The Villainess' Son is Innocent - Chapter 2
Chapter 1.2
Isméralda. Jenuartt. Lancaster… There was no way I wouldn’t recognize those names. After all, the book had always sat on top of the shelf in my tiny one-room apartment.
I shouted in disbelief, doubting my reality, and then—”Waaah!“—a baby’s cry erupted.
If it had just been their names, I might’ve not believed it, but through my hazy vision, I saw two blurry figures.
If I could’ve seen their faces clearly, I would’ve seen a woman smiling, her face exhausted from childbirth, and a man with an aura of asceticism holding her hand.
What is this? Am I dreaming? As I continued screaming in disbelief, I overheard the couple’s conversation.
“Imel, how do you feel? Are you alright?”
“Look at her, Jenuartt. She looks just like me.”
It seemed I was now the daughter of these two people—Isméralda the heroine, and Jenuartt the hero.
‘This is more unbelievable than winning the lottery…’
Maybe it was because I had died and been reborn into a new body, but surprisingly, I quickly adapted to this world. Once I’d gotten used to this life, everything else felt like a stroke of luck.
It was no wonder, considering they were the heroine and hero. The family I was born into was far from ordinary.
‘How can people radiate such aura…’
My mom and dad had it all. Their wealth ranked among the top three in the empire, they had earned a loyal following by stopping Roveline, the villainess, and their beauty surpassed human limits.
At first, it was terrifying to realize that all this was centered on me, their daughter.
“Isn’t this room too small for our daughter?”
“How about we tear down the wall and combine it with the room next door? That way, we don’t have to expand.”
“Let’s do that.”
“Jenuartt, look! Vel is holding my finger!”
“It’s unbelievable.”
“Because she’s so adorable?”
“I didn’t realize having a child could bring such joy… Here, hold Daddy’s finger too.”
It was the most perfect family. But did that mean they neglected me?
“Isméralda, Vel, she…”
“Vel? What’s wrong with her, Jenuartt?”
“…She rubbed her eyes.”
Their fussing was so over the top that it was almost overwhelming.
‘It’s like I became a billionaire overnight.’
Even the rattle my dad placed in my crib probably cost more than my entire salary, and I had no idea what it was made of.
I was always afraid to touch anything, scared that if I broke it, I’d get scolded.
‘Gasp, Oh no! I dropped it by accident and now it has a dent!’
But even when I made mistakes, the two of them never got angry.
“Vel, if you don’t like that one, how about this one?”
“Is this one too tricky to hold?”
“Oh my, don’t you think it’ll be fine? Vel, do you want to try throwing it?”
Instead, they would bring me literal heaps of new toys.
Being surrounded by this environment gradually helped me adapt to my new life. It got to the point where even tiny jewels seemed normal to me.
A few years passed, during which I enjoyed this peaceful life…
“Excuse me, Lord Calixt?”
The son of the villainess.
Emil Lachlan Ronchisté Calixt. I was exactly ten years old when I met Emil.
Emil turned out to be surprisingly normal… Well, if you count out his looks.
If he had shown any of the cruel traits that the original Roveline held, I would‘ve kept my distance. But there were no signs of that.
Emil wasn’t cold-blooded like his father, Duke Calixt. He was just a quiet kid.
“Do you like being alone?”
Seeing Emil up close, I couldn’t help but admire his appearance.
Even though he was still a child, his distinct features turned heads.
His beautiful silver-gray hair excluded elegance, but there was also a subtle shadow about him, like a young wounded beast.
And those striking eyes—he got his golden eyes from his mother, Roveline. They shone with an unusual light, causing him to stand out among the other children.
“No… not really…”
“Then let’s play together!”
Maybe it was his shining appearance that charmed me, or possibly my concern about him being alone. Either way, I found myself being more friendly toward him.
A child shouldn’t suffer for their parents’ sins. In my previous life, I resented the fact that I didn’t know what my biological parents looked like and always denied that I was alone because they abandoned me.
Because of this, I wanted to make sure Emil had friends because I could see my former self in him.
But I had no idea. I couldn’t have imagined that everything would come crashing down.
As time passed, Emil slowly integrated himself with the people around him. But at the same time, there were more frequent instances of him disappearing or going missing.
“Emil, has something been going on with you lately?”
A refined smile lingered on Emil’s lips before it disappeared.
“No, everything’s fine.”
By the time I realized something was amiss, it was already too late.
I was nineteen years old when Emil suddenly disappeared.
Even when I sent a direct letter to the Calixt estate, all I received was an absurd response claiming he had gone on a retreat to the northeastern territory.
It was nonsense. I spent weeks scouring the capital, avoiding the duke’s prying eyes while searching for Emil. I dug into the absurd rumors of the socialite world and hired information guilds.
And as expected, my suspicions that Emil was still in the capital were confirmed.
By none other than Emil himself.
“…Emil?”
One day, Emil suddenly appeared in my room in the middle of the night. He was dressed in black, and the smell of blood reeked off him.
“Velsia.”
A strange feeling of unease washed over me. The house was eerily quiet, and my mind reeled from the drops of blood on the carpet.
“I… I’ve ruined everything.”
“What are you talking about?”
“The marquis and marchioness are dead.”
I couldn’t understand what he was saying. Like a fool, I asked him again, and Emil repeated the same words.
“I killed the marquis and marchioness.”
I couldn’t understand—no, I didn’t want to believe it. Barefoot, I ran out of my room and into the corridor, where I stepped into something sticky on the floor.
A trail of Emil’s bloody footprints stretched all the way to the front of my room.
Where did those footprints come from?
The moment I realized what Emil meant by saying he had killed my parents, resentment, and anger surged through me.
“Why…!”
I whirled around, ready to lunge at him.
But that’s when I saw the sword pierce through my stomach.
“How could you…?”
“…I’m sorry.”
I could easily accept my first death, but the second time around was much harder. Emil’s actions almost felt involuntary.
I faced death once more with my head resting on Emil’s lap. I wandered through pitch-black darkness for what felt like ages, and when I reached the end of the darkness, I saw the original story.
“My lady, are you awake?”
When I opened my eyes again, I’d gone back in time, reverting to my ten-year-old self.
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luv_livvy
that was really quick pacing for her first life…