The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 97

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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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Chapter 97
“Done!!”
Bunny let out a cheer of triumph as she pulled the freshly baked pizza from the oven. Shalone’s cheeks flushed slightly from the effort of kneading flour in Bunny’s stead.
The three pizzas looked remarkably different from one another. Luca’s was nearly perfect—good enough to sell without hesitation—while Shalone’s showed some inexperience but still looked appetizing.
Bunny’s, however…
‘Hmm. Bunny’s looks kind of… mushy.’
While the others gleamed with a lustrous sheen, Bunny’s pizza had a sparse, almost gooey quality to it.
Splort, glub-glub.
Had I piled on too much ham and cheese?
The cheese was oozing down like molten lava.
‘It doesn’t even look round anymore.’
But what did it matter?
‘Bunny’s pizza is the most delicious pizza in the world.’
Probably.
Bunny rubbed the flour still clinging beneath my nose and shrugged my shoulders. It seemed I’d grown closer to Ho-Moong through making pizza.
“By the way, the new Young Lady certainly has a talent for cooking.”
“Oh, no. Chef Luca is so skilled that simply following his lead has been an enormous help.”
Shalone spoke with her cheeks flushed crimson, her body twisting slightly with embarrassment. The rosy blush on her face was endearing.
Luca smiled faintly.
“Goodness, I appreciate the kind words, but ‘chef’ is far too grand a title for me. Please, just call me Luca.”
Luca’s cheeks colored with embarrassment as he spoke with a pleasant expression, nodding his head.
“Luca, can I take this to Father?”
“Of course. He’ll be delighted, I’m sure. But it’s quite hot—shall I accompany you?”
“No, Bunny is already eight years old. An adult. I can carry a pizza by myself now.”
“I see. Then I’ll place it carefully on another plate to keep it safe from the heat.”
“Okay!”
Bunny bounced on my toes and turned to look at Shalone.
“Sharo-long, want to come too?”
“It’s Shalone, not Sharo-long…”
Shalone reflexively corrected me, but her voice trailed off without conviction.
There was not a shadow of darkness in Bunny’s radiant smile. As if I had never experienced a single moment of hardship.
Something twisted painfully inside.
‘What is this? They said everything would be fine if I just did as I was told here.’
Yet she wasn’t an outsider. People didn’t fear or shun her. She monopolized all the love lavished upon her. Everyone seemed to bend over backward to please that child.
‘A Demon Clan Member, no less.’
A filthy Demon Clan Member.
It grated that she stood confidently in a place that could have been mine.
The Witch who shaped the Young Girl spoke.
The Young Girl, Shalone, was the true protagonist of this world. It was only natural that she receive love at the Udiah Duchy. Everything was hers, she whispered.
A precious life born from the blood of the Udiah Duchy’s hero, after all.
“Ah, would you like me to wrap up a package for the new young lady as well?”
“Ah, yes.”
Luca smiled and wrapped her order just like he had for Bunny.
Bunny balanced her pizza box on her head and grinned mischievously at Shalone.
“Let’s go see Father!”
“Ah, okay. Sure.”
Shalone followed behind Bunny with a smile so gentle it seemed to melt away.
“Hehe~!”
Bunny bounded down the corridor with little hops, the pizza box jostling with each step—it wouldn’t look pretty if the lid came open.
‘I don’t like this.’
The Demon Clan Members were said to be brutally ferocious and savage.
Monsters who deceived people with smiling faces, who could easily kill someone they’d shared meals with just yesterday.
‘A monster like that has no place in this household.’
For the sake of this family, I had to drive this girl away. I would expose her true identity and erase her completely if necessary.
While I was lost in serious thought, steeling my resolve, Bunny ahead suddenly slowed her pace and turned back, coming to stand beside Shalone.
“You know, Shalone.”
“Huh? Oh. What?”
“I like you, Shalone. I just met you, but my heart’s racing, and I wish you could be my older sister, and… I think I’d cry if you weren’t here…”
At Bunny’s words, Shalone blinked once.
‘Bunny’s famous cute charm offensive, first move. The confession!’
Bunny gazed at Shalone with sparkling eyes.
Shalone’s expression twisted slightly, and she offered an awkward smile before speaking.
“What are you suddenly saying? Is that a line from some novel? If you were simply asking for my impression of that greeting, then personally, I’d say it’s not a very good greeting for a first meeting.”
Boom!
Her earnest confession was coldly rejected.
Bunny stared at Shalone with her mouth agape.
‘Failed…’
For the first time, the first move of my cute charm offensive—the confession—had failed against an opponent.
“Ugh…”
When Bunny trudged into the office, the soldier waiting outside widened his eyes and curved them warmly into crescents, dropping to one knee.
“Young Lady, have you come to see the Marquis?”
“Yep. Is Father here?”
“Yes, of course. I shall inform him at once.”
The soldier met Bunny’s gaze, finished their conversation with a smile, nodded, and announced her arrival to the Marquis inside.
“Come in.”
The moment permission came from within, Bunny bounced in place and rushed inside.
“Fatherrrr!”
Bunny ran straight at Kiriel and threw herself at his legs.
Kiriel caught Bunny mid-leap and lifted her effortlessly into the air.
“Hello there, my daughter. What have you been up to? Your face is pale again.”
In fact, it wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say that not just her face, but her entire body was spotlessly white.
Kiriel pulled out a handkerchief, dampened it with water, and gently wiped the child’s face while asking a question.
“Hehe, to celebrate Bunny becoming a big grown-up, I challenged a completely new recipe!”
Ta-da!
At Bunny’s bright declaration as she thrust the box in her hands forward with a flourish, Kiriel reached over and gently patted the child’s head.
“Ah, um… Hello, Marquis.”
At the sudden voice, Kiriel looked up and saw Shalone, then slowly nodded.
“You came together.”
Seeing that she held a box identical to Bunny’s, it appeared they had been playing together.
“Have you two already become close?”
At Kiriel’s words, Shalone hesitated for a moment, then laughed brightly and nodded.
“Yes, Bunny is very cute.”
“I know. She’s so seriously adorable that I’m actually worried about letting her out of the house. You have good taste.”
“…Ah, yes.”
At Kiriel’s remark, which was no different from what Kalbad and Allen would say, Shalone forced a smile and nodded along.
“It looks like you brought something to eat. Have a seat.”
Kiriel gave a slight nod.
He sat down on the sofa with Bunny cradled in his arms. Shalone also sat across from him and carefully set down the box she had brought.
“By the way, I heard you came looking for me a few days ago, but I was too busy to meet you then. What was it about?”
“Ah! Bunny’s Chocolate Factory! Bunny’s going to become the boss and get rich, and I want to make chocolate cookies too and create swirly whirlwinds!”
“You want to expand the business?”
“Mm-hmm, yes. I want to do something like ‘You thought it was just a young lady, but actually it’s the child boss of the Chocolate Factory, so she’s super duper rich!'”
Spilling out words in her excitement without much coherence, it was hard to understand anything she said, but Kiriel caught the gist that she wanted to start a business and quietly nodded.
‘…Is this household just not normal?’
Could this really be the famous Udiah Duchy?
Shalone pondered with a deeply serious expression.

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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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