The Villainess' Son is Innocent - Chapter 6
Chapter 3.2
“Shall we go and have some cake together?”
Even as I offered my hand, it looked like Emil couldn’t even grab it. It was more like he was staring at an unfamiliar object for the first time, as if wondering, “What is this?”
He finally asked,
“Together?”
“You don’t want to?”
“No, it’s not that, but…”
In the end, I took his hand first.
“Come on, then.”
As I led the way, his hand followed mine willingly, as if it knew the path well.
* * *
The head chef left after completing his cake-cutting mission, leaving only a few servants behind. When I returned with Emil after our brief absence, the children fell silent.
Emil was treated like a monster among the children due to the heinous acts Roveline committed.
Distorted rumors about him circulated, ranging from stories about Roveline turning into a demon that haunted Emil and made him torment children to baseless rumors claiming he ate people…
Roveline’s bad reputation had a lot to do with these misconceptions.
A child, holding a fork, let out a hiccup. Anyone could see that he was scared.
“Hiccup…”
The atmosphere, filled with joy as they enjoyed the cake, turned silent in an instant.
“…”
Emil was about to protest, but he shut his mouth and tried to release my hand.
“It’s okay.”
“It’s… okay?”
I pretended not to understand why the children were frightened.
“My mommy told me to be friends with Lord Calixt.”
These were not empty words. Duke Calixt had never once allowed Emil to venture outside.
Duke Calixt maintained a closed-minded attitude, but after the first time he sent Emil to visit me on my birthday, Mom occasionally brought Emil home from the Calixt estate. And she’d arrange for him to stay with us for a few days.
Each time, she negotiated with Duke Calixt, offering concessions such as control over mines or political decisions in exchange for Emil’s stay.
“Lord Calixt has already completed reading the Eveneah Scriptures, I hear? Now, he’s moving on to the next lesson, the Clausewitz Scriptures.”
The Scriptures were widely read not only in the Castone Empire but throughout the continent.
They were divided into books, named after the saints who represented each period, starting with the most recent period and going back to the ancient times.
I held Emil’s hand in both of mine. The children’s eyes flicked as they seemed to admire his knowledge.
“It’s really not that impressive…”
“But even I still haven’t finished reading all of it yet. Lord Calixt is the only one here who has finished reading the Eveneah Scriptures.”
It’s no surprise that the Eveneah Scriptures are usually studied by those up to the age of fifteen. The children here are all around ten years old, twelve at most. At this age, Hildred may be nearing the end of the Scriptures, but is not quite there, so he doesn’t count.
Me?
I, of course, finished it when I was five. It’s my secret.
“Do you happen to speak Northern Rovanian too?”
“I can speak a little…”
“I only started learning a while ago, too. Who’s your teacher?”
“Just… by myself…”
Emil most likely couldn’t reveal that his Northern Rovanian teacher wasn’t of noble blood.
‘So, it’s good to show off. To others, it’ll look like you learned it all on your own.’
I showered Emil with admiration for everything he said. It wasn’t too difficult, given that my dad used to praise me for every single thing I did.
“What about history?”
Philosophy? Geography? I asked multiple questions, leading the children to listen directly. I nodded as I expected they would respond well.
Then, I drove the point home.
“Would you like to be friends with me?”
“That’s—!”
Abruptly, Valencia stood up with her face flushing bright red.
Emil also looked stunned, as if he just heard something completely unexpected. Slowly, the tips of Emil’s ears turned red.
“Friends…?”
Emil looked back at the other children, flustered.
This boy used to behave this way back then, too. He tended to avoid interactions by looking at other kids or adults who had nothing to do with him.
“Do you not want to?”
“…”
“Oh, so you don’t want to…”
“N-no, it’s not that…”
As soon as I got Emil’s approval, I smiled brightly.
“Thank you!”
Then, stuttering, Valencia spoke up.
“N-no, you can’t! Y-you’re not supposed to be with Lady Lancaster.”
“Am I not good enough…?”
“It’s not about that, but you see, Lord Calixt is…!”
“Amazing! Don’t you think?”
It was a somewhat dangerous statement to just brush off.
Other nobles might not know, but on the surface, Emil had no flaws in his rank. While Roveline was labeled as the greatest villain of this era, she was a princess. No doubt about it. Even if he wasn’t directly in line for the throne, it shouldn’t be forgotten that Emil had imperial blood running through his veins.
‘The problem always lies with the adults, doesn’t it?’
I let go of Emil’s hand for a moment. Just before I did, I felt his hand twitch slightly.
If I pointed out Emil’s birth, the children would remember Emil’s origin, hidden away due to Roveline’s notoriety. But by doing so, I would embarrass Valencia by implying she was ignorant, whether she meant it or not.
I wanted Emil to blend in with the children, not obtain a relationship that judges him based on status and birth.
Children are innocent. Adults who prejudice against children are the ones at fault.
“Valencia.”
“Yes, Lady Lancaster…”
“You agreed to be friends with me.”
Valencia was thoroughly flustered by my teasing tone.
“A friend of a friend is a friend.”
“I don’t understand…”
“So, Valencia, that means you’re already a friend of Lord Calixt.”
I heard a scoff from somewhere, but I didn’t bother to pay attention.
‘Probably from Hildred Raymon.’
Pretending not to hear, I introduced Valencia to Emil.
“Lord Calixt, this is my friend Valencia, the daughter of Count Butte. She’s my first friend.”
I emphasized the word “friend” twice on purpose.
“L-Lady Velsia…”
“I… I…”
Facing Valencia, Emil turned to look at me.
Emil seemed uncertain and troubled, and Valencia was in a similar state. I intentionally blinked at her, basically asking, “Do you want to be my friend, or not?”
Unable to refuse, Valencia hesitated but finally spoke first.
“Ah… um, please call me Valencia.”
“Sure…”
As the two kids were peer-pressured into becoming friends, I glanced around at the other children with a bright smile.
“Is there anyone else you want to be friends with?”
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