A Strange But Effective Villainess Life - Chapter 198

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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Commemoration of Webtoon Adaptation
Side Story Episode 1
1. A Summoner’s Failed Parenting Record
The Magical Engineering Academy research laboratory.
Cheers erupted from within.
“We did it!”
“We’ve succeeded!”
All of us researchers, myself included, were swept up in joy in our own ways. Piyak too flapped his wings enthusiastically, as if amazed.
【Wow, it actually works! It really works! Piyak thinks this is so incredible!】
What we had created in the laboratory was a camera.
By taking photographs and developing the film, we could capture moments with vivid clarity, as if in a painting.
It wasn’t an exceptionally difficult magical artifact to develop or create. However, the fierce opposition from painters had caused the research to take an extraordinarily long time to begin.
That issue, tangled with economic, political, and social interests, was ultimately handled by Edmund.
【Let’s take another one! Come on, little one! Look here! Wow!】
The model for the camera—in other words, the subject who would be photographed repeatedly—was decided by unanimous consent. It was my and Ed’s daughter, Princess Antesianni.
【Sia, smile! Come on, smile! That’s it!】
The princess’s nickname was “Sia,” which I had given her myself. I kept accidentally calling her “anthocyanin” instead of “Antesianni.”
Anthocyanin is a type of pigment primarily found in fruits and flowers, and strangely, I was the only one who made this mistake.
In any case, anthocyanin produces beautiful colors in red onions and blueberries, so I didn’t dislike the mistake. That’s why I settled on “Sia” as her nickname, with overlapping syllables.
After that, everyone said that “Antesianni” was difficult to pronounce anyway, and they began calling her Princess Sia.
“Kyaaaaa!”
“Yes, yes, that turned out wonderfully! Let me take just one more!”
Antesianni, whose fourth birthday had passed a few months ago, was truly incredibly adorable.
Her soft pink hair was endearingly fluffy, and her sparkling blue eyes always shone with intelligence.
“My goodness, she’s so beautiful! And so fascinating!”
“Really, no matter what angle you photograph her from, she’s absolutely precious!”
The researchers were making a fuss.
Meanwhile, I picked up several photographs from the pile of Antesianni’s pictures that had accumulated. It was for Julius and Alex, who couldn’t watch Antesianni grow and could only pace restlessly from afar.
I wrote a brief letter saying, “I’ve developed a camera, and I’ll often send you photographs of Antesianni like this.” Then I enclosed several hastily selected photographs.
“Alex will be delighted.”
Edmund, who had arrived at the laboratory at some point, picked up Antesianni and smiled softly.
“I wonder if he might not come rushing to the Capital right away, saying he’ll take loads of photographs.”
I blinked at those words.
A belated realization struck me.
“You’re right. That’s quite possible. That man Alex wouldn’t be satisfied with just five photographs.”
After seeing the photographs, he would likely go mad and come rushing over immediately on Wolf, insisting on taking as many as he pleased.
“But that would be problematic. The Monster Wave season is approaching soon.”
Alex was the Prelai Ducal Territory’s greatest military asset. Though in the old days Julius alone had been capable of defending it, now Julius had stepped back from active duty and entrusted most of the work to Alex.
He was doing dictation exercises from Daram every day and learning spelling through tears, which meant he had grown distant from combat. I didn’t want to burden Julius, who was already under considerable stress, with such a responsibility.
“If it’s Alex Prelai… hmm.”
Edmund muttered seriously.
“He’s the type who would abandon all sense of responsibility and use this as an excuse to take countless photos of his niece and come down to the Capital. That much is certain.”
“That’s true. But we can’t let that happen.”
I quickly tore through the practice sheets scattered across the laboratory desk. Then, pen in hand, I spoke with determination.
“I need to add that to the letter.”
The message was that I would send him plenty of photos by parcel, so he shouldn’t come down from the North. I even added a threat that if he ignored my warning and came anyway, I would destroy his camera.
But a few days later.
We found ourselves standing before a black wolf at the gates of the Imperial Palace, our mouths hanging open in shock.
【How long am I supposed to wait for that slow delivery service?】
Sending five photographs and a letter didn’t take much time, but sending a heavy box stuffed with photos by parcel was another matter entirely.
【Just send it directly to me.】
So Alex had sent Wolf instead.
Wolf could transport heavy cargo at incredible speed—faster than any delivery service could manage.
【And this is the letter Alex sent.】
I unfolded the letter that Wolf had brought, hanging from his neck by a string.
Sigh, he really is something.
I was about to let slip a curse starting with “something,” but I immediately closed my mouth.
The words were unnecessarily grandiose. It was only a one-year regression, hardly what one would call two lifetimes.
The duty of House Prelai? What nonsense!
‘It was simply the optimal choice for everyone!’
Creating an outlet for Alex’s violent tendencies was the Empire’s responsibility. It seemed that as his cursing decreased, his delusions had only increased.
“There’s nothing we can do about it.”
