The Dead Villainess Had A Child With The Male Lead

Chapter 50 The Child’s Paternity

“Aww, you don’t have to make excuses.”

Killion’s eyes widened as Windler began to chuckle again.

“I saw it all, Your Excellency.”

“What do you mean?”

“Your Excellency is hiding behind a pillar, stealing glances at Jediel’s mother, and shuffling your feet.”

“What?”

“That’s not all, I also saw you and Jediel’s mum heading towards the patronage of the Star Palace.”

“What’s that…!”

“It was a rainy day, and you two were in a carriage together, weren’t you, and it was all because I was pushing from behind…”

Windler’s ramblings continued, but they did not reach Killion’s ears.

Killion felt like he’d been hit in the back of the head with a hammer. His entire head pinged, vibrated, and throbbed.

He fought to stay awake and tried to piece things together.

“Hmm,… no, who did Nia say she was now?”

“What? That’s…”

“Come on, tell me. Who is Nia?”

“Nia… is Jediel’s mum?”

“Is that true?”

“What?”

Windler was dumbfounded. Didn’t he know…? It was one thing to not know what was what.

Meanwhile, frustrated with Windler’s constant babbling, Killion spoke up.

“Is it true that Nia is Jediel’s mum?”

“Yes, it is true. Have you not known that all this time, Your Excellency?”

“…ha!”

Jediel’s mum was Veronia!

‘So that’s why I recognized Jediel from the first moment I saw him! He’s her son, no wonder he looks like her.’

Suddenly, the intense attraction, for no particular reason, made sense.

‘Wait…, how old was Jediel? I thought she said he was four years old…’

Killion racked his brain in concentration. The numbers swirled around in his head.

Jediel, a Veronian child, over four years old. And Veronia, who had left the palace five years ago.

‘So… that means she got pregnant right before and after that, doesn’t it, and if so, what if…?’

Thump, thump, thump, Killion’s heart began to beat frantically. His breathing quickened, and he could hardly breathe.

‘Could it be possible… that Jediel is my child?’

He thought back to the night he’d spent with Veronia. He hadn’t forgotten a single day. It was a moonlit night, and they had kissed in the garden, and…

‘That night… we stayed together all night.’

Was this a likely story, or was it just his fanciful wish…?

He wasn’t sure of any of it. It was too soon to tell.

He had to ask Veronia, and then all would be clear. He had to find out if the child she had given birth to, the one who looked so much like him, Jediel, was mine.

“Turn the carriage.”

“What? Where are you going?”

“To the Matap Institute. Quickly.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Killion curled his trembling hands into tight fists. He had to think about what he would say to Veronia when he saw her.

But his stunned, panicked brain wasn’t working properly. He could only stare out the window in a daze.

***

Killion walked into the Matap Lab and all eyes were on him.

‘There she is!’

And there she was, Veronia.

The moment his eyes locked with hers, Killion froze, for in order to answer his own questions, he would have to reveal the secrets she had kept from him from beginning to end.

Including the fact that he knew her true identity.

‘No!’

No way. If it became known that he knew her true identity, she would run away again.

More important than finding out the child’s father was not losing her again.

No, more important than anything in the world was not to lose her.

‘Rash.’

Killion stood tall in place, cursing himself for having rushed here in a moment of emotion. Veronia stepped to his side.

“Your Excellency, what brings you here? What business do you have…?”

“Oh, that, that…”

In the midst of his panic, his mind and body froze, and then, like a savior, the Major General rushed over, his red hair flowing.

“Your Excellency, it is an honor to welcome you to this shabby place!”

The warden, his face beaming with laughter, bowed deeply and stiffly. His eyes, glowing brightly, looked directly at Killion.

The warden’s stalling gave Killion time to regain his composure, and he spoke slowly.

“I just happened to be passing through the neighborhood… and wanted to see if you’d made any concrete plans to install fire suppressors.”

His face flushed red with embarrassment at his outright lie. Luckily, the others didn’t seem to notice.

“That’s amazing! I’ve just finished writing the proposal.”

Veronia’s eyes widened and she raised her voice, and the warden clapped his hands.

