Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 286
Chapter 286
Peaceful days continued.
Lloyd was frequently called away due to the invasion of Garcia, but it wasn’t something that significantly drained his energy.
After all, Garcia, having lost both its divine power and ruler, fell into the hands of the Pineta Empire in the blink of an eye.
It was as easy as taking candy from a baby, to the point where the term ‘invasion’ almost seemed too grand.
Thus, Lloyd was at ease.
Managing his estate, aiding in the integration of Garcia, and spending time with Aria and Elaina were all within his capacity.
Taking on any more troublesome tasks, however, would have been too much.
“Your contribution was the greatest.”
“I’m aware.”
“So, I’d like to govern Garcia…”
“I refuse.”
“Consider becoming king.”
“I decline.”
Natalie and Lloyd exchanged dialogues like two lines that would never meet.
Their conversation hadn’t always been like this.
Natalie had certainly said, ‘In recognition of your contributions, I wish to delegate the governance of Garcia to you.’
Of course, Lloyd flatly refused.
“Even if I plead so earnestly?”
“Even if you kneel and beg, it’s no use.”
“There’s no end to your impertinence. How rude.”
“Then, please punish me by ordering me to live in seclusion.”
Lloyd even went so far as to request a decree to stay out of the public eye for the rest of his life.
He was blatantly finding the Emperor bothersome.
“Don’t make me laugh. For stealing the little deer, I’ll make use of you for life.”
“Aria has never belonged to Your Majesty, so when exactly was she ‘stolen’?”
Thanks to this, Natalie got agitated, and their conversation began to deteriorate into endless pettiness.
“Let’s hear your reason.”
Natalie sighed, running a hand through her hair.
“You know why you’re asking.”
“Because family is important?”
“It’s not just important. It’s everything.”
For Lloyd, who had decided to live for Aria after meeting her, nothing else held any meaning in life.
Garcia could perish this instant, and it wouldn’t matter to him.
“What if it’s an order?”
Natalie tried one last desperate move, her expression turning threatening.
Lloyd, having said all he had, laughed and bared his teeth as if to say he wouldn’t let himself be troubled without retaliation.
“Would you offer the imperial throne instead?”
Despite intimidating the emperor and pushing his own agenda as a long-standing tradition of the Valentines.
Eventually, Natalie conceded defeat with a light raise of both hands as a sign of surrender.
Lloyd, appearing to stare at the emperor, who seemed to be fretting over this issue, finally spoke.
As if asking what there was to ponder.
“Isn’t there a more suitable candidate?”
“Who?”
“Hmm, well, they haven’t had much of an opportunity to shine in this lifetime.”
“This lifetime?”
Lloyd said, recalling a story from a past that Aria had told him about. One that hadn’t occurred in their current reality.
“Duke Angelo.”
“A coronation?”
Aria was surprised as she looked at the letter from the imperial palace.
No one expected the Angelo family would now govern Garcia that had become a kingdom.
“A kingdom, not a principality?”
Lloyd, who had been seriously examining a block, responded.
“Given that it was originally an empire, it was too big to be a principality. It seems they’ve decided to make it an independent kingdom.”
“It does fit.”
Aria said, recalling the Angelo family’s estate, which was modest to the point of being rustic.
They resembled the saints Garcia attempted to emulate the most.
Secretly doing good deeds and sacrificing everything to silently protect their people.
Governing as merely a royal family would have been difficult for such an incorruptibly noble house, but for Garcia that was once a sacred empire, it made sense.
“There’s one for Luca too.”
Luca received his invitation.
“Am I going too?”
Half-leaning on the sofa, he soon laid back with a sigh in annoyance.
Then, Elaina, who had been fiddling with the edge of a block, raised her hand and began to speak.
“Bababa bububu.”
“Elaina says Brother can’t go because he is too busy playing with her.”
“Luca, could you not twist Elaina’s babbling to suit your purposes?”
“Tsk.”
Luca clicked his tongue lightly.
“I’ve hardly had time to play with Elaina because of dealing with the remnants of Garcia, and now I’m to be dragged to the capital again?”
“It seems they want to honor your contributions. But if you don’t feel like it, you don’t have to go. However…”
While rifling through the letters, Aria discovered one at the bottom and had a puzzled look.
“Elaina’s congratulatory banquet invitation?”
An invitation to a social event before even making her debut.
Elaina, being only one year old, was at least 13 years away from debuting.
It wasn’t strange for Luca, who played a significant role in Garcia’s integration, to be invited to the imperial palace.
“Under what pretext?”
Out of curiosity, she unfolded the invitation, which read:
Aunt misses you, so attend at once.
Since when has she been an aunt?
“Burn it if you want.”
Lloyd responded nonchalantly. On the contrary, it sounded like he was almost hoping for it.
“Ddadda!”
Then, Elaina pointed at him and called him out for not focusing on the block building.
Lloyd silently picked up a block, complying with the baby’s command.
The blocks the father-daughter assembled together somewhat resembled a castle.
Luca, who was rolling around on the sofa, let out a snicker.
“Blue on top of red blocks? Your aesthetic sense is questionable.”
Is this how Your Grace usually handles tasks? Luca cheekily offered his critique.
Lloyd retorted without even blinking with an indifferent face.
“Regardless of how much you talk, Ella couldn’t care less about you.”
Recently, Elaina had been reluctant to be alone with Luca.
She wouldn’t play with him and would fuss unless Aria or Lloyd were also present.
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