She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 89
The reason why Vilred was able to obtain the prince more easily than he had anticipated was that the empress had deliberately handed Sigmund over to Nox.
However, what neither the emperor’s side nor Nox had expected was that Vilred, who had kidnapped the prince, was planning to betray Nox.
“Haah, ha…”
On a night when the moon did not rise, Vilred, wrapped in cloth with the child, gasped roughly under the tree covered in white snow.
“I really thought I was going to die…”
It wasn’t as difficult as he had thought to sneak the child out of the palace.
Thanks to the empress’s arrangements and Nox’s meticulous plans, there were no obstacles within the palace.
Ultimately, the moment he faced the greatest crisis was after he had escaped the palace and unexpectedly encountered a member of Nox.
“Vilred, what are you doing here? I thought the meeting place was in the opposite direction.”
Two figures, cloaked to avoid detection, slowly approached Vilred.
“Suspicious. It’s one thing if it were someone else, but you, Vilred, wouldn’t confuse such an important location. Are you perhaps planning to betray Nox?”
“Me? No way. Who needs Nox more than Vilred? I have to revive my dead nephew, right?”
That was what he had said to ensure his sister could live again, wasn’t it?
The voice, laced with a hint of laughter, darkened Vilred’s expression.
‘Yes, that’s right.’
No one else had clung to forbidden magic as much as he had.
It had already been three years since he began wandering the cemetery every night, searching for a way to gather the soul that should have already disappeared. He had even resorted to puppetry in desperation to find a way to heal the body.
‘But all of that has now lost its meaning.’
Because his sister had died not long ago. Despite it being a tragic accident, she had suffered a lifetime of guilt for having killed the child.
‘Brother, it wasn’t me who killed the child. That person… inherited a massive trading company, and they were afraid I would demand money or claim shares using the child as leverage. In the end, they decided to eliminate the child who would become a bastard since they would have to marry a woman beneficial to the company later.’
The empty gaze of his completely dazed sister filled Vilred’s mind.
‘Ah… Ahaha! Can you believe it? I didn’t even know how he had been since we broke up. He killed my child over some cold gold coins. Huh… So… I made my choice too.’
To kill that man.
That was the last image Vilred had of his sister—smiling and crying in front of the already cold body of the man.
When he belatedly uncovered the truth of the incident, he couldn’t help but shed tears of anguish.
The man’s trading company was one of the massive hands supporting Nox, and Nox’s influence had even touched the man’s effort to disguise the child’s death as an accident.
‘No matter how much my only talent was magic, I was too foolish.’
Of course, Nox didn’t know all of this when they acted. However…
‘Even so, the outcome doesn’t change. Just as I was obsessed with foolish thoughts.’
If he had focused more on his sister and those around her rather than on forbidden magic, could there have been a different ending?
It was hard to say.
Vilred stood blankly by his sister’s coffin for several days, neither eating nor drinking.
After thinking and thinking for a long time, Vilred came to a resolution.
‘Since Nox has taken everything I cherish, I have no choice but to take what Nox cherishes.’
From that moment on, Vilred decided to devote everything to thwarting Nox’s plans.
He was someone who completely diverged from either Nox or the imperial family.
To him, interests, the situation that arose afterward, and even the lives of himself and others were not important.
‘Soon. Once I take what’s important to Nox, then I will follow you. For sure.’
What snapped Vilred out of his reverie was the prince nestled in his arms.
“Uuuh…”
It seemed that the tight embrace was uncomfortable for the child, who was squirming. After briefly glancing down at the whimpering child, Vilred looked at the two people in front of him with cold eyes.
“Come on, Vilred. Hand over the child. Then we won’t have to point out your suspicious behavior. Mistaking the meeting place isn’t such a big deal.”
“Hurry up. Even merchants have limits on how much time they can waste. If you linger any longer, the knights will come.”
Vilred gently patted the child’s back to keep him from crying louder and let out a small smile.
“Really? Thanks for the good information.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m thanking you for telling me that I don’t have to fight you all day.”
With a fierce grin, he gathered immense magical power in one hand. The air around him trembled lightly as pure magical energy flickered at his fingertips.
“You traitorous bastard…”
“Not bad for a nickname, huh?”
The release, transformation, and delicate control of magical power were areas where Vilred excelled. Everything he had researched in Nox to save his sister’s child was based on this technique.
Vilred compressed the immense magical power he had gathered at his fingertips, raising the pressure.
“Do you think we’ll just stand by and watch?”
“Go ahead and try.”
As the two rushed forward, casting spells, Vilred waved his hand lightly. A powerful wave of magical energy exploded between the two and Vilred.
It was reckless magic, as if neither the prince’s safety nor his own life mattered.
“Y-You crazy bastard!”
Seeing the magical wave leave scratches on his skin, Nox’s mage hurriedly cast a protective spell around Vilred.
It didn’t matter how a traitor who betrayed the organization was killed, but the prince he was holding was different.
‘That’s a very important seed for Nox to take a step further!’
The mages of Nox, buried in their own research and personal ambitions, weren’t just offering their help for no reason.
Once the empire was in hand, a completely different world could unfold.
‘Not only my level but also the quantity and quality of research would dramatically improve.’
There was no way such an important seed could be allowed to die here. Gritting his teeth, the mage who had cast a protective spell shouted at his companion.
“What are you doing? Catch that bastard!”
“I was already preparing for that.”
A glowing magic circle unfolded from another mage’s hand. The incredibly complex patterns depicted various attributes of magic. The multi-attribute magic that surrounded Vilred quickly enveloped him.
“Smart, but lacking.”
Both in form and power, it was insufficient. It was only natural. The moment Nox’s mage put all his strength into capturing Vilred, the newborn prince wouldn’t be safe.
The magic unleashed by Nox’s mage was thoroughly aimed at restraining him.
Vilred didn’t miss this opportunity. Holding the prince tighter in his arms, he skillfully manipulated the surrounding magical energy. The natural state of magic, unfiltered through a mage’s body, was extremely unpredictable…
“Ugh!”
“Hey!”
And destructive.
The mage attacking Vilred clutched his bleeding ear in pain.
In that brief moment when the barrage of attacks ceased, Vilred began to chant a long incantation. Unlike the previous attacks, the complex flow of magical energy caused Nox’s mage to widen his eyes in alarm.
“No, no! Hey, what are you doing? Hurry up! Get up and stop that bastard’s magic!”
“Ugh…!”
“Hah… what are you trying to do… Just stay still; it’s already too late.”
“Hey!”
Leaving behind shouts mixed with irritation, horror, and anger, Vilred tilted his head back. Behind him, a space torn as if cut by a sword was visible.
‘It’s done.’
Vilred did not hesitate. He didn’t know where that space would lead, but it had to be better than here.
“Ugh!”
“Okay. I understand, Your Highness.”
Using most of his magical power, he cast a protective spell on the child and threw himself into the space without hesitation.
And the result is what it is now.
Breathing heavily under a tree blanketed in white snow.
“Hah… ha…”
In the silent forest, where no human presence could be felt, Vilred slowly embraced the prince.
A smile mixed with pain, joy, anguish, and sorrow lingered on his lips.
