Born as the Hidden Daughter of a Villainess and the Male Lead

<Episode 65>

 

***

Meinhardt appeared in front of Siorn, who was still not far away in his march.

Although it was their first reunion in over ten years, there was no time to speak about their unsolved issues.

“It’s been a while since I used this power…I don’t know if it will work out.”

“Whether it’s porridge or rice, try it quickly! My granddaughter is in danger!”

“I understand, so shut your mouth, you’re making noise!”

“…Damn it, you are an old bachelor who has never been married and has no children at this age, so that’s why you can act so carefree!”

“What?! Who is the reason I couldn’t get married by this age!”

David Callan Terrasium, the Great Spirit of Earth, and Siorn Archaitz Bastevan spewed out harsh words as they always did, and it eventually escalated into a fight.

“Stop, stop. The situation is urgent now.”

“When are you guys going to get along better? You still fight every time you meet!”

Ezekiel and Sisyphea interceded to stop them from fighting.

Thud-

“If you could just shut up your mouths, we would be able to get there quickly.”

Thick dust blew up, a loud noise rang out, and Mekaila, who had weighed down the air and caused the ground they were standing on to sink in, chanted softly in a harsh voice.

“…….”

“…….”

David and Siorn fell silent with a more solemn attitude.

Duk duk duk-

“On behalf of the Spirit King of the Earth, I command you to open a path before us. To the place where the evil shadow coils itself……”

The moment David placed his hand on the soil and quietly recited, the earth vibrated once, as if its body was shaking.

That…

Is this how the person who witnesses a miracle in action feels?

“Go on! You can do it, David!”

“Yes……. you can do it.”

The bedrock that forms the stratum, the plants that have taken root and grown on top of it, mountains, rivers, and everything else obey the commands of the humans who possessed a part of the origin of the king of the earth, and they now can travel a distance that would have taken several days in just a few hours.

A path has been created and laid out to reach her.

Ezekiel patted David with a gentle smile on his face and took the lead.

“Come on, let’s go. We have to go pick up Siorn and Atara’s granddaughter.”

Following the old rules of dealing with darkness, the light elementalist was at the front, while the electric elementalist guarded the rear.

The companions took a step forward.

 

***

 

“They’ve made a barrier around the area. It won’t be easy for ordinary spiritists to even find them.”

Ezekiel looked at what seemed like an ordinary night forest at first glance as he spoke while putting his hand in the air.

Ugh-

“If I completely destroy it, they might notice, so I’ll just try to cause a little rift.”

“Ezekiel, please guard the rear. I will take on the role of sneaking in and observing the situation.”

“Okay, I’m older too… Please, do so Meinhardt.”

Ezekiel stared at Meinhardt with slightly concerned eyes, then smiled softly and responded.

And everything went smoothly.

Crackle-!

Dozens of thunderbolts hit the ground, signaling the start of the battle.

The old heroes said it has been a while since they battled with the spirit warriors of Nisha while causing chaos on the battlefield.

And, finally.

“…….”

It was the first time he faced her without hiding his appearance.

The man he encountered before heading to this battlefield was definitely disgusting and repulsive¹He means Roberick by the way..…….

Her eyes which widened in surprise as if they had discovered something unexpected, were so lovely that he couldn’t help but smile.

He was no longer concerned about her external appearance that couldn’t hide its resemblance to her father.

As he looked into the child’s innocent eyes, he finally realized.

Before he knew it, Meinhardt was deeply caring for this child, his little master.

It was a feeling that had seeped deep into him without him even knowing it and could never be erased again.

When Edith was kidnapped, the reason why he became so desperate that he forgot all his duties was for no other reason than that the terrible threat might be posed to such a small and beautiful child.

When he thought about what might happen to her, he was so worried that he was caught in dark thoughts all the time.

Even though he was the one who informed Roberick of the child’s existence in order to follow Mariette’s orders, the reason why he felt so uncomfortable while watching the child living by Roberick’s side was…….

Guilt, pity.

It wasn’t any fake emotions, but it was because I was truly saddened while remincing about the sight of that child laughing and living freely with her grandfather.

In the end, regardless of prophecy or fate, I just wanted that child to live happily.

“………”

At the end of these years of agony, in front of the truth that I belatedly realized that.

Nevertheless, it was also clear that he could not do anything for that child.

Paradoxically, the moment Meinhardt clearly realized the reason for all his emotions, he fell into absolute misery.

Because as much as he cherished the child, he couldn’t disobey Mariette.

‘So let’s forget about it for a moment. Until the day when I no longer feel pain when I think about her….’

Mariette Aydin Bastevan was everything to Meinhardt.

His life that was empty, with all will and desire gone.

She was his only salvation.

The one who guided him as a divine being.

So he only looked at her, and even after she died, he ignored his own feelings and clinged to her fleeting orders…

“Where are you going again?”

I couldn’t appear in front of her child in such an unstable state.

I could be even described as running away.

In the end, it was Siorn’s voice that stopped Mainhardt, who was unable to make up his mind and tried to turn away.

“Why on earth are you doing that? Why do you keep trying to leave?”

I didn’t even have the courage to look straight at Siorn’s face, who was pouring out questions as I felt my stomach burning with emotions, so I lowered my head.

What can I say?

Even if I told him everything, will I be able to let go of this heavy burden that is constricting my heart?

There were many worries, but in the end, Meinhard rejected all his attempts to stop him and turned around.

It was clear that the King of Nisha would no longer harm Edith.

