This Three Year Old Is a Villainess - Chapter 6

“Thwank you—” [Thank you—]

 

I nodded my head and continued my words.

 

“—Conrad.”

 

“…!”

 

“…!”

 

“…!”

 

“The flower is pwetty. I wike Conrad.” [The flower is pretty. I like Conrad.]

 

When I said it with my hands together, Conrad smiled as he said, “Ah….”

 

“So you’re talking about the freesia that I gave you. I’m glad you like it.”

 

Conrad looked very happy with my greeting.

 

His eyes were bent more than usual.

 

It was at that time.

 

“Kheuk!”

 

I heard the sound of a breath being released somewhere.

 

As I stealthily turned my head, I saw Viscount Debussy whose face was about to burst into laughter.

 

He seemed to be trying to hold it in somehow, but as soon as he looked to the side and saw Grandfather, he burst into laughter.

 

Euhahahahaha! Hahahahaha!

 

I had never seen such a crazy laugh like that before.

 

‘But he looked gentle at first.’

 

It was also surprising that he was able to laugh that loudly in front of Grandfather.

 

Come to think of it, I remembered the content I saw inside [IPTVG].

 

‘Grandfather is surely close to the Debussy Viscount Family.’

 

Grandfather was the eleventh son of the earlier generation, who had nothing in his youth.

 

It was the Debussy Viscount Family who supported such a Grandfather back then.

 

To the point that the Viscount’s older brother died while protecting Grandfather.

 

‘I guess that’s why he can laugh like that without being afraid.’

 

Viscount Debussy laughed so hard that his eyes were teary.

 

“Ah, to think that I can see the Duke with an expression like this.”

 

“….”

 

“I’ve been living all this time to see this sight.”

 

Grandfather had a very scary look on his face.

 

If it continued like this, it seemed like he would tear the Viscount to death.

 

‘The atmosphere is bad.’

 

I don’t think it’s right to talk to Conrad today, so I’ll just do what I have to do and go.

 

I took out one by one what I had brought from the room.

 

It was a crumpled picture that I drew.

 

I approached Grandfather and held out the drawing.

 

“What’s this?”

 

“It’s Gwandfather.” [It’s Grandfather.]

 

Recently, while I was free, I drew a lot of pictures.

 

I drew a lot, this person and that person, and among the people was also Grandfather.

 

“You know… Gwandfather gives me bwead and also gives me a bwanket.” [You know… Grandfather gives me bread and also gives me a blanket.]

 

“….”

 

“And. No one bothersh me when I have Gwandfather.” [And. No one bothers me when I have Grandfather.]

 

“….”

 

“Thwank you.” [Thank you.]

 

Originally, bribery was the best way to please a high-ranking person.

 

Learning the dirty ways of social life, I still remembered the words.

 

Grandfather unfolded my drawing.

 

It was a crooked mess, but it was still a picture that showed I worked hard on it.

 

Staring at the picture intently, Grandfather fiercely shouted.

 

“You should’ve given this first!”

 

I was surprised and hid behind the maid without realizing it myself.

 

Viscount Debussy laughed again like crazy, making Grandfather glare at him.

 

‘Why, why is he like that?’

 

After seeing me, who was very scared, Grandfather strode away.

 

With my drawing still in his hands.

 

 

***

 

 

Conrad was holding my hand with a smiling face.

 

We were on the way to my room.

 

‘Because Grandfather went away, we had time to talk.’

 

I checked that the maids were far away, and then I looked at Conrad.

 

“Conrad.”

 

“Yes, Young Miss.”

 

“A wot of people cwame today.” [A lot of people came today.]

 

“Yes, you must’ve been greeted by the indirect descendants, right?”

 

“Are a wot of people coming tomorrow, tchoo?” [Are a lot of people coming tomorrow, too?]

 

“No. Starting tomorrow, the castle will be quiet again.”

 

“Then, what are we going tcho do tomorrow?” [Then, what are we going to do tomorrow?]

 

I subtly asked Conrad about the schedule of the castle.

 

“The Young Miss can just have fun. Since you have a couple of months to spare.”

 

“Why?”

 

“It’s complicated in many ways, so the class has been delayed for a long time.”

 

“….”

 

“The cleanup of the Tollisso March, and the dissolution of the soldiers of the direct descendants… Well, surely it’s too difficult for the Young Miss.”

 

Conrad, who liked me very much, made it easy to talk about many things.

 

Although he also thought that I didn’t understand it well.

 

‘Did Grandfather order the direct descendants to dissolve the soldiers?’

 

But there was no such thing in the novel.

 

Thinking quietly, I thought inside, ‘Aha.’ and realized.

 

With this incident, I knew Conrad was going to become bait.

 

However, Conrad did not betray, and the guard information was handed over.

 

There were more people who knew about the guard’s information.

 

Someone who knew information as well as Grandfather’s closest aide was only one.

 

‘The Duke’s children.’

 

Ah, so he ordered the dissolution of the soldiers because of that.

 

‘Wait a minute, then isn’t this an opportunity?’

 

I succeeded in entering the castle safely.

 

Now was the time to take the next step.

 

‘Saving Father.’

 

Now was the right opportunity.

 

Now that he has dissolved the soldiers of the direct descendants, he needs someone to fill in for them.

 

“Some adultsh and babiesh come twogether.” [Some adults and babies come together.]

 

“Yes, it looks like the indirect descendants brought their children.”

 

“The dadsh and the babiesh are twogether. But Erylotte doesn’t habb a dad.” [The dads and the babies are together. But Erylotte doesn’t have a dad.]

 

“…!”

 

Conrad flinched.

 

Conrad looked at me with a very flustered look and soon bent his knees.

 

“Young Miss also has a father.”

 

He looked very heartbroken.

 

“I’m sure even right now, he is still thinking about the Young Miss from afar.”

 

“….”

 

“The Young Miss also has the Duke. The Duke also thinks about the Young Miss a lot.”

 

“….”

 

“The indirect descendants came to greet the Young Miss today, right? It’s the Duke who ordered them to greet the Young Miss.”

 

So, it was like that?

 

No wonder there were so many people.

 

‘I must have caught his eyes with the sudden attack incident!’

 

I was excited.

 

However, Conrad still looked heartbroken.

 

He whispered over and over again.

 

“Young Miss is not alone. Your Father is there, simply far away.”

 

‘Yeah, I’ll make Father be recognized by Grandfather too.’

 

You said my father is far away.

 

Far enough to not be involved in the sudden attack incident.

 

That’s why, to Grandfather, Father is ‘the most reliable person among my current children’.

 

Conrad took me to my room and then left.

 

I held my chin with both hands and fell deeply into thought.

 

‘But why was Grandfather angry?’

 

No matter how much I thought about it, there was only one answer.

 

It’s because I greeted Conrad first.

 

I groaned, “Uhmm,” and grabbed the armrest.

 

‘Was Grandfather such a childish person?’

 

In the novel, even though he was evil, he wasn’t such a cheap person…

 

Even so, fortunately, it seemed like he didn’t think about what to do about me.

 

When he really thought about what to do, he was rather cold and silent.

 

‘Anyway, let’s be careful for a while.’

 

Surely a problem can’t happen with the matter of bringing back Father whom he hated for no reason.

 

I climbed down from the chair with that conclusion.

 

I was trying to grab the doorknob when the maid Hilda called me.

 

“Where are you going?”

 

“I am going to go pway.” [I’m going to go play.]

 

“Don’t go out of the Main Castle, okay? The indirect descendants who came to greet you today are still in the castle, so it’ll be confusing.”

 

At Hilda’s words, Greta, another maid, frowned.

 

“Why aren’t they going back?”

 

“It must be that they’re dawdling purposely. I heard that somehow they would talk to the person in power of the castle.”

 

“It’s because of the subjugation of Tollisso March, right?”

 

“Yeah. You know that it has yet to be decided who will take charge of that land. So they somehow want to receive the unexpected profit.”

 

“Doing such things to the Young Miss, yet they have no conscience.”

 

“Since when were they such conscientious people?”

 

The maids grumbled with harsh expressions.

 

In the meantime, I opened the door.

 

Only then did the maids, who had finished talking, shouted at me who was going out to the hallway.

 

“Please come back safely!”

 

I came out into the hallway, being seen off by the maids.

 

‘Surely, I have to become familiar with the castle’s geography.’

 

Until now, I couldn’t go around well because I was scared of the security monsters. Since I didn’t know what might happen to this small body if I encountered one.

 

However, today was a day when a lot of people came in and out, so it seemed that the monsters were removed.

 

Since they can’t attack the indirect descendants by mistake.

 

Instead, a huge number of soldiers were guarding the castle.

 

So, I decided to take this chance to explore the castle.

 

Walking around the castle was fun.

 

‘It’s like an adventure!’

 

It was so big and fancy that it was also fun to look at.

 

I walked around with a hop in my step inside the Main Castle.

 

‘Whoa, a weapon warehouse. It’s really like a fantasy novel.’

 

‘Ah, so the kitchen is here. I like the smell of baking bread!’

