I Played the Role of the Adopted Daughter Too Well

“Don’t move. I’ll apply some ointment.”

Duchess Isabella looked at Vicen and Viola alternately for a moment. She had an emotionless pupil when looking at them, but then she shifted her gaze to Zenon.

“It’s interesting, Zenon.”

“Isn’t it?”

Duchess Isabella smiled faintly.

“Zenon, did you decide to serve the 6 princesses as a butler?”

“No matter my heart, that is my mission.”

Duchess Isabella nodded her head, and she walked out.

“Zenon, ointment.”

“Here you are, Princess.”

Viola began to slowly apply the ointment to Vicen’s back.

It was too deep. This love couldn’t be expressed in words. It’s not love.

‘It’s really too much.’

How could a mother do this to her son?

“It stings, it stings!”

“Don’t be rude.”

The whipping didn’t hurt, but Viola didn’t understand why applying the ointment stung.

‘I’m all upset.’

Viola carefully applied all the ointment.

Tick tock.

The ticking of the clock was heard. There was silence for a while.

“I’ve been thinking about it, Viola.”

“…”

“I think it should be me who knocks you down.”

And she was okay with the opposite.

“If I’m going to get hit by someone, I think I’d better get hit by you.”

“Why?”

“I just feel that way.”

As a reader, Arin understood what Vicen said.

‘Vicen’s own expression of affection.’

Although his displays of affection was overly savage, she understood anyway. Vicen’s and her eyes met. He was smiling innocently.

“So, why not die? I will definitely kill Viola. Hehehe.”

There was love in his voice. An affection that Vicen himself was not fully aware of.

* * *

Viola felt that she was very much screwed somewhere.

‘So, why not die? I will definitely kill Viola. Hehehe.’

Her heart was pounding and she was frustrated, but she had to do what she had to do. It’s not even a crisis at all. So she calmed down and said with a dry expression.

“Lie down.”

“why?”

“I’ll put you to sleep.”

Vicen tilted his head.

“Why?”

“Brother, you can’t sleep.”

Since she possessed this crazy world anyway, she decided to utilize all the information she had as a reader.

“How did you know I couldn’t sleep?”

“Insomnia was written on the family relationship chart.”

“Really?”

Vicen opened his eyes wide and looked in Zenon’s direction. It was as if he were saying, ‘You’ve got great intelligence?’

Zenon chuckled.

“You are famous among the butlers, prince.”

“I see.”

Vicen nodded his head.

“But how do you plan to put me to sleep?”

He put on a serious expression.

“Are you going to use sleeping poison?”

“No.”

“Then general anesthetic?”

“Lie down for now.”

Viola grabbed Vicen’s wrist and forced him halfway through.

Vicen didn’t particularly rebel, just laughed. Viola felt the back of her neck tighten at his laughter, and his uneasiness set in.

“Why are you laughing?”

Vicen was watching Viola’s wrist with his curious eyes. Her wrists were too thin. It seemed that if you gave her full strength, she would break. Looking at her wrists, which were much thinner than those of seven-year-olds her age, he was slightly annoyed.

His smile disappeared.

“I was just thinking about how to cut an artery to be most effective.”

She was not sure why, but it made her feel bad. Why was he so small! He was only one year older than her! It’s annoying. He should eat a lot. Thinking that made her angry.

Anyway, Viola laid Vicen down. Thanks to her magic ointment, the blood stopped and new skin began to grow. Viola took a seat next to the lying Vicen and sat down. She stroked the child’s head, which must have been painful.

Swoop, Swoop.

Her nonchalant hand ran through Vicen’s hair. At this moment, she was not a seven-year-old Viola, but a twenty-one-year-old Arin. She knew the information of this world well.

She whispered softly on purpose.

“Don’t relax. Because I want to get rid of you.”

“Huh.”

Vicen tried to open his eyes, but he failed.

“But I am sleepy.”

“If you sleep, you will die, Vicen.”

Viola curled up her lips and she laughed. She slowly lowered her hand that had been stroking his hair and gently squeezed his neck.

Growl – Cool.

Drool~ Cool.

Surprisingly, Vicen fell asleep.

Vicen was afraid of the night. Because by night, Duchess Isabella left Vicen, that was a baby. Duchess Isabella has been making him sleep like this since around the time Vicen started talking to her.

“If you sleep, you will die, son.”

Duchess Isabella held Vicen’s neck as if stroking it. It looks like it’s about to strangle him…

Vicen had to work hard not to sleep. From the time he started walking around, he had to fight sleep.

⌠Duchess Isabella whispered in Vicen’s ear.

“Don’t relax. The enemy will kill you, Vicen.”

Vicen had been trained to do this since his very childhood. He held on and held on and held on until he couldn’t stand it any longer and he fell asleep.

Several years passed like that.

When he stopped being visited at night by Duchess Isabella, Vicen began to fear the night. His mother, who had been with him every night, was no longer by his side. From then on, Vicen’s insomnia began.⌡

Softly. As he fell asleep, she looked down at Vicen.

‘He looks so gentle when sleeping.’

His breasts rose, revealing his plump cheeks. I lay on his side for a bit and my cheeks were sticking out. It was cute to see him resting on his lips and sleeping comfortably in the world. His hair was messy, and even that looked sloppy.

‘He’s so cute when he sleeps…’

He was a very emotionally unstable child. Growing up properly in this environment was even weirder. His chest was congested. It seemed that the Korean nursery school was better than this wealthy duke.

Viola slowly rose from her seat.

“… don’t go.”

Vicen took Viola’s finger.

‘Sleep talking?’

It was sleep talk. How could he be so strong when he was deeply asleep?

A drop of tear fell from Vicen’s eye. His body trembled once. He said ‘Mm-M-M-She did.’ He seemed to be dreaming.

He murmured.

“Please stay by my side.”

She didn’t know what he’s dreaming about, but it seemed like he’s having a nightmare. He suffered from insomnia every day and barely fell asleep, but even that didn’t seem very comfortable. Hisr tears dripped from his tightly locked eyes.

“Vicen is alone.”

Eventually Viola sat down. She sat at the head of Vicen’s bed. For a while she looked down at Vicen’s face, who was soundly asleep. He was pretty and pitiful.

She stretched out her finger and wiped away the traces of his tears. She didn’t know what he’s dreaming about, but he was smiling nonchalantly.

How much time had passed… Her eyelids closed. She tried to get up, but Viola’s body fell over against her will. She fell asleep on Vicen’s chest. Viola’s purple hair covered Vicen’s scarred body.

That day Vicen didn’t had a nightmare in a really long time.

* * *

3:30 in the morning.

Zenon scratched her head.

“Can’t you wake up?”

He held Viola very carefully and walked down the aisle. Viola was in a really deep sleep.

Viola returned to her room thanks to Zenon. He covered Viola with the blanket.

Just then, Viola opened her eyes, and Zenon did not miss the opportunity.

“Princess. Can I ask you a question? I’d like to just let you sleep for a while, but tomorrow is the day I’m posting a report.”

Viola answered with her waking dreams.

“Now? It’s 3:30 in the morning…?”

Zenon smiled shyly.

“Yes, I will tell you quickly.”

“Uh…”

Viola nodded her head once. She was very sleepy. The body of a seven-year-old was very vulnerable to sleep.

“The acting was excellent.”

In an instant, her mind flashed. Zenon seemed to have noticed something.

Zenon had a good eye. It was expressed in the same way in the novel. He had a good eye and was sharp, so he was a butler who was of great help to Viola. Now, that sharpness seemed to shine here as well.

‘Did I get caught?’

She pretended to be a villain. She pretended to be cruel, pretended to be charismatic… She thought that Zenon might have read all those ‘chucks’.

“I saw the true face of the princess.”

Viola didn’t answer and just listened but she was scared.

A shrunken look at Duchess Isabella. It seemed that he had read them all.

‘What shall I answer?’

She shouldn’t be caught. The butler, Zenon, served only competent people. It was also said in the novel. If Viola wasn’t competent, he would have killed Viola and committed suicide.

He said it in a joking way, but it wasn’t really a joke.

“Your eyes were really thirsty for blood.”

‘… huh?’

“You looked like that when you hugged the princess’s dog.”

For a moment, Viola was terrified. All the windows were closed, but it felt like a cold wind had blown through.

‘I?’

Zenon asked again.

“Why are you pretending to be so warm?”

Zenon understood it backwards now. He figured out that she was wearing a mask to pretend to be warm on purpose. Zenon took out his notebook and quill and continued writing. He seemed to be organizing a report to be presented to the Duke.

“A warm and benevolent look. And the look of an instinctive killer. You wore a mask thoroughly. Sometimes, even if it’s a little bit, you show a shrinking look. Even in front of Duchess Isabella.”

Zenon was certainly keen.

Arin was not the real Viola, and she sometimes flinched and shrinked. Because she was often afraid even if she pretended to be okay on the outside.

Zenon’s eyes narrowed.

“But it can’t be. A person with those eyes will never shrink. Even if the opponent is Duchess Isabella.”

“…”

Zenon continued.

“So, didn’t the princess deliberately show a slightly intimidated appearance in front of Duchess Isabella? The directing was perfect.”

It wasn’t. She struggled to hide her shrunken appearance. She was desperate at that moment.

Zenon, who had a very keen eye, could only see a little of it.

“Then may I ask why? Why did you direct it like that?”

Zenon smiled again.

“Oh. This isn’t a test, it’s a report to the Duke.”

“That…”

Viola opened her mouth. However, a situation occurred that neither Viola nor Zenon expected.

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Translator Note:

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