The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead

Chapter 136 New Name

We needed to get back to the palace and finish the job, but first we needed to reassure Jediel. So Veronia and Killion left Windler and Onyx to clean up the mess and returned to the Duke of Drea residence.

“Mum! Duke!”

Jediel, who had returned earlier with Yassen, was still awake and waiting for Veronia and Killion. As soon as Veronia saw that Jediel was safe and sound, she ran to him and hugged him tightly.

“…Mum?”

But in her arms, Jediel’s body was stiff and rigid. The new Veronia was a strange sight.

“Jediel, can you listen to mum’s story?”

“…Yes.”

Veronia and Jediel sat down alone together, and she slipped her magic piercing in and out in front of him. 

Jediel’s eyes widened as she changed before his very eyes, and he burrowed into her arms, convinced that Veronia was his mother. 

“Mum, I’m so sorry I didn’t recognize you!”

The child burst into tears, a mixture of relief at being reunited with his mother and regret that he hadn’t recognized her at first sight. 

Veronia patted Jediel on the back until he stopped crying. When the child’s tears had subsided, Veronia whispered softly.

“I know it was out of necessity… but I’ve been lying to you, Jediel, and I’m very, very sorry, and I won’t do it again.”

“…Okay.”

Jediel nodded, looking up at Veronia with teary eyes. Veronia paused, her words not coming out easily, before she spoke again.

“And there’s one more thing Mum lied to you about.”

“One more thing?”

Jediel’s eyes widened in surprise. Veronia’s heart thudded in her chest, worried that the child would be shocked. But it was something she had to tell him now, so she gathered her courage.

“It’s about Jediel’s father.”

“… My father?”

“Actually, Jediel’s father isn’t dead. He’s alive.”

Jediel’s mouth dropped open in surprise at the news, but he soon became curious. He didn’t hesitate to ask.

“So… if he’s alive, why doesn’t he live with us?”

“Well…”

Veronia couldn’t help but start explaining, though she wasn’t sure how much Jediel would understand.

“Jediel’s father… he didn’t know where we were at first, because I changed my face and hid.”

“Oh…”

“And then later, when I saw him again, he helped me lie.”

“Did you meet my father again? I want to meet him too.”

Jediel’s eyes sparkled. 

Rather than wondering or resenting her mother for deceiving her all these years, the child seemed excited at the thought of meeting her father. That gave Veronia the courage to continue.

“Actually, Jediel’s father is… the Duke of Killion.”

“What?”

A huge question mark formed on Jediel’s face. The child cocked his head in disbelief.

“Did he get a ten from me?”

“Oh… no, not that…”

It was a childish idea. Veronia was momentarily taken aback by the sudden appearance of the 10-point. But she composed herself and continued.

“Even before he got the 10, the Duke was always Jediel’s father.”

“…”

“You’ve heard a lot of people say that you and the Duke look alike, and that’s because they’re father and son.”

Jediel’s eyes darted from side to side as he tried to gather his thoughts. Finally, realization dawned on him, and his eyes sparkled with a clear light.

“Ah…! So the Duke was Jediel’s real father, all along!”

“Yeah, right.”

Suddenly springing to his feet, Jediel sprinted to the door and flung it open. Killion, who had been waiting in the hallway, ran up to him.

“Jediel?”

“It’s me…”

Jediel stepped out boldly, but he felt shy in front of Killion. As Jediel squirmed, Killion dropped to one knee, locked eyes with him, and smiled broadly.

“Will you come over here and give me a hug, Daddy?”

“Yes, Dad!”

Jediel threw himself into Killion’s arms. The child in his strong, wide arms lifted his head, looked at Killion, and spoke in a cheerful voice.

“They say you didn’t become a dad because you got 10 points, you were always a dad!”

“That’s right, I’ve been your daddy from the beginning.”

“That’s why I love it!”

“Dad is so happy to meet our Jediel too.”

Killion kissed Jediel’s forehead long and hard as he smiled.

The sight of Killion and Jediel embracing each other so affectionately brought a smile to Veronia’s lips. 

There is much more to tell Jediel. The story goes that she is actually a Princess and Jediel’s siblings are growing in her belly. But Veronia soon changed her mind. 

