The Villainess Hides Her Wealth - Chapter 106.1

Chapter 106.1

The musical had only been performed a couple of times. If I protested it in the name of the duchy, it could still be changed.

But my father was stunned by the words that came out of my mouth.

“Protest?”

“The plot of the musical is far from the truth.”

“Ah…”

I had come to request the duchy to protest because the musical misrepresented us and was stirring up ugly rumors about me and my mother. But my father immediately told me to take Lilika’s side as soon as he saw me.

He pressed his forehead tightly, then opened his mouth again.

“Yes, I’ve heard there have been complaints that the musical differs from reality.”

“Yes. If we protest in the name of the duchy, maybe…”

“But Lilika finally has a chance to clear up the misunderstanding. We can’t do that.”

I kept my mouth shut.

‘Even though he knows exactly what the musical is about, how can he think something completely different from me?’

My silence was not because I agreed with my father’s logic. It was because an overwhelming feeling that this conversation wouldn’t go anywhere started creeping in.

But perhaps because he misinterpreted my silence, my father tried to persuade me again, this time with a kinder and softer tone of voice.

“Yuria. I understand that you’ve been upset, and it could be the same with this musical.”

“…”

“Even though Lilika has made many mistakes lately, she is trying to be better, and she even awakened the blessing of healing. We have to help her.”

And then he smiled gently, adding something that broke my heart.

“Because we’re family.”

“…”

“When the whole world turns its back on you, it is family who must embrace you. This is Lilika’s chance to shake off the bad rumors completely…”

I thought he might have a somewhat different thought, but I didn’t expect him to take Lilika’s side so blatantly.

“… Is that what Father really thinks?”

“…”

He seemed to let out a really long sigh, but I remained silent.

There was a calm silence.

Tick-tock, tick-tock. The sound of the clock’s hands moving was getting on my nerves.

It was my father who ended the silence first.

“Yuria. What do you want?”

“…”

“Do you want the musical to get cancelled? Or do you want the entire script to be rewritten?”

My father’s cold smile…

It was something I hadn’t seen in a long time.

“Do you… not want to see your sister do well?”

But it wasn’t unfamiliar. I hadn’t been able to face him lately, but he had a hostile attitude that I was accustomed to seeing several times.

Ah, right.

This was the world of a childcare story. “Please Love the Poor Princess!” was a novel in which Lilika was the main character. Everyone loved, cared for, and tried to prevent any harm from coming to her…

“If you show some support for Lilika, your reputation will naturally improve without having to protest the musical. Are you going to borrow your family’s power?”

“Father—”

“You’ve always been like this despite being her older sister.”

“…”

“You can’t stand it when Lilika stands out a little more or when she has something nice. You’re jealous of her.”

The world revolved around Lilika. Nothing changed.

Although he was disappointed in her for a while, Lilika was still my father’s most beloved child.

If I didn’t obey and sacrifice myself for Lilika, I would not be able to survive in the duchy.

“What about Mother?” I asked, raising my head. “Even if you say I’m always jealous of Lilika and hate her, what about Mother?”

“What do you…”

“In the musical, she’s portrayed as someone who can’t stand Lilika from the beginning. And when Lilika collapses, they make it look like she’s happier than anyone else.”

But, in reality, my mother tried not to treat Lilika differently from her own children.

She even worked hard for her birthday celebration despite being unwell, and when Lilika did something wrong, she even took responsibility and bowed her head as the duchess.

And that wasn’t all.

“Mother acknowledged Lilika as the duke’s daughter, and ever since she came to the mansion as a child…”

“… Your mother will understand.”

“It sounds more like, ‘she should understand.’ At least to me.”

The corners of my mouth twisted sharply.

Yes, I was the villainous older sister who tormented the heroine. But even if I was written like that… My mother shouldn’t go through this.

‘Even in the novel, my mother died early, and she didn’t really show hostility towards Lilika.’