The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 132

Episode 132

Despite his inconvenient body that relied on a cane, the Grand Marquis stamped his foot heavily, as if utterly enraged, and stormed out of the dining hall.

But why was it?

Why did the face of someone spewing such terrible words look so deeply hurt?

It even looked so pitiful that even after he left the dining hall, her gaze remained fixed on the door.

'...Whatever. I'm not kind enough to care about the feelings of someone I dislike.'

With the Grand Marquis's sudden departure, only three people were left in the dining hall.

"I hope his foot doesn't hurt. He's not young anymore..."

Feeling the awkward, chilly silence, she muttered the first thing that came to mind. The Marquis, who had been frozen stiff, smiled bitterly.

"Ahem, even if it looks inconvenient, thanks to the cane sent by the Temple, he feels no pain."

She wasn't really curious, but since he answered, Flora nodded.

As the unbearably heavy atmosphere returned, the Marquis cleared his throat again and finally said what he wanted to say.

"Um, it seems Father has a headache from talking about Nersha after so long. Why don't you both retire early and rest for today? I'm sorry about today's events."

At the Marquis's apology, Benio stood up with an awkward smile.

Since the mood wasn't right for continuing the meal and she had lost her appetite anyway, Flora also left the dining hall.

The corridor they walked through together felt terribly cold and empty. Benio, who was unusually silent, felt awkward.

Yet, the warmth from his tightly held hand remained, so Flora wasn't anxious at all.

"Oppa."

"Yes."

"Do you hate me?"

"How could I ever hate you? Everything Grandfather said is nonsense; let's just erase it from our minds."

Seeing him answer without even a moment's hesitation made her feel there was no need to worry about that.

"And Grandfather?"

"...I'd be lying if I said I didn't think it was too much. But you know, a long time ago, Grandfather was a much kinder person than he is now."

"Have you met him before this time?"

"Once before... I saw him at the Temple. He comforted me kindly when I was crying."

His voice, lost in a hazy memory, was filled with longing.

"So I think if Grandfather would just apologize for his words earlier, I could forgive him."

'You're so kind.'

No matter what the Grand Marquis was originally like, the past tends to be forgotten, yet Benio held onto the good memory of the past and believed in the present him.

'Right. I think pretending I don't know will bother me too much.'

Flora looked out the window beyond the corridor, then lightly shook the hand holding hers, asking him to let go.

"I have somewhere to go for a moment."

"Are you going to see Basilian?"

Knowing that she often sought out Basilian during difficult times, Flora nodded.

"I'll take you."

"No, it's fine. You should rest too, oppa. Basil said he'd wait right up ahead."

He had said no such thing, but Flora recited the lie naturally.

'I'll have to ask him to corroborate later.'

She thought this quite calmly.

"Then at least until there..."

"What dangerous place could there be in the Marquis's castle? Please go and rest, my brother."

The usual Benio would never have let her go alone, but he was mentally exhausted from the shocking truth.

"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning!"

Flora gave Benio a light push on the back and turned in the opposite direction.

A short while later, the place she arrived at was the problematic gravesite she had sworn she would never visit of her own will.

'I'm sorry for lying to my oppa, but it seems we need a private conversation.'

It seemed he had been in such a hurry that the usually firmly shut door was slightly ajar.

When Flora cautiously peeked her head inside, sure enough, the Grand Marquis was keeping vigil in front of Nersha's grave.

But somehow, the Grand Marquis's condition seemed a bit off.

"Don't worry, Nersha. I, I will protect you this time. I won't let them take you away. So trust only this father of yours. Only this father..."

He was clutching Nersha's grave, muttering something like a madman.

As if possessed by something.

'Hmm, something seems very wrong here?'

Even considering that she herself had no children, his state didn't seem normal.

'Is he insane? Or is he bewitched by something...'

Then, something strange caught Flora's eye.

'...Was that cane originally that color?'

She was sure the cane had been rather dark when she first saw it, but the one in his hand now was white.

No, it was emitting a white light.

It was a light someone might call sacred, but to Flora's eyes, it just looked strange.

'...Something's off.'

It seemed she needed to investigate.

Flora pushed the door open forcefully and spoke loudly.

"What are you doing here?"

