The Villainess in the Childcare Story Doesn’t Hide Her Personality - Chapter 6

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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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I bit my lip.
I couldn’t even say in jest that this fried rice was delicious. With too many eggs, it had turned mushy, and the scallions and bacon were chopped haphazardly.
I’d given up on preparing the raw shrimp long ago.
And had I even stir-fried it properly?
The bottom was charred, the top undercooked.
It was a complete disaster.
I’d pushed the few edible portions toward Princess Melissa, but it was equally terrible.
Yet Princess Melissa ate it all.
She scraped the bowl clean, down to the last grain of rice.
“….”
A sudden realization dawned on me.
I wasn’t caring for this child because of anyone or anything else.
Because I’m the Deputy Director of the Child Protection Bureau?
What sense of duty would I feel toward a hollow title?
Because Princess Melissa is pitiful?
There are countless wretched children in this world.
Besides, I hadn’t asked the Grand Duke for anything, so I gained nothing from caring for Princess Melissa.
And yet.
‘For me.’
Not for who I am now.
For the eighteen-year-old ‘me’ who woke in a moldy, unfamiliar single room five years ago.
Those days when I, Tessa Harrington—an orphan the same age as her, barely scraping by on day labor—had to claw my way through survival.
What I desired above all else was a person.
Someone who would understand my desperate circumstances and offer me a shoulder to lean on.
Of course, such a person never appeared.
But.
‘For Princess Melissa, I exist.’
And I would not let go of this child’s small hand until the wounds she received at such a tender age were healed.
“Sister, are you crying?”
Princess Melissa’s voice trembled slightly with concern.
“Did… did I do something wrong?”
“No.”
I shook my head firmly.
“You did nothing wrong, Princess Melissa.”
“Really?”
Princess Melissa looked at me with confusion written across her face.
In that expression, I felt the full weight of the confusion and pain this child had endured, and my eyes grew misty once more.
I answered through a tight throat.
“Yes. I think tears are coming because I’m so happy.”
“…Happy? Why?”
“I’m eating fried rice with Princess Melissa right now. Truth is, I’ve never eaten anything like this with someone else since coming here.”
Princess Melissa sprang from her chair and rushed toward me.
The child leaned close to my ear and whispered as though sharing a secret.
“Me too. This is the first time I’ve eaten with my sister here.”
* * *
Time slipped away in an instant.
Princess Melissa and I finished every grain of fried rice, then spent the entire afternoon reminiscing.
Through our conversation, I learned so much about her.
The name of her closest friend, the age of Choco’s beloved neighbor—a Maltese next door, the elderly grandmother at the community center who always gave her candy when she greeted her, even the destination of her family’s last vacation.
Of course, we didn’t only discuss personal matters.
Princess Melissa knew the latest songs from popular idol groups by heart, and she sang and danced for me right there.
Though I didn’t know the songs, I was delighted to learn new releases from familiar artists.
“You’re quite good.”
I clapped and laughed.
In this moment, Princess Melissa looked like nothing more than an ordinary third-grade student.
Princess Melissa pouted, pushing out her lower lip.
“The dances they teach here are strange. Not fun at all… So I showed the teacher my best dance, and after that, the dance instructor never came back.”
“…”
I barely suppressed the laughter threatening to burst forth.
I could only imagine how shocked the dance instructor—accustomed to teaching noble etiquette—must have been at Princess Melissa’s bold idol choreography.
But I couldn’t take her side.
“That was wrong of you, Princess Melissa. The instructor came to teach you dances you could perform at the Ballroom.”
“…Is that so?”
Princess Melissa looked up at me with innocent eyes.
“Can’t I dance the ones I know well from now on?”
“Not in front of others.”
Princess Melissa must live in this world going forward.
Whether she liked it or not, as a princess.
If I truly cared for her future, I couldn’t indulge her whims forever.
“But when it’s just the two of us, you can dance whenever you want.”
Fortunately, instead of crying or throwing a tantrum, Princess Melissa wrapped her arms tightly around me.
