The Sickly Youngest Member of the Villainous Family - Chapter 14

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[Fatal Error Occurred: Level Limit Exceeded]

[The system will be readjusted.]

And the moment the system notification turned off, I opened my eyes.

“Miss!”

As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Maya’s crying face. I stared blankly at Maya, and a window floated in front of me.

The place where I woke up was my room.

How did this happen?

As I remembered the last message earlier, I thought that the last boy I saw might have been Evan Taylors.

But what happened after that was unknown.

“The Duke of Halo said after examining the condition of the miss, that the shock of the tense situation came belatedly….. You have no idea how worried I was that something might go wrong.”

Is that why I suddenly collapsed at the ballroom?

“The cowardly Taylors…after the truth was discovered, they made all sorts of excuses and then exited as if they were running away. If the lady hadn’t collapsed, it would have been difficult for them to return alive,” Maya said, clenching her fists.

“There is a Verus (monthly meeting of the four families) next week. Sooner or later they will pay a hefty price.”

Recalling the situation before passing out, I could understand that Taylors were at a disadvantage.

‘Kaisa’ is a forbidden technique that only Taylors can cast. That almost killed me, the daughter of the Winchesters.

Looking at Chenoa Taylor’s expression, which turned white, he seemed unaware of this, but he couldn’t believe it.

“Oh, come to think of it, I have to tell them that the young lady is awake. Young Master also visited many times.”

Boiling with anger, Maya, who suddenly remembered something, left me for a while, and I opened my profile to check the changed information.

[As a level-up reward, the ‘Baby Birthday Package’ has arrived in your gift box.] 

Have I leveled up recently?

I quickly checked my profile.

[Name: Sasha Winchester (LV.2)]

[Occupation: Unemployed]

[Attribute: Rattle Master (Strength +3)]

Oh! The level has really risen!

And this time I checked my inventory.

[Milk powder enhancer (3): You want to be the best baby in the empire? After using this milk powder fortifier, your body weight will increase at twice the normal rate for one week.]

[Janut (1): This item allows you to read and write Janut. If you want to be noticed as a gifted child, challenge now.]

[Bubble shoes (1 pc): Even if you go to a strange place, you don’t have to worry as long as you have bubble shoes. It may cause some inconvenience, but you can make your location known to anyone who thinks of you.]

[National Surprise Ball (1 pc): If you have time today, try using it. Upbeat music and gestures steals everyone’s attention for 3 minutes.]

And just then, another message popped up.

[You did not use the LV1 limited items. Would you like to sell it to the store?]

The powdered milk fortifier from the 100-day baby’s peek-a-boo package was blinking.

The rattle disappeared after increasing ‘strength +3’.

Hmm.…It seems that level-up gift items can only be used at that level.

I pressed yes, and a new number of 50 was displayed next to the ruby that had been written as 0 before.

I wonder if these numbers next to Ruby will come in handy someday..…?

There was still a lock on the ‘shop’ function, so no more information was available.

Anyway, among the three remaining items, I looked at ‘Janut’.

As soon as I chose to use it, I began to feel a cool energy flowing through my head.

It was odd, but it didn’t feel bad.

And when I got up and looked around the room, I began to read the letters that had only been blurry until now.

List of Lullabies for the Warlike Winchesters

The Taylors’ History of Death-Dealing Fights with Vicious Guys.

Whoever Attacks First Will Take the Opponent’s Neck.

Books with unsuitable titles for a nursery……

Looking to the side, I saw the writing on the guard part of the crib. The strokes were thin, as if it were a woman’s handwriting.

[Grow up healthily.]

Perhaps…..Mom’s handwriting…..

It looked like it was written by Tricia, who died shortly after giving birth to me.

It must have been written in anticipation of the day I would come out of the womb.

Today, somehow, the tip of my nose felt sore and tingly, so I had to stare at the ceiling for a while.

What would it be like if there was Tricia…. would my mother and brothers get along?

While I was thinking about it, the door opened wide.

In front of the door stood Othello with his pink hair, breathing heavily.

Othello took two steps into my room and stood near my bed.

Othello’s fine brows were quite stiff. He stared at me for a long time.

***

Rays of light came in through the long windows that stretched to the high ceiling, but perhaps because of the limitations of the northern orientation, Duke Recardo Winchester’s office was dark, even in the middle of the day.

Like the previous Duke of Winchester, Recardo had a distaste for bright light, so by his standards this was an appropriate workspace.

“I have sent a statement to Verus.”

Aide Rowen stood in front of the duke and reported in a calm voice.

Recardo was wiping a well-forged blade with a clean handkerchief, which subsequently became covered with red blood.

“The only thing I am concerned about is….”

The surface of Recardo’s green eyes contained a sparkling blade.

“If the atmosphere of conflict intensifies, Afinizu’s resistance will inevitably arise….”

At Recardo’s words, Rowen lowered his gaze with a puzzled expression.

“Afinizu.”

As one of the decision-making bodies of the Winchester family, Afinizu existed independently of the household’s head and belonged to collateral nobles with the Winchester surname. 

“It would be understandable if it was young master Jin, but it’s about the young lady……. The young lady has no possibility of succession with her mother’s identity.”

Although the main decision-making authority rests with the head of the family, Recardo, it is unavoidable that Afinizu has a significant influence on the affairs of the family.

In Korean terms it was like a clan meeting with families of the same clan.

In any case, the statement submitted by Recardo Winchester this time was quite aggressive, and there was a possibility that a civil war would break out after 100 years.

So, their opinions were valid.

Rowen wondered if there was a need to go to such an extreme direction because of a young daughter born to a woman who was not even officially married.

Rowen’s shoulders flinched at the sight of Recardo biting his lips.

“Once upon a time, Winchester was the root of Janut. Those who, in the name of concession and peace, withdrew the Winchesters to a remote corner in order to hide their cowardice, are the ones who now occupy Afinizu.”

Recardo’s eyes were chilly, with little to no life in them.

“Not even worth dealing with.”

Rowen felt a deep fear.

Compared to the previous family heads, Recardo had a much stronger Black Flame ability, and because of that, all the Winchesters were keeping him in check.

In the 12 years since Recardo became the head of the household, many things that he thought would never change have changed in the meantime.

“And Rowen.”

Rowen froze when Recardo called his name. It was because the tip of Recardo’s sword was pointed at his neck.

“I’m not generous enough to leave the worms who insult my family alone.”

“…. Your Highness the Duke.”

“Whether she’s an heir or not, whether she’s a dog raised on a leash.”

It was only then that Rowen realized the mistake he had made.

“Your Highness, the Duke, I was rude……”

Looking at the frozen Rowen, Recardo’s lips moved coldly and leisurely.

“I won’t stop you if you want to represent the opinions of the missing branches, but you know what the price is.”

Rowen’s gaze moved to the bloody handkerchief.

After a while, Recardo slowly withdrew the blade, and Rowen immediately bowed.

Rowen’s face hardened with fear.

“I made a big mistake, Your Highness the Duke.”

Rowen had always looked up to Recardo Winchester. It was the overwhelming power of the black flame that made him feel awestruck.

However, as he lived as a member of the Winchester family, he heard and saw a lot, so his own opinions became mixed in.

It was the moment when he realized again that it was all presumptuous.

Recardo, who was looking at Rowen, put his blade into the sheath with a free look.

The image of a small creature collapsing in front of him suddenly flashed through his mind, and he squinted his eyes for a moment.