The Villainess in the Childcare Story Doesn’t Hide Her Personality - Chapter 18

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

‘Perhaps… it isn’t madness after all.’
At first, the notion of Cain Inkaris taking Timothy as his successor had seemed utterly absurd.
But thinking about it more carefully…
‘There really isn’t a more suitable candidate, is there?’
Timothy possessed genuine talent—particularly in tactics.
“Those Who Drove Me to Death” was unmistakably a tale of Timothy exacting vengeance through brilliant strategic acumen.
One general had even lamented that had she become a strategist, she would have left her mark upon history itself.
Her frail constitution, worn down by countless hardships, often proved a hindrance…
‘But that could be remedied with proper nourishment going forward.’
Lost in contemplation, Timothy turned to face me.
“What do you think about this… Tessa?”
My heartbeat quickened suddenly.
Whatever I said, Timothy would follow blindly.
And I had never wanted Timothy to enter the Military.
Not merely because of the harrowing future where she might perish miserably at the Remote Border.
Even with her talent in swordplay and tactics, and the position of the Commander-in-Chief’s successor, I could vividly foresee the suffering that awaited her.
But.
‘Timothy’s future belongs to Timothy alone to decide.’
Timothy’s life had already diverged entirely from the narrative of “Those Who Drove Me to Death.”
How she would live from this moment forward depended solely upon her own choices.
All I could do was support and encourage her along that path.
“What I think doesn’t matter. What matters is what you think.”
Timothy fell silent for a long while.
Her delicate shoulders sagged, her gaze fixed solely upon the ground.
I could only barely fathom the turbulent complexity churning within a child unable even to lift her head.
‘I want to hold her.’
I wanted to comfort her.
To tell her everything would be fine. That the adults forcing such a burdensome choice upon one so young were the ones at fault.
That she need not decide anything right now.
Yet I suppressed every impulse, waiting for Timothy instead.
I understood far too well that this was neither the time nor the world for such hollow reassurances.
“…I…”
At last, Timothy spoke.
“I want to go to the Commander-in-Chief. Because he said I have talent… so…”
It was strange.
Timothy had merely spoken what should have been obvious, yet my eyes began to sting.
Perhaps Cain Inkaris was the first to truly recognize and acknowledge Timothy’s abilities.
How could I, then, stand in her way? On what grounds could I possibly do so?
And.
‘Cain Inkaris… I can trust him.’
Though Cain Inkaris possessed a fiery, capricious, and obstinate temperament, he was a man of his word.
He would undoubtedly take Timothy as his successor and nurture him to the very end.
“This works out well.”
Cain’s expression was one of satisfaction.
“Since I haven’t married, adoption would be difficult… but he can enlist immediately today. What do you think?”
Cain was right.
Under Imperial law, unmarried men and women could not adopt unless in very special circumstances—such as taking in a nephew who had just lost his parents.
But immediate enlistment today?
My conscience simply wouldn’t allow me to send Timothy away like this.
‘…Once designated as Cain’s successor, it’s nearly impossible to back out.’
It was an entirely different path from that wretched life.
It would be better than that miserable existence, but forcing Timothy to decide his future now—when he couldn’t see even a step ahead—felt somewhat cruel.
“Timothy, wouldn’t it be better to rest for a few days and think it through carefully?”
Timothy shook his head.
“I… I want to enlist in the Military right away. I don’t know when Mother and Father might come looking for me…”
My mouth went dry.
I had no words to counter him.
Considering the Marquis Family’s power and the resentment they harbored toward me and Timothy, it was right to have him enlist immediately and return to deal with the situation myself.
“Timothy.”
I knelt down to meet his gaze.
The wooden floor pressed against my kneecaps, but I had no mind to care.
Those large, transparent green eyes held emotions far too complex for a mere thirteen-year-old to bear, and their weight pressed heavily upon my heart.
“If you ever struggle, write to me. I’ll find another way, understand?”
“Yes…”
From the way Timothy hesitated and fumbled with his answer, I could easily discern that even if he failed to adapt properly, he would never reach out to me.
He was a child raised at an age when accepting help should be natural, yet taught only that he must never burden others.
Then I would have to rely on someone else. I offered Timothy a gentle smile and spoke.
“Rest here, Timothy. Cain and I need to step out for a moment to discuss some paperwork.”
Cain, whom I led outside, raised one eyebrow.
“Paperwork? I can handle that alone.”
“Thank you.”
At my sincere expression of gratitude, Cain flinched noticeably.
“…I never expected to hear such words from you.”
“I do know what shame is.”
Cain looked as though he wanted to say ‘You?’, but mercifully, he held his tongue.
“I’m truly grateful that you’ve opened a new path for Timothy.”
“I needed a successor anyway, and the Marquis Family’s daughter happened to be the right person for it.”
Oddly enough, this time Cain didn’t boast about it.
“It’s hardly something deserving of thanks.”
“Then let me thank you in advance. Thank you for treating Timothy well. If he struggles to adapt, please contact me right away.”
After a moment of hesitation, I added the words I truly wanted to convey to Timothy.
Words that would be useless now.
But if the boy ever found himself in genuine distress, they might become a lifeline he could cling to.
“…If the boy ever, truly struggles… tell him it’s okay to fail, that he can stop whenever he wants. Tell him he has a place to return to—one that Tessa Harrington has prepared for him.”
Cain Inkaris studied me in silence for a long moment.
Since I was the one asking the favor, I had no right to press for an answer, so I simply held his gaze steady.
All the while trying to decipher the true intention hidden behind those sharp, cutting eyes.
“You’re always worried about that little brat.”
Finally, Cain Inkaris opened his mouth and extended his hand toward me.
His large fingers never quite touched my skin, hovering only near the vicinity of my deep wound before withdrawing.
“But Tessa, I’m worried about you.”
I was so taken aback that words momentarily escaped me.
I wondered what he could possibly mean with such a serious expression…
‘Worried about me?’
Not Timothy, who was barely thirteen years old, but me—a seasoned Imperial Bureaucracy official who had weathered every conceivable hardship?
It seemed that in Cain Inkaris’s eyes, I was still nothing more than that headstrong Academy prodigy who knew nothing of the world.
And it had been so long since I graduated from the Academy!
With that thought, the way he struck such a serious pose and delivered those weighty words seemed rather…
“Adorable.”
“Hey…!”
Cain Inkaris’s ears flushed crimson once more.
“You think you can brush me off with words like that…!”

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