I Possessed the Villain’s Daughter – Chapter 83

I had heard that this so-called noblewoman worked in a department within the Royal Central Palace, apart from everyone else.

“Hurry up, Eldin brother!”

“Uh, y-yeah.”

“…”

Standing beside Eldin was a boy with an expressionless face. His name was Raltz, Eldin’s playmate. Eldin had dragged him along, thinking two are better than one, and three are better than two. Rubiana, however, whispered to them with a look that said she didn’t really care either way.

Rubiana explained that Ray intended to grant the lady a plausible title of nobility to keep her close at his side. She said the reason the lady worked alone was because, in truth, she didn’t really have any other duties.

Eldin didn’t mind whether that was Rubiana’s claim or just a rumor circulating in the palace.

Still, when they arrived at the Central Palace and looked up at the grand building, it did seem undeniable that this guest had been given extraordinary privileges.

The room she stayed in was the finest guest chamber in Ray’s palace—one usually reserved only for visiting royalty from foreign nations. If she was a noblewoman of the Ulysses Empire, perhaps she warranted such treatment… but even so, it was an exceptional case.

Hmm…

Eldin felt his mood sink without realizing it.

He thought he had no particular feelings toward her, but perhaps that wasn’t really true.

The Kingdom of Siwyn, though culturally flourishing, was still a very small realm. Even if the Ulysses Empire was vast, the difference in territory between them was nearly elevenfold.

Eldin loved Siwyn with pride and affection, but he secretly carried a complex about his kingdom’s smallness and weakness. And this noblewoman from the mighty Ulysses Empire only pricked at that complex, making her an unwelcome presence in his eyes.

He wanted to restrain Rubiana and show only goodwill toward their guest, but instead, his mood only grew heavier.

As if unaware of his feelings, Rubiana raised her small, delicate hand and pointed ahead.

“Shall we go in?”

“Ah, y-yeah.”

Wait… is Ruby planning to go all the way into her workplace?

Eldin hesitated. Was it really okay to enter without notice? If they had at least brought a servant along, they could have had someone announce their arrival—but they’d forgotten to bring anyone.

Just then, Rubiana suddenly flapped her hands in surprise.

“S-someone’s coming!”

“Hm?”

Who could it be? Eldin instinctively turned toward the figure. Since few people visited the Central Palace besides officials, he assumed it must be one of them.

If it were a strict steward or one of the elder royals, that would be troublesome—so the three children quickly ducked behind some bushes.

But the moment Eldin saw the person, he froze completely.

The radiant silver hair was unlike anything usually seen in Siwyn.

He had known of gray hair, like his brother’s aide Minuet, or the silver hair of the elderly—but never had he seen such breathtaking silver hair, shimmering like crystal beneath the sunlight. Her hair was tied neatly, revealing the dazzling whiteness of her nape. She looked like a fairy of snow.

Then Eldin caught sight of her face—and let out an involuntary gasp.

Her emerald-green eyes seemed to contain the very life of the forest. Below them lay a perfectly straight nose, soft lips, and cheeks like ripened peaches, all blending into a beauty beyond compare. She looked a little cool, even aloof, but rather than diminishing her beauty, it only heightened her elegance.

He swore it—she was the most beautiful person he had ever seen in his life.

In his head—or perhaps from the heavens—it was as though bells tolled in sweet harmony.

“…Brother? Brother?”

“…”

“Brother!!”

Only after Rubiana called him several times and jabbed his side did Eldin snap out of it.

“What are you staring at so hard?”

Rubiana tilted her head at him curiously. Eldin flushed red.

“N-nothing.”

But his eyes remained fixed on the newcomer. She carried a bundle of files in her arms, looking very busy.

Is she an official working here? Or a noble? Just who is she?

Seemingly unaware of the three children hidden in the bushes, she walked on with a calm, unreadable expression and entered the Central Palace. Only then did Eldin exhale a shaky breath.

Rubiana spoke up.

“Come to think of it, that must be her.”

“H-huh?”

“Your supposed lover, I mean. As for her looks… hmph, well, I’ll admit she’s kind of pretty. But she’s still nowhere near enough to be the lover of my eldest brother!”