“That’s great! Then, Mr Chancellor, I’ll take you to the conference room right away so you can see the documents for yourself.”

“Of course.”

With mixed feelings, Killion followed the Warden to the conference room.

He had narrowly averted a crisis, but the questions he wanted to ask Veronia still tickled at the back of his throat.

‘Killion, concentrate and think. Think of a way to find out about Jediel’s father without asking Veronia!’

It was agonizing to have to pretend to concentrate on the fire extinguisher while hiding his true thoughts, agonising to have Veronia in front of him, whom he missed and missed and missed.

Still, the time went by.

The meeting finally came to an end with the specific installation site and schedule.

***

The office of Onyx, Vice Guildmaster of the Information Guild. Onyx was being briefed on the results of the investigation into Duke Killion Drea.

The Chancellor had recently said that he was accelerating the nationalisation of nurseries and the practicalisation of magic tools.

‘That means… he’s clearly interested in Jediel and Nia.’

Onyx tapped his fingers against his temples in thought. It was a habit he had when he was concentrating.

‘Not just an interest, but a vested interest. So much so, that they’re in his corner, running the country’s affairs…’

But there was a question that remained unanswered. Kilion was interested in Nia and Jediel, but he didn’t know their true identities.

‘How can you be so interested in something you don’t know who they really are? What do you see in them? Why and for what?’

The subordinate standing in front of Onyx continued his report.

“We’ve been asked to expand the scope of our investigation beyond our borders, to include the countries that border us.”

“…Yes. Okay. Good work.”

With that, the subordinate left the office. Alone, Onyx looked over the papers he’d left behind.

‘This is the behaviour of someone who knows something… but doesn’t know the truth?’

No matter how much he thought about it, it didn’t add up.

The puzzle grated on Onyx’s nerves. An unexplained irritation welled up in her.

‘What’s wrong with me? Why am I suddenly so irritable?’

He paused, puzzled by his reflection.

He needed a change of scenery when he was working on a puzzle that wasn’t working. Perhaps if he went to Veronia and talked to her, he could get a clue.

‘Come on… I don’t think I need to solve that puzzle…’

Onyx was a fairly rational person. He knew how to keep his emotions out of any task, but strangely enough, it wasn’t easy when it came to Veronia.

He didn’t know why.

It was a commission to fake the death of the Princess and send her on the run. It was a commission that would deceive the entire nation and rewrite history. It was the biggest commission Onyx had ever undertaken, and it took the most work.

‘Yeah. There’s no puzzle in the world that shouldn’t be solved, and if it’s a puzzle, someone should be the one to solve it. That’s the way I like it.’

Onyx leapt to her feet. It had been a while since he’d seen Veronia, and he wanted to see how she was doing.

‘I’m guessing you’ve been in and out of the palace on business for the Matap Institute, so I’ll have to ask you if everything’s been okay.’

Onyx quickened his pace. The corners of his mouth twitched in anticipation of meeting her, as if he might have a clue to this puzzle.

***

After the meeting, and after a rousing farewell from the Warden, Killion left the Institute building with Veronia.

“Why don’t you ride with me in my carriage, I have more questions.”

Satisfied that he had succeeded in making the question seem natural, Killion waited for her answer. But Veronia was reluctant.

No wonder. She had no intention of exposing him to her home. She didn’t want him to meet Jediel at home.

Veronia was still pondering her answer when she heard a voice calling her. A voice called out to her from the distance.

“Nia!”

Onyx was walking towards her, waving. Veronia’s face instantly lit up.

She was grateful to Onyx for rescuing her from a difficult situation.

Meanwhile, Killion, who witnessed the change in her expression from the side, felt his heart sink.

‘She’s smiling so brightly at that man. Who is he?’

Killion’s eyes sparked, his gaze sharpening as he turned to Onyx.

‘That’s… the man I met in Jediel’s kindergarten! We were also together at the market where I first met Jediel… Who is he and why does he keep showing up?’

They must be very close, judging by how often they were together.

‘Are they just friends? Or are they lovers, or are he also… Jediel’s biological father?’

Killion’s head spun and he felt dizzy as his mind raced, and in the next moment, a fire burned in his chest.

He felt a surge of determination.