She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 90

“Hah, ha…”

At that moment, when Vilred was pouring out his emotions with a laugh close to a sob, a small warmth touched his cold cheek. It was the young prince he had taken from Nox.

“Aww…”

“…”

The child, who had managed to pull his hand out from the tightly wrapped cloth, reached out his tiny hand toward him, not knowing who had separated him from his parents.

“Hah… Your Highness, even if you’re a young child, you need to understand that people can be frightening.”

“Uung?”

“Just earlier, when I patted your back, you stopped crying, right? What if I comfort you and you don’t cry? If you had cried then, Your Highness, your situation might have been different.”

With a self-deprecating smile, Vilred poked the child’s nose with his finger. The child scrunched his nose as if to say not to do that, looking at him with his lips pouting.

His pomegranate-like deep red eyes sparkled in the place where the white snow was piled high. Those eyes, too clear when facing him up close, rendered Vilred speechless.

The last time he had seen such clear eyes was when his nephew was still alive.

“…This is really too much.”

The emotions he thought were buried deep within the ground with his brother’s coffin surged up.

With a lump in his throat, Vilred lowered his head toward the child. The baby’s unique high body temperature melted the coldness from his forehead.

“Aww, u!”

“…Your Highness, it hurts when you grab my hair like that. Are you protesting against me right now?”

“You?”

It didn’t matter that the child didn’t understand. Wiping his damp eyes with the back of his hand, he forced a smile at the prince.

“To be honest, whatever happens to you after this wasn’t in my plans….”

“Uuhhh!”

“Alright, I’m sorry for having bad thoughts. I’ll make sure Your Highness lives without any hindrance.”

Surely, his younger sister would understand that much. As he gently released the baby’s hand that was tightly gripping his hair, Vilred quietly let out a sigh of relief.

It was a moment when the lifeline he had carelessly abandoned was once again bound.

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

“…It’s been 10 years since I’ve been tied to you.”

With a complicated expression, Vilred looked at Sigmund in front of him. The child who had once shared warmth with his sparkling clear eyes had grown into a boy.

And he was now the ‘mad dog’ who ruled over the children of the raven’s den.

‘Look at that disrespectful gaze. Is that how a disciple looks at his master?’

While he was grateful that Sigmund had grown up well without any injuries, there were times when he wondered if this was really the same child he had held in his arms.

‘Is this why people say the environment is important when raising a child?’

Just as Vilred was reflecting on this alone, Sigmund, who had been mulling over his words, suddenly spoke up.

“Hey, Master. No matter how I think about it, I feel like that’s a misunderstanding.”

“A misunderstanding? What do you mean…?”

“That memory of me reaching out and sharing warmth with you.”

Hearing Sigmund’s words, Vilred slightly furrowed his eyebrows. He was puzzled by what he meant.

“No, I don’t remember it well since I was so young, but wasn’t that supposed to be a hit instead of sharing warmth? Like, to wake you up? But I guess I just lacked the strength, so it ended up being a gentle… ugh!”

“Hey. Pay attention to the atmosphere.”

Idel, who had elbowed Sigmund in the ribs, rolled his eyes and looked at Vilred.

Though he was holding his forehead as if his head was throbbing, there was affection in Vilred’s eyes as he gazed at Sigmund.

‘I can roughly understand why he didn’t appear in my brother’s book report.’

If Sigmund had fallen to Nox like he did in the original story, Vilred would have definitely gone to rescue him.

‘Nox can’t possibly be unaware of that.’

At the same time, they likely hadn’t forgotten what happened in the past. For them, it must have felt like having the last puzzle piece snatched away just before the picture was completed.

‘So if I were Nox, I would eliminate Vilred to avoid any future troubles.’

But who knows?

Sigmund might suddenly regain his senses upon seeing Vilred, or conversely, Vilred might break his brainwashing.

‘After all, Vilred said he could lift my curse, right?’

Of course, all of this was just his own speculation. The book report from her sibling didn’t contain any background on the character ‘Vilred,’ and he hadn’t witnessed the events of the original story with his own eyes.