‘I guess I’ll leave this alone for today and talk about the rest later. Maybe tomorrow or the day after.’

***

Jonathan was found dead in the streets of the capital. It is not known by whom or how he died. 

The only thing they know is that his body was so badly disfigured that they didn’t recognize him as the Emperor, but his clothes were so ornate that they later realized he was the Emperor.

Jonathan did not die as an Emperor, but as a sinner, so there was no coat of arms. 

There was no family to mourn his death, so there was no family burial, just a formal funeral attended only by the imperial family and the high court officials.

Tate was mortally wounded by an arrow fired by the Imperial Knights, but survived. But the wound was deep and difficult to heal, and from that day on, he left the capital and lived a life of seclusion on his estate.

Sandra was sentenced to exile as punishment for her part in the conspiracy to murder the Previous Emperor. As she left the imperial palace, Sandra looked rather forlorn.

Veronia and Onyx watched from a distance as the carriage carrying Sandra drove away. It was Veronia who broke the long silence.

“I’ve been to see her so many times, but she’s never met me.”

“Me neither.”

Veronia looked at Onyx, momentarily surprised that he, too, had visited Sandra.

“I guess I was going to give her a load of grief or something, but she didn’t want to hear it.”

“I guess so.”

Onyx laughed softly. Looking up at Onyx, Veronia spoke in a calm tone.

“But I still hear from her every now and then.”

“What?”

Onyx’s face flushed with embarrassment at the out-of-the-blue request. But Veronia merely smiled, as if she didn’t need to elaborate, as if she knew what she meant.

“Please?”

“… Yes.”

Finally, Onyx sighed and gave a small nod of her head. Onyx’s eyes looked a little sad as she turned her gaze back to follow the carriage as it sped away.

***

Veronia was fidgeting in anticipation of the full noble council.

“How many did you say, 100 or 200?”

“Three hundred and fifteen in all.”

“Hah…”

Feeling sorry for Veronia as she sighed heavily, Killion gently took her hand. He slowly patted her hand and spoke in a soothing voice.

“Don’t be so nervous. I’m here for you, aren’t I?”

“…Yes.”

Killion’s gaze was warm, but standing in front of so many people still made her nervous. Veronia swallowed back a sigh that threatened to burst out and took a long drink of the herbal tea that was supposed to calm her nerves.

Finally, a meeting of the entire nobility was called, and Veronia accompanied Killion to the great hall.

There had been several discussions about the succession to the throne, and at the last meeting, it had been unanimously agreed that Veronia would take the throne.

Today’s meeting was to consist of Veronia’s response to the nobles’ opinions.

“The next worthy holder of the throne, Her Highness the Princess Veronia, is seated!”

The heavy doors swung open at the chairman’s call, and Veronia entered the great hall, escorted by Killion. The gazes of many nobles were fixed on Veronia and Killion.

Standing before the dais, Veronia cleared her throat with a huff and a cough, and began her prepared speech.

“I am grateful to the people of the Asnerdom Empire for welcoming me with open arms after I left the Imperial House. As is the right and duty of those born into the Imperial Family, I will take the throne.”

A cheer erupted from the crowd, accompanied by applause. After a moment of silence, Veronia spoke again.

“But rather than follow in my father’s and brother’s footsteps, I would like to make a fresh start under a new name.”

Veronia’s unexpected statement caused a stir in the room. Killion’s expression, which had been a gentle smile the entire time, hardened. They hadn’t discussed this beforehand.

“I will marry High Chancellor Drea and take the name Veronia Drea, and together with my husband, High Chancellor Killion Drea, we will rule the Empire.”

The 315 nobles assembled in the great hall were dumbfounded. 

It’s not uncommon for a married princess to ascend to the throne, but it does happen. But in such cases, she took the imperial family name. Her husband, the prince, would take the family name.

However, Veronia said that she would abandon the Imperial family name and follow the royal family name.

In the midst of the confusion, Veronia spoke again.

“Five years ago, an uprising against the Boyson dynasty shook the empire. It was Chancellor Killion Drea who prevented the uprising from spreading across the country.”

The tense atmosphere in the room soon quieted as Veronia continued her speech.

