The Villainous Family is Against Independence - i_

The people’s reactions were more dramatic than I had vaguely imagined.

Many seemed unable to grasp the situation as if it was something they hadn’t expected at all.

‘It’s understandable.’

After all, it’s hard to believe.

But as they say, secrets of birth, along with adultery and crimes of passion, are the best-selling narratives!

They soon began to chat noisily with the people next to them.

As I observed their reactions, I made eye contact with Adenmir, who was staring at me with an equally surprised face from a distance.

But perhaps because it had been mentioned earlier, he didn’t seem as shocked as others.

Soon, a barrage of questions was directed at Dad.

“How did Lady Perdia, no, Lady Severes, come to grow up as Duke Perdia’s daughter?”

“Due to personal circumstances, I couldn’t take care of the child, and thankfully, Duke Perdia took her in.”

At that moment, I saw it. The excessive sparkle in people’s eyes.

‘Geez, what a dopamine-heavy setting.’

The relationship between the families, and especially the notoriously bad relationship between the heads of Severes and Perdia, and yet he took in the daughter?

Even going so far as to register her in his family?

One brave soul finally asked Duke Perdia.

“Is what Duke Severes says true, Duke Perdia?”

“……”

All eyes turned to Duke Perdia.

Despite such attention, the Duke silently sipped his drink.

He neither denied nor confirmed, but people naturally took it as confirmation.

“Were the two of you actually on good terms?”

“But I heard they always argued whenever they met.”

Unaware of the fact that ‘Mom’ was involved between the two, people began to speculate wildly about the relationship between Duke Severes and Duke Perdia.

Knowing the truth, I found it amusing how the two were being transformed into ‘actually close friends’.

“Then will Miss Elodie be staying in Severes now?”

“Of course. She’s my daughter.”

“Come to think of it, didn’t Miss Elodie heal His Highness the First Prince with her power before? Then that was-“

This time, the attention shifted to me.

“It was actually the power of purification. I purified the toxins in His Highness’s body to heal him.”

I answered clearly, meeting their expectations.

“That’s truly the power of Severes!”

“I knew Miss Elodie was extraordinary from the beginning!”

It had begun. Sucking up to those in power.

At one time they looked down on me as Perdia’s illegitimate child, at another they praised me as Wallentian’s light, then they disparaged me as Duke Severes’s mistress, and now they were extolling me as Severes’s successor.

Although I knew this was how high society typically behaved, I couldn’t help but feel somewhat nauseated.

As if reading my mind, Dad gently pulled me closer and looked around at them.

“As this has been approved by His Majesty the Emperor and acknowledged by the vassals, I hope there won’t be any unnecessary gossip about my daughter Elodie’s origins.”

Dad smiled gently but firmly emphasized.

“Insulting my daughter is tantamount to insulting Severes itself.”

And so, I was able to successfully announce my position as Severes’s successor.

***

Despite his 20-year absence, Dad’s dancing skills hadn’t rusted at all.

As we stepped in time with the grand orchestra’s melody, I looked up at Dad’s handsome face.

“What are you thinking about?”

“I was recalling a day when we danced without any music.”

“With Mom?”

“Yes. With Arcelia.”

Dad’s smile as he recalled that time was warm, but also seemed somewhat sorrowful.

Dad was always longing for Mom.

We were searching for Mom using the combined intelligence resources of both the Perdia and Severes families, but we couldn’t find even a trace of a clue.

Where could Mom be? Would we be able to find her?

I was so desperate that I wanted to hear the voice of the god Ishtar again, as I had before.

But Ishtar couldn’t intervene on earth, as that would allow Irkala to intervene as well.

When the music was about halfway through, Dad suddenly asked.

“Who taught you to dance?”

“I learned from a tutor.”

“It seems you had a good tutor.”

“Ah, um, well… I suppose so?”

Let’s keep it a secret that the dance tutor was changed five times due to my nasty temperament.

The me before recalling my past life had many aspects that were hard to excuse.

But Dad’s questions continued.

“Who was mainly in charge of your upbringing?”

“The nanny. She’s passed away now.”

“Your favorite food is… listed as green onions. Is that true?”

When did that information reach Dad?!

I stuttered and hurriedly denied it.

“Th-th-that…! It’s not true. I don’t dislike them, but…”

“You don’t seem to particularly like them, so I asked.”

“I eat everything well without being picky.”

“That’s good.”

Dad smiled kindly and asked again.

“Then who’s your favorite painter?”

“Chiconia.”

“And musician?”

“Uh… I’ll need to think about that one for a bit.”

After that, Dad continued to ask all sorts of trivial questions.

“Why are you curious about such things?”

“There’s a lot I can’t know from reports. I want to get closer to Elodie’s past that I couldn’t be part of, even if it’s like this.”

I could feel Dad’s guilt for not being able to be with me as I grew up.

But that wasn’t Dad’s fault.

“We’ll have more days together from now on.”

“…Yes.”

“I’ll come to like more things.”

Just as I’ve come to enjoy meal times with Dad, I’m sure I’ll learn lots of things I didn’t know before.

I decided to whine a bit to Dad, just for fun.