The Grand Marquis, who had been staring blankly at the gravestone, flinched at the sudden presence and turned around.

Upon spotting Flora, he added one more sentence with a fierce face.

"I'm quite sure I told you not to come here! It seems you have no intention of listening!"

Part of her wanted to not lose this exchange, but Flora felt so overwhelmed and frustrated that she had no choice but to stop herself from retorting.

'He looked so pitiful when he left the dining hall. Ugh, my kindness is going to be the death of me.'

Her confusion over her own inexplicable feelings was brief. To shake off this feeling and focus on the main point, Flora approached the Grand Marquis.

"If you heard my story earlier, you should know. I have no intention of inserting the Lucifers into my life anymore. So why don't you just get lost...!"

Hugging the Grand Marquis, who was raising his voice, in one impulsive motion was a decision made on impulse.

"W-what is the meaning of this!"

His voice rose again, but Flora was resolute.

"Why do you keep saying such awful things? Do you hate me that much?"

"W-what nonsense...! Let go of me this instant!"

The Grand Marquis pushed Flora away as if a bug had landed on him.

Losing her balance and nearly falling, Flora looked up at him with a sorrowful face.

At first, she had been angry at the Grand Marquis for immediately shouting and intimidating her.

She didn't know why he hated the Lucifers so much, nor did she care to find out.

But as this situation repeated, she noticed something strange.

If he disliked us so much, why not just ignore us or completely expel us from the castle, from the territory?

'Uncle said he couldn't arbitrarily expel an invited guest... but if the Grand Marquis, the head of the household, had taken a firm stance, it wouldn't have been difficult.'

From what she saw during the meal earlier, the Marquis seemed to respect his father, the Grand Marquis, quite a bit, and he seemed full of love for his family.

So if the Grand Marquis had insisted, he could have even revoked the invitation.

'But the fact that he didn't... means he secretly welcomes us, doesn't it?'

She didn't know why he acted so prickly every time they met, but seeing how sorrowful he looked each time he was left alone made her concerned.

She knew she wouldn't feel at ease leaving the territory without resolving this curiosity, so it felt like a necessary choice.

'That's enough rationalization. Let's also try to figure out what Grandfather's true feelings are.'

Having defined the cause for her actions, Flora quietly observed the Grand Marquis, who was stepping back.

Seeing him frozen stiff, as if feeling guilty, Flora asked with an innocent face.

"Do you dislike me because I'm a calamity?"

"...What kind of question is that!"

The Grand Marquis opened his mouth with a look of shock, then hurriedly closed it again.

"If you're not angry because I'm a calamity... then it must be because I'm the one who caused Mother's death. Then I'll leave, so please show the will to my brother. No matter how much you hate the Lucifers, my brother is still your grandson."

"......"

His face kept changing moment by moment from overwhelming emotions, and as if he couldn't control it, he immediately bowed his head.

But having seen the various expressions that had already appeared on his face, Flora smiled faintly.

The Grand Marquis, who seemed to be struggling, chose silence. Flora pondered for a moment, then plopped down onto the ground.

This allowed her to see the Grand Marquis's face, now shadowed in the dim light.

"If it's not that... were you perhaps angry at yourself? For not being able to protect Mother?"

"...Be quiet! What do you know!"

"At first, I thought you just disliked us, but after hearing the whole story, my thoughts changed. I wondered if perhaps Grandfather is avoiding and running away because he's afraid of losing family again."

"No, it's truly because I dislike you!"

His words were sharp, but his face was terribly contorted. As if he was forcing out words he didn't want to say.

"You didn't originally intend to say those things earlier, did you? Did you say them impulsively because you'd been drinking?"

"Nonsense! How dare you, born at the cost of Nersha's life, look upon your mother so indifferently… that's why I'm angry!"

As she muttered, resting her chin on her palm, the Grand Marquis shook his head.

"You, how dare you! That arrogant attitude of yours, hating Nersha, you who are utterly unworthy..."

The large teardrops forming in the corners of his eyes fell endlessly, as if they were his very regret.

The more his emotions were revealed, the more she couldn't shake this strange feeling.

One could cry from extreme anger, but these weren't tears of anger.

'He looks sad, and frustrated. He seems wronged too...'

And that wasn't the only strange thing.