The Oracle of the Villainous Baby - Chapter 99

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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 99
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‘What is this?’
Shalone pressed her lips together and clenched her fists.
A flowing canopy, a plush bed, a cute and lovely room completed in shades of pink.
A desk scaled to her height and adorable dolls.
Though I didn’t know who had decorated it, the room was utterly charming.
A space that was entirely mine.
When I was in the house of the woman who called herself the Witch, I had to stay in a cramped back room with only a single bed.
Everything here was perfect.
A warm and cozy home. Kind servants. A plush bed. And beyond that, overflowing wealth that never ran short no matter how much I spent, along with honor that everyone envied.
Everyone was astonished when they heard I had been adopted into the Udiah Duchy.
‘Even if I was created…’
Since I inherited Father’s blood, I was as much his daughter as anyone could be.
So I had every reason to be in this household. I even possessed divine power, and soon I would be attending the Divine Beast summoning ceremony.
‘I don’t understand why the Witch said I would be isolated after being adopted as an illegitimate daughter by Kiriel Yudia…’
The Witch I knew was a perfect person.
Someone who grasped the principles of the world and read futures that others could not see.
Everything she predicted came true.
The strange plague she prophesied would occur in Rubia Territory years ago, the business ventures that would strike it rich, even the new inventions that would emerge soon—all of it came to pass.
Years ago, when she said people from the Udiah Duchy would come looking for me, that also came true.
‘I heard that back then I refused because the stone that had taken the place of my heart was still incomplete…’
Rather, it seemed to have provoked them further, as they came regularly to deliver living expenses and asked repeatedly if I was willing to enter the Duchy.
‘And yet when I came…’
Regardless of whether the atmosphere was welcoming or not, all around me were people shouting nothing but Bunny, Bunny, Bunny.
‘She said that if I came and showed a little affection and helped them, I would be loved…’
The Witch, who had always spoken only truth, was wrong for the first time.
I had lived believing everything the Witch said was correct, and now that foundation had crumbled, leaving me feeling as though darkness surrounded my vision.
‘No, it wasn’t the first time.’
Years ago, she said the Crown Prince of the Empire would die and be replaced, but the Crown Prince never changed then either.
Rather, the illness she said he had was completely cured, and he even engages in external activities without issue.
‘The Imperial Palace kept information so thoroughly sealed that she said she couldn’t find out what happened…’
The only thing she managed to learn was that the Imperial Court had summoned some sort of renowned healer for treatment.
“This doesn’t make sense. Why did the future change? Could there be another participant…?”
“Yes?”
“No, just talking to myself. Something of this magnitude falls within my predictions anyway. The probability of me failing now that I’ve secured the heroine is low. You just focus on becoming a beloved young lady of the Udiah Duchy.”
Now that I think about it, the Witch had said something strange back then too.
‘In any case, if I don’t do something…’
With my lower lip bitten and fists clenched, I squeezed my eyes shut and then opened them.
In truth, I had a fate where I would die if no one loved me before I turned fourteen.
It was said that the Stone of Life transforms into a true heart only when someone gives it genuine love and affection.
Which meant that if no one truly loved Shalone, the Stone of Life would crumble to dust and she would die.
‘I don’t want to die.’
After enduring those terrible experiments for adjustment day after day in that cramped space, I had finally escaped outside.
Now Shalone had only four years left. It had already been ten years.
‘…The Witch said she would come to Yudia Territory a bit later.’
She said she had something to prepare, so she would be delayed. Therefore, I couldn’t seek the Witch’s advice right now.
So Shalone had to do something based on what the Witch had taught her.
Only by driving that child away could I be completely loved by the people of this household, just as the Witch had said.
“Fortunately, today is the full moon.”
And the Witch had told Shalone there was something she absolutely had to do on the full moon.
She said one of the members of the Duke’s House had a kind of complex that only manifested on the full moon.
She, who had been lost in thought, slowly opened her eyes.
“First, the easiest and most convenient way to drive that girl out of the household would be to expose her as a Demon Clan Member… but before that, it’s better to solidify your position.”
“Solidify my position?”
“Yes. First, try to make that boy Allen in the family your ally.”
“Allen? How?”
“He’s a Beast-Human. More precisely, he’s a half-breed born between the Beast-Human Clan and the Yudia Family—a pitiful outcast. Because of that, he has quite a complex about it.”
“…Oh my. What a tragic situation.”
“Yes, it’s tragic and pitiful. On nights when the full moon rises, he becomes a complete beast—an imperfect creature. Because of that, his treatment within the family isn’t good either… so you should be kind to him.”
“Yes. I should do that.”
“Then. Your healing divine power is superior and warmer than anyone else’s. Your skin is so soft, and your smile is so lovely. It’s meant to be this way. So you’ll surely do well.”
Shalone clenched her fists tightly at that point.
‘She said he’s usually at the lakeside within the Duke’s House.’
Shalone gathered a blanket and some simple food, then stepped outside. The night air was quite crisp.
‘What should I say to comfort him?’
A being who was despised and wounded by people for being half-human and half-beast.
Shalone knew well the feeling of being pushed away for being different from others. When I first opened my eyes, my entire body was cold.
No matter what anyone said, I felt nothing—I was like a doll with no emotions at all.
As time passed and after much manipulation, things had improved now… but.
‘It wouldn’t be bad to share my own story of not fitting in with anyone.’
Shalone walked briskly toward the lakeside, lost in various thoughts.
‘Here, I’ll make that boy Allen my ally first.’
I didn’t know how much affection was necessary to become truly human, but if I could make as many people as possible like me, that would work.
Rustle, rustle.
Shalone, who had passed through the sprawling shrubland and entered deeper, stopped short.
‘He must be terribly depressed right now.’
That child Bunny probably had no idea about this secret at all.
Shalone took a deep breath and stepped forward.
“This time, catch it! Allen! Heu-Gyeom Dragon!”
“Grrrowl!”
“Screeeech!”
Whoosh.
The ball traced an arc through the sky, soaring far into the heavens.
‘…This is incredibly depressing….’
Thud-thud-thud—!
Beneath the night sky, a crimson bird blazed as it fluttered upward, while a massive four-legged beast bounded after it far more swiftly, chasing the ball.
The enormous gray wolf with two tails compressed its body as it sprinted, then launched itself skyward in a graceful arc, twisted its upper body with tremendous force, caught the ball in its jaws mid-flight, and landed perfectly.
“…What’s depressing about this?”
“Yaaay! Allen is the best!! So cool!!”
“Awoooo!”
“Screeeech….”
Clap clap clap.
Bunny bounced excitedly in place and clapped her hands as she received the ball back, while the wolf returned it with satisfied growls and rumbles, basking in her affectionate strokes.
“Screeeech….”
And below them, the Red Bird drooped dejectedly, melting into despair.
‘…What kind of prophecy did the Witch see?!’
Confronted with a scene that bore no resemblance whatsoever to the word “depressing,” Shalone simply dropped the blanket she’d brought and gaped in astonishment.

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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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