The Emperor also noticed Roberick’s feelings through this incident, so even if he had any intention, he would not engage in another trick.

…….Now, there was no need for me to step forward.

One day, while I was quietly spending time thinking like that.

“…….Kandel?”

With that single word the nymph whispered in his ear, all the emptiness that had consumed him was shattered.

“………”

What flowed over his pale face is nothing but fear.

“How…….”

Fragments of the terrible past he had buried beyond his memories crawled out from the shadows.

They came for Edith and no one else.

 

***

 

Meinhardt Ciel Astrape’s original name was Meinhardt Ciel Kandel.

He was a descendant of the Kandel family.

One of the two ducal families that ruled the Roshan Empire, except for the noble Heilian Archduchy, which no other family could rival.

Their progenitor was a spiritist who was loved by Astrape, the spirit king of the past.

For generations, they were a family that was evaluated as being overly ambitious and even greedy.

Could this have been the reason for their inferiority complex in the past, when, unlike other families, they were unable to establish a nation?

They were excessively obsessed with the existence of a ‘mighty spiritist’ and sought to solidify their power by managing their lineage and continuously producing heroes.

The method used by the Kandel family to manage their lineage was: if the wife taken from a family that had a spirit priest with the attribute of electricity among the immediate family members was unable to give birth to a son even after five years of marriage.

Or, if she was old and can no longer have children, she was to be divorced and kicked out of the family according to the provisions of the pledge signed in advance at the time of marriage.²Wow, that’s disgusting 🤢

Then they plan to bring in a young, healthy woman who met the conditions and change the wife.

At first glance, the family that stood on a foundation strewn with the blood and pain of countless people seemed to be extremely strong.

Hundreds of years passed like that, and in a certain era, it was just like any other time.

‘Whaa!’

Duke Kandel’s new young, healthy wife gave birth to his youngest daughter, who was over 20 years younger than the Duke’s eldest son.

‘I have ten women, but only two sons, so I was hoping to see if I could get one more…Tsk.’³Ewww, I don’t want to know about these trashy people ಠ⁠ಗ⁠ಠ

The Duke of kandel at the time was visibly disappointed upon hearing the news that the child was a girl, and did not even cast her a glance after naming the child.

However, it was the youngest girl that the duke was so disappointed in…

‘Please, your mother should give birth to a son before you are five years old…….’

…Was a child born with the qualities of a great spiritist unprecedented in the history of his family and Empire.

But the time for that fact to be revealed had not yet arrived.

‘The title succession ceremony will begin.’

The year the child turned five, the title succession ceremony was held according to the family law.

It was a rather early period, but the Duke of Kandel at the time was suffering from old age, and an unprecedented disaster that had never been experienced before was growing in power, so it was necessary to select a young and strong successor as soon as possible to continue the family line safely. This was the practical reason.

The title succession ceremony they were talking about refers to the act of the Duke’s sons leading their respective forces and fighting within the duke’s residence.

Before the succession ceremony was held, it was common for all family members to leave the Duke’s residence.

‘No, no! My son was born less than six months ago….!’

‘After all, that child is also the duke’s son. It is an old law of Kandel that all sons except one successor to the title must die. And, Sylvia. Your son is very different in age from his older brothers……..Even if we are given a few more years of grace, the chances of increasing our power are slim. It may be cold, but giving up would be a wise choice.’⁴No, that’s not cold for a monster like youಠ⁠,⁠_⁠｣⁠ಠ

The cool-headed advice given by Duke Kandel’s sister, who had visited her parents’ home for the first time in a long time after becoming a vassal of the Kandel family according to the law, clearly revealed the situation the Duchess found herself in.

‘No…. Ugh…….’

Not long after giving birth to her long-awaited son, the Duke of Kandel ordered a succession ceremony to the title, and the Duchess, who was forced into a situation where she had to leave her young son alone in the mansion according to the law, sobbed for days.

And, after a long period of despair, what she chose…..

Silver…

‘Ah, lady! You can’t look at it…..How could this be such a tragedy!’

It was suicide.

There are only two days left until the title succession ceremony.

The workers hissed and removed the body of the dead duchess.

The youngest princess, who was left alone after her mother, who was the only support she could rely on, and the youngest prince, who was virtually certain to die at this succession ceremony, were paying attention to not only the servants who were busy preparing to leave, but even their father, Duke Kandel.

At least the maid who was taking care of the princess informed her that she must leave the duke’s residence before the succession ceremony was held.

‘Then Maynard must be left alone……My mother’s not here anymore, so what would happen to Maynard?‘

‘Miss, anyway, Prince Maynard…’

Even though the young princess had not yet realized her mother’s death, she understood that she had been left with no one to rely on.

She never understood the fact that she had to leave her younger brother, who was in the same situation, alone.

Therefore, the young princess, who had secretly escaped from the eyes of the maid in the wave of crowds leaving the Duke’s residence, ran without hesitation to the room where her younger brother was left alone.

‘Maynard, it’s okay. Your sister will not leave and will be by your side.’⁵Oww, my sweet heart ❤️

‘Wow, ah!’

The princess looked down at her younger brother, who was lying in the cradle, struggling with his small hands, and after chatting for a while, she could not bear the drowsiness that came over her and fell asleep peacefully.

Boom, boom!

‘Kwaaaa-!’

When the child opened her eyes again, Duke Kandel’s sons and their followers occupied the Duke’s residence and engaged in a fierce battle.

 

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TL:

I have to say the back stories and world building of this novel is impressive…