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

<Episode 67>

 

***

‘Come on, Siorn. You should say hello. She’s the same age as you.’

‘Hi! My name is Siorn Archaic Bastevan, what is your name?’

But just like that another hope came at the end of sadness.

The wounds deeply engraved in Judith’s heart seemed to gradually heal as she developed a friendship with Prince Siorn of Bastevan, who was of equal status and similar age.

Siorn, who was a mischievous child with no other fellow among the noble children of the Roshan Empire at the time, came to dislike the humans ¹They are not humans, dear.of the Kandel family at first sight, who were trying to oppress the child, as they desired the power and honor that Judith’s power would bring.

‘Utcha! Catch me~!’

‘Aaaah! Prince Bastevan, again!’

Half out of malice and half out of a sense of justice, he routinely destroyed the precious decorations and buildings of Duke Kandel’s residence.²Good job,goo┗⁠(⁠•⁠ˇ⁠_⁠ˇ⁠•⁠)⁠―⁠→

Sometimes, he would run away carrying the fragments and throw them around.

Duke Kandel and his family were extremely disgusted with the bastard prince of Bastevan, who had fun by destroying buildings and damaging property as soon as he visited.

When they complained to Duke Bastevan, they were even more upset because they only received a half-hearted response saying that it was just children playing and that they would compensate them.

‘If you just look at me like that, you look like an empty doll without a heart.’

‘……me?’

In the backyard of the back garden, where green flowers were growing in abundance, Siorn was lying down comfortably with his arms outstretched and looking at the sky.

Judith, who was nearby, was perplexed at the words he threw out and asked back in a low voice.

His golden eyes, which always sparkled with a mischievous smile, became strangely serious.

‘Why are you obediently listening to your greedy half-brother and relatives? Aren’t you saying that on days when I don’t come, you just practice all day? Aren’t you tired of it?’

‘…Still, it’s what my brother told me to do.’

Judith answered in a hesitant voice, lowered her gaze and only touched her awkward hand.

‘With talent at your level, it would not be a problem if you just eat and play for the rest of your life. ³It’s hilarious how it’s the same thing Edith thought of when she was advised to start training 🤣 it runs in the family.My mother and father say that even I, who will inherit the title later, can learn it after my tenth birthday, and that for now I should just play as much as I want and grow up healthy.’

‘……..’

The moment Judith heard the boy’s words, the emotion that arose in her heart was none other than envy.

Her older brother, Jordi, who is now the Duke of Kandel, usually treated Judith in an extremely friendly manner, but if she neglected her training even a little, he would reprimand her in a frighteningly cold voice.

‘That’s because your parents love you……’

Ah, so that was it.

Judith realized once again the moment she quietly protested to Siorn.

Brother Jordi doesn’t love me, that’s why he’s pushing me so harshly.⁴Child are so sensitive to emotions….

When that thought came to her mind, her tears welled up again.

There was no one left who truly loved her.

Her mother, who was weak but kind, and her younger brother, who smiled brightly when he saw his sister even though he couldn’t even speak yet.

Because everyone was dead.

‘That……. Hey, why are you crying?!’

The tears that flowed uncontrollably fell, drop by drop.

Siorn, who was about to answer, was startled, stood up and screamed.

The voice brought more tears to her eyes, and Judith covered her face with both hands and burst into tears.

‘…… Hey, I…am sorry. That was a bit harsh.’

‘Huh, please……stop crying…’

Siorn, who was troubled by Judith’s cries that did not stop and looked stiff, chose to get straight to the cause of it.

‘……Why are you crying now?’

‘You don’t know, you don’t know anything! There is no one in this family who loves me! No one wants me…… There is no one who cares about me without my talent….’

‘…..What’s the problem with that?’

What?

Judith lowered her hands that covered her face and looked at Siorn with angry eyes.

What did he know about her feelings for him to speak so carelessly?

‘You…… !’

‘I’ll do it for you.’

Just as she was about to shout her answer, Judith looked dumbfounded at the words Siorn spoke with an extremely serious tone.

‘My parents like you too. Well, because of the people in your family, it might be impossible to adopt you or anything like that……Anyways, I like you regardless of your talents, so…….’

Not paying attention to the fact that Judith was in a daze, Siorn said, placing his hand on the girl’s shoulder.

‘Have confidence! Even if you rebel against your family and go astray and become a prodigal child, I will always like you!’

‘………’

He…… What was he talking about now?

Her heart seemed to drop for a moment as she heard these words for the first time in her life.

Judith realized something as she looked straight into his golden eyes that were not at all indifferent.

The boy made this promise out of pure love.

‘What’s……’

The moment she realized that fact, she felt a faint sense of disappointment for which she couldn’t even figure out the reason, but in the end, she bursted out laughing at my absurdity.

‘Siorn, you are a really strange kid…….’ ‎‫

Judith wiped the tears streaming down her face and muttered helplessly.

 

***

 

Many years had passed.

Siorn faithfully kept the promise he made when he was young.

The day she awkwardly rebelled against her brother for the first time.

Siorn, who was nearby, patted Judith’s back as if she was amazing and helped her deal with Jordi together.

As her confidence grew, she would sometimes arrogantly oppress others, but she would still be by their side and, with her overbearing attitude, would laugh so loudly that the other person would not be able to utter a single word.

