Even if the Villain's Daughter Regresses

Laila remained silent. The countess continued speaking.

 

“Later on, I was convinced that a servant had told you, so I spent almost every day thinking about finding the culprit. But then…”

“…….”

“It was around lunchtime yesterday. I forced myself to finish eating and went for a walk in the back garden. There was a bird lying under a tree.”

“…….”

“It had injured its wing, so I went over to pick it up and tend to it, but the bird managed to escape my hand and fly away with its wounded wing.”

 

The Countess smiled wryly. She stared into space for a moment, as if recalling the bird, before turning her gaze back to Laila.

 

“Watching that bird fly away so precariously suddenly made me wake up. Even that tiny bird was desperately escaping from a potential threat, and I…”

“…….”

“What on earth was I doing? So foolishly.”

“…….”

“Then your words and expressions came back to me. Do you know? You looked so desperate at that time.”

“…….”

“So much that, in retrospect, I was touched that you had made that face for me.”

 

Lady Hildegarde. The Countess Donovan called her as she took her hand.

 

“I’m going to get a divorce. I’ve decided I’m going to run away.”

“…….”

“I’m going to run away before they pluck all my feathers, before they get my stomach raked.”

“…….”

“It’s a decision I made thanks to you. I’m really grateful.”

“No, I…”

 

Laila bit her lip, unable to complete her sentence.

Countess Donovan, no, the woman who would soon be Lady Elise Liam again, stroked Laila’s small hand gently.

 

“You are my benefactor. If you ever need help, come to the House of Liam. I promise you’ll be welcomed in my name.”

“Yes, I will. I definitely will.”

 

Laila’s voice trembled faintly as she replied.

Laila finally blinked. Because of her, a woman had been saved from a senseless death.

She had saved someone. Something Hildegarde would never do.

Laila decided not to ignore or push away this feeling of being the farthest she had ever been from Hildegarde.

If God allows it, even for a brief instant,

Pretending not to be Hildegarde despite being one.

Just for a little while.

A tear landed on the larger hand, completely encircling her smaller one.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

The carriage glided smoothly along the obstacle-free road.

Laila, gazing out the window, suddenly spoke.

 

“Sir Taylor, do you know what it feels like to save someone?”

“Yes, I do. I’ve saved many.”

“…… Really?”

 

As expected, Sir Taylor isn’t fit to be in Hildegarde. Laila swallowed her words and fell silent.

Taylor, as if waiting for the silence to be broken, began to speak.

 

“Miss, I really enjoyed this trip.”

“…Trip?”

 

Laila’s gaze instinctively turned to Taylor at his unexpected remark.

 

“Yes! You’ll take me on the next trip too, right?”

“…….”

“Honestly, who else would you take on a trip besides me? Isn’t that right?”

 

Since Laila didn’t respond, Taylor seemed to grow anxious and began to persuade her fervently.

 

“Now, a skilled knight? Aside from me, there are a few more knights in the order. But a knight who is both skilled and close to you! I’m the only one!”

“…….”

“Aside from that, I’m even close to Sion, who is practically one with you!”

 

At the mention of being “one,” Laila flinched and quickly cleared her throat. Why did that make her flinch? It was just a phrase.

Sion, who had been silent, then interjected.

 

“Who said I’m close to you?”

 

Sion’s tone was cold, not even addressing Taylor by name.

But Taylor had brought this treatment upon himself.

He had been a constant annoyance to Sion during their days at the library, pestering him incessantly, which led to Sion’s permanently cold attitude toward him.

This was something Laila hadn’t witnessed firsthand but had heard about later—Taylor had complained like a tattletale when Sion first addressed him informally.

 

“Why are you being so mean? Sion, I’m your master! Of course, we’re close.”

“I’ve never acknowledged you as my master.”

“What do you mean, Sion? Are you saying I’m just a temporary master?”

 

Laila couldn’t help but chuckle at the unfamiliar term.

Taylor, who looked hurt, turned his attention back to Laila at the sound of her laughter.

 

“Miss, anyway, you’ll take me on the next trip, right?”

“Hmm…….”

“Please take me with you, okay? Take me with you~ come on~”

“Wait, okay! I’ll take you. Just stop that.”

“Really? You promised you’d take me!”

 

Laila, wanting to wash her eyes clean, quickly looked out the window again. 

The wind was her only way to cleanse them.

A cool, almost chilly breeze brushed her face.

Laila blinked slowly, lost in thought.

…The next trip, huh?

Come to think of it, a long outing and a trip are essentially the same thing.

Where should I go next? ……The ocean? Maybe I should go see the ocean.

Laila imagined Sion looking out at the endless expanse of the ocean.

In her imagination, the sun set beyond the sea, its light casting a glow on Sion’s profile.

Laila made up her mind.

Alright. Next time, we’ll go see the sea.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

As it turned out, the “next trip” was indefinitely postponed.

Laila had broken her leg after falling down the stairs.

 

‘I didn’t think I’d get hurt this badly!’

 

She had thrown herself down the stairs to show the consequences of revealing her prophetic dream.

She had expected bruises, but… unfortunately, the outcome far exceeded her worst expectations.

 

“Laila, are you thirsty?”

“Do you want any snacks?”

“Should I change your bandages?”

 

…But they say you can only truly evaluate something after it’s over.

A loud crack caused my right shin to split in half several days ago.

Laila watched Sion, who had practically lived by her bedside for the past few days, and suddenly a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

 

‘It’s not that bad.’

 

Now that she thought about it, the broken leg might not have been such a bad outcome after all…

Since she was injured to this extent, the villain would likely not easily doubt the veracity of her words…

In many ways, there was a reassessment of what had happened.

That’s when it happened.

 

“Miss, I’m here.”

 

Someone who hadn’t been called barged into the bedroom. It was Taylor, who had just finished training.

 

“Good, you’re here. Now, please leave.”

“No, why are you trying to kick me out?”

“Because I know what you’re up to now.”

“What am I doing?”

“Throwing a tantrum. Demanding for Sion to come back.”

“……!”

“A grown adult making a fuss in the space where an injured patient is supposed to rest.”

“Th-that’s not it!”

 

Taylor hesitated. Unable to deny it outright, he suddenly exclaimed,

 

“But I’m so bored! Do you know how a master feels after losing their disciple? Do you have any idea how my days have suddenly gotten longer?”

“Why should I care?”

“If you could just agree with me…”

 

Taylor shrugged his shoulders like a wet puppy and pretended to be hurt. Of course, he was too big for a puppy, and his acting skills were terrible.

 

“Get out.”

“I’ve been wrong all this time. I’ll behave quietly today. I won’t make a fuss about getting Sion back.”

“Well then…”

“By the way, how long do you think it’ll take for that leg to heal?”

“I don’t know. According to Elvin, we’ll have to wait and see.”

“Really? He’s a quack.”

“I’ll pass that on to Elvin.”

“No, I misspoke. Isn’t it common knowledge that Elvin is a renowned physician?”

 

He tucked his tail between his legs, but not without spouting nonsense first.

Laila thought that the more she knew about Taylor, the more amusing he seemed to be.

 

“Miss!”

 

At that moment, the bedroom door that had just been closed suddenly swung wide open again.

This time, it was Marie.