 

‘So, the end of the hallway on the fourth floor is connected to another building.’

 

How long have I been wandering around?

 

I came out by the west exit on the first floor. However—

 

“Wow?!”

 

There was an incredibly beautiful garden.

 

Vine wall with fresh roses blooming even in winter.

 

Soft grass like carpet.

 

In the fountain, there was a statue of a goddess holding a water jar, and clear water was flowing out of the water jar.

 

I ran excitedly into the garden.

 

It was more beautiful when looking at it from the inside than when looking from the outside.

 

There were pretty stones laid all around the fountain.

 

‘It would be nice if I could pick up a glossy one and give it to the maids.’

 

I squatted down to find the prettiest stone.

 

‘Anyway, I need a chance for Grandfather to recognize Father more clearly… Ah, this one is pretty.’

 

Bump!

 

The moment I picked up the stone, my head bumped into something.

 

“Ouch—!”

 

It hurt so much that I collapsed to the ground.

 

‘What’s this?!’

 

I looked in front of me in surprise and saw a child about five or six years old.

 

It looked like it was the top of his head that I bumped into.

 

Looking at the child’s luxurious clothes, I knew he was a noble child.

 

In order to talk with the powerful people, they were here dawdling, so he must be a child that one of those people brought, right?

 

“Hu, huuu….”

 

Touching the crown of his head, the child was about to burst into tears any moment now.

 

Eventually,

 

“HUAAAAAAAAA—!”

 

The child cried loudly.

 

‘N-no, don’t.’

 

Because I bumped my head, I was already surprised.

 

However, when my opponent cried loudly like this, my mind was totally empty.

 

‘If it continues like this, the penalty of being a supporting role will come forward.’

 

As expected, my lips were already pouting.

 

My nose was tingling and my eyes were tearing up.

 

I felt like my mind was slowly becoming that of a child’s.

 

I grasped the hem of my skirt tightly.

 

‘I can’t cry. This is near Grandfather’s office.’

 

A crying child is troublesome.

 

Grandfather might find me annoying.

 

But no matter how hard I tried to hold it in, my nose kept running.

 

At that time, I heard an adult’s voice come from outside of the garden.

 

“Julien, where are you?”

 

“Mom—!”

 

The child cried louder, and she came running.

 

And then, she embraced the crying child.

 

“Why are you like this? Hm?”

 

“HUAAA!”

 

“You bumped into something? Let’s see.”

 

The worry was clear in her voice.

 

“Just who is not careful and—”

 

The woman frowned, and sharply turned her head to me.

 

Only then did I see her face properly.

 

She was the noble who came to greet me earlier.

 

Perhaps the woman also remembered me, as her eyes grew bigger the moment she laid her eyes on me.

 

“Young Miss.”

 

“….”

 

Perhaps because she couldn’t say something to me, the Duke’s granddaughter, the woman sighed.

 

“My child committed a great act of discourtesy.”

 

“….”

 

“He’s still young. So please be understanding.”

 

She got up holding the child and bowed silently to me.

 

“Then we’ll get going now.”

 

The child kept crying while his mother was hugging him.

 

“Yeah, it’s okay, I know.”

 

“Mooom….”

 

“Tuk. You have to be able to endure pain. That way, you can go to the 12th Tower, too.”

 

“But it hurts. I said it hurts!”

 

The child kept whining, but the woman didn’t look annoyed at all.

 

Rather, she stroked the top of the child’s head several times as if he were adorable.

 

“….”

 

I stood there blankly until the mother and son disappeared far away.

 

And then I touched my head with both hands.

 

‘It hurts even if I stroke it. Well.’

 

That’s why I’m not jealous at all.

 

…I’m not jealous.

 

It was at that moment.

 

“Erylotte.”

 

A familiar voice was heard.

 

When I turned my head quickly, the one that I saw was Grandfather.

 

“….”

 

“Hue….”

 

I tried to hold it in somehow, but the tears burst out.

 

‘You’re crazy, crazy!’

 

Why are you crying out of nowhere?!

 

It had been less than a few hours since I decided to be careful in front of Grandfather from now on.

 

Although I had tried hard, my body that became a child because of the supporting role penalty couldn’t entirely hold back the tears.

 

I covered my eyes with my palm and sobbed.

 

“Daddd….”

 

I couldn’t call Mom, because I don’t have one, and the only one left was Father.

 

‘Because of this damn novel.’

 

Dahlia was an adult when she was possessed, while I possessed a young body like this, and you even gave me a penalty?

 

Thinking about it made me even sadder.

 

But something big approached the top of my head.

