haven’t seen before. Wait, why is the room like this? And why are the young lady’s cheeks all wet?”

Now noticing the scene before him, Patrick jumped up from his seat.

‘Whether he jumped up or pretended to jump, I can’t tell.’

Whether Patrick was aware of Idel’s suspicion or not, he made a fuss and even instructed the servants to clean up the broken vase.

It was perhaps natural for Melisa to feel irritated by Patrick’s actions. She slightly twisted her red lips and shot a sharp glare at him.

“Sir Patrick, what do you think you’re doing making such a commotion in front of a child who’s already startled?”

“Hmm?”

He blinked as if he had heard something strange and looked back and forth between Sigmund, Melisa, and Idel. A flicker of realization passed through his yellowish eyes.

“Oh~ that child.”

Patrick, who had spoken meaningfully, turned his gaze back to Sigmund. For just a moment, Idel felt she saw a complex emotion in his eyes.

“To think I would meet Idel’s friend, whom I’ve only heard about in rumors! The circumstances aren’t ideal for introductions, but it’s nice to meet you! Ah, this is… um, young master, have you introduced yourself?”

“Ah, not yet.”

“Is that so? You arrived before me, and yet you haven’t introduced yourself!”

With exaggerated gestures, he led Dante forward and cleared his throat lightly in front of Sigmund.

“This is the young master I serve, Dante Knightley. Young master, please introduce yourself!”

“…I apologize for the delay. I am Dante Knightley. My manner of speaking is somewhat of a habit, so I would appreciate it if you could treat me casually since you are Idel’s friend.”

“Sounds good. And this is the friend of the famous Idel… um, what’s your name again?”

“…Sigmund. Just call me Sigmund. There’s no need to apologize for the late introduction.”

Patrick watched the awkward exchange between the two and wiped his nose with the back of his hand, looking rather pleased despite not having made a proper introduction.

Melisa let out a small, incredulous laugh and mocked Patrick.

“It seems you place great importance on introductions, don’t you?”

“Haha, of course.”

He smiled cheerfully and met Melisa’s gaze. The looks they exchanged were somewhat tense for allies.

“Since we’ll be seeing each other for a long time, it’s good to introduce ourselves in advance, right? Isn’t that so, madam?”

“That’s right. After all, he’s Idel’s friend.”

“Exactly!”

Idel kept her mouth tightly shut as she listened to the banter between the two.

‘…A long time.’

For someone who knew Sigmund’s true identity and the tricks Melisa was playing, it was not something she could easily overlook.

Though she pretended to be indifferent as usual, Idel felt the fatigue that Sigmund couldn’t hide.

‘Just like when I first heard Melisa’s orders.’

That thought nagged at her, and just as she was about to do something, Dante, sensing a similar vibe from Sigmund, spoke up first.

“Sigmund, how about you head back and rest for today? Although there are no visible injuries, it seems your body has taken quite a shock.”

“Ah…”

“Y-yes! I feel bad, so I’ll take you home. Okay? Mom, is that alright?”

At Idel’s question, Melisa slowly blinked. Her hesitation was brief.

Though there were some doubts, the brainwashing spell had been successfully cast, and Idel still needed care.

“Alright, I think that’s for the best. Let’s call it a day and meet again next time.”

Feigning disappointment, she exchanged smiles with Sigmund.

“Since today was a bit lacking, I’ll make sure to prepare something delicious for our next meeting.”

“…Thank you.”

“Of course. Diane, please take Sigmund back with Idel.”

“Ah, yes! I’ll prepare the carriage right away!”

As Diane rushed out, Idel quietly took Sigmund’s hand.

It was a kind of signal to check on each other’s condition.

Understanding Idel’s intent quickly, Sigmund tightened his grip on her hand, answering her unspoken question.

‘…Phew, is that settled?’

Only then did she feel a sense of relief.

Although there were still questions left to ask, since he had said he was fine, there was no need to think of the worst-case scenario.

However, there was one thing she had overlooked: Patrick’s presence in the room.

“Wait! Idel…!”

Patrick, looking incredulous, stared at the hands of the two children, now clasped together, and covered his mouth with both hands.

“This is unfair! What about our young master…!”

“What…?”

“You’ve even gone for a walk with the young master… This is not fair! No matter how much of a friend you are, you shouldn’t show favoritism!”

What on earth is he saying!

At Patrick’s nonsensical words, both Sigmund’s and Idel’s faces contorted in disbelief.

‘If this is the kind of nonsense I have to hear, it would be better to cut off the conversation entirely!’

Without thinking about who would do it first, the two of them quickly released their hands, trembling slightly.

Seeing Idel’s horrified expression, Patrick chuckled and shook his fingers back and forth.

“As unfortunate as it is, I’ve already seen it. As a knight who seeks fairness, I can’t just let this go. Now, young master, let’s hold hands too!”

“What?”

Before Dante and Idel could properly respond, Patrick grabbed both of their hands and placed them on top of each other. Unlike Sigmund’s, his hands were rough and calloused.

The unexpected and sudden physical contact left Idel and Dante wide-eyed in shock.

For a moment, the two exchanged bewildered glances before turning their glares on Patrick.

“Patrick, stop joking around and let go of this!”

“Not going to let go? I’ll tell my mother everything?!”

Ignoring the protests of the two children, Patrick shrugged his shoulders mischievously.

“Go ahead and tell her. Look, even the Countess isn’t saying anything.”

Of course! Melisa wouldn’t care a bit about such trivial matters!

“This is all part of the ‘get closer’ strategy. But this way, Sigmund will end up feeling lonely.”

“No? Not at all… Ugh.”

Sigmund’s expression, which had been watching Idel’s predicament like it was someone else’s business, darkened instantly. This was because Patrick had now taken his hand and placed it over Dante’s.

“Now, everyone is equal, right?”

“Yeah, equally embarrassed.”

Despite Idel’s cold retort, Patrick paid no mind. In fact, he smiled proudly, just like when he first introduced Sigmund and Dante.

“It’s a pity that if only Gianna were here, it would be perfect.”

“Not at all a pity.”

“Oh, does that mean you’d rather hold my hand instead of Gianna’s?”

As Idel facepalmed at Patrick’s obvious antics, a savior appeared at the door.

“The carriage is ready! You can head down now… uh, if you were in the middle of something important, should I come back later?”

“No? We’ll go right now.”

Anything to escape the madness of the Nox gang was welcome.