Even if the Villain's Daughter Regresses

 

…But is that important?

Why am I even curious about that?

Before she knew it, she had arrived at the garden. As she walked along the path, she slightly changed her direction.

Now that she thought about it, that day too, while walking like this, she ran into… Tree in the inner part…

Laila suddenly stopped in her tracks. There was someone else in the garden, but it’s not Tree.

Oh my god.

Why is Sion here?

As soon as Laila spotted Sion, she hurriedly turned around. But she knew it was already too late.

“Laila.”

How close had he gotten? She heard Sion’s voice from just behind her. Laila didn’t respond to the voice. She didn’t move either.

His voice spread through the air again.

“Show me your hand.”

“…”

“Please.”

Slowly, Laila turned around. The right hand that had been gripping her left wrist fell weakly to her side.

Sion’s gaze lingered on the white bandage wrapped around Laila’s left wrist.

“How did you get hurt?”

“It’s just…”

“Just?”

“…It just happened.”

“You don’t want to tell me?”

Laila hesitated. She had thought she didn’t want to talk, but when she was actually asked if she didn’t want to talk, the answer “yes” didn’t come out easily from her mouth.

Eventually, Laila let out a long breath that filled her chest. She added her response at the end of her breath.

“I was pruning the garden tree.”

“You pruned the tree yourself? Why?”

“To become a gardener…”

Sion shifted his gaze from Laila’s wrist to her eyes. He seemed a bit surprised.

“Do you like trimming trees?”

“It’s not that I like it…”

“Then?”

“…I thought I could do it well.”

“Hmm?”

Laila’s gaze wandered, unable to settle on one point, drifting over Sion’s neck and then downwards.

“I just wanted to do something.”

“Were you bored?”

“It’s not that…”

Fumbling with her left hand using her lost right hand, Laila continued.

“I felt like I had to do something.”

“What do you mean?”

“If I do nothing, I’ll just be a guest…”

“A guest? Who said you were a guest?”

Meidi did.

But Laila swallowed the answer that came to her mind.

She knew that wasn’t the real answer.

In fact, she had probably unconsciously thought that way herself, even before Meidi.

That’s why she went to Meidi willingly—to avoid remaining just a guest.

“Laila.”

“…Yes?”

“You don’t have to do anything. Of course, if you want to do something, that’s fine, but…”

“…”

“You don’t have to do anything just because you feel obligated to do it. Absolutely not.”

“But if I do nothing, I’m nothing.”

“What?”

To you.

“What am I now? A marquis’s daughter?”

This isn’t the Hildegarde Marquisate.

Sion is not a slave.

I am no longer the marquis’s daughter who could extend a hand to a boy treated as a slave.

Not anymore.

I’m nothing. Nothing to Sion.

How long can I stay by Sion’s side as someone who is nothing?

How long can I remain here?

I wanted to be by Sion’s side for a long time. For a very, very long time…

For a lifetime.

Suddenly, she came to her senses. Laila opened her eyes wide and stared at Sion. Sion was frozen, as if he had heard something completely unexpected.

Laila couldn’t read Sion’s expression. She didn’t have the presence of mind to do so.

“…I’ll go inside.”

She threw out the words and turned around. She walked away quickly.

After leaving the garden, Laila went straight to her bedroom. The distance from the garden to the bedroom wasn’t far.

She quickly reached her room, closed the door, and climbed onto the bed, pulling the blanket over herself.

The sound of her racing heart echoed in her ears.

‘This is ridiculous.’

It can’t be.

It mustn’t be.

Surely, that’s impossible…

Sion had saved her several times in this life, but still…

Laila curled up under the blanket for a long time. Her heart, which had started racing, refused to calm down even as time passed.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

The master of the Duchy of Axid had left his seat again.

The person who faced the unexpected visit from the Duke of Axid was none other than Cecile.

“What’s going on? No notice at all.”

“…I have something to discuss.”

“What is it?”

Cecile led Sion into the reception room and then asked for privacy.

With only the two of them remaining, Sion finally spoke.

“I want to grant Laila a title.”

“A title?”

“I want to make Laila a noble. How can I do that?”

“What are you talking about? Wasn’t Laila already a noble… Oh, no, she’s not.”

Cecile muttered as if realizing the fact anew. That’s right. Hildegarde was gone.

“Does it bother you that Laila isn’t a noble? Why?”

“Not me, but Laila…”

“What?”

Sion conveyed to Cecile what had happened the previous day in the garden of the duchy.

After hearing the whole story, Cecile sighed.

“She said she was nothing? Laila really said that?”

Sion silently nodded. Cecile stroked her chin thoughtfully.

“Why would Laila think that way…?”

“If I buy her a title, do you think she’ll accept it?”

“Are you planning to make Laila a vassal of the Duke of Axid?”

“If I can.”

“Hmm…”

It’s not a terrible idea. After some thinking, Cecile continued her words. 

“I just thought of a better way.”

“What way?”

“Marriage.”

Sion frowned. Cecile noticed the veins in Sion’s hand tense up.

If she handed him anything right now, what would happen to that object?

“…Are you telling me to find a spouse for Laila?”

“No need to find one. There’s someone I’d like to introduce her to.”

“What?”

Sion’s eyes widened slightly before he closed his mouth. His hands became restless, as if he had suddenly become anxious. He clenched his fist tightly, then opened it again. 

In a flustered manner, Sion finally spoke.

“What kind of person… Of course, if it’s someone you want to introduce, then they must be a good person, but…”

“Just wait. I’ll show you.”

“What?”

Cecile picked up the bell on the table and shook it. A moment later, a maid entered the reception room. She turned her back to Sion and conveyed her request to the maid with just her lips.

The maid nodded and left the parlor.

“…Is that person staying in the manor right now?”

“Just stopping by for a bit.”

Maybe, Cecile added.

A brief silence followed. The maid who had left the reception room returned.

“Thank you.”

Cecile smiled as she received the item she had asked the maid for. After the maid left again, Cecile held up a mirror and reflected Sion’s image in it.

“Say hello.”

“What…?”

“This is the person I want to introduce to Laila, her future husband.”

Sion looked utterly dumbfounded. Cecile enjoyed Sion’s reaction before placing the mirror on the table.

“What do you think? Isn’t it a good idea?”

“Cecile…”

“Being the Duchess of Axid is higher than being a vassal of the Duke of Axid, right? Don’t you agree?”

“…”

“Marry Laila.”

“…I can’t.”

“Why not?”

“I can’t do something like that.”

“Something like that? You think marriage is something like that?”

Cecile tilted her head. Sion’s face had grown even more tense, more so than before she had held up the mirror.

“Do you dislike Laila?”

That couldn’t be the case, she thought, but Sion quickly answered.

“It’s not that… not qualified.”

As soon as Cecile heard Sion’s answer, she let out a scoff, loud enough to make Sion pause for a moment.

“I understand how you feel, but… you’re being cruel.”

“What?”

“Laila’s done more than enough.”

“What are you…”

“Is Laila still Laila Hildegarde? Hildegarde has vanished from the kingdom. Who made that happen? It was Laila. Laila! With her own hands! She destroyed her own family!”

“…”

“And now you’re saying she’s not qualified…? Sure, I used to think that too. But the Marquis of Hildegarde is dead now—”

“Wait, Cecile.”

Sion cut off Cecile’s words, looking flustered, even reaching out a hand.

“What are you talking about?”

“What am I talking about? Do you need a summary? Fine. I’ll summarize it for you. I think Laila is more than qualified to become the Duchess of Axid—”

“The one who’s not qualified is me.”