 

As if he was putting his hand on a sofa armrest—

 

Tuk.

 

It was Grandfather’s hand.

 

It was a very, very awkward touch.

 

However…

 

“HUAAAA—!”

 

When I cried louder, Grandfather became stiff.

 

For some reason, I really didn’t envy that kid earlier.

 

 

***

 

 

Viscount Debussy exclaimed, “Ho.”

 

The Duke, who went out because he didn’t want to see himself smiling all day long, came back holding Erylotte in his arms.

 

That evil Duke was holding a small child which was barely as big as his arms…

 

It had been 30 years since he started serving the Duke.

 

It was something that he had never even dared to imagine.

 

Erylotte was even falling asleep peacefully in the Duke’s arms.

 

‘What kind of harmony is this? …Wait.’

 

Around Erylotte’s eyes were bright red.

 

“Did Your Excellency make her cry?”

 

“Remove the jacket from the sofa.”

 

“No, I mean, how could you make such a young Young Miss cry?”

 

“….”

 

“She is the person who jumped off a cliff to save the Duke with her small body.”

 

The Duke picked up the jacket and threw it at Viscount Debussy’s face.

 

“Ugh.”

 

The forehead of the Viscount who made that sound, wrinkled.

 

“Did you throw something at the Young Miss, too?”

 

“She was hurt in the garden.”

 

Only then did Viscount Debussy nod while saying, “Aah.”

 

Then, the Duke covered Erylotte, who was lying on the sofa, with the jacket.

 

“Did something happen?”

 

“It seems like she bumped into a child of indirect lineage.”

 

“Wasn’t she a person who didn’t cry even after jumping off a cliff and spraining her hand? I guess she got hurt badly, right?”

 

“There must’ve been another problem aside from the pain.”

 

The Duke recalled the sight of Erylotte in the garden.

 

After looking at the mother who stroked the child of indirect lineage enviously, she stroked her own head personally.

 

“What was it that made her like that?”

 

When Viscount Debussy pressed for more, the Duke clicked his tongue, “Tsk.”

 

“She was jealous of the indirect lineage child who was with his mother.”

 

“….”

 

Viscount Debussy looked quietly at Erylotte’s face.

 

“That surely is sad.”

 

The Duke of Astra’s life was terrible.

 

The previous Duke was desperate to ‘produce’ a child with a special Blessing.

 

The current Duke, Chronos Astra, was also a child who was made that way.

 

His father was heartless.

 

He was heartless enough to trap his own child in a laboratory where all kinds of experiments took place.

 

“When you were in the laboratory, you did ever envy a child that was together with its mother, right?”

 

“You’re using something that I don’t even remember.”

 

The Duke sat in his chair silently.

 

Looking at Erylotte for a moment, he turned his head toward Viscount Debussy.

 

“The matter with the 2nd Generations (The Duke’s children).”

 

Viscount Debussy handed over the document.

 

It was an investigation report of the deeds of the 2nd Generation.

 

Scanning through the document, the coldness in the Duke’s eyes subsided.

 

The one who was eager to win the vassals over to his side.

 

The one who was in contact with the Imperial Family.

 

The one who stole the family’s property.

 

He was annoyed by various things.

 

Viscount Debussy sighed.

 

“Although there is no activity related to Marquis Tollisso….”

 

“….”

 

“They’re going too far.”

 

“….”

 

“Surely we need someone who can keep the 2nd Generation in check.”

 

The Duke recalled what he heard today.

 

 

“It seems that the Young Miss thought that she had no father. Since he is too far away. It would be great if she could see her father once…”

 

 

The words that he heard from Conrad.

 

And also,

 

 

“Daddd….”

 

 

The Duke, who had been silent for a while, looked at Viscount Debussy.

 

“Call Daymond.”

 

“…!”

 

Viscount Debussy’s eyes grew bigger.

 

Daymond Astra.

 

There were many names for the Duke’s second son.

 

The one who was born with the strongest Blessing in Astra.

 

The Evil Spirit of the Battlefield.

 

The Undefeated Knight.

 

The one who is boasted as the strongest of the Empire by the military force.

 

He was Erylotte’s father.

 

‘Even though his relationship with the Duke is the worst, one thing was clear.’

 

It’s that he, who was far away, couldn’t have been able to intervene in the sudden attack.

 

However, it was strange.

 

‘Why was the Duke who wasn’t even a tad bit interested in Mister Daymond suddenly like this…?’

 

It was something that he had no idea about.

 

 

***

 

 

Soon after, a messenger left toward the north where Daymond was.

 

With a return order.