“I don’t have the mine anymore, so I’m poor now. What should I do?”

Of course, I hadn’t become poor just because I didn’t have the magic stone mine. The amount of money still coming in under my name was enormous.

But isn’t it a child’s privilege to beg their parents?

“Give me an allowance!”

I had shouted it as a joke, but wait…

Dad’s eyes looked ominous.

“Allowance… I see.”

“W-wait a moment. No, you don’t have to.”

“No, I hadn’t thought of it.”

“What? No, no, no!”

It seems I may have dug my own grave.

I tried to quickly smooth things over, but unfortunately, the music ended right at that moment.

‘I refuse Severes-style financial education!’

Whatever Dad was thinking, I had to thwart that plan. But I couldn’t.

Because as soon as the music ended, someone was standing next to us.

“Father?”

None other than Duke Perdia.

“Hand.”

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At that brief word, as he raised his hand, Duke Perdia looked pointedly at Dad and led me back to dance alone.

As the music started, I found myself dancing once more.

‘I need to get him to withdraw the allowance plan.’

I stared blankly at Duke Perdia as he danced silently, then asked.

“Are you perhaps jealous?”

“Yes.”

“…Really?”

“So we have to dance twice. More than that guy.”

“……”

I gaped.

‘Ugh, how childish!’

***

The star of today’s party was undoubtedly Elodie Severes.

People observed her every move closely, making it a topic of conversation.

Especially the tender moments between Duke Severes and his daughter were warm enough to make onlookers sigh in admiration.

Elodie danced with Duke Severes, laughing brightly, and then immediately danced intimately with Duke Perdia.

Dorothea stared at Elodie while sipping her drink.

‘This can’t be.’

Despite her outwardly calm appearance, her inner thoughts were filled with inferiority.

‘How can Miss Elodie be a direct descendant of Severes!’

It’s a lie. They’re deceiving people. They must be inciting something.

Dorothea denied the facts countless times.

Unaware of her feelings, the ladies gathered around began to chatter about Elodie.

“Should we call her Lady Perdia, no, Lady Severes now?”

“Who could her birth mother be?”

“Miss Elodie is 20… That’s the same time His Grace Duke Severes was in seclusion.”

“Did His Grace have a lover 20 years ago?”

“Everyone, please stop. His Grace just said to refrain from unnecessary talk.”

“You’re right.”

As he said, with the Emperor and vassals’ acknowledgment, no one could disparage Elodie as an illegitimate child anymore.

Since Duke Severes had no wife or children, Elodie was the only one to inherit that power.

Suddenly, the chatting ladies glanced at Dorothea.

Dorothea Angellus. She took pride in being the only direct female descendant of the four great families.

She possessed the power and bloodline that Elodie lacked.

But the situation had changed.

Elodie Severes had awakened the power of purification, and even her only flaw, her lineage, had become perfect.

“This means Miss Elodie is now the most noble lady in Wallentian!”

And she would become a figure backed by both Perdia and Severes.

Dorothea’s hand holding the glass trembled slightly.

***

Gretel, looking around, saw Elodie dancing intimately with Duke Severes on the floor.

‘Ah! There she is.’

She smiled contentedly watching Elodie. It was nice to see her happy with her real father.

Not wanting to disturb that moment, Gretel mingled back into the crowd.

That’s when it happened.

“Gretel?”

Turning her head at the familiar voice and the grip on her wrist, she saw an unpleasant face.

“Wow, what’s with that dress? Where did your family get the money for something like that?”

It was her ex-fiancé, who had broken off their engagement as soon as there were indirect marriage talks from other families.

Despite being childhood friends, he had coldly discarded her because the Sangpan family had no money.

“Don’t talk to me.”

“Come on, what’s that about? What kind of relationship do we have?”

“What kind of relationship?”

The man was taken aback.

He was at a loss for words when Gretel, who had always been gentle, asked back without smiling.

“Well, you know, this and that. Anyway, Gretel, you lucked out. Your new friend is the Duke of Severes’ daughter!”

It was unpleasant to hear Elodie’s name from those vulgar lips. Gretel warned firmly.

“Watch your mouth.”

“…This is getting ridiculous. Don’t tell me you think you’re part of the four great families just because your friend is Elodie Severes?”

Gretel didn’t answer and just stared at the man.

“What. Why are you looking at me like that? You know, I heard something. They say you cried so much after breaking off our engagement?”

She did cry. Because she felt pathetic for being abandoned even by her childhood friend.

Because it was unfair that she had to accept the broken engagement due to being the daughter of the humble Sangpan family.

But that was all, she had no feelings for him. He was nothing more or less than a childhood friend.

“…Sigh. Enough, let go of this.”

Gretel sighed and shook her captured wrist.

“Why? We haven’t seen each other in a while, let’s talk more?”

“I have nothing to say to you.”

“You’ve changed,”

How long would she have to be held like this? Even twisting her wrist with all her might, she couldn’t overcome the grip of a strong adult man.

Then it happened.

“Aargh! What the-?!”

The man shouted and stepped back.

“I said let go. She’s sister’s friend.”

In front of the startled Gretel stood Carlot.