Even if the Villain's Daughter Regresses

“Just as it is. The young miss and I heard everything.”

“…to be more careful with their words from now on.”

“That’s what I said.”

 

Vilhel added that he had essentially saved the maids’ lives. Then, hesitating for a moment, he suggested moving to another room with Laila.

Entering the empty bedroom and carefully locking the door, Vilhel spoke again.

 

“Miss, not long ago, Countess Kaiter visited the marquisate, right?”

“Yes.”

“Is it true that the Countess is close to Sion? She came to pick Sion up that day, didn’t she?”

 

Since the witch incident, Vilhel has become the fifth person to call Sion by name in the marquisate.

For reference, there hadn’t been a sixth person yet. The butler still referred to Sion as the young miss’s slave.

Laila nodded.

 

“That’s correct.”

“Good heavens! Is that really true?”

“Why are you so surprised?”

 

Vilhel was so stunned that even Laila was surprised.

After composing himself, Vilhel instinctively looked around and lowered his voice to a whisper.

 

“It was just my guess.”

“What?”

“Since the Countess’s visit, the Marquis has been muttering to himself from time to time. He said things like, ‘How could a lowly woman like that…?’”

“…”

“And then he asked me why a dog with its leash off wouldn’t run away.”

 

A dog with its leash off?

Laila listened quietly to Vilhel’s words, then suddenly frowned. Wait, could it be?

 

“Did you guess? Yes, that’s right. Perhaps the Marquis has been holding the Countess’s safety hostage all this time.”

“……”

“I found it strange that nothing was known about the Countess’s background. What if she was once in a situation similar to Sion’s?”

“……”

“The two of them could have been friends or family. In that situation, the Marquis brought Sion to the castle and kept the Countess’s safety in his hands to prevent Sion from rebelling or escaping.”

“……”

“Then, when the Countess married Count Kaiter, she slipped out of the marquis’s grasp, and he lost his leverage over Sion. Now he’s puzzled because Sion is still staying in the castle even after losing that leverage.”

“……”

“To come this close to the truth with just two sentences, I must be a genius. Though it’s quite obvious. But, Miss, I’m still curious about one thing: Why didn’t Sion follow the countess… Miss?”

 

Vilhel stopped speaking and looked at Laila’s expression.

 

“Miss, are you alright?”

 

Laila couldn’t respond. Neither “I’m fine” nor “I’m not” came out.

It felt like her throat was completely blocked.

Sion, who didn’t even try to dodge the arrow in the forest.

Sion, who didn’t run away even when she gave him multiple chances to escape.

The reason for all of that…

 

“Miss Laila!”

 

A terrible dizziness overwhelmed her. Her vision darkened.

Whose child is that?

Before her consciousness faded, Laila heard the echo one more time.

Elvin said that Laila seemed to have fainted from stress.

In other words, the cause was unknown.

Interpreted differently, it indicated that there was nothing particularly wrong with her health, so Laila was satisfied.

And three days later.

The Hildegarde Marquisate hosted a grand party.

Laila woke up before dawn. From that moment on, she surrendered herself to the maids who burst into her bedroom.

Laila’s wishes received no consideration in any of this.

 

“What’s going on? Why is this happening?”

“You have to attend the party today, so you need to get dressed up.”

“Right now?”

 

Laila pointed to the half-drawn curtains at the window as they dragged her to the bathroom. It was still dark outside.

 

“Women’s preparations usually take a long time.”

 

The maid spoke as she pushed Laila into the bathroom.

It was a ridiculous thing to say. Laila was exasperated.

 

‘Do they think I’ve never dressed up in my life until now?’

 

Well, to be precise, “in this life,” she had never gotten dressed up.

Laila recalled one of her past lives when she believed that marriage was the only way to survive.

She spent time every day on her appearance, and after reaching a certain age, she attended every party.

Among the parties Laila attended, there was even one held at the royal palace.

But even then, she had never started getting ready before dawn like this!

Something was off. Laila prepared to escape.

 

“If I have to get dressed up right now, I’d rather not get dressed up at all. Move aside.”

“That’s not possible.”

“What?”

“It’s an order from the Marquis.”

 

Laila’s eyes widened.

 

“Last night, the Marquis gave us direct orders. He instructed us to make the young miss attending today’s party more beautiful than anyone else.”

“……”

 

Laila frowned but did not resist any further.

The maids approached her, rolling up their sleeves.

 

☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓

 

What could their intention be?

Laila pondered this as she dressed, unable to leave her bedroom from the early dawn.

However, she couldn’t find a satisfactory answer to her worries until the preparations were complete.

Laila, who had finished her makeup, was surrounded by the maids, their faces bright with excitement.

 

“Miss, you look truly beautiful!”

“There won’t be anyone more beautiful than you at the party today.”

“You are the star of today’s party.”

 

Laila thought the last comment was unnecessary.

The party at the Marquis’s residence today was unmistakably a birthday celebration.

A party to celebrate Laila’s fifteenth birthday.

The star of the party could only be Laila, regardless of how much effort she put into her appearance.

 

‘What could their real intention be?’

 

Laila’s lips curled up in a slight pout, forgetting that she was wearing makeup.

 

‘It’s strange that a party was prepared without me even asking for a birthday celebration.’

 

Up until now, we only held birthday parties when the birthday person requested them in advance.

No matter who was celebrating their birthday, it was always the same without exception.

This time, however, an unexpected exception had arisen.

While many might feel otherwise, Laila also did not particularly like exceptions. Anything that deviated from expectations always made people uneasy.

 

“Miss Laila! Your makeup is smudging.”

 

One of the maids exclaimed in surprise, and only then did Laila release her lower lip, which she had been biting.

 

“Oh no, it’s all smeared.”

“We can just reapply. But you still look beautiful even now.”

 

The maids consistently mixed compliments about Laila’s appearance into their speech, never missing a chance.

It wasn’t flattery; it was genuine admiration. Laila glanced at the mirror.

The girl reflected in the mirror was indeed beautiful.

Her delicate features stood out more than usual. Her skin glowed like porcelain, her pink hair was lush and smooth, and her large, clear green eyes were striking.

The accessories and light green dress she was wearing complemented her perfectly.

She looked like a doll. A doll that would make passersby stop and stare if displayed in a glass case.

Laila thought about this and smirked bitterly.

But she’s just a doll, after all.

 

“Who will escort me to the party?”

 

Laila suddenly asked, turning away from the mirror.

Given how much effort had gone into her appearance, surely they wouldn’t let her enter the party alone.

If she could choose someone to escort her, she would naturally think of one person.

However, the maid gave an answer that erased the name that had popped into Laila’s mind.

 

“The Marquis himself will come.”

“……What?”

 

At that moment, the bedroom door opened.

There was no knock. The figure at the wide-open door, who seemed to think there was no need for such formalities when entering their own child’s room, stood confidently.

 

“You look lovely.”

 

Marquis Hildegarde casually assessed the dressed-up Laila from head to toe and then extended his hand.

 

“Let’s go.”