The Villainess Duke Lady Hides Her Identity - Chapter 83

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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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Episode 83

The warm atmosphere froze in an instant. The female student’s face flushed with embarrassment as her hand stung from the strike.
“I-I was only patting her head because I thought she was cute.”
“Why. What.”
Havelian’s expression hardened even further than before.
‘This can’t be happening. Why did I do this?’
He’d only struck out to keep Havelian from hearing more of those strange remarks—that he was some emotionless killing machine.
But what good was it if he just knocked her hand away like that and stared at her so terrifyingly?
“Brother.”
Reponya called out to Havelian. But he didn’t stop.
“Did you ask Ponya’s permission before touching her?”
Reponya froze. It was as if he’d read her thoughts from just moments before.
“Y-yes?”
“What do—”
“Did you ask for permission to pat her head?”
Everyone fell silent. Of course they had—no one had asked.
“I mean, she’s just a cute kid, so I thought I’d pat her head a little…”
The male student muttered in protest. The moment those words left his mouth, Havelian shot up from the bench where he’d been sitting.
As the tall man rose abruptly, an overwhelming pressure filled the space around him.
“If I think you’re cute, can I just touch your head whenever I want?”
Havelian’s voice dropped to a low murmur, his bearing twisted with barely contained menace. The students shrank back in terror, their faces draining of color.
Tsk.
With a sharp click of his tongue, Havelian casually scooped up Reponya—who’d been standing there grinning like a doll on display—into one arm.
“I don’t know what you’re trying to do, but Ponya—”
“Mm?”
“There’s no need to put up with things you hate. Let’s go.”
Havelian brushed past his juniors and walked on. Reponya glanced back over her shoulder.
The students stood frozen in place, trembling with fear, unable to move.
Right. It was all ruined.
The “My Brother’s the Best” operation was over.
Havelian strode forward with long steps. Reponya, all her strength gone, hung from him as they moved together.
After a few strides, Havelian shifted his grip, cradling Reponya snugly against his chest.
Unlike Fellens, who would sometimes walk with Reponya tucked against his ribs, Havelian held her as tenderly as one might cradle a child too small to support her own neck.
“Ponya. Why are you putting up with something you hate?”
“Hm?”
“You hated it when those kids touched your head just now.”
…How did he know? She’d only scrunched her face for the briefest moment. And even then, she’d smoothed her expression right away.
After a pause, Reponya spoke quietly, seeing no point in hiding it.
“I was doing it all for you. I messed up.”
“For me?”
“People are scared of you and say mean things about you.”
“Say mean things? You mean that stuff about me being an emotionless wooden doll?”
A wooden doll? Calling a person a wooden doll? Reponya’s face crumpled in displeasure.
She hated the “killing machine” label, but “wooden doll” was even worse.
What bothered her most, though, was that Havelian already knew about it and spoke of it so casually.
“I hate that.”
“What?”
“I hate that people call you that.”
Reponya’s eyes sharpened as she bit her lip.
“I know you better than anyone. You’re not like that at all.”
“No. That’s—”
It’s only because you treat me that way.
Havelian swallowed the rest of his words. Even as he did, Reponya’s small lips kept moving without pause, chattering on.
“I hate that people speak badly of you. You had your reasons for everything you did.”
…….
“You’re really kind to me and do everything for me. So why should you have to hear such strange things about not having emotions?”
Havelian, hearing such words for the first time, found himself without a reply and closed his mouth.
“I hate it.”
Reponya spoke with force.
“I really hate it.”
It was the first time she’d expressed herself so strongly—and she was refusing to be called that way.
Havelian looked at Reponya quietly, his face blank as if he’d never considered such a thing.
“You said I shouldn’t hold back my feelings. So why do you hold back yours?”
“…I’m not holding back.”
“Then you like hearing it?”
Havelian faltered. It was simply what he’d heard since childhood, and once upon a time he’d even wondered if it might be true.
But he’d never given thought to whether such words pleased or displeased him.
“A person without feelings wouldn’t struggle and try so hard to find their lost sister, would they?”
Reponya reached out and pulled Havelian into a tight embrace first, wrapping her small arms around his neck.
“So from now on, when someone says that, don’t just listen—do something about it.”
……
“Tell them my older brother said to beat up anyone who talks like that, and punish them properly. Understood?”
Havelian unconsciously held the small five-year-old in his arms close.
The child’s heartbeat thundered through his entire body—thump, thump, thump.
“I understand. Ponya. Our youngest.”
For the first time in Havelian’s life, he felt that he had someone on his side.

