My Niece Is Not A Villainess

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ian smirked.

 

Before being possessed, not only did he make a fortune with the authority given to him by Ian, he also seemed to be aiming for the authority of the head of the family.

 

“First, leave me alone. What about Logan?”

 

“They say he went down to the estate.”

 

“Tsk.”

 

Since he was loyal to Loenbaum, he thought he would still remain within the duchy, but it seems he gave up sooner than expected.

 

“Since I sent a messenger, he’ll come up with the messenger.”

 

“Okay.”

 

As Ian wiped his mouth with a napkin and headed to the study, the maids who remained in the dining room let out a small scream.

 

“Hasn’t the duke been getting more handsome these days?”

 

“Right! How did he change so much?”

 

“These days, just seeing the duke makes my heart flutter!”

 

“Me too.”

 

Sebastian, pretending not to see the maids confessing their feelings with hearty laughter, had a smile on his face.

 

‘I knew the duke would change someday. Secretly. Where would the blood go!’

 

The butler, unaware of the fact that the soul had changed, moved with a triumphant feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Rose.”

 

Rose, who was lying on the soft carpet drawing a picture, looked up.

 

Ian, smiling gently, was approaching her.

 

“… Duke.”

 

Like holding a puppy, Ian embraced her with a careful touch and kissed her on the cheek.

 

“Are you doing well?”

 

Rose nodded.

 

The man chuckled as he looked at the picture Rose had painted.

 

“Our Rose can be an artist. You painted very well.”

 

Smirking, Rose, who was looking at the same picture, raised her eyebrows.

 

Unlike where Ian painted, Rose’s painting was a bit crooked.

 

Despite Rose’s obvious lack of skill, Ian smiled widely and petted Rose’s head as if praising her.

 

Then, a firm knock was heard.

 

“Come in.”

 

“Duke, the fashion designer has some questions and came to find you.”

 

In the moment when Ian, naturally lifting Rose and about to move, Rose lowered her head.

 

“I want to coloring.”

 

“Aren’t you scared?”

 

Rose pondered deeply.

 

When she first came to the duke’s residence, the high ceilings, vast spaces, and unfamiliar faces were all intimidating.

 

But now, being alone wasn’t frightening.

 

“Yes.”

 

Ian, lost in thought, kissed Rose’s forehead.

 

“I’ll bring snacks in a bit, so play and eat. I’ll be back quickly. Since there are servants outside, they’ll let you in. Got it?”

 

“Yes.”

 

As Ian affectionately stroked her head and left, Rose stared blankly at the door.

 

‘It’s strange.’

 

Until now, only her mother had loved Rose.

 

Most people despised Rose.

 

Just passing by on the street would invite curses, and sometimes she’d get hit by a thrown stone.

 

Among those people was her father.

 

He often blamed himself for Rose’s birth, claiming that his life was ruined because of her.

 

But Ian was different.

 

Whenever their eyes met, he always smiled and gave her affectionate kisses.

 

He would tenderly stroke her head and pat her back.

 

When she slept, he would sing lullabies, and when nightmares haunted her, he would comfort her warmly.

 

When watching Rose eat, he would smile contentedly, and after finishing a meal, he would praise her.

 

He would hold her close at all times, as if fearing any separation, accompanying her wherever she went.

 

At first, Rose didn’t trust Ian.

 

She had experienced people who were once affectionate suddenly turning cold.

 

She thought Ian would eventually change too.

 

So, receiving Ian’s affection was frightening.

 

“It must be like before.”

 

She couldn’t just brush it off.

 

However, at some point, Ian’s overflowing affection ceased to be frightening.

 

The affectionate gaze and voice.

 

The sweet kisses exchanged with expressions of love.

 

The warm embrace that felt precious.

 

Everything became endearing.

 

Rose looked at the picture Ian had drawn.

 

It was a picture full of flowers, as Rose had mentioned before.

 

“These flowers share the same name as you, Rose. Depending on the color, they have different meanings, but overall, they represent love. That’s probably why Uncle sees Rose as so lovely.”

 

Recalling the soft-spoken voice, Rose murmured.

 

“I want to call you Uncle…”

 

“Even thought they’re calling you young lady or princess, you are is someone with the blood of a lowly commoner. Do you understand?”

 

“He’s talking like an uncle. But the Duke had to accept it reluctantly because of his reputation. Do you think he would like being called ‘uncle’?”

 

“Anyway, They say the blood of the common people cannot lie.”*

 

(TLN ; *Rose must know her place.)

 

The consecutive voices made Rose bow her head deeply.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

***

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Even the maids were asleep in the late night.

 

Ian, watching Rose breathe softly, sat up.

 

After changing into light clothes prepared in advance, Ian came outside, and Sebastian asked with a worried expression.

 

“Are you really going?”

 

The night at the duke’s residence was more dangerous inside than outside. It was an opportune time for the servants with connections to the guards to move. Therefore, when Ian left his position at night, he always had Sebastian stay by the child’s side.

 

Today was no different.

 

However, as always, Sebastian couldn’t dispel his worries when Ian mentioned going around the duchy instead of the estate.

 

“It’ll only take a moment.”

