The Villainess' Son is Innocent - Chapter 11
Chapter 6.1
Children easily succumb to the allure of sweet things, as seen in tales like “Hansel and Gretel” or the story of “The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.”
“I’ll ask the head chef to make this every day.”
I suggested, and Emil turned to me with round, rabbit-like eyes.
“…”
The maid, who was listening to us, also seemed taken aback.
“We have a large garden and a pretty white horse at our house. It eats very well if you give it carrots.”
“What are you sa—”
“After I study and have lunch, they serve different desserts every day, and you can enjoy them with tea or juice. There are also plenty of books in the library, and everyone is friendly.”
“…”
Emil didn’t say anything. More precisely, he couldn’t say anything.
Dad doesn’t know about what I’ve planned, but he probably won’t object. Mom will likely feel the same way.
“Should I go beg the duke?”
“…What?”
“I’ll go ask the duke for permission.”
“No. You can’t. He won’t allow it…”
“Don’t you want to come?”
“…”
Facing Emil, I felt like a witch, enchanting and tempting a child.
However, I didn’t press him for an answer because I could already see that Emil was wavering.
“You want to, right?”
“…Yes.”
“Then, let’s go.”
Emil stared at me blankly, then nodded, avoiding eye contact.
“Don’t worry, the duke…”
I smiled, conscious of the maid.
“The duke cares about you a lot, so if I promise to make you more friends, he’ll probably agree.”
But even as I say this, I’m not sure if I can truly persuade the duke. Emil must know that too.
“Um… Young Lord Emil, Lady Velsia. May I step away for a moment? A new maid will arrive shortly.”
The maid sought permission, looking unsure of what to do after hearing my story. Perhaps she was already running to convey the message to the duke.
“…It’s alright. You can go.”
“T-thank you.”
Thud, the maid left, and the door closed.
Now, it was really just the two of us.
“…Don’t try to become friends with me.”
Emil was the one to speak first.
“Why?”
“…eird.”
What did he say? I couldn’t hear him very well. Emil clenched his fist tightly, then spoke again.
“Because it’s weird.”
Did he think of himself as weird, and that’s why he didn’t want to be friends?
Part of it was true, and part of it wasn’t.
“There’s nothing good for you in becoming my friend. And… the duke suddenly wants me to be friends with you… it’s strange.”
Emil spoke as if squeezing out the words, and he still avoided eye contact.
I was confused on how Emil was being treated to make him so wary of the duke. I felt a mixture of pity, guilt, affection, and resentment for this boy in front of me, rendering me speechless.
‘I wish I could just purely hate you instead.’
Behind my desire to save my family from Emil, vengeful thoughts lingered in my mind.
Seizing the opportunity when his attention was diverted, I bit the inside of my lip to contain the surge of emotions. I struggled to maintain a cheerful voice.
“It’s okay. Still, I’ll take you to our home.”
When Emil looked at me again, I could genuinely smile.
“Regardless of everything, I just want you to be happy. You looked happy eating the apple pie.”
I wanted to provide him with more moments of happiness.
Emil looked in my direction, and I could see he was holding back tears. Clench, my hand balled into a fist, but he didn’t realize it.
* * *
Contrary to my expectations, the duke accepted my proposal too easily.
“If that’s what you want, go ahead.”
“Pardon?”
Why was that so easy?
As I followed the guidance of the new attendant in place of the absent maid, we made our way to the duke’s office. Unexpectedly, Duke Calixt gave me free rein to do as I pleased.
“Why are you so surprised? I have no reason to refuse when you’ll be taking care of my shy son.”
“So, I can live with Lord Calixt?”
“Do you understand what it means to live together?”
“Well, it means becoming family!”
“If what you want is an engagement, I’ll discuss it with the marquis.”
An engagement…
For a moment, I was stunned, and so was Emil, it seemed. Even poking him to see if he was okay yielded no response; Emil was frozen from head to toe.
“I-I just want to be friends…”
“Well, that’s fine. Either way, it wouldn’t hurt.”
In the end, the duke allowed Emil to stay in our home.
Of course, that didn’t mean he was sending Emil to our house permanently. Emil would probably stay at our house for a few days, traveling back and forth between our home and the Calixt residence. Explaining this to a young child would be futile, so he planned to convey the details to my dad.
“It must be nice to have a friend, Emil.”
Emil, who was trying to regain his composure, managed to respond with a flushed face.
“…Yes, sir.”
Sensing Emil’s anxiousness, I reached out and held his hand.
“Thank you for your kindness, Your Grace. I’ll take my leave now.”
The duke, who had been scrutinizing me meaningfully, nodded.
As we exited the office, Emil hesitantly spoke to me.
“…Thank you.”
His hand twitched in mine. The sensation was oddly refreshing.
“Hmm?”
“…”
Even when I asked, “What?” again, Emil remained silent, pretending not to have heard.
What was he thankful for? For letting him go outside the mansion?
In reality, Emil was just ten years old. He grew up in an environment where he was constantly told that no one would ever love him, and his self-esteem was not only diminished but trampled upon. Now, he’s finally managed to break free.
I stopped mid-step in the corridor.
“Emil.”
I brought many words to the tip of my tongue, only to swallow them back.
For update pings, novel discussions and/or to send mistake reports, join our discord server~!
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE
