Even if the Villain's Daughter Regresses

Rumors about a beautiful widow had spread like wildfire throughout the Hildegarde Marquisate.

Because of that, Laila was able to easily find the perfume shop where she worked without much effort.

 

‘To think I ended up coming here…’

 

After stepping out of the carriage, Laila looked up at the perfume shop’s signboard with a complicated expression.

Vilhel, who was about to turn forty, and the butler were currently fighting over a woman.

Thus, Laila reluctantly thought of asking that “one woman” for a favor.

 

‘He won’t listen to me and Elvin, but he’ll listen to this woman, right?’

 

She wasn’t going to ask for anything significant.

At this point, she just wanted her to stop Vilhel and the butler from their crazy revelation war.

She planned to provide ample compensation. Of course, when they returned to their senses, she would extort every last penny from Vilhel and the butler.

 

‘I’ll see you when you’re sober, Vilhel.’

 

Vilhel should be grateful for this on his knees. Of course, she would make sure to take back every penny from Vilhel and the butler once they returned to their senses.

Ding.

As she opened the door, a clear bell rang above her head.

Laila was about to enter the shop. Suddenly, Sion stepped in front of her.

 

“Sion?”

“I’ll go in first.”

“…Huh? Sure, go ahead.”

 

She was puzzled, but who entered the shop first didn’t really matter. They were both going to go in anyway. 

Laila pondered why Sion insisted on going in first and bit her lower lip.

 

‘Could it be that he wants to see the beautiful widow first…?’

 

That can’t be it! There’s no way!

…Of course, it’s not strange for a man to show interest in a beautiful woman.

But Sion is only thirteen…!

There’s an age gap between him and the widow……!

While Laila was secretly bewildered, Sion stepped into the shop.

The shop was quiet. Besides the bell sound from opening the door, there was no other noise.

Coming out of her chaotic thoughts a bit late, Laila entered the shop with Sion.

 

“Don’t stray far.”

“Huh?”

“Stay by my side.”

 

Sion urged. His voice was quite serious, so Laila nodded involuntarily.

And then it hit her.

Sion had been showing signs of being wary of this place since a while ago.

 

‘Wary? Why?’

 

She would have understood if they had come to a bandits’ den. But this was just a perfume shop.

The person working here was merely a widow, known for her beauty in the territory.

 

“Welcome.”

 

At that moment, a voice finally came from inside the shop.

 

“Oh, look, we have a pretty customer. Two of you.”

 

Laila fixed her gaze on the person emerging from a storage-like space.

Skin so pale it almost had a bluish tint.

Dark red hair that resembled a dried rose and eyes the same color.

She looked to be in her twenties to thirties.

The woman who appeared was beautiful. That much was certain.

Assuming that she was indeed the subject of the rumors that had spread widely throughout the Marquisate, the “Beautiful Widow,” there was no falsehood or exaggeration in those rumors.

Laila stared at the woman without blinking.

Then, she unknowingly muttered,

 

“Angela?”

 

The smile disappeared from the woman’s face, and Laila snapped back to her senses.

 

‘What did I just say?’

 

It was a nonsensical statement, even to herself.

Angela, the former personal maid of Thomis who had recently quit, did not resemble the woman in front of her, who looked like the embodiment of a dried rose, at all.

Hair color, eye color, appearance—everything about their “looks” was different.

The only similarities were their body shape and age, perhaps?

However, many people in the large Marquis’s territory shared those two traits.

Laila was confident that she could find several people in the territory who were the same age and build as herself.

Finding someone similar to Sion might be more difficult due to his rapid growth, but still.

Why did she think of Angela? It was truly an involuntary remark.

Laila opened her mouth to tell the woman not to mind what she had said earlier.

Bang!

 

“……!”

 

But before she could, a loud noise erupted. Laila realized, a moment too late, what had caused it.

The shop door, which had been half-open, had slammed shut.

 

‘…Wind?’

 

Both Sion and Laila were quite far from the door. And, most importantly, neither of them had moved.

The door had closed on its own. Was it the wind? Has there been a breeze?

Suddenly, Laila realized she was rubbing her palm on her skirt.

…Why am I sweating?

At that moment, Sion took a step forward and blocked her. A low voice was heard simultaneously.

 

“How did you know?”

 

A voice clearer than the sound of a bell.

But it didn’t feel pleasant. Instead, she was entirely consumed by a chilling sensation she couldn’t identify.

Goosebumps rose all over her back.

 

“I’m asking how you knew.”

“What do you mean?”

“Don’t tell me you can’t even remember what you just said?”

 

What I said? Laila instinctively searched her memory and immediately recalled the name she had uttered.

Angela.

Laila’s eyes widened behind Sion. Oh, no. Could it be?

 

“Are you really Angela?”

“Huh? So you weren’t sure. Well, it doesn’t matter.”

 

The air grew colder. It might have been her imagination, but that’s how Laila felt.

She rubbed her arms against the sudden chill, and the woman continued speaking.

 

“What matters is that you recognized me. That’s the problem.”

“…….”

“If anyone finds out, I’ll be considered a disgrace to the clan. I’ll be torn to shreds before his rule even begins.”

 

The woman, who had been muttering to herself, looked genuinely distressed. This wasn’t Laila’s concern.

What bothered her were other things. The clan? His rule?

 

‘This is bad. I’ve gotten involved with the wrong person.’

 

Laila bit her lip. This woman was not sane.

The bigger problem was that the woman appeared to possess some extraordinary power.

Could the door closing by itself have been her doing?

Just as this thought crossed her mind, Sion approached the door and kicked it without hesitation.

But nothing happened. The door remained intact, not even making a sound when kicked.

 

“Don’t bother; it’s useless. You can’t leave here until I let you.”

 

Laila naturally imagined the presence of an invisible barrier.

One that surrounded herself, Sion, and perhaps even the woman.

Her lips trembled. Sion, looking displeased, furrowed his brow and stepped in front of Laila again.

Hiding behind Sion’s back, Laila took a deep breath. After calming her panic and fear as much as possible, she tried to negotiate calmly.

 

“I don’t know anything; I haven’t seen anything.”

“Hmm?”

“I’ve never been here. Not from the beginning.”

“…….”

“And I never will be for the rest of my life. So…can you please let us go?”

 

Laila added silently, please, I beg you.

Vilhel and the butler crossed her mind briefly.

She couldn’t risk her and Sion’s lives for those two.

They had to get out. Safely. That was the one thing she needed to accomplish right now.

After Laila finished speaking, there was a moment of silence. The woman soon broke it.

 

“My name is Asilis, but you can call me Ari.”

“You’re ……?”

“As for my age, well, how long have I lived? I haven’t counted, so I don’t know. But there isn’t a human, you know, who is older than me. Among the living, not the dead. You understand?”

“…….”

“I tend to move every decade or so because my face doesn’t age like yours. Phew, child! Do you have any idea how annoying that is?”

“…….”

“Just when I get used to a place, I have to move again. It’s always such a bother…”

“…….”

“But I can’t avoid it. Last time, I stayed in one village for twenty years and almost got burned at the stake.”

“…….”

“Isn’t it funny? Why are humans always so eager to burn witches? Do they think God will be pleased if they burn a witch?”