She is the Daughter of the Villainess in a Ridiculous Novel - Chapter 29

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

I Am the Villainess’s Daughter in a Melodramatic Novel
Chapter 29
“Ugh, my ears are itching. Someone must be talking about me.”
Idel, still wearing her robe, scratched at her ear irritably and surveyed the area once more.
Watching the entrance of the Temple buzz with more commotion than usual filled her with quiet satisfaction.
It meant the public opinion she had stirred up among the noble circles of high society was working.
‘Everything’s ready.’
Not only Vivian and Ivan, but the Bright Count Family and the high priest had already been brought on board.
Now all that was left was for Farrel to move exactly as expected…
‘Hmm, I’m not too worried about this one.’
Farel Underwood, as far as I’d seen so far, was the textbook villain of a makjang drama. Not as wicked as Melissa, so he wasn’t the final boss, just a supporting villain who gets written out partway through.
For a man like that, today was the opportunity of all opportunities, one he could never afford to miss.
‘Though I did lay the groundwork so he’d actually take it.’
That was exactly why I announced the wedding as a public ceremony that ‘anyone’ could attend.
‘I’m hoping you’ll bring that Dark Mage along with you, just as you planned.’
According to Vivian, Farrel’s pride had been bruised past the point of repair, so he had no intention of stepping into the seat beside her now.
If we had to guess what he might do, the most likely scenario was that he’d use the Dark Mage to strike at the two of them.
‘To predict it in more detail, Farrel will draw attention with something related to pregnancy, and in the meantime the Dark Mage will let loose a spell.’
In that case, subduing Farrel as planned would solve everything.
‘…That’s true enough, but the real goal today is actually that Dark Mage.’
Having reached that conclusion, Idel cast a sidelong glance beneath her hood. Sigmund, wearing a robe like her own, came into view, along with Bilead, whose appearance had been altered.
And beside them, Jeiana, her cheeks flushed as she kept letting out little gasps of admiration.
‘She got lucky.’
Without Idel having to bother working out how to slip out, Jeiana had voluntarily expressed her wish to spend more time with Sigmund.
‘She’s been prying into every detail about Sigmund whenever she gets the chance lately.’
Did she take a real liking to him?
Well, as the villain of the original work, he does have a rotten personality, but Jeiana couldn’t know that side of him.
‘Not that it matters. I’m not bringing her out again after this.’
Truth be told, I’d only brought her this time because Jeiana had gotten tangled up in the field trip by chance, leaving me no choice.
Otherwise, no matter how fond I was of her personally, I would never have let her join me.
Getting entangled like this again and again could only lead to trouble. For her, and for me.
While Idel was pondering how to shake Jeiana off, the crisp, clear chime of the Temple bell rang out.
It was the bell announcing the start of the wedding.
“Oh! Idel, it’s starting!”
“Shh, keep it down! Just call me Del. Del, I told you.”
“Oh, right! Del! Del it is!”
At the reprimand, Jeiana looked oddly delighted, and Idel’s eyes narrowed.
Before arriving here, she had warned her to be careful not to give away her identity, and it seemed that had been a mistake.
‘The Duke and Duchess said they wouldn’t be attending, but there’s no harm in being careful, which is why I said it…’
Perhaps the thrill of doing something ‘in secret’ had been too much for Jeiana, who had likely been raised properly in the Ducal Household. Judging by how giddy and excited she was getting, that seemed likely.
Unaware that Idel was looking at her with open distrust, Jeiana savored the nickname ‘Del’ and widened her eyes.
A familiar face had appeared on the platform the Temple had prepared.
“Del, Del.”
“What?”
“It’s the Count and Ivan!”
“Ah.”
Turning toward the platform at Jeiana’s words, Idel let out a small hum through her nose.
The two of them, each dressed in a white suit suited to them, looked as striking as a painting.
As Idel watched the today’s two protagonists, showing not a trace of nerves, the high priest’s voice announced the start of the ceremony.
“We now begin the wedding of Vivian Bright and Ivan Ernest.”
-Dong, dong, dong!
With the bell tolling once more, the ceremony got fully underway.
Unlike the unconventional moves that had shaken high society, the couple’s wedding proceeded smoothly and without fuss.
