Even if the Villain's Daughter Regresses

 

“…Yeah.”

 

Sion replied in a slightly subdued voice.

Laila naturally recalled what had happened a few days ago during their stroll in the courtyard.

 

‘We were walking, and I came across a rock with a sharp tip.’

 

Thinking that falling on it would hurt her moderately, she distracted Sion and let herself fall.

 

‘Laila!’

 

And Laila, startled, completely forgot about her own pain when she saw Sion’s shocked face.

Though her knee was bleeding profusely from the scrape against the stone, she couldn’t look at it.

She was more concerned with Sion’s face, white as a sheet in the middle of the day, as if he had seen a ghost.

Sion, visibly affected, clenched his lips tightly enough that anyone looking could feel his pain. He told Laila to wait there for a moment before returning with the maids from the manor.

He repeatedly told her not to move on her own, and a few moments later, he brought the maids from outside the garden.

As the largest maid carried her to the infirmary, Laila thought to herself…

…Did he really have to call the maids?

The maid only escorted Laila to Elvin’s infirmary. That was something Sion could easily do.

Laila glanced at Sion’s lower lip.

The wound from when he had bitten it so hard in the garden had scabbed over.

He worried about her when her knees were scraped and bruised to the point that he bit his lips so badly.

But was it really so unbearable for him to touch her body, to support or carry her, that he couldn’t even bring himself to do it?

 

‘That’s possible.’

 

Well, yes, that’s possible. It’s not like she was particularly eager to be in close contact with Sion, either. But then again, maybe she was.

 

‘What’s this feeling?’

 

Being around Sion often makes her emotions seem to run wild, and this was exactly one of those times.

Laila deliberately looked away from Sion and turned completely around.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

As a gift for Marie, she chose a music box.

But just as Laila was leaving the store after buying the music box, she unexpectedly came face-to-face with someone at the entrance.

 

“Vilhel?”

“Miss Laila?”

 

After exchanging surprised greetings, Vilhel asked first.

 

“What brought you here, Miss? Are you here to buy a music box?”

“Yeah, I bought one.”

“Are you getting it for yourself?”

“No, it’s a gift.”

“Oh, I see.”

 

As Vilhel responded, he glanced at the box Taylor was holding instead of Laila.

It was obvious he was curious to see which music box Laila had chosen.

 

“Can I see?”

“Um… Did you choose it according to your taste?”

“No, I bought the one Sir Taylor recommended.”

 

That was because Taylor had shouted three times to trust his aesthetic sense.

Upon Laila’s response, Vilhel immediately put on a grim expression.

 

“Oh, right, then.”

 

Then Vilhel took out his watch from his pocket, checked the time, and hinted that he was busy.

 

“I should go back to the shop now. I hope you have a pleasant time and return home safely. And my regards to Sir Taylor as well.”

“Vilhel too.”

 

Taylor gave a silent nod, and Laila waved her hand lightly. Vilhel soon disappeared into the music box store.

Walking down the street after parting with Vilhel, Laila tilted her head.

Today’s Vilhel was different from usual.

 

‘…Is he going to propose?’

 

To sum it up, he was dressed from head to toe, almost to the point of being overdressed.

It was as if he had adorned himself with every possible embellishment.

As Laila mulled over Vilhel’s appearance, which resembled a peacock, she shrugged her shoulders.

 

‘If I hear news of his marriage, I should congratulate him. If it’s the opposite, I should offer consolation.’

 

That’s exactly what she thought thirty minutes ago.

Taylor suggested visiting a flower shop to give Marie a music box and flowers together.

This time, Laila encountered the butler.

A butler who looked like another peacock.

 

‘Wait a moment.’

 

Laila paused. Soon, realization struck her.

 

‘……This is it!’

 

The beautiful widow’s arrival.

Vilhel, who had fallen deeply in love with her, and the butler engaged in a tumultuous romantic battle. And the dreadful ending…

A series of memories rushed through her mind.

Laila’s expression turned grave all of a sudden.

