Becoming the Villain’s Family - Chapter 357
Chapter 357
“So, with the High Priest’s help, my parents and the villagers hid me from the lord… to survive.”
Originally, it was a truth the villagers—mere peasants—should never have known.
But the high priest didn’t care.
Since he wasn’t a devout servant who devoted his life to faith, Maya survived.
Whether it should be called protection, neglect, exclusion, or abuse, she wasn’t sure.
“But I won’t deny that I owe my life to their choices.”
Not that she was thankful, though.
The villagers always turned all their resentment towards Maya.
God’s choice, to them, was nothing less than a curse.
A demon child born of something unpleasant, a descendant of a witch…
If there was a bad harvest that year, it was her fault. If there was a solar eclipse, it was her fault. If snow fell, it was her fault. If the wind blew, it was her fault. If the sun shone too brightly, it was her fault…
As Maya continued, her face grew darker with each thought.
“How can I kill them all, or at least punish them? I’ve discovered an unexpected talent—alchemy. Of course, I didn’t have proper training, so I’ve been learning on my own, but I think I’ll be able to achieve my goal.”
A low chuckle echoed in the cabin.
Astin, unaware of the ominous atmosphere, tilted his head.
So, because her hair was white, the villagers bullied her and she ran away?
People are going to kill her just because of her white hair?
“Why? White hair bad?”
He asked, pointing at her messy white hair, seemingly not understanding why her white hair was the source of all her problems.
“It’s not that white hair is the issue, it’s that my parents have brown hair. I’m different from them. If my hair had been brown, no one would have ever guessed I was the one the prophecy was about.”
“I like white more.”
“It’s not about the color, it’s about being different.”
What was she even saying to a child?
Suddenly, she felt a wave of self-disgust and sighed deeply.
“I don’t know if you’ll understand… but…”
She murmured to herself, almost bitterly.
“It’s only natural. A child should resemble their parents.”
“No?”
“Of course. There’s no need for a prophecy to explain that.”
Because if one side appears to have committed some wrongdoing, it’s a seed of conflict.
‘Maybe one reason my parents could be so harsh with me is because I don’t look anything like them, so they couldn’t bring themselves to care.’
If she had resembled them, maybe they would have protected her from the village’s oppression.
‘…Maybe they would have loved me.’
But that was just an empty hypothesis.
It was fine. In the end, everyone is born alone and dies alone…
As Maya silently absorbed all her emotions and reflected, Astin suddenly spoke his unfiltered thoughts.
“But I like Maya.”
“…?”
“White eyes. I like. Sparkle sparkle.”
“Oh, um… thank you…”
Maya couldn’t find a proper response to the unexpected compliment, giving a somewhat uncomfortable reaction.
“Don’t like white, weird. Bad.”
It wasn’t about the white hair, though.
She felt her energy slowly draining away as she looked at his thoughtless face and those overly clear, shining eyes.
She’d lived her life driven by resentment and hate, but being with this child made her feel like she was leaking that energy away, as if something inside was breaking down.
This damn warmth spreading in her chest, softening her feelings.
This is why children, who are loved and raised without any taint, are so innocent!
‘Ugh.’
Maya trembled, feeling like a demon being purified.
She flushed and suddenly shouted,
“Fine, fine! Anyway, just go home safely! I’ll find your brother, too!”
“Ung.”
“So, if I can find him…”
Maya added with a lack of confidence in her voice.
She glanced at Astin for a moment, then gently placed her hand on his soft-looking hair.
Carefully, she began to pat it.
“How about writing your name first?”
Astin thought he could write his own name in letters.
The problem was that it was in modern language.
To Maya, what the child pressed down in writing looked more like a scribbled mess than anything else.
She gazed at it for a moment with a complicated expression.
‘For a noble child, he’s not the sharpest, huh.’
It looked that way, at least.
Maya had the thought and made a troubled face.
After asking him a few more times, she finally confirmed his surname was ‘Valentine.’
“Are you definitely from the Garcia nobility?”
“Mm?”
“You didn’t come from across the continent, did you?”
“Mm?”
He didn’t even know what country he was born in? This child… what does he know, then?
Maya quickly wiped the surprised look from her face and tried asking in simpler terms.
“Did you come here by boat? You should know that much, right?”
“No.”
It was true he hadn’t.
What Astin had ridden was Luca, who had transformed into a dragon.
Anyway, Maya felt somewhat relieved by his confident response, taking his hand and heading towards the local information center.
But then…
“There’s no such family called Valentine, even if you search across the entire continent.”
Why is this happening?
“Are you sure this includes even the rural outlying territories?”
“Of course.”
“How about rich merchant families or gentry families?”
The clerk shook his head.
“There are no records of such a family. If there’s a family that has been passed down secretly without leaving any record, then maybe…”
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