Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 328
Chapter 328
Elaina was still unfamiliar with noble etiquette, so her behavior did not show her status, but other Valentines were different. Their demeanor, expressions, eyes, and attitudes easily hinted at high nobility.
Chrono, sweating coldly, stared dumbfounded at their almost otherworldly beauty.
‘Damn, I checked thoroughly…’
He thought in frustration. They were supposed to be commoners, not nobles. He had even used mind control spells to extract that information, not just threats.
But how….
“Are these still in circulation?”
It was then that Carlin, having just dealt with the shaman, entered the warehouse. He carried several magical items, including a crystal ball he had forcibly reclaimed from the shaman.
“I thought I had banned their sale. Which black market is it now? Anyway, they need to be rounded up and destroyed…”
Carlin muttered, wiping a splash of blood from his cheek. But his murmur struck Chrono forcefully.
‘What? Is he implying he’s the creator of these items?’
The shaman employed by them often invoked the great shaman Carlin’s name.
Carlin was a unique talent, and most high-quality items had passed through his hands. Additionally, he was known for two reasons: he was a wizard expelled from the magic tower and the only shaman employed by the Valentine family.
‘Could Valentine be Nameless…?’
No, that’s impossible.
Chrono denied the reality before him.
However, if it were Valentine, it would explain why the mind control spell didn’t work on the child, who must have lied. It’s typical to craft such items to be ineffective on the creator’s own bloodline.
“…Ella.”
Luca, who was silent, whispered tenderly as he held Elaina tightly.
“Tired? Shall we save the complicated and headache-inducing talk for later?”
“Mmm.”
Elaina blinked slowly. The shock had momentarily chased away sleep, but as she nestled into Luca’s arms, drowsiness washed over her again.
“There is only one thing Brother wants from Ella right now.”
“What is it?”
“Show me everything that happened while I was away.”
Elaina nodded promptly and reached out her hands towards Aria and Lloyd. They both grasped her hands familiarly. Luca, who was also holding Elaina, was able to receive her memories as well.
“Can you come here secretly?”
“I’ve put a teleportation scroll inside. Tear it, and you’ll be transported right in front of me.”
“Your naive way of speaking is a bonus.”
“You think my father will let you off easy after what you’ve done to me?”
“We’ll either erase her memory or make her mindless before she passes through the trade network and then sell her to a foreign land.”
Elaina showed them everything from the moment Brian handed her the teleportation scroll to the present.
“….So, that’s what happened.”
After receiving all of Elaina’s memories, Aria gently stroked her head and said.
“Leave the rest to Mom and Dad. Baby needs to rest now.”
It was way past bedtime. The gentle stroking and patting eventually lulled Elaina into sleep. She had used too much energy, and the relief of being safe overwhelmed her.
As Elaina began to breathe softly in sleep, none of the slave traders dared to utter a word.
Aria broke the silence first.
“There’s no excuse for them now….”
“No, no! Please, Duchess, I swear I didn’t know!”
“Even though you’re the lowest of humanity, I intended to deal with you humanely.”
She had planned to hand them over to the authorities for legal judgment. This would also assist Natalie, who still had a fragile position among the nobles. This legal judgment, after all, typically meant execution for the ringleaders of the syndicate.
“I was prepared to grant you a painless end.”
But they had crossed too many lines.
Lloyd, squeezing his eyes shut, looked down at Aria who was struggling with her emotions.
“Does this mean you’re no longer inclined to show mercy?”
“Not only am I not inclined…”
Aria’s voice trembled as she contemplated how frightened and pained Elaina must have been. The anger that whitened her vision was more than enough evidence of her fury.
If Aria felt this intensely, how much more so would other members of the Valentine family, known for their even shorter fuses?
“The Emperor will understand as well.”
Aria told Luca and Lloyd.
“Sorry for interrupting earlier. Go ahead and finish what you started.”
By that, she referred to the moment Luca and Lloyd arrived at the building and immediately planned to blow the whole place up. Permission was granted for them to unleash their wrath as they saw fit.
Unable to contain themselves, the two obliterated the Tartan Merchant in true Valentine fashion.
Elaina was merely exhausted from the ordeal, confirmed by the doctor to be unharmed. It was only after receiving this assurance from the doctor that she was thoroughly scolded.
Not just by her mother, father, and brother, but by her grandparents, uncles, nannies, maids, butlers, and servants….
Although to say she was scolded was an understatement—it was more of a gentle reminder of ‘never do that again.’ The overwhelming concern in their eyes and voices was too much for her.
Elaina realized she must never worry them again, an expensive lesson learned.
Despite only being scolded, she was more drained than when she had faced the villains and collapsed onto her bed completely exhausted.
“Ugh…”
She resolved to practice speaking more diligently. Remembering Brian’s mocking because of her speech made her blood boil.
“Humam…”
“Humam?”
It just so happened that it was Cloud who happened to be nearby.
He couldn’t understand and simply repeated Elaina’s muddled attempt.
“Humam! Humam!”
“That’s right. Humam. Our Miss speaks so well.”
“Huu,maaaam!”
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