* * *

Fellens’ graduation from the Academy was confirmed, and as he’d promised, he earned first place in the Graduation Exam with flying colors.
When word spread that his score in Swordsmanship—his specialty—had surpassed Havelian’s, everyone reassessed Fellens.
Of course they did; he’d surpassed Havelian, whom the entire empire recognized as a genius.
Fellens would occasionally boast in front of Havelian that he was now the greater genius, but Havelian simply offered him quiet praise for his achievement.
In the meantime, Duke Craitan’s skill at braiding hair steadily improved.
By now he could easily tie it into a single knot or divide it into two braids.
It was the fruit of his daily effort—whenever he had time, he practiced brushing and tending to Reponya’s hair.
Time continued to pass.
“Young lady, young lady. Wake up, please. Young lady!”
“Mmm… nngh…”
At Becky’s urgent words as she shook her awake, Reponya—who had been sleeping warmly—reluctantly opened her eyes.
“So sleepy… why…”
Her voice, thick with drowsiness, came out dry and hoarse.
The moment Reponya opened her eyes, Buddy—who’d been waiting—suddenly threw open the bedroom curtains.
“Huh?”
A stark white world spread out beyond the window, entirely different from any other day. Reponya rubbed her sleepy eyes and gasped, opening them wide with wonder.
She bounded out of bed and pattered quickly over to the window.
“It snowed heavily through the night—it’s piled up to about your ankle height.”
The entire world lay blanketed in white snow. Unlike the bedroom, where the fireplace roared strongly, frost had formed on the windows where the outside air was cold.
“Wow.”
Reponya gazed out at the pure white world.
Last winter, she too had been out in that world, struggling and shivering in the accumulated snow, cursing her fate.
‘Looking at it from so far away like this, it’s so beautiful.’
This was the first time snow falling from the sky had looked beautiful to her. Beyond the window stretched a pristine canvas. The trees all seemed to sleep beneath blankets of white snow, and the snow blanketing the ground even looked cozy.
‘Even with all this snow piled up, it feels so warm.’
This was new.
As Reponya remained glued to the window, watching the outside, Becky smiled with amusement.
“Young lady.”
Becky showed her the gloves, fur boots, and fur clothing she’d prepared.
“Let’s go make a snowman!”
“A… snowman?”
Reponya’s eyes went wide.
A snowman.
Whenever snow had accumulated, she’d seen snowmen built in streets throughout the city. She’d wanted to make one just like them and had tried, but without knowing how, the snow wouldn’t pack together—it would always crumble into jagged pieces, and she’d never succeeded even once.
That very snowman!
“Yes! I want to! Let’s make one!”
Reponya climbed down from the window and scurried over to Becky, immediately putting on the gloves over her pajamas.
Smiling Becky dressed her in a thick coat over her pajamas, then wrapped a fur vest around her on top. She pulled on an outer garment that reached down to her ankles, then added another fur vest over that.
‘I’m starting to look like a Snowman.’
On top of everything, she put on Foot Protectors that Buddy had hand-woven from fur, and then carefully laced up Fur Boots over those. With an Ear Muff protecting her ears and chin from the cold, the outfit was complete—a perfect barrier against the freezing wind.
“Let’s go, miss!”
Buddy laughed, wiping her face clean with a water-dampened handkerchief.
Buddy and Becky were already dressed in Fur Clothing, having risen early to prepare.
“Yes! Let’s go!”
Reponya bounded out with fierce excitement, though her layered clothing made her so heavy she could barely manage an actual run.
“Miss, good morning. You’re off to play in the snow, I see.”
“Yes. Hi!”
“Miss, are you going to build a Snowman? I’d love it if you made a whole snowman family. I’ll come see it later!”
“Yes! I’ll make a whole snowman family!”
Reponya answered each servant who greeted her, then stepped out into the snow-blanketed Garden.
“Wow.”
A pristine white world spread before her eyes. No one had disturbed it yet—not a single footprint marred the surface.
“I asked them specifically not to sweep this area, so you and I could build Snowmen and play here.”
“Buddy and Becky, you’re the best.”
“Miss, you should make the first footprint.”
Reponya stepped forward into the snow with trembling anticipation.
Crunch.
Her foot sank into the accumulated snow with a muffled sound. In her past life, stepping on snow had always meant frostbite, so she’d only ever followed in footprints others had already made.
This was the first time she’d ever left her own mark in undisturbed snow.
Creak-creak. Creak-creak.
The sound of treading on snow for the first time delighted her. After a few steps, Reponya turned to look back.
Her footprints remained exactly where she’d walked.
Standing still, Reponya tilted her head.
In a world so filled with white snow it seemed frozen in time, she stood alone.
Her breath came out in a pale cloud.
“…It’s beautiful.”
A world covered in snow could be this beautiful.
Reponya found herself wondering why, on snowy days, the streets had always been so full of smiling people.
For the first time, she understood why children dragged their parents’ hands and rushed outside.

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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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