“Vivian Bright, do you vow to take Ivan Ernest as your partner for life?”
“I do.”
“Ivan Ernest, do you vow to take Vivian Bright as your companion for life?”
“Yes, I vow it.”
“Very good. The vows between these two have been accepted under the blessing of God. And now, finally, is there anyone here who objects to this marriage?”
And then, the long-awaited moment…
“I do.”
Idel felt the air around them, which had been cooling, begin to heat up again, quietly but quickly.
Amid the murmuring crowd, who whispered that they never thought the unthinkable would actually happen, Farrel strode forward with the bearing of a leading man.
“I object to this marriage.”
Was it his gaunt appearance? A ripple of gasps swept through the hall. A noblewoman hurriedly unfurled her fan and burst out with heated remarks, insisting the rumors of a love triangle had been true all along.
“Order! Please, everyone, keep order!”
The high priest rapped the table with the scripture he was holding and turned a stern gaze on Farrel.
“Lord. Who are you, and what reason do you have for objecting to this sacred union?”
“My name is Farel Underwood. I am the fiancé of Vivian Bright, Count of Bright. And the reason I object to this marriage is…”
“…Lord?”
“Because there is a child in my belly, the child of the Count and me! Look!”
“Good heavens!”
When Farrel flaunted his stomach as if to prove a point, the onlookers’ eyes went wide. Even to the naked eye, his belly was visibly swollen.
“Th-then the rumor that a man had become pregnant is…”
“True.”
Farrel answered a voice that had slipped out of the crowd without its owner even realizing it, and fixed his glare on the betrothed couple standing upon the dais.
“The Bright Count Family was the only household that took part in the male pregnancy experiment the Imperial Household once conducted long ago. I was the Count’s fiancé for a long time, so I know this fact well.”
“….”
“Once the Count ascended to his title and received his knighthood, the Count Family demanded that I bear a child through ‘Black Magic’ based on those old experiments. But I accepted their proposal, thinking it was for her sake. And yet…”
Farrel clenched his fists as if seething, and continued in a sharp voice.
“I was discarded in an instant! All because of that man there, Ivan Ernest!”
“Heavens…!”
“For the sake of this child, I have no choice but to interrupt this sacred wedding! If you do not believe me, High Priest, then examine me yourself!”
Farrel lifted his chin high, as though he had nothing whatsoever to hide.
Just as a mood began to form that no one could be so composed unless everything he claimed was true, Vivian sighed and turned her gaze to the high priest.
“…High Priest.”
“Oh, dear…”
The high priest let out a groan and swallowed his murmur, then looked at Farrel with eyes that seemed truly pained.
“Lord Farrel. I have heard your claim.”
“Then…?”
“Just as the Count warned us in advance, I see. Pregnancy, indeed… This is a truly grave case of mind manipulation.”
“…Excuse me?”
With that single remark from the high priest, the mood of the crowd swung around once again.
“M-mind manipulation? My mind is perfectly sound! I really am carrying a child!”
“….”
“Ha, Farrel…”
Beside the high priest, who was shaking his head, Vivian called his name in a pitying voice.
“I’ve told you over and over. You’re not pregnant. Even after refusing treatment so stubbornly…”
“Treatment? Ha, Vivian, what exactly is this supposed to be?”
“See, I was right to follow Ivan’s advice.”
Vivian gripped her lover’s hand tightly, as if in gratitude, then stepped forward and raised her voice once more.
“Farrel, the Count Family has been worried about your condition for a long time. You were pathologically obsessed with me. First you’d sneak into my room uninvited, then you’d chase me down even while I was on duty. We wondered whether you’d cross a line one day, and then out of nowhere you showed up at the Count’s house claiming you were carrying a child.”
“What are you trying to say…?”
“In truth, you’ve been deluded by Black Magic, poor thing, and you genuinely believe you’re carrying a real child. We didn’t know what to do with you, refusing treatment and fleeing at every turn, until Ivan suggested something.”
“….”
“If we hurried to hold the wedding without dissolving your engagement first, you would surely appear. So he said we should use that moment as our chance.”
And just as he had said, it turned out exactly that way.
“At last, I can help you.”

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