Idel, who had roughly understood the situation, cleared his throat softly to draw attention.

“Anyway, if I summarize Vilred’s words, it means they’re going to make Sigmund the Crown Prince in Nox soon?”

“That seems likely. Unless there’s an alternative, there’s no reason not to use the fastest and most certain means, especially when everything is prepared. This time, they surely won’t make a mistake.”

Idel nodded at Vilred’s words but suddenly turned to Sigmund with a question that popped into her mind.

“Why are you so quiet?”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s strange that you have no reaction after hearing such a huge secret about your birth. You might become the Crown Prince, and you have nothing to say?”

“Then what? Should I dance with joy? What’s so great about being set up as a well-behaved puppet?”

He replied to Idel’s words dismissively, loosening the clasp of his hands behind his head before speaking again.

“I might have forgotten since you’re always the one thinking, but I think too.”

“……”

“I honestly don’t care about the throne or my parents, but I do know one thing. If I become the Crown Prince, I’ll gain some power.”

“Hey, that’s……”

“The power of a puppet isn’t anything special. But it’s still better than being a little kid from the raven’s den who can only do a bit of magic, right?”

At least, something like being dragged to the Duke’s house without being able to utter a word won’t happen this time.

Seeing the serious look in Sigmund’s eyes, Idel bit her lip.

“The moment I resisted the brainwashing curse at your house, I already placed my bet. Just because I listened to my master doesn’t change anything. The stakes have just gotten a bit higher.”

“It might be more dangerous than you think.”

Upon hearing Idel’s words, Sigmund smiled slightly and nodded his eyebrows.

“Aren’t we comrades? Isn’t that why I’m teaming up with you for times like this? If I seem to be in deep trouble, you can stab me first. I’ll give you that chance.”

Is he misunderstanding what it means to be comrades?

Idel, narrowing her blue eyes as she glared at Sigmund, let out a small sigh and raised her hands.

Since Sigmund wasn’t bound by Melisa’s curse now, his proposal was indeed appealing.

“Alright, I understand your intention. But… is Vilred okay?”

“……I’d like to stop him if I could, but if I could do that, my disciple wouldn’t have been given the nickname ‘mad dog.’”

“You know well.”

Idel made a sound of contemplation as she watched the crooked smile on Sigmund’s face and Vilred shaking his head.

“Vilred, you once transformed into your grandfather, right? How long can you maintain that form?”

“Um, as long as my mana holds out, indefinitely?”

“That’s great. Then why not come into the Duke’s house as my aide? Even though Melisa is there, it’s always darkest under the lamp.”

“What? But being an aide isn’t something you can just wish for… isn’t it too suspicious?”

Normally, yes. But the timing was right. They could bring him in when Sylvia returned to the Duke’s house.

‘I’ll have to discuss status with Count Bright.’

With someone of her standing, there should be several methods available. Idel nodded confidently, as if there were no problems.

“Leave that to me.”

“It’s a bit funny to say this now, but… are you perhaps cursed in some other way that makes you look younger?”

“Excuse me?”

“Sigmund might have rolled around with rough guys in the raven’s den, but you seem a bit… for your age.”

“What? You’re saying I’m unusually smart for my age? I know that too.”

As Idel answered brightly, she tilted her head as if to ask what that meant.

– Knock, knock!

“Um, excuse me…!”

Diane, who opened the shop door, peeked her head in and looked at the three of them.

“I’ve been waiting in the carriage, but the young lady hasn’t come out… Is something wrong?”

“No, we just finished up.”

Idel walked toward Diane, who had come to pick them up, and lightly greeted the two.

“Well then, I’ll get in touch again soon.”

“Sure. Oh, but about the means of contact…”

“I have it. A communication artifact that I share with her.”

“What?”

Seeing the completely different yet remarkably similar expressions on both of their faces, Idel exchanged a light glance with Diane.

And not long after that day, black banners fluttered across the entire Empire.

It was the news of the Crown Prince’s death.