Because She Had A Time Limit, She Became The Villain’s Daughter-in-law - Chapter 127

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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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“Aunt.”
After Laria departed, Calaudin’s face was as ashen as Evan’s.
“What is it?”
Olivia sighed and set down her fork, which had been cutting into her cake. Evan’s expression was so unsettling that they were obediently following his instruction to “absolutely not interfere and remain still.” After all, ignoring his words would have created an atmosphere where blood might actually spill.
Olivia should have returned to Rivien immediately after the banquet ended, but she simply could not abandon Duke Icard’s Mansion.
“Forgive me, but I believe I should leave the mansion for a time.”
The reason was that Calaudin and Evan’s condition was beyond words, and she had a premonition that the mansion would soon become empty. It seemed the two Icard men would be going to see their woman.
“So you’re going to Matilda.”
“…Yes.”
Podeilin, where Matilda was buried, was the most remote and quiet place within the vast Duchy. It would certainly take quite a long time to get there.
“I’m leaving my seal in the study, so if anything urgent arises, I hope you’ll look after it, Aunt.”
Olivia gazed at her nephew’s haggard face and nodded readily.
“Very well, this old aunt will bear the burden.”
“Thank you.”
“If I were Laria, I would never come back.”
“Fortunately for us, Laria is not you, Aunt.”
“Indeed.”
In Olivia’s room lay the tiger fan she had given to Laria. Morand had returned it to her, saying “Lady Laria entrusted this to me with her orders.”
“That Laria really must have something wrong with her head. Leaving the mansion like this?”
Olivia glanced at the fan as she spoke.
“If it were me, I would have squeezed this wretched household for all it’s worth before disappearing, yet she leaves only flowers in her wake. She’s absolutely mad.”
“…”
Calaudin sighed, and only then did Olivia awkwardly shift her tone.
“I’m sorry. I was projecting my feelings onto my granddaughter again.”
“Could you not direct that empathy toward your nephew instead?”
“Yes, I’ll try from now on. Hmm… empathizing with you… that truly was foolish of me… Ah, sorry. Let me say this more gracefully.”
She glanced at Calaudin and spoke solemnly.
“There are things one only understands after losing them.”
Indeed, the mansion had become utterly melancholic since Laria’s departure.
Though Laria had spent a long time in Borotna, her absence affected everyone nonetheless.
“Our Lady Laria… she was so magnificent, how wonderful… I always wanted to protect her, and those days were good, but I wish to hear such commands from her once more…”
Lisa, who had become somewhat strange but waited for Laria every single day.
“I have long awaited another capable person who could override even the Duke’s orders. Yet that person turned out to be Lady Laria.”
Even Morand, who had kept the study lights off through the night of the banquet to carry out Laria’s orders. All of them, ignorant of why Laria had vanished, waited for her return in silence.
Of course, the emptiness felt by Evan, Calaudin, and Olivia was beyond words. With that child gone, the future of Icard seemed shrouded in darkness.
“I wished to undo everything. I wanted to become a good father to Evan.”
“Yes. You know you’ve never been a good father.”
“But now…”
Calaudin spoke slowly.
“…I wish to become a better father to Evan than ever before.”
“How do you plan to do that?”
“By bringing Laria back.”
“So how exactly? Evan told you not to do anything. Though I suppose we can’t just sit idle when so much time has already passed.”
Calaudin didn’t answer Olivia’s question directly.
Olivia glanced at Calaudin’s face, then crossed her arms and muttered seriously.
“In any case, while you’re gone, I’ll be taking over as mistress of the Count’s Manor.”
That night, she wrote a letter to Laria. On the envelope, she pressed hard as she wrote: [Evan, you absolutely must not look at this. The moment you open it, you won’t find Laria and our house will be ruined.] She then had a servant deliver it to Evan, instructing them to hand it over the moment Laria was found.
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I was spending my time and money efficiently as usual, like a wealthy idle heiress with nothing to do. Serena had gone out to investigate a few days ago when a servant was admitted to a public hospital after a carriage accident—she had a bad feeling about it, saying it was strange that even guardians weren’t allowed to visit despite it being a serious injury.
