The Villainess' Son is Innocent - Chapter 38
Chapter 19.2
“You’ve had this compulsive obsession with Emil Calixt ever since you went to Rilford.”
Hildred spoke as he waited, cutting into his freshly served steak. He wasn’t expecting an answer.
“It’s clear your concern isn’t just out of pity.”
There was no accusation in his voice, just a calm, matter-of-fact observation. He was watching me carefully, gauging my reaction, and adjusting his conclusions accordingly.
“They say the infamous villainess of Castone was afflicted with madness. That no one could commit such atrocities unless they were completely insane.”
Hil was sharp. He saw straight to the heart of the matter. Setting down his knife, he met my gaze, suspicion flickering in his eyes.
“Are you sure Emil Calixt isn’t showing the same symptoms?”
Anyone familiar with the case of Roveline Castone would naturally be wary and suspicious of Emil too.
Roveline Castone’s madness hadn’t made her a murderer at first. From what I read in the original story, it all began with something as minor as a headache.
— Mary, fetch me the medicine.
Roveline’s childhood had been one of neglect, much like Emil’s. After losing her mother to the former emperor’s cruelty, she was abandoned and left to fend for herself.
No one dared to enter the palace where she lived. It was entirely isolated. Save for a select few, most of the palace servants treated her as if she didn’t exist, afraid of the emperor’s wrath.
— P-please… please spare me. Please, Father!
Her illness took the form of nightmares. At just eight years old, she had witnessed the horrific sight of her mother being beheaded before her very eyes.
That was the moment her descent into madness began.
Roveline remained alone until she was twelve. Perhaps that would have been for the best. If she had been left unnoticed and forgotten by the world, she could have eventually escaped and had a real chance at happiness.
But fate was cruel. One day, a young Roveline crossed paths with the emperor.
— You look just like your mother.
For a child, those words must have been impossible to comprehend. You killed her, so why do you see her in me?
Regardless of her confusion, one fear ruled over everything. She didn’t want to die like her mother. So in her desperation, she did he did whatever it took to win the emperor’s favor.
She flattered him, pretended to care for him, ensured she never crossed him, all while forcing a bright, obedient smile.
— If there’s anything you want, just say the word.
Ironically, by abandoning her true self, her life became easier. A single word from the emperor and jewels and silk were laid at her feet.
But the moment she lost his favor, it would all disappear.
And in the process, her madness slowly ate away at her, piece by piece.
‘Why are they looking at me like that?’
‘Because I grovel before the man who killed my mother?’
‘Because I could be cast aside at any moment?’
Consumed by anxiety, she began lashing out, first at the maids who served her.
— How many times have I told you Father hates this color! Do you wish me dead?
She harbored hostility toward anyone who looked down on her, toward anyone who treated her with even the slightest disdain.
— Father, they insulted me. I feel so suffocated with anger because of them. It won’t let me sleep at night.
Soon, her anxiety transformed into bloodlust. At first, she used the emperor and her allies to eliminate those who displeased her. But eventually, she took matters into her own hands.
— Don’t blame me! Just leave me alone!
The first time was the hardest. The second time, she felt momentary relief. The third time, she did it to chase that fleeting sense of peace again. Then the fourth… the fifth… the sixth…
Her list of crimes only grew longer.
— Why do you look at me like that?
Among her victims was none other than the story’s heroine.
Isméralda Ephrish.
I sipped my tea, the memory of that side-story surfacing. The food on my plate had gone cold, untouched.
“Emil won’t end up like Princess Roveline.”
“What makes you so sure?”
“Rastain called Emil weak and said he never fought back.”
Rastain could say that because he had never lived through it himself.
A world without parents, without family, without anyone to rely on. The only person you could depend on was yourself. That was how I used to live.
If Rastain had seen me back then, desperately working, studying, struggling to barely keep going, what would he have said? Would he have asked why I didn’t just leave? The way he judged Emil was no different.
But I… knew the truth.
‘I didn’t just sit there and do nothing.’
I gave it everything I had, but it simply wasn’t enough to outweigh the crushing weight of life.
The same goes for Emil.
“Don’t be so quick to judge someone who’s struggling. All you see is the surface.”
The moment I spoke those words, a realization hit me. Had I been doing the same to Emil all along?
Hil rested his chin on his hand, avoiding my gaze. Then he spoke, his voice quiet but sincere.
“You’re right. That was wrong of me. I’m sorry.”
His straightforward admission caught me off guard, but in a way, I appreciated it.
Only for a moment. Because then, Hil brought the conversation right back to his point.
“Still, that doesn’t explain why you’re watching him so closely.”
The more I thought about it, the more it unsettled me. Because deep down, I knew that my fear and wariness toward Emil weren’t so different from Rastain’s.
And Hil made sure I faced it.
“If anything, that makes you the one who fears him the most, doesn’t it?”
I had nothing left to say.
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