The Villainess’ Son is Innocent - Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Translator: Gina

Editor: Sasha

—

“Why…!”

As the blade pierced my stomach, red blood spilled across the floor.

‘It hurts.’

Nevertheless, a question came to my mind long before the terrible and immense pain that didn’t even allow me to scream.

“Why the hell…?”

The man who stabbed me was someone I knew well.

Emil Roncist Callixst.

My dear friend.

My only childhood friend; a poor child who was ostracized by people due to his birth as the son of a villainess. 

A child who I trusted like my own family, had offered me death.

He sank to the floor as if his weak legs couldn’t hold the weight of the situation.

‘It hurts…’

As I wrapped my stomach with trembling hands, my arms quickly turned red.

“Answer me, Emil… why the hell…?”

“…I’m sorry.”

‘I’m really sorry, Vel.’

Like a knight making an oath, Emil, who was on his knees, stroked my cheek.

He, a child who didn’t weep even when mistreated and ostracized, was crying as if he wasn’t the man who had stabbed me.

The child with immense pride was now bowing and looking down at me. 

“…If you and I are going to live as mere puppets, I’d rather do this.”

Letting out a strange murmur, the eyes that lost all reason grew closer.

I couldn’t help but notice as I looked into those eyes.

The madness of the villainess.

That was what had happened to Emil. It had been passed on to him.

Emil kindly took me in his arms as I slumped and placed me on his lap.

Tip, tip, tip.  

Tears dripping down wet my cheeks. 

‘Ah, I’ had been truly happy in this life…’

My stomach, pierced by the sword, hurt so much.

‘Death, I hate it. I don’t want to die…!’

But contrary to my will, my eyelids kept getting heavier.

“…I’m sorry.”

And then…

I couldn’t hear Emil’s voice anymore.  

That’s how my second life ended.

 

*    *    * 

My mother was the heroine. 

Ismeralda Eprish.

She was a heroine who died in the hands of Robellin Kastone, the only princess with royal blood in the Kastone Empire, and the novel’s villainess who suffered from madness. 

If it had been an ordinary death, the novel would have been incredibly boring. 

‘But main characters aren’t just main characters without any special reason, right?’

My mother was a regressor and came back to life after death.

“I wanted to get closer to you.”

“…Your Highness, Robellin.”

“But now I have to pay for my sins.”

I recalled a scene of the novel I read in a flashback.

The novel〈No One Saved Her〉

Despite having a tough life, I starved to save enough money to buy that book in my previous life.

The story was about Ismeralda, the heroine who died twelve times in the hand of the villainess and came back each one. 

Even in situations where others might have gone insane, Ismeralda stood up to Robellin without giving in to her convictions.

And this very same heroine was my mother in my brand new life. 

‘I can see the past because I’m dead now?’

I watched the way my mother, the heroine, who was youthful and fresh, hardened herself due to repeating her life again and again.

The sounds of conversation between two women, who were facing one other with bars between them, echoed softly within the prison, which was deafeningly silent.

“At first, I couldn’t understand Your Highness. But now, I think I understand you a little.”

“The sins I have committed will not disappear. In no way am I going to fool the people I have killed as if it never happened. But…”

‘I wanted to wish a bit.’

I knew it the moment I heard that line. This scene inside the prison was the final chapter of the novel I read before.

“Ismeralda, could you check on my son from time to time?”

The princess’ black hair fluttered as she gazed at Ismeralda. Black hair was an ominous color in the Empire. People with dark-colored hair often were possessed by madness.

Even though she had killed her more than ten times, my Mother quickly agreed to her request.

“Of course, Your Highness, don’t worry. Your son is innocent.”

“This is the third time I’ve ever been in debt.”

The villainess Robellin.

A madwoman who killed innocent people due to her illness. 

The fact that she was sick had no bearing on her punishment.

However, the reason for her insanity was enough to pique the heroine, Ismeralda’s, interest.

“If it had not been for all this, would I have been able to open my heart to you a little bit and become your friend?”

“Of course, Your Highness.”

“I wanted to get to know you.”

“Your Majesty already knows me like nobody else.”

The meeting time between the two was short.