I sighed and whispered to Edmund.
“It must be the law of conservation of shamelessness.”
The letter ended in such an unnecessarily wistful manner.
I let out a deep sigh and folded the letter with a snap.
Wolf stretched and spoke.
【Anyway, load me up quickly.】
“Huh? Right now?”
【Yeah. A monster wave is coming soon. Of course, Alex can slice through anything even while riding, but what did that horse do to deserve this?】
He had a point.
Wolf was the only partner capable of handling Alex’s relentless sword strikes and all his violent tendencies.
I nodded quickly.
“Sure, I’ll get it for you right away.”
I ordered Alice to bring sacks full of Princess Antesianni’s photographs that were piled like mountains in the laboratory. The backgrounds and expressions were all similar, but since quantity seemed more important to Alex than quality, I didn’t bother taking new ones.
After some thought, I tore off a single memo sheet.
“I should write a reply too.”
At first, I thought I wouldn’t need to reply. But that unnecessarily wistful final sentence left me feeling oddly unsettled.
The memo sheet wasn’t large enough for more writing. Yet even after signing it, I still felt uneasy.
So I stared at the box for a while, then slowly tore off another memo sheet and scribbled one more line before roughly attaching it on top.
I felt that this much should be enough to calm the troubled heart of my eldest brother, who was feeling pathetic for not living up to his age.
“Let’s depart then.”
But that was when it happened.
【My goodness, Alex’s mount came running all by itself?】
From far away, I heard Piyak’s fluttering wingbeats.
And together with Piyak, Antesianni came running and wrapped her arms tightly around Wolf’s front legs.
“Wolf! You came! I’m so happy!”
Wolf’s eyes widened.
【What? How much has she grown?】
Wolf gazed down at Antesianni, who was clinging to his front legs, overwhelmed with emotion.
【She’s happy to see me? My goodness, how adorable can she be?】
The last time Wolf had seen Antesianni was on her fourth birthday. Back then, there had been so many people around. The Imperial Palace banquet hall was packed with guests, leaving no space for even the Summoners to wander about.
At that time, Wolf had spent his days in the Imperial Palace Garden with the other Summoners, so he hadn’t been able to see Antesianni up close like this.
Now, four more months had passed since then, and children at this age grew by leaps and bounds with each passing day. So it made perfect sense that she would feel extraordinarily grown to him.
【Well, this is a bit….】
Wolf looked down at Antesianni with an emotional expression and spoke.
【I’d like to rest a bit before continuing.】
It was truly a shocking change of heart.
I stood there with my arms crossed, bewildered.
“You’re concerned about the poor horse that has to carry Alex?”
【Come to think of it, horses can handle that much hardship. That way they’ll appreciate my efforts.】
“Can you actually communicate with horses?”
【Are you insane? Do you talk to horses?】
In short, he wanted to see Antesianni a bit more, so he was going to stay and play a little longer.
Well, it made sense. Antesianni was cute and lovely, after all.
“Really? You’re going to play more? Then should we see Isaac and Benjamin too? Lea said she was coming to visit anyway!”
Isaac and Benjamin were the sons of Joshua and Seliet. In any case, the age difference wasn’t too great, so the three of them often played together.
“When good people spend a lot of time together, they become that much happier.”
Antesianni said this with her eyes crescent-shaped in a smile.
At that sight, Wolf murmured.
【Does the Imperial Palace have good fortune? I’ve never seen such a lovely child at the Prelai Ducal Residence. Since she doesn’t have Prelai blood, this must be Tailizes’s blood.】
Then he cried out toward Piyak, overwhelmed with emotion.
【Little bird, you succeeded! You said you wouldn’t raise her like Kiana and studied all sorts of fairy tales—and it paid off!】
A brief silence fell at those words.
Edmund, I, and even Piyak slowly avoided Wolf’s gaze.
Just as Wolf, sensing something was amiss, began to raise his eyebrows.
Antesianni spoke with affectionate charm.
“Come on, Wolf! Let’s go to the Garden and play! And tell me about everything that happened on your way here. It must have been hard, right?”
【Yes! Let’s go! Let’s go!】
Wolf, his mind completely captivated by Antesianni’s kind words, disappeared into the Imperial Palace Garden following the child. Piyak followed behind, shaking his head.
“Piyak should come with me too!”
“Well…”
Edmund muttered reluctantly, watching their retreating figures.
“It seems Wolf is misunderstanding something, doesn’t he?”
I shrugged in response.
“Let him be. He’ll realize it soon enough.”
Wolf had yet to understand that I had raised Antesianni with the same devotion as Piyak, despite his jubilant proclamation that she bore no trace of Prelai blood. He remained blissfully unaware.
And these days, the laboratory was where Antesianni spent most of her time, surrounded by researchers from dawn until dusk.
I leaned gently against Edmund’s shoulder and spoke wistfully.
“She is my daughter, and she carries the blood of Prelai deeply within her…”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com

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