“Since then, the Boynson dynasty has tarnished its name with murder, murderous tutors, and all manner of other crimes. Despite this, the Empire has remained strong due to the hard work of all of you here today, and we know that Chancellor Killion Drea played a large part in that. His loyalty to the Empire is something I’m sure you know better than I do.”

One by one, the nobles who had been listening to Veronia’s words began to nod their heads.

“My opinion as the next heir to the throne is this: I will take the name Veronia Drea, and I will rule the Empire with my husband, Killion Drea!”

At the end of her speech, the nobles all rose to their feet, cheering and clapping wildly. But Killion’s face remained stony.

***

“That’s not fair.”

“Seeing that the other nobles are willing to agree, I guess it’s not completely out of the question.”

The meeting of the entire nobility was over, but the meeting between Veronia and Killion was still ongoing. Killion called out to Veronia, his eyes and voice unusually dry.

“Your Highness.”

But Veronia had no intention of yielding.

“This seat belongs to you.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

Killion asked, narrowing his brow. He had always struggled to understand Veronia. But this time it was not so easy.

The Emperor’s seat had always been his? That was ridiculous, how could it have been his?

“I meant what I said at the meeting. If it weren’t for you, the Boynson reign would have ended five years ago, but you took control of the civil unrest and saved it.”

“…”

Killion didn’t argue back, but listened to Veronia, which was a good sign. Veronia put a little more emotion into her voice.

“And I hate the name Boynson, you know that well enough to know that I would fake my own death to get away from it. I hated it in the past, and it hasn’t changed now.”

Killion’s expression softened a little. Veronia’s story finally resonated with him.

“You’re right, I did.”

Hmm… The corners of Veronia’s mouth turned up in amusement as she watched Killion sigh and nod.

“I know it doesn’t work when I try to understand, and if that’s the case, it’s okay not to try to understand, just accept it.”

“…”

“This is the first and last time I’ll ever ask you to do something so unreasonable, I promise.”

It was a complete stall. Veronia was making it clear that she wasn’t willing to compromise in the slightest. If she came out like this, Killion had no choice but to follow her lead.

“You know you’re being unreasonable… I can’t help it, yes, I’ll admit it.”

“Thank you, Killion!”

Veronia smiled brightly and threw herself into Killion’s arms. She buried her face in his chest and whispered to herself.

“I’m going to be so good to you, to Jediel, and to the Empire of Asnerdom.”

Finally, Killion surrendered. He put his arm gently around Veronia’s small back and kissed her forehead.

“I will do better, for you, for Jediel, for the Empire of Asnerdom.”

His lips moved from her forehead to the corners of her eyes, to her cheeks, to the bridge of her nose, and back again, until they roamed her face and finally found Veronia’s lips.

“Killion? You can’t do this here…”

But Killion had no intention of backing down, and his lips pressed against hers, lingering for a moment before releasing, driving her on. And then he returned her words exactly as she had spoken them.

“This is an imposition on my part, you’ll have to admit.”

“What, what? Why is that even coming out of your mouth… Mmm…”

Veronia wanted to retort more, but she couldn’t. Because Killion’s lips had closed over hers without warning. The kiss lasted for a long, breathless moment.

***

The day of the coronation dawned. The glass carriage carrying Veronia, Killion, and Jediel left the palace and headed for the Great Hall. The road from the palace to the Great Hall was filled with cheering people.

Jediel, bouncing back and forth in Killion’s arms, exclaimed excitedly.

“Wow, there are so many people, I can’t see the end of it!”

Jediel’s eyes widened as if they would pop out of his head at the sight of so many people. Veronia patted Jediel’s chubby cheek and grinned.

“Jediel, smile broadly and wave to the people. I know your arms are sore, but hang in there and wave long and hard. They are grateful people who have traveled a long way to celebrate and bless our future.”

“Yes.”

Jediel nodded and began to wave his hands vigorously. The applause and cheers for the new imperial family grew louder and louder.

“Long live the Drea Imperium!”

“Long live the Drea Imperium!”

The glorious sunlight shone brightly on the faces of Veronia, Killion, and Jediel. Their smiles for their people could not have been brighter.

<The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead>

-The End-