The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 13

Episode 13

"Did you finish saying all your goodbyes?"

"Yep."

Flora nodded, trying hard to hide her choked-up voice.

'Come to think of it, Basilian was supposed to come visit.'

She was forced to break her promise.

'Well, I couldn't even say goodbye to Rosaria before leaving, so there's nothing to be done.'

Through the window, she could see the children waving as they saw her off.

Forgetting that she had just thought of Basilian, Flora waved back, choking up, until she could no longer see them.

Goodbye, Finny Orphanage.

Goodbye until we meet again.

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After such a tearful farewell, she expected life at the ducal mansion to be more luxurious than the orphanage.

Yes, she definitely thought it would be.

Flora's reaction upon first seeing the ducal castle was:

"Huh, rea-lly?"

To be honest, she had expected a little, no, a lot.

Even if they're called betrayers of humanity or the continent's top villains, they're still dukes.

A massive castle on vast, expansive land, filled with countless treasures and a huge staff.

She only hoped for that much, nothing more.

"Is this really the ducal castle?"

"That's right. It's quite large, isn't it?"

It was large, alright.

But that didn't seem to be the problem.

Looking at the dreary, dark castle that looked gloomy even in the daytime, Flora turned her head with an uneasy expression.

Wait a minute.

That wasn't the only strange thing.

Why is Athanas unloading the luggage from the carriage himself?

It's the lord's return, for goodness' sake, so why hasn't a single person come out from the castle to greet him?

A bunch of question marks popped up above Flora's head.

Of course, her curiosity remained unresolved as she held Athanas's hand and entered the ducal castle.

"It's quite cold, isn't it? But now that you're here, we should light the fireplace."

Does that mean they've been living without a lit fireplace in this cold?

"I wanted to prepare warm clothes for you right away, but I heard it's difficult due to a lack of hands. We'll fill your wardrobe by tomorrow, so please wait just one day."

Not pretty clothes, but 'warm' clothes? What is this practical talk? And why is there no mention of filling it completely?

No, how many people does it take to prepare clothes that it takes a whole extra day?

Does the ducal castle not have that many staff...?

Flora's eyes began to shake as if an earthquake had hit.

Ah, something is definitely wrong.

"Oh, Isaac!"

Athanas tried to call out to someone far down the corridor, but the man either didn't hear or quickly disappeared.

"Oh dear, he must be busy. Well, I suppose it's best if I take you to your room myself?"

Athanas seemed quite cheerful, his footsteps light.

'He found his lost daughter and brought her home safely, so of course he's happy. I understand, I understand, but...'

The crumbling stone fragments falling from the walls, the thin layer of dust on the window frames, the occasional spiderwebs, and the complete absence of any servants told a clear story.

Ta-da! This place is poor.

That's what they were saying.

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"How can this be! This is a scam!"

Flora shivered in front of the fireplace, shouting with indignation.

Of course, the sound didn't escape the large room.

It just echoed inside.

"No, how can it be poorer than the orphanage! You're a duke! This is a ducal castle!"

Sniffling her runny nose, Flora crawled a little closer to the fireplace.

"It's so coo-old."

They definitely lit the fireplace, so why is it still cold?

Wrapping the blanket tightly around herself, Flora glanced around the room.

The large room contained furniture that was at least in decent condition.

It was a bit big for a child, but still, it was acceptable compared to the old castle.

Probably lacking the funds to buy custom-made furniture, they bought large sizes considering her future growth.

She could tolerate the colorful room and the tacky rug.

No, actually, she couldn't.

"The orphanage wasn't even like this," she muttered.

Honestly, a place like Finny Orphanage probably couldn't be found anywhere else on the continent, but Flora's standards had already been raised sky-high.

She vented her frustration as if she had completely forgotten the memories of poverty before meeting Rosaria Hermannus and getting the Shalias.

"I was going to spend money recklessly, whether I had it or not."

She had dreamed of a sweet success story of conquering the world using her nemesis's money, but it all went down the drain.

"I thought he was just being humble."

She was starting to understand a little why Athanas hadn't tried to stop her when she said she'd stay at the orphanage.

'Don't tell me he brought flowers every day because he didn't have money for a real gift? N-no way, right?'

Let's not jump to conclusions.

...But, but!

Flora couldn't hide her sadness, feeling like a tenant who had been scammed by a false listing.

In the midst of this, the man called 'Dad' apologized for having backlogged work and disappeared like a ghost, leaving her alone in this vast room.

"I already miss the orphanage people."

She had thought the noisy sounds of them looking for her were annoying.

Flora stared blankly at the firewood burning brightly with an orange glow.

"But I can't go back now."

I have my pride as the Great Demon.

How could I possibly go back on a decision once I've made it?

"I'll do it. World annihilation."

Somehow, she would use this place as her base to conquer the world and make her nemeses cry tears of blood and regret.

Ah, but excluding Dad and Rosaria...

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"Pleased to meet you, Young Lady. My name is Zamira Wheaton. I work as the nanny of this castle, though I'm not very good."

Eventually, after some time had passed, an elderly woman with neatly swept-back gray hair came to see Flora.

She was another stranger in an unfamiliar place, but the fact that she wasn't alone was so welcome.

"Hello. My name is Flora."

Flora quickly introduced herself and gave a 'hehe' smile.

It was the same smile that the orphanage and town people, and Rosaria and her subordinates, had all liked.

Zamira also smiled with a pleased expression and removed the blanket draped over Flora's shoulders.

Then she quickly wrapped her in a thick, warm cloak.

"The Duke, really. It would have been better if he had told me about things like clothes first."

A warmth incomparable to the blanket washed over her, making Flora's eyes widen.

Amused by her reaction, Zamira covered her mouth and laughed.

'But I feel like my nose is going to run.'

Whether the weather had gotten too cold too quickly, her nose felt stuffy.

She tried to hold it in, but there was no way she could.

"The Duke didn't show you around the castle, did he?"

"Nope."

She accidentally let out a sniffle.

Adding a stuffy-nose sound to her already short, childish pronunciation made her voice sound even more foolish.

"Oh my."

Though the answer was short, Zamira looked serious.

"The North is much colder compared to the East. It seems you might be coming down with a cold. I wanted to show you around the castle, but I think you should rest properly in your room today."

"It's o-kay."

"It seems to be getting worse. Now, Young Lady. Shall we get you into bed? I'll add more firewood and bring you some warm milk."

"Will you put honey in it?"

"Of course."

At that, Flora straightened her hunched body and quickly ran to the bed.

She had actually been wanting something sweet and warm.

It was a shame it wasn't hot chocolate, but she liked honey-sweetened milk too.

'It's a child's taste, but I am a child, after all.'

Flora, who only turned off her Great Demon ego at times like this, buried herself deep under the covers, and a different kind of warmth, unlike the blanket and cloak, washed over her.

It was enough to make her wonder why she hadn't thought of getting into bed sooner.