Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 322
Chapter 322
“Why?”
“Because it’s dangerous.”
“No dangerous. Knight.”
Elaina pointed to one of the Black Falcons, Elaina’s special guard brought in by the Valentines. Her point was that there was no need to worry with such a capable knight around even if she slept alone.
“Our Ella…is quite clever, isn’t she?”
Lloyd glanced in the direction Elaina was pointing, and the knight stiffened in shock.
“Still, you’re too young to sleep alone.”
Lloyd stated firmly.
Then, water began to gather in Elaina’s big eyes little by little.
“You know you have to come without anyone nearby, right?”
“Neve.”
“So there’s never a time when no one’s around?”
“Ung.”
“Even when sleeping?”
“Ung.”
“Then today, why don’t you tell Mom and Dad that you want to sleep alone?”
It was her only chance to secretly meet Brian. Today was the last day, and if she didn’t learn how to make the flower ring from him tomorrow, she wouldn’t be able to give Luca the special gift she had made herself.
She also wanted to say a final goodbye to her ‘precious friend’.
“Hu…”
“…”
As Elaina began to hiccup and tears started flowing, Lloyd was visibly flustered. Aria was equally taken aback, not expecting Elaina to be so upset. She began to comfort Elaina with words.
“That…..”
Lloyd, whose pupils were quivering like an earthquake, spoke like a broken machine.
“Just for one day, it should be fine.”
And shortly after, Aria gave him an earful.
Late at night.
Holding the letter close, Elaina jerked awake from her sleep.
‘Almost fell asleep.’
Checking the moon outside the window, she carefully opened the envelope and took out the teleportation scroll.
Being as quiet as possible so the keen-eared knight outside might not hear, she was doing something behind her mom, dad, and Luca’s back for the first time.
Her heart raced with excitement and fear. It felt like she was doing something wrong, yet it was thrilling to embark on an adventure alone.
‘Here goes!’
With no hesitation, Elaina carefully tore the folded scroll in half.
Crackle—
And then…
In an instant, the surroundings changed, and Elaina found herself in front of Brian, just as he had promised.
‘Brian!’
She was about to call him with a bright smile but stopped short in shock. She was surrounded by dense iron bars.
“What this?”
Brian, smiling sweetly from across the bars, responded.
“What does it look like? I’ve trapped you.”
“…Why?”
Elaina looked around. The bars were not just in front, but all around her. She tried to squeeze through, but could only fit her arm through.
“Because a doll-like kid like you is perfect to pack up and send off to a noble family for adoption.”
“…”
“There are many parents in the world grieving lost children. The real kids aren’t as cute as you.”
Brian shrugged and chuckled.
“Your naive way of speaking is a bonus. Our clients want a play doll for their children, not a real family member to pass their legacy to.”
Elaina couldn’t grasp everything Brian was saying, but she understood that he intended to harm her.
“You lie?”
“Did you think I’d give away an expensive teleportation scroll to a common child for nothing?”
“You said, precious friend…”
“Ha, you believed that? This is why kids are so gullible.”
Brian burst out laughing, holding his stomach. He wiped tears from his eyes after his laughter subsided.
“My father always said not to skimp on investments if there’s value. Of course, that’s only for items that can return at least ten times the investment.”
Brian, the beloved youngest son of a slave trader, had a satisfied smile. Known among his five siblings as the one who most resembled their father, he was the favorite. While others learned arithmetic, he learned to kidnap, buy, and sell people, calculating profits.
‘Ten times? No, I can make a hundred times the return.’
Brian had never seen siblings as exquisitely beautiful as these two, who seemed as if they had been crafted by divine hands themselves. They could be described as works of art, and no one would deny it.
‘If only I could have snagged the brother as well to complete the set.’
However, he quickly dismissed the thought. That brother was no ordinary man.
Even Brian, who grew up among all sorts of criminals, was momentarily intimidated by the brother’s fierce presence.
Better to catch one bird properly than fail at catching two birds with one stone.
While Brian was contentedly reminiscing about his father’s words.
“Hey.”
Elaina reached out her hand.
She crouched down, grabbed Brian by the neck and yanked him towards her.
“Ugh!”
The strength of this child…!
Startled, Brian tried to pull back, but her other hand shot out and grabbed his hair.
“You dead meat.”
Elaina always thought of herself as weak and fragile.
In the Valentines, she rarely had the chance to meet peers, and whenever she did, it was under the strict scrutiny of adults.
She was always surrounded by adults, particularly those from the Grand Duchy known for their outstanding physical ability.
The closest individual to her wasn’t even human but a dragon.
“It’s serious. If she’s this weak, she’ll exhaust herself before I could even complain.”
Lloyd often expressed his worries while playing with Elaina. The child was always the one to initiate play, but when he seriously engaged, she couldn’t keep up and would end up falling asleep.
“Is there anyone who can actually keep up with Lloyd until you collapse from exhaustion?”
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