The Baby Villain Dreams of Conquering the World

Chapter 133

Episode 133

Flora's eyes turned to the cane in his hand.

The more he shed tears, the more the light glowing from the cane seemed to intensify.

'And the cane is glowing like this, but the Grand Marquis doesn't seem to notice?'

The Grand Marquis only seemed unable to control his confused emotions. He then turned away without helping Flora up.

Seeing him about to leave, Flora, with an 'oh, whatever' attitude, stretched her palm towards him while still sitting.

The demonic energy she unleashed immediately seized the cane he was leaning on.

'It'd be a disaster if I grabbed his leg and he fell.'

She just wanted to stop him from running away from this spot. But...

"...Wh-what?"

Crack, crack-crack.

A strange sound started coming from the cane where it met the demonic energy, and cracks became visible.

Soon after, the part in contact with the demonic energy made a sharp, loud CRACK and snapped in half.

Gasp!

Flora almost let out a scream, covering her own mouth in shock at the unbelievable scene, and had to swallow her surprise.

'Wh-why did it break?!'

It was supposedly a gift from the Temple to reduce his pain, so maybe its durability was weak.

'Damn it!'

Flora sprang to her feet and snatched up the broken cane pieces.

'I have to pretend I know nothing, absolutely nothing...'

Just as she was about to quickly act out her role to keep her mouth shut about this situation...

"Ugh, uuugh."

The Grand Marquis's body began to shake uncontrollably and violently, then suddenly stopped.

He stood perfectly still, like a doll whose spring had wound down. Her brief sense of strangeness was interrupted as the palm touching the cane began to sting.

Annoyed, Flora looked down at the cane and was startled.

The cane was cracked all over, looking as if it would shatter into pieces at any moment. The part touching her palm was already broken, and sharp fragments seemed to have embedded themselves, as blood welled up, revealing a wound.

"My Lord, I sense a strange energy!"

Janet, who had been watching from afar, flew over quickly and roughly pushed the cane out of Flora's hand.

While Flora was pondering how to navigate this crisis, a voice so quiet she wouldn't have heard it if she hadn't strained her ears reached her.

"Th-that's not it. I, my heart isn't like that..."

Unlike before, his sharp demeanor had completely vanished, replaced by a plaintive voice. Flora lifted her gaze from the broken cane to look at the Grand Marquis.

His body, which had been frozen like a doll, creaked, and she saw the corner of his mouth trembling.

"...What did you just say?"

Even at Flora's question, he only moved his lips silently as if he had spoken, unable to produce a proper voice.

'It can't be...'

Thinking it was impossible, Flora nonetheless channeled demonic energy into her hand.

As the demonic energy touched the nearly shattered cane again, cracks appeared on its surface, and then it crumbled to the ground like sand.

From within, a single small bead, tinged with a light scarlet color, fell to the floor.

"A bead?"

As Flora reached out, the bead vanished as if turning to dust.

'What is this?'

Stunned by the bizarre phenomenon unfolding before her eyes, Flora stared rigidly at the floor when a very flustered voice began speaking from above.

"My, my true feelings aren't like that. How could I possibly dare..."

The Grand Marquis's eyes widened, and tears began streaming down his cheeks.

'Good heavens. Was that cane really the problem?'

She had suspected it, and she was right.

Very cautiously, Flora uttered a form of address she hadn't intended to use.

"Grandfather?"

At that word, the Grand Marquis's face filled with sorrow, and he burst into tears, suddenly kneeling down and hugging Flora tightly.

"...Grandfather?"

Unable to understand what he was thinking, she hesitated to act rashly and asked again. A tearful voice soon reached her.

"I'm sorry, so sorry. For this old man to have said such terrible things to you... I can only say it wasn't my intention."

The astonishing shift in attitude was so unbelievable that Flora blinked.

"My heart wasn't like that, but why did such awful words come out whenever I saw you? I definitely intended to give you the will..."

His confused words continued, as if he himself didn't understand.