I too was preparing for the worst-case scenario.
‘Since I have a teleportation scroll, I can escape whenever I need to.’
I had gathered all my valuables in a safe so I could grab and flee at a moment’s notice.
‘I always thought I might get caught eventually, but I never expected it to happen this quickly. What did I miss?’
Kidnapping someone else’s servant was something you couldn’t do without very strong suspicions. It was even more frustrating not knowing what had happened in between.
Still, I had a contingency plan. I would use the teleportation scroll to escape to Sven’s Bestian Information Guild first, then figure out my next move.
“By the way, Sven was supposed to arrive today. Neo, he’s going to be so happy to see you. Of course, you like me, don’t you?”
I was lounging in the study, half-heartedly looking at dark magic books while playing with Neo.
“That’s right, go catch it. Yes, good.”
It seemed my aptitude wasn’t really for studying or research. Whenever I tried to read alone, my mind would wander.
‘Even with a small stage, the social scene was always the most fun.’
I tossed an expensive mouse toy to Neo and thought.
‘If time really did go back and I still remember everything, then I should become the mastermind instead of Duke Icard.’
Thinking of the Icard Ducal House again made me feel a little sad.
‘I should have brought Rivien’s tiger fan.’
It was like a token of being recognized by my role model villainess Olivia, and I missed it.
‘I really have no pride. I guess it’s because this is the first time I’ve had a family.’
These were people searching for me with eyes bloodshot, determined to kill me, yet I didn’t understand why I missed them.
‘When you’re feeling sorry for yourself, spending money only makes you sadder.’
So I played with the toys until Neo started dozing off consistently, then I left him in the study and slowly returned to my room. I changed into my finest clothes and put on my most elaborate jewelry.
I carefully arranged the most delicious snacks the servants had prepared at dawn onto a table.
Just as I was beginning my grand preparations for luxurious melancholy, a sudden loud noise erupted from downstairs. Since the room was well-soundproofed, I could barely hear it.
‘There’s never been such a commotion before.’
With one servant missing, I was on edge, so I acted cautiously. At first, I thought Sven had arrived, but he would never make such a racket.
It might be nothing, but there was no harm in being prepared. I immediately jumped up and opened the safe to check. Along with gold coins, the anti-magic doll sat quietly inside. Everything else could be bought with money, but ancient magical artifacts had unparalleled rarity.
Just as I was grabbing the safe and quickly securing the teleportation scroll.
The door burst open.
“…Are you running away again?”
It was a low, raspy voice.
I slowly turned around. Our eyes met, and I found myself taking a deep breath without meaning to. Standing at the doorway was Evan, wearing an expression of eerie coldness I had never imagined before.
“Uh… um….”
Seeing that murderous glint in his eyes, I sensed my own death approaching. He had completely turned around and was chasing me with the ferocity of a man intent on capturing his prey.
His expression was already sinister to begin with, but now his eyes blazed with such wild fury that it was utterly chilling. Had I truly offended him so deeply that his eyes could roll back like that? I regretted deceiving him, but I had only done what was necessary to survive.
His gaze swept across my elegant chamber. Then he lingered for a long moment on my portrait hanging in the center of the room.
“E-Evan, listen….”
He turned his head slowly to meet my eyes. The chill was so intense that my mouth clamped shut involuntarily. As my lips went dry, he asked in a measured tone.
“You have a teleportation scroll, don’t you?”
That he had seen through me so completely made my palms slick with sweat.
“If you run away again….”
Since I could tear the teleportation scroll at any moment, I waited quietly for Evan to continue—but then an unbelievable sight unfolded before my eyes.
“Mmph! Mgh! Mmmph! Mgh-mgh-mgh!”
Behind Evan, his aide Nathan was restraining a man.
“Mgh! Mmmph!”
A young man with pale pink hair and violet eyes, wearing spectacles with a gentle expression, was gagged and staring at me with tears streaming down his face.
“…Older Brother?”
No—why was Fred here?

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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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