 

‘What should I do?’

 

In truth, she didn’t care what happened to the butler.

The problem lay with Vilhel.

 

‘I don’t know about anything else, but letting his throat be cut is a bit…’

 

Not even a peaceful beheading.

Vilhel and the butler were like captured enemy generals in wartime, with their heads dangling from the castle walls, put on display for all to see.

It was a tragic end.

 

‘…That’s definitely not it. Let’s spare him the worst of it.’

 

Vilhel had, though, due to coercion, stolen the villain’s bracelet for her. Laila also remembered how he had helped Sion with his illness.

She decided that she would have to talk to Vilhel sooner or later, so she went to the florist to pick out flowers for Marie.

Marie sincerely appreciated the flowers and music box she received. Starting from that day, Mason’s fever, which had been boiling every night, showed signs of gradually subsiding.

Everything was going well.

Except for one thing.

Except for the fact that Vilhel and the butler had started a ‘revelation war,’ exposing each other’s weaknesses and flaws.

The revelations became more intense day by day.

It followed the flow, as Laila remembered.

Even though she had already cautioned Vilhel, seeing the situation unfold did not reassure her.

Laila visited Vilhel again.

……But there was a problem waiting for her.

 

“I’ll handle it myself.”

“What?”

“Whether he exposes the double ledgers or not, I’ll take care of it.”

 

Vilhel’s response had changed.

Only about a month ago, he hadn’t responded in that way to Laila’s insistence that the double ledger must never be exposed.

At that time, Vilhel chuckled.

 

“Am I crazy to expose that? Absolutely not,”

 

But now…….

Laila stared stiffly at Vilhel and finally managed to speak.

 

“What are you saying? You wouldn’t really expose it, would you?”

“If it becomes necessary.”

“Are you insane? If it comes out, do you think the butler will be the only one who ends up dead? Vilhel, you’ll be ruined too!”

“Maybe it’s better that way.”

“Better ……what?”

“If I can’t have her, it might be better to die together with that scoundrel.”

 

Maybe it was the light, but Vilhel’s eyes seemed different.

Laila stared blankly at Vilhel.

She hoped Vilhel would chuckle and say, “I was just kidding! Why would I die? Miss, keeping the double ledger is a secret that must be kept to the grave.”

But what she hoped for didn’t happen.

 

“Please leave.”

 

Until Vilhel, the owner of the place where they were talking, asked Laila to leave.

With a stern face, Laila left Vilhel’s residence.

 

‘Something’s…….’

 

wrong.

As time passed, Laila began to feel more and more certain of this fact.

With each new day, the revelation war between Vilhel and the butler escalated ruthlessly.

Laila had a gut feeling. At this rate, within a week, the fates of both men would be sealed.

 

‘Are they both crazy?’

 

They probably were. Crazy in love, that is. That’s why they were doing such things…

It didn’t make sense. The phrase ‘crazy in love’ was just a widely used metaphor.

There’s no way someone perfectly fine could become mentally ill overnight! Yet Vilhel and the butler were behaving as if they had.

 

“Elvin, have you tried talking to Vilhel? What about the butler?”

 

Elvin, who had worked as a doctor at the ducal palace for a long time, was on reasonably good terms with both Vilhel and the butler.

At Laila’s question, Elvin opened his mouth with a dark expression.

 

“Yes. But it didn’t do any good.”

“Really? Elvin, they didn’t listen at all?”

 

Elvin nodded and added, ‘I felt like I was talking to a wall.’

 

‘I felt the same way.’

 

Thinking of Vilhel and the butler, who were like a wall resembling men in their thirties, Laila suddenly stood up from her seat.

 

“Thank you for your time, Elvin.”

 

Leaving the clinic, Laila headed towards Sion’s bedroom.

Sion was dressed as if he was about to go to the training grounds for sword practice.

Laila felt a tiny bit sorry for Taylor, who would be heartbroken, and then she spoke.

 

“Sion, let’s go out.”