She was too shocked to react immediately, but seeing how the situation unfolded, she vaguely grasped what had happened.

'Was he really being controlled?'

Things were much better now, but the Lucifers had more enemies than she thought.

People had not forgiven the descendants of the hero who betrayed humanity, and narrow-minded prejudice against the traitors still persisted relentlessly.

'At first, I thought we faced this persecution and hostility simply for being Etar's descendants... But from the oracle calling me a calamity to this suspicious, power-holding bead controlling Grandfather, it seems there's more to it.'

The thought that there might have been a suspicious conspiracy surrounding her and the Lucifers even before she was reborn made her head hurt.

'...Now that I think about it, not long after I returned home, there was that incident where I was almost kidnapped.'

That case ended with just increased security since the culprit wasn't captured, but perhaps that incident was also related to the oracle concerning her.

If so, it meant there might be someone among the Temple officials who secretly infiltrated that kidnapper.

'Enough of these thoughts for now. Calming Grandfather down is the priority.'

Flora hugged the sobbing Grand Marquis Eisollen back.

The venomous demeanor was gone, replaced by an incredibly vulnerable state she couldn't quite get used to, but it was right to resolve this situation while he was favorably disposed towards her.

"Grandfather. Please stop crying."

"...Who, who's crying? This old man doesn't know things like tears."

His voice was full of moisture, belying his words. Flora barely held back the retort that almost slipped out, thinking 'I already saw everything.'

"Someone might think I made you cry."

Well, she only held back half of it.

"...You are outrageous."

It was the same phrase he'd used in the dining hall, but the feeling imbued in it now was clearly affection.

'It seems my brother was right.'

It was hard to believe, but perhaps the Grand Marquis Eisollen truly had cared for Benio.

'He probably looked at my brother with these eyes. That's why even my oppa couldn't have missed it.'

His eyes, red from crying, remained fixed on Flora. Unlike before, they sparkled and were full of life.

What was reflected in them was unmistakable affection and love.

'It's the same look Dad and my brother always give me.'

She had been inwardly hurt and very upset by the things the Grand Marquis Eisollen had said, but having seen with her own eyes that it wasn't his will, she couldn't blame him.

"Grandfather. I'm asking this just in case, because I want to be sure. Do you... dislike me?"

"......"

Flora asked one last time for confirmation, but no answer came.

"Are you upset and do you dislike me because a child who grew up feeding on her mother's life doesn't seem to miss or love her mother..."

Realizing he could no longer remain silent at her unusual words, the Grand Marquis tightly shut his eyes and forced out the rest with difficulty.

"...F-forget the words I said earlier. You may not believe it, but I swear I was not in my right mind when I said those things. It's only natural that you know nothing about your mother, isn't it?"

It was a kind and understanding side she had never seen in the Grand Marquis until now.

"...None of the words I spoke before were my true feelings. I apologize, so please forget them."

He even apologized first.

'If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I truly wouldn't have believed this scene.'

"And it's not good for a Young Lady to sit on the cold floor. Here, take your grandfather's hand and get up."

'I wonder if my brother and uncle will faint from shock.'

His overflowing consideration made Flora swallow her surprise and cautiously take his hand.

"Where is my cane..."

As the risen Grand Marquis immediately looked for his cane, Flora smiled brightly, seeing the perfect opportunity she'd been waiting for.

"You had a cane with you? I didn't see it."

"I'm sure I was leaning on it... Is it by the gravestone?"

Flora suggested they go look, holding the Grand Marquis's hand as they walked together to Nersha's gravestone. But of course, the long-vanished cane wasn't there.

"No, where did it go?"

Seeing the Grand Marquis's bewildered expression, Flora asked with an innocent face, feigning ignorance.

"You had it when you left the dining hall; that's strange. I heard it was a cane given by the Temple. Could it be that the Temple's cane grew legs and ran away?"

This was the beginning of her desperate act to avoid being discovered as the one who broke it.