“I’m so glad you’re here, sister.”
Time passed in a blur, and soon it was time to leave.
“Ugh…”
Princess Melissa glanced at the clock and her expression grew sad.
“Sister, will we meet again next Saturday?”
“We’ll see how things go. Of course I want to see you, but sometimes circumstances prevent it.”
“Hnn… ugh…”
Tears began to gather in Princess Melissa’s large, translucent violet eyes.
“I don’t want to say goodbye to you, sister…”
“I feel the same way. Besides, we can see each other again, can’t we? If we can’t meet next week, I’ll write you a letter.”
Though I had no way of knowing whether that letter would safely reach Princess Melissa.
But I had to find a way to communicate with her, no matter what.
Because only by cooperating with Princess Melissa could I prevent that terrible future.
The sound of horse hooves clattered against the hard stone ground before coming to an abrupt halt directly in front of the door.
‘They arrived faster than I expected.’
I took Princess Melissa’s hand and opened the door.
“…?”
I had naturally assumed it would be a servant coming to fetch us….
But the one who descended from the luxurious carriage bearing the Northern Territory’s emblem was Grand Duke Cardicha himself.
He looked far better than when I’d seen him at the Ball, yet an air of unease and melancholy still clung to him—a pensive, troubled atmosphere that remained unmistakable.
…And he was still devastatingly handsome.
Especially today, with his hair swept back, it accentuated his perfect features and created an entirely different presence.
Instead of the ornate formal wear he’d worn at the Ball, he was dressed in a simple overcoat, which somehow brought out his cool, austere charm far more effectively.
‘…What am I thinking?’
Heat flooded my face.
Was I really so susceptible to visual stimuli?
“Um, sister…?”
Princess Melissa spoke in a small voice, gripping my sleeve tightly.
My already flushed face burned even hotter.
I’d been so flustered by the way my eyes kept drawn to him that I’d simply stood there staring blankly.
‘This is ridiculous.’
I quickly collected myself and lowered my head.
“Y-Your Grace. I apologize for my rudeness.”
I hastened to greet him, but the Grand Duke paid me no mind and went directly to Princess Melissa, dropping to one knee.
“Princess Melissa.”
“B-Brother….”
I winked at Princess Melissa.
‘You’ve practiced enough. You can do this, Princess Melissa.’
I poured all my encouragement into my gaze.
Had my feelings reached her?
At last, Princess Melissa spoke with a trembling voice.
Her left hand still holding mine while her right hand reached out toward Grand Duke Cardicha.
“I… I… missed you….”
An ordinary third-grader.
Her favorite food was shrimp fried rice from a Chinese restaurant, her closest friend in the world was a poodle named Choco, and her dream for the future was to become an idol.
This utterly ordinary child, having become Princess Melissa, was now approaching Achilles Cardicha for the first time of her own accord.
“…Princess Melissa.”
Grand Duke Cardicha was so startled that he couldn’t even properly grasp her hand.
He did manage to take it, but even he seemed unable to fully believe the situation unfolding before him.
“I… wanted to see you.”
Instead of answering, Melissa released my hand. The child spread her arms wide and, with brave determination, took a step forward into Grand Duke Cardicha’s embrace.
“…!”
Grand Duke Cardicha’s eyes widened dramatically as his body trembled. Those violet eyes—identical to Melissa’s—glistened with disbelief as he gazed down at the child.
“Melissa…”
No further words were necessary.
The Grand Duke couldn’t bring himself to hold his sister, but Melissa clung to him tightly, refusing to let go.
“Brother…”
Melissa’s voice wavered with tears.
“You won’t abandon me, will you?”
“…Why would I abandon you.”
My feelings toward Achilles Cardicha could hardly be favorable.
He was a villain even now, orchestrating plans that would lead both himself and the entire nation to ruin.
But.
“You are my sister. My one and only, precious sister.”
Tears welled up unbidden.
Hardly befitting the reputation of a heartless villainess.

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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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