“Yes… but she truly is beautiful.”

That was Raltz’s quiet comment from the side. Eldin, however, could not respond to either of them.

It felt as if the ground beneath him had given way. The bells in his head had long since fallen silent.

“…She’s… my brother’s lover?”

“Yes. I’ve heard it too. They say the guest has rare silver hair and green eyes.”

Eldin suddenly wanted to protest at that description.

Silver hair and green eyes? That was far too meager a phrase to capture her beauty. At the very least, it would take a love poem of ten stanzas just to convey a fragment of the splendor in those emerald eyes.

Rubiana folded her arms.

“Hmm. At first, I thought we should just go and see her boldly, but I’ve changed my mind.”

“Why?”

“Because… she wouldn’t take a child like me seriously anyway. So instead…”

She leaned in, whispering her plan to Eldin and Raltz.

“…That’s what we’ll do. I heard she only nominally holds such duties, after all.”

Eldin drank in every word of Rubiana’s information, engraving it into his mind. Rubiana tapped her cheek thoughtfully.

“But who should go? Should it be me, after all?”

“N-no!”

Eldin shot to his feet suddenly, startling both Rubiana and Raltz.

“I’ll do it! I’ll be the one!”

“Uh… alright then.”

“You’re unusually passionate about this.”

His heart pounded at the thought of seeing her up close again—so hard it was almost difficult to breathe.

Of course… she was older than him by several years, and he was only the second prince. She was said to be his brother’s lover besides.

The more he thought about it, the more dispirited he felt.

Ah, whatever.

He shook off the thoughts.

I’ll just go for it!

Drawing a deep breath, Eldin lifted his gaze to the Central Palace.

“…So, what was the guest’s name again?”

Rubiana answered casually.

“I heard it’s Lady Laila Rosahill.”

“…I see.”

Rosahill—Eldin had heard of that name. The Rosahill Merchant Guild traded across the entire continent. Anyone with even the faintest interest in commerce had surely heard of them.

Eldin steeled himself and began walking slowly toward the place where she worked.

…Haa.

I let out a short sigh. No wonder—I felt utterly overwhelmed by the work in front of me.

“…Maybe I should make some tea.”

The workplace was quiet, with no one but me around. Ray had given me a large, fine office out of consideration, but working alone only made the space feel desolate.

To chase away the silence, I busied myself with small tasks.

I boiled water, warmed the teapot and cups, and opened a pouch of fine black tea from the Ulysses Empire. The empty room quickly filled with the fragrance of tea.

Maybe I should have chosen to work in the Mage Corps or the Foreign Ministry instead…

But that was a regret far too late. I already had this office and assignment—it would be hard to change now.

A few days ago, I had been resting in the palace quarters Ray had assigned me, when he came to visit. Since he came nearly every day, I thought nothing of it—until he summoned me to speak. I realized then he must finally have arranged work for me.

And I wasn’t wrong. It was just… far stranger work than I had imagined.

“…You created a new department?”

“Yes,” he had replied cheerfully.

Even at my dazed tone, Ray only smiled as if it were nothing unusual.

“There wasn’t a suitable department for you, so I made one. Of course, I’ll be counting on your success, Lady Laila.”

I believe in your abilities.

The way he looked at me like that had left me speechless.

I understood the logic: outwardly, I was a diplomat; secretly, I did the work of a mage. There was no ready-made role for someone like me. Still, expecting me to work alone? That was too much. I had barely been in this kingdom a week! Internally, I grumbled and sulked.

How should I even organize this?

I was the supervisor, the staff, and the clerk all in one. How was I supposed to divide and handle the workload?

Could I request reinforcements?

As I mulled over these thoughts and turned around, I froze in shock.

Someone was standing inside the office—where I had thought I was utterly alone.

It wasn’t a threatening figure. The intruder barely reached my chest in height—a child visitor.

Judging by his age, there was no way Ray had sent him as my assistant.

But even so, I couldn’t help my startlement. I drew a deep breath.

“Who are you?”

“…I, um…”

The boy stammered, unable to meet my gaze. I waited patiently.

“…Eldin Siwyst.”