The Villainess’ Beloved Plan: The Struggles to Avoid a Doomed End

Kyle Levord couldn’t believe his eyes.

Rumors had circulated that a man claiming to be Sophia’s real father had appeared, and upon hearing this, his mother Rosa had been deeply distressed. Kyle himself was outraged by the dishonorable rumors surrounding Sophia, prompting him to embark on his own investigation just as things were heating up.

The headstrong Randall seemed to be busily gathering evidence at his desk, but it was unlikely that matters from over sixteen years ago could be resolved so easily. Surely it would be more efficient to search directly around Gasur rather than wasting time on such frivolities.

Originally, Kyle preferred investigating things on foot rather than relying on others, and one of the Levord family creeds was to “judge for yourself based on what you see.” He had practiced this since childhood.

In order not to stand out in the restaurant, he wore commoner’s clothes, dyed his platinum blonde hair black with a dye that washed off, and sat in a corner seat of Crescent Moon, where he continued to stake out.

And it was on the third day of this stakeout that something unexpected happened.

A young woman suddenly appeared in the shop, which had been run by the master and his son until now.

The moment Kyle laid eyes on her in a frilly knee-length dress, he gaped in astonishment.

(Isn’t that… Lady Sophia?)

Though disguised with a wig and glasses, Kyle could recognize her. The beautiful emerald-like eyes behind the glasses were unmistakable, and more importantly, her inherent grace was evident. Kyle hastily rose to catch Sophia, but then hesitated, thinking, “No, wait.”

It seems Sophia used to live around here, but that was over a year and a half ago. In that time, Sophia’s aura should have changed and become more sophisticated. Above all, it would be bad for Kyle to make a clumsy move here and stand out.

Kyle decided to wait and see for a while, observing Sophia as she walked around with a plate of food.

(…She’s adorable.)

As Sophia brought the ordered dishes and smiled sweetly, Kyle thought she was incredibly cute—too cute. Most noble young ladies tended to be rather two-faced, hiding their true thoughts behind a mask. One prime example was Keira, whom Randall described as “gentle and pure”. While Randall doted on his cousin Keira and might have had his eyes clouded, she was nothing more than a cunning vixen. He wished to keep his distance from her.

In contrast, because Sophia had a past living among commoners, she seemed remarkably sincere and straightforward. There were no strange games in her conversations; when he first met her, she had shyly greeted him while holding onto the hem of her dress, and Kyle had been deeply moved. She was an angel, too cute… In simple terms, Kyle had fallen for her at first sight.

However, she was only a fourteen-year-old girl who had just been brought to the castle. A man seven years her senior proposing suddenly might surprise her. Besides, a twenty-one-year-old man proposing to a fourteen-year-old girl would undoubtedly raise eyebrows. It would be better to wait a few years. With that thought in mind, Kyle wrote a letter to his parents living in the territory, expressing his desire to marry Sophia someday. His parents—especially his mother Rosa—were overjoyed and planned to wait until Sophia at least turned sixteen before they would propose. But, just then, Randall swooped in and took her away.

The frustration he felt at that time was indescribable.

Randall showed no sign of it. In fact, Randall doted on Keira, so he had assumed that she would be his wife.

However, if it would make Sophia happy, Kyle tried to accept it. The Duke of Voltio was one of the most prestigious families, and Randall was the nephew of the current king. Sophia would be happier if she had married him, she tried to think.

Even so, after marrying, Randall rarely returned to the Duke’s residence, staying at the castle and neglecting Sophia. That alone was enraging, but the final straw was the royal dance party hosted at the end of last month.

Randall accused Sophia in front of everyone.

His claim was that Sophia had spilled red wine on Keira’s dress.

Even if that were true, what need was there to publicly berate Sophia in that context?

Moreover, Kyle couldn’t believe that Sophia would do such a thing. It seemed more likely that Keira had spilled red wine on Sophia’s dress.

At that time, it was Lady Alina Legato, who had been beside Sophia, who confirmed her innocence, and if it had been just a moment later, Kyle might have lunged at Randall.

Since Randall was a friend, he didn’t want to resort to extreme measures to reclaim Sophia, but Randall was unworthy of being Sophia’s husband.

If Randall were to take the rumors of another man claiming to be Sophia’s father at face value and lay blame on her, Kyle was determined to take any measures necessary to reclaim her. However, in this instance, Randall also seemed suspicious about the matter, showing no intention of blaming Sophia or seeking a divorce, so Kyle decided that was acceptable.

(Aah, if she carries that much she’ll spill it…)

Kyle nervously followed Sophia with his eyes.

If he were to uncover the truth about the man claiming to be Sophia’s father and prove him a fraud, would she smile at him?

Imagining Sophia’s smile, Kyle clenched his fist tightly.

(Good…!)

But before that…

“Excuse me, a beer, please.”

He wanted to receive that charming smile from Sophia as she served, dressed in a lovely little dress.

Kyle raised his hand and placed his order, smiling brightly at Sophia.

 

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