Siorn, who accompanied Judith on the grueling journey to save the world from disaster, did not abandon their friendship even while going through life and death with Judith.

He was truly the best friend.

‘I meet Princess Judith Sephia Kandel, the one with whom the light of Astrape is with.’

Returning to Duke Kandel’s residence exhausted, there was no one who bothered to carry favor with her there anymore.

It was like that.

After completing all the missions given by fate, all that was left for Judith was the honorable praise of the continent’s greatest hero beyond the Roshan Empire, and a solid power that no one would dare to stand in her way anymore.

‘Congratulations, Siorn. Finally, I see you getting married.’

‘Judith! Why are you here so late? I waited for you.’

It was a joy to be able to bless Siorn, who was marrying, Atara, the Great Spirit of Water, another comrade who shared their mission, as his most special friend.

‘The Emperor stuck with it all the way to the end, but in the end, everything was resolved.’⁵Siorn is the one who said that

‘…… Are you trying to blame me for that? Don’t change the topic and confess quickly. What did you pay for marrying Atara instead of the princess?’

There were a couple of hours left until the ceremony.

Judith, who was drinking tea and chatting, laughed at Siorn, who was talking in a condescending manner, and asked him directly.

‘…… Except for you, who are also nobles of the Roshan Empire, I am not to have any personal interactions with other people and live strictly as a subject of the Roshan Empire. I heard they are going to be monitored too?’

‘Are you crazy? The current Emperor, who is all old, what will happen to you when he dies no matter what you do, you will be at disadvantage!’

‘Shh, be quiet! I kept it a secret from my parents and Atara.’

Siorn seemed to be at a loss, and when Judith burst out in anger, he fidgeted and put his finger to his mouth and spoke urgently.

‘You…You know very well how low the Crown prince is, right?’

‘Huh.’

‘But you still accepted that oath?! In other words, you are telling the new Emperor, who will inherit the throne after the old Emperor dies, to put your leash on you too!’ 

Judith, who was looking at Siorn with an idiotic expression, was heartbroken, took a gulp of cooled tea and chanted in a more subdued voice.

‘Hah…. That would mean you’re the one who will have to keep your oath, and now you have to be dragged around without even thinking about rebelling, no matter how much the new Emperor would be a traitor and a tyrant.’

‘…… I am okay.’

‘What’s okay?! Atara won’t be of much help to you as her motherland has been destroyed for a long time, but if that doesn’t work, call David or Mekaila….’

‘You are here.’

Just as she was muttering as she touched her forehead over the painful problem, Judith slowly turned her head at the words that Siorn spoke quietly.

Siorn was looking at her with a quiet smile under the fay light.

‘If the Crown Prince ruins the Empire, you can rebel on my behalf. It’s actually more reassuring. The Great Spirit of Electricity personally plucks off the tyrant’s head! It would be even better if you went so far as to claim the throne. I think I can truly bow my head and make you the Emperor.’

‘You….’

‘It’s okay, let’s think positively. We accomplished that difficult mission, so what could be impossible for us in the future?’

The grown-up young man who smiled and talked like that was like the boy who swore to her in a confident voice when he was young.

Because he remained the same.

‘….Okay’

With him here, what was impossible for her?

In the end, Judith had no choice but to smile helplessly at Siorn like she did when she was younger.

 

***

 

The Crown Prince was crowned as the new Emperor.

Fortunately, compared to the concerns that had arisen before his accession to the throne, the young Emperor, who was mentally unstable and greedy for power under the guidance of his subjects led by Duke Bastevan and Archduke Heilian, gradually became more stable and seemed to pay more attention to the state affairs.

And so the years passed, which seemed at first glance to be extremely peaceful.

‘Judith, what should I do…..? As expected, should I have given up on my child, thinking that he was an unauthorized being? Atara, because of me…’

‘It’s not your fault, Siorn. And come to your senses. How are you going to take care of this child? How long are you going to sit down and cry?’

For Siorn and Atara, who were worried because they had not had a child for a long time after getting married, the miraculous arrival of their daughter brought them unexpected sadness.

Atara died shortly after giving birth to the child.

Siorn was driven to the point where he was unable to see hi child for several months as he was immersed in a terrible sadness that cruelly destroyed even his blissful joy.

Judith was concerned about Siorn and often visited Duke Bastevan’s residence to take care of him.

Thus, Siorn gradually overcame the sorrow of losing his wife and was finally able to take care of his daughter.

The Kandel family maintains their special relationship.

It seemed like they had been watching them for a long time.

‘The Great Spirit of Water died giving birth to Duke Bastevan’s heir, so the Duchess’ position is empty.’

The old Duke, whose gray hair had already grown, pretended to be a gentle brother and made an outrageous remark.

‘Judith, how long do you plan to remain unmarried? We also worked together on the great mission with Duke Bastevan…… Since you have had a special relationship since childhood, the emotions between you two must be deep.’

‘…..What do you want to say now?’

A golden glow appeared from Judith’s fingertips as she softly chanted.

The old duke sensed the anger underlying her voice and spoke with a more friendly smile.

‘I’m worried about you as your only brother. Judith, it is important to leave a descendant who can inherit your talent, so how about becoming Duke Bastevan’s second wife?’

 

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TL:

Please do leave me an encouraging comment to keep up my spirits especially during the incoming exams(⁠๑⁠•⁠﹏⁠•⁠)