The Villainess' Son is Innocent - Chapter 5
Chapter 3.1
Currently, the emperor has neither a princess or prince yet.
The empress wouldn’t have a princess until two years later, in the year I turned twelve. Naturally, with no direct heir to the most prestigious imperial family at present, the highest-ranking child of my age was undoubtedly Emil Calixt.
The only son of the House of Duke Calixt.
Born from Princess Roveline, a child carrying the imperial bloodline.
But, despite his lineage, people favored Rastain of House Lucretius or Hildred, son of Marquis Raymon, over Emil.
‘The harsh and subtle glances are still consistent as ever.’
It was all due to the actions of Roveline Castone, the woman who gave birth to Emil.
‘They’re still avoiding him.’
Even in the midst of a birthday party for the ten-year-old daughter of a marquis, gatherings like these usually revolved around the adults.
As the guest of honor today, I received each gift at the grand banquet hall. Then I led the children into an empty sitting room I had cleared out and turned into a playroom for our special guests.
And now, the current situation unfolded.
Children around the age of nine or ten had gathered into groups of twos or threes, but only Emil remained alone, isolated by the window.
His golden eyes met mine, and I quickly tried to offer a smile, but his expression did not match mine.
‘Maybe it’s better to approach him directly.’
But before I could take a few steps in his direction, I stopped in my tracks. A shy voice called out to me in congratulations.
“Um, Lady Lancaster… I wish you a very happy tenth birthday.”
It was the daughter of the House of Count Butte.
‘Her name is… Valencia en Revere Butte.’
Behind her, Hildred Raymon greeted me with a nod, showcasing his sharp appearance.
‘She was sent here on purpose.’
I received Valencia’s greeting with a cheerful smile.
“Thank you, Lady Butte. I’m delighted you came today.”
“O-oh, i-it’s nothing. I’ve wanted to meet you for a long time, Lady Lancaster. My parents have always spoken highly of the Marquis and Marchioness Lancaster… and they also mentioned how exceptional you are, Lady Lancaster.”
I’d heard of this a lot even before my death.
Isméralda Ephrish and Jenuartt Lancaster’s daughter, Velsia Lancaster.
Both of them played a significant role in thwarting the villainess’ schemes and earning the trust of the current emperor, who was the crown prince at the time. They were also instrumental in bringing the villainess, Roveline, to the gallows for her crimes, thus providing justice for the innocent victims who were killed.
As much as they were admired and trusted by the public, the burden of expectations placed on them was something I had to shoulder as well.
‘It was like that for Emil too.’
Looking back, Emil and I had many differences, but there were also similarities between us.
“I’m not as extraordinary as my parents. Will it disappoint you to find out that I’m just an ordinary person?”
“Pardon? N-no! That’s not true! I would never… Besides, Lady Lancaster, you’re far from ordinary, and…”
“Thank you! I wanted to become friends with you, Lady Butte.”
I knew what Valencia was trying to say, but I smiled brightly, pretending I didn’t. She looked delighted, her face turning red as I squeezed her hands in mine, like an excited puppy.
“I… I wanted to become friends with you too, Lady Lancaster.”
In the end, Valencia, with her small and feeble voice, blushed with delight.
Okay, with the ice broken… the other children who were casting glances our way began to approach, their curiosity piqued by my energetic socializing.
‘Did you see that, Hildred Raymon?’
Hil was sensitive when it came to his position. He was cunning and astute. He knew that if attention were to shift towards Emil, the intense focus of society would split between him and Rastain.
Why did that always happen?
It was a common occurrence for younger siblings to torment each other for their parents’ attention. Similarly, Hildred’s desire to isolate Emil was driven by an obsession with securing his own status and recognition. But I planned to naturally integrate Emil into society.
“Shall we go and have some cake instead of just standing here?”
Cake! The children’s attention quickly shifted to the prospect of cake.
Just then, the large doors opened, and the children’s eyes sparkled when they saw the head chef enter the room with a giant five-tiered cake.
“Let’s all be patient for just a moment.”
The head chef, smiling broadly, sliced the cake with neat precision, and adorable collective sounds of “Woahhh” could be heard from all the children around. At that moment, I glanced at Hildred out of the corner of my eye.
Then, I approached Emil, who was sitting alone.
“Hello, Lord Calixt?”
He turned his head towards me.
His eyes were a reflection of sunlight with a golden metallic glow. As our eyes met, I felt unexpectedly nervous, and my heart began to beat rapidly.
A multitude of memories surrounding Emil overlapped in my mind at that moment. From sneaking out of the mansion to watch the festival, to the apology he offered me.
Right now, Emil was just a ten year old boy, and he stared at me blankly, quickly hiding his surprised expression as I too concealed my inner turmoil, keeping my resentment at bay that just begged me to ask him, “How could you kill the people I loved?”
‘Why are you here?’
That was the questioning look on his emotionless face. It was as if I could read his thoughts even though no words were spoken.
Ten-year-old Emil always seemed alone and fragile. I saw my past self in him, wanting to desperately belong somewhere, yet, not being able to. He was always in the back of my mind, and I wanted to comfort him.
But that was all there was to it.
It was my mom who truly cherished and loved Emil, while I only felt shallow sympathy for him.
‘Perhaps my selfish desire to gain satisfaction in making Emil happy had done more harm than good.’
Although Emil was a precious person to me, I don’t think I ever truly accepted him as family.
‘Even now, I’m only approaching Emil to avoid a future where Mom and Dad die…’
…It felt like I was about to do something unforgivable to this little boy.
‘But I can’t think like that.’
I must prevent that future, no matter what.
‘I have no choice. If I don’t do this, he may kill my family again.’
Instead of measuring up to Emil’s doubt, I extended my hand.
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