The Villainess in the Childcare Story Doesn’t Hide Her Personality - Chapter 57

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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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“What about the Mage Tower Master?”
“…The eldest brother? The eldest brother is… I don’t know.”
Cedric answered hesitantly.
“He doesn’t seem to hate me, but… he must be disappointed. I only got into the Mage Tower with my meager skills because of the eldest brother’s help.”
My mouth had gone completely dry.
It would be easy to answer, ‘That won’t happen.’
But would Cedric truly believe those words? More importantly, could I myself be certain that Fabian Beiretz wasn’t thinking exactly that?
“I don’t dislike you, Your Highness. Of course, you were quite rude. As for tormenting Estella, if I had my way, I’d give you a good smack.”
“….”
“But I understand why you acted that way.”
“…Really?”
Cedric seemed genuinely surprised.
“Of course. I was your age once too.”
Faint though they were, I retained memories of my own childhood.
The jealousy, disappointment, and yearning for love that any child naturally harbors….
Isn’t that simply the process all humans experience as they grow?
But unlike me, who had a family that loved me ordinarily, Cedric had grown up under nothing but coldness.
It couldn’t be called abuse, certainly not by this world’s standards.
Yet that didn’t make it desirable or blameless.
‘…Is it right to let Estella grow up in such a household?’
Perhaps “Daughter’s Offering” wasn’t a story of Estella’s salvation, but rather a tale of this dysfunctional Duke’s Mansion finally coming to its senses and becoming a true family because of Estella.
‘But that doesn’t mean I should let things unfold exactly as the original story dictated.’
What mattered most was Estella’s happiness.
If this environment couldn’t make Estella happy, then no matter how precious the opportunity to become the Duke and Duchess’s adopted daughter might be, I couldn’t entrust her to them.
“But no one has ever understood me until now….”
“Estella understands you, Your Highness.”
I steered the conversation toward Estella.
At the very least, I needed to resolve the issue between them.
“And she genuinely adores and cares for you. Surely you’ve noticed.”
“…I know.”
Cedric answered dejectedly.
“That’s why I tormented her. Every time I saw her, it was just painful. I wished she wouldn’t come near me.”
“Because of that, Estella ended up spending her time alone in her room. Did that bring you peace?”
“…No.”
Cedric shook his head.
“It was even, even harder….”
Tears began to well up in the boy’s eyes.
“I’m sorry to Estella. But she makes it so difficult for me. I was already hearing that I’m pathetic, and then she appeared on top of that…!”
“Do you wish Estella would return to her original home?”
“No, that won’t do!”
Cedric cried out desperately.
“She has to stay here. I don’t want her to leave. I’m Estella’s older brother.”
Cedric began speaking haltingly.
He was glad to have a child who followed him like that for the first time, glad to be able to care for someone, and truthfully, he was also glad to have a cute younger sister instead of his dark-haired older brothers….
As the boy spoke, the carriage arrived at the Main Hall.
“If the young master truly is Estella’s ‘older brother’….”
Just before stepping out of the carriage, I paused for a moment.
“I think it would be best to apologize first. That’s how ordinary siblings get along. When they make a mistake, they apologize, and then they accept that apology and move past it.”
Cedric nodded with determination, then bolted down the long corridor like an arrow.
It was the path to Estella’s room.
I smiled, watching the boy’s retreating figure.
I had no intention of following him.
Sometimes there are problems that only children can resolve when adults aren’t watching.
And I.
‘Now I should go face the adults.’
The Duke and Duchess Beiretz—the root cause of everything that had happened in this household.
* * *
The Main Reception Room of the Beiretz Duchy Mansion.
Delicate porcelain ceramics, fresh seasonal flowers, and various luxury furnishings were all arranged without a single deviation from convention, perfectly reflecting the Duke’s family ethos.
Never show a flaw.
The Duke and Duchess sitting across the table from me were no exception.
The Duke, tall and rigidly postured, never took his sharp, penetrating gaze off me for a moment, while the Duchess, with her more affable demeanor, gracefully offered me tea while meticulously monitoring my every courtesy.
They say couples grow to resemble each other, and it was certainly clear that both of them were the type from whom not a drop of blood would flow even if you pricked them.
The Duchess spoke first.
“Does the tea suit your taste?”
“Yes. I’ve never had such excellent tea before.”
It wasn’t flattery. The tea regularly stocked at the Ministry of Finance was quite good quality, but the tea the Duchess had personally served had a clean yet profound fragrance that was remarkable.
The Duke got straight to the point.
“We apologize, Vice Director. Our son has caused you considerable offense. If there is any compensation you desire, please name it.”
For a moment, my mind went blank.
Compensation for something this trivial?
“The young master is only eleven years old. I don’t blame him for such a matter.”
“Eleven is old enough.”
The Duke let out a derisive snort.
“At that age, I was already serving as a knight’s squire, following armies to the battlefield.”
I had to make an effort not to snort in return.
Back in my day, things were like this, like that.
The speaker seemed entirely unaware of how anachronistic such words sounded.
‘Even by this era’s standards.’
“Nowadays people say you shouldn’t raise children that way, but I think other parents are simply too soft.”
The Duchess spoke up.
“I worry that Cedric lacks maturity. He’s constantly compared to his older brothers at that age… But I can’t be too harsh with the boy either. He’s behind his peers—how pitiful that must be for him.”
I swallowed hard.
Could it be that the Duchess Beiretz had responded so kindly to Princess Melissa’s mishap at the party because of this…?
‘Did she think Princess Melissa was also pitiful for being behind her peers?’
The Duke seemed increasingly convinced that he owed me compensation.
“Come to think of it, it would be difficult for the Vice Director to broach what she desires first. I’ve heard what Duke Montina did for you. We can do far more than that.”
The Duchess fell into thought.
“The Vice Director doesn’t seem like someone swayed by money. What about a good match for marriage? There are quite a few ladies at court asking me to introduce them.”
I nearly spat out my tea.
A marriage match? What marriage match?

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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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