After the brief conversation, Robellin gave Ismeralda a last smile.

And she also smiled faintly.

Even knowing their storylines, I couldn’t understand their smiles.

Robellin stepped back from the iron bars.

“Go back now.”

“…Yes, Your Highness. May God lead your path.”

I followed my mom out of prison. As soon as I got out, the scene changed like it was turning a page.

Mom and Dad got married as planned. 

One week after the perfect couple swore everlasting love, and received everyone’s blessing, Robellin Kastone, the villainess princess who killed 21 people and tortured them indiscriminately, was sentenced to death.

‘Did you know? That your son would kill me, the daughter of Ismeralda, your most faithful follower who understood you and pitied you.’

‘…You probably didn’t know.’

Like a ghost, I watched Robellin’s execution from beginning to end.

That’s how the novel ended.

 

*   *   *

 

My previous life was filled with poverty and loneliness.

I hated having suddenly lost my parents in an accident; that my father left a huge debt behind, and the sudden change in the behavior of my relatives who had reached out to me after hearing of the amount.

Just for once, I wanted to live in a normal, harmonious family like everyone else.

One particularly unlucky day, as if to make my wish come true, I died in an accident.

“Umm, did you drop your wallet just now?”

Although I showed good intentions, he was suspicious of me because of my appearance.

“Wait, I had money inside my wallet.”

I claimed my innocence and asked for the CCTV to check. When I managed to get out of the police station, the sky was already dark.

That day I was fired for wasting my time trying to clear my name, and again, I was suffocating thinking about my living expenses for next month. 

As I crossed with the light in green, I thought,

‘To make things worse, I don’t think I can even save myself by being hit by a car.’

The moment I smiled bitterly, the thought became a reality.

‘Oh, damn… How did I live my life…’

I was dying. Accepting that it would be better to die, I ended my life like that.

Then I opened my eyes in a new unfamiliar, yet slightly familiar, place.

“It’s a girl!”

While I couldn’t understand the situation properly, the names that strangers exchanged were familiar.

‘Where,… a name I’ve heard a lot…’

As soon as I realized where I was, I couldn’t help but be amazed.

‘This can’t be!’

Ismeralda. Jenoart Lankester…   I couldn’t not know. Because it was a book that was always on top of the cabinet in my cramped room.

When I tried to shout in bewilderment, a baby started crying out loud.

I wanted to check if the person with the same name was the same as the character I knew. As the gray eyes gradually cleared, their appearance became brighter.

“Baby…”

A woman with a tired face after giving birth was smiling warmly. Beside her, a man with an unkempt expression was holding her hand.

‘I’m sure. That too…’

“Imel, how’s your body? How do you feel?”

[tl-n: Imel is Ismeralda’s nickname.]

“Look, Jenoart. She looks like me.”

‘I think I became the daughter of these two… The heroine, Ismeralda, and the male lead, Jenoart.’

This was more ridiculous than suddenly winning the lottery…

‘Was I grateful to have been reborn in a new body after I died?’

Unexpectedly, I quickly adapted to this body and this world. After getting used to it, I felt rather lucky. 

Life was quite good.

Of course, it should be. I was living with the heroine and the male lead after all. The mansion where I was born was, unsurprisingly, a place far beyond the reach of an ordinary human.

‘I could become blind because of the halo…’

One of the three most powerful and wealthiest people in the Empire.

They gained a lot of support after stopping Robellin.

From their beauty beyond the mundane, Mom and Dad had everything to offer.

At first, I was terrified that it was all focused on me, their daughter.

“My daughter’s room, isn’t it too small?”

“Rather than building, how about tearing down the wall and combining it with the next room?”

“That’s a good idea.”

“Jenoart look! Vel grabbed my finger!”

“I’ll go crazy.”

“Because she’s too cute?”

“That’s right. She’s extremely cute.”

I couldn’t ask for a more perfect home.

‘Is this how it feels when your parents don’t neglect you?’

“Ismeralda. Vel…”

“Vel? What’s the matter Jenoart?”

“…I needed to recharge my eyes.”

I couldn’t tell anymore if it was a joke or not.

‘I’ve become a billionaire overnight.’

I didn’t know what it was made of, but even the rattle my dad put in the cradle was more expensive than my previous life’s salary.

I didn’t even think about it because then I would be afraid of getting in trouble if I broke something by mistake.

‘Ah! No! I dropped it by accident and now it’s dented!’

But even if I made a mistake, the two of them were far from scolding me.

“Vel, if you don’t like that one, how about this one?”

“Is it too hard to hold with your little hands?”

“Wouldn’t this be okay? Vel, you wanna try?”

Rather, they have been accumulating more and more new toys.

In such an environment, I gradually adapted to my new life to the extent that even jewelry the size of a fingernail was considered ordinary.

Years have passed since I started living this stable and peaceful life…

“Hello, Young Master Callixst?”

The son of the villainess.

Emil Laclen Roncist Callixst.

I was just ten years old when I met Emil.

Emil was surprisingly an ordinary child.

…Except for his face, of course.

If he inherited the cruel side of Robellin that was shown in the book, it wasn’t noticeable at all. Or at least, he made a good effort at hiding it.

Emil wasn’t even cold-blooded like his father, the Duke of Callixst.

He was just a quiet kid.

“Would you rather be alone?”

Emil’s appearance seen up close was nothing but admirable.

Even if he was still a child, his distinctive features drew attention at once. 

The beautiful silver-gray hair gave him a graceful aura but hid a strange hue. Like a wounded young beast.

In addition to that, those gorgeous eyes…

The golden eyes he had inherited from the villainess Robellin shone in the light gap between him and the other children.

“No… that’s not…”

“Then let’s play together!”

Maybe I was kinder to Emil because I was fascinated by his gorgeous appearance and at the same time, I didn’t want to leave him alone.

Children should not be harmed because of their parent’s sins.

Because of this heart of mine, I wanted to befriend Emil as much as I could.

I didn’t know back then.

That all of this would fall apart.

As time passed, Emil seemed to slowly blend among people.

However, there were more numerous reports of kidnapping or mysterious disappearances in proportion to this.

“Emil, What’s wrong with you these days?”

His mouth twitched with a mechanical smile that quickly faded.

“Nothing. I’m fine.”

By the time I realized things were going strangely, it was already too late.

I was nineteen when Emil suddenly disappeared.

Even if I sent a letter directly to Duke Callixst asking for his whereabouts, I only got an unbelievable short reply that Emil had gone to the northeastern estate to take proper rest.

That was utter nonsense.

After several weeks of exploring the capital, avoiding the Duke’s eyes, I used every available source, from outrageous rumors from high society to requesting assistance from private guilds, to find Emil.

And, as expected, my suspicions that Emil was still in the capital were proven.

In the hands of none other than Emil.

“…Emil?”

He, who disappeared one day, suddenly appeared in my room in the middle of the night.

It was the night before the wedding, which had been postponed to find his whereabouts.

Covered in black clothes, the man who appeared reek deeply of blood.

“Velsia.”

A strange feeling of anxiety struck me. The mansion was too quiet. The blood dripping on the carpet made my head spin.

“I… ruined everything.”

“What are you talking about?”

“The marquis couple, they’re dead.”

I couldn’t understand what he was saying.

I asked him like a fool, and he repeated the same words.

“The Marquis and his wife, I killed them both.”

I couldn’t understand what was happening.

No. I didn’t want to understand.

I ran out of the room barefoot and headed down the hallway, my feet stepping on a viscous liquid.

The bloodstains, probably dragged by Emil, reached my room.

‘Where do those footprints come from?’

As soon as I understood Emil’s words about killing my mother and father, resentment and anger soared.

“Why…!!”

It was the moment I turned around to jump at him.

I saw a sword piercing my stomach.

“What the hell are you…”

“…I’m sorry…”

Unlike the first one, my second death was hard to accept.

Emil acted as if it was unintentional as if it was not himself.

I died on Emil’s lap, and I wandered through the pitch-black darkness for a long time.

‘How much time has passed since I watched the original story at the edge of darkness?’

“My Lady, are you awake?”

When I opened my eyes again, I had gone back in time.

I was ten years old once more.