 

“But going out without an escort…”

 

Ian casually blocked the nagging he had heard all day with a wave of his hand.

 

“No one should let anyone in until I return.”

 

“…. Understood.”

 

Ian quickly walked away, placing his hand on Sebastian’s shoulder, who had bowed his head.

 

Although he entrusted it to Sebastian, he planned to return as quickly as possible as he moved further away.

 

Stopping by the armory to pick up a steel sword, Ian began to ascend the mountain.

 

Choosing a dense forest path rather than a proper road to find a place with minimal impact on the villagers, Ian’s forehead started to sweat. Just as the vibrations of the ground were felt,

 

“A monster.”

 

As Ian crouched low, a monster appeared with a pig-like face, a warty green body, and a large axe.

‘Orc.’

 

Orcs, with the exact appearance described in novels, were one of the most common monsters.

 

Not incredibly weak, nor overwhelmingly strong.

 

If one could subdue an orc with a single-handed sword, it was considered a decent level of skill.

 

‘Perfect for a test.’

 

Ian gripped the steel sword and swung it behind the orc to test its abilities.

 

Despite the sword slicing through the skin, Ian quickly retreated, observing only a light scratch.

 

“This seems to be the maximum for now.”

 

– Kuoooo!

 

The orc, turning its body, roared and swung its axe.

 

Dodging the axe swiftly, Ian thrust the sword into the orc’s wrist.

 

Seeing the sword not penetrating but bending, Ian clicked his tongue.

 

“Not even pierced.”

 

– Kraaaak!

 

Ian, without a response, evaded the orc’s axe, attacking the already wounded areas consecutively.

 

With repeated strikes, the scratches deepened, and green blood began to flow.

 

Ian, avoiding the axe that seemed to aim for him, exhaled heavily.

 

As the standoff continued, his breath became increasingly labored.

 

After a few more slashes, the massive body staggered and collapsed to the ground. Though still breathing, it seemed challenging to move any longer.

 

Success in subduing the orc.

 

“Haah. Haah. What a weaky body.”

 

If it were Yoon Sijun’s body, he would have killed it in one stroke, but it couldn’t be helped. In any case, the test was sufficient.

 

Now, it was time to finish.

 

Ian left the fallen orc and discarded the sword.

 

Perhaps due to the orc’s thick skin or the strain of wielding it forcefully, the abandoned blade had a slight bend.

 

Ian, thinking it wasn’t worth picking up, muttered quietly.

 

‘Open inventory.’

 

100 squares appeared before his eyes.

 

Among them, there were only three inventories with items.

 

The rest were completely empty.

 

Before entering the dungeon to die, Ian had distributed the items in his inventory to other players. It was an action born out of a sense of guilt, knowing that the burden on other players would increase as the top-ranked player died. However, he had no idea it would lead to such regret now.

 

The remaining three inventories contained items that couldn’t be shared, including an item with the owner’s mark and a glass bottle with star candies.

 

Without time for bitterness, Ian reached out and drew his sword.

 

The sword in the black sheath that absorbs light was Fragarach, the first gift received from the constellations and the sword coveted by all hunters.

 

The reason the constellations bothered to open the inventory was because of Fragarach.

 

Because there is no sword as great as this sword.

 

As Ian drew the sword, a cluster of sparkling stars burst from the blade.

 

Then, the ordinary handle of the sword changed.

 

At its center, a carving resembling the sun appeared, and a ring emitting three lights started rotating around the sun.

 

The blade of the sword began to transform.

 

Unlike a typical sword, it had a hollow, linear shape in the center.

 

In addition, there were inscriptions of unknown characters on the blade.

 

The transformed sword infused vitality into Ian’s exhausted body in the blink of an eye.

 

‘The sword’s buff is applied.’

 

With a satisfied smile, Ian, after avoiding the incoming axe, plunged into the orc’s embrace.

 

After gently inserting the sword into the slightly open wound from the iron sword’s attack, Ian forcefully brought it down.

 

– Kwaak.

 

The orc roared, spewing green blood like a fountain.

 

However, it still didn’t die with a single blow.

 

“Still a long way to go.”

 

Despite Ian’s training, he clicked his tongue at a body inferior to his earthly one.

 

“I have no choice but to use a skill.”

 

Ian’s primary goal was to survive the upcoming winter expedition.

 

If he struggled against just one orc like this, it would undoubtedly be challenging to survive. With limited time left to grow his body, he had to resort to unconventional methods.

 

Besides, wasn’t that why he received the star candies in the first place? Since he had grown to the point of subduing the orc, using a skill and avoiding death should be possible.

 

“That spot looks good.”

 

Utilizing his lighter body, Ian climbed onto a cliff and took out a glass bottle containing star candies from his inventory.

 

Although he had a total of 10 abilities when he was a player, there were only three star candies.

 

It seemed like it was probably created by three constellations one by one.

 

“Phew.”

 

Ian took a deep breath, then retrieved one star candy from the glass bottle and placed it in his mouth.

 

As soon as it touched his tongue, the star candy, now transformed like water, smoothly went down with sweetness.

 

And at that moment…

 

A massive lightning bolt struck from the sky.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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