Chapter 18 …
A sudden thought flashed through the child’s mind, and she snapped her head up. That was when she finally noticed the enormous door leading into the mansion—and the crest carved into it.
“And… a golden bird taking flight!”
Good heavens.
Angelica’s mouth fell open. All the scattered puzzle pieces snapped together at once.
The familiar name Olivier, the fact that she was a duke… and a golden bird as the symbol.
“This is… the insignia of the villain family from the original story—the House of Duke Lespel!”
Despair flickered in Angelica’s sky-blue eyes.
And so, the scene shifted to the drawing room.
Drawing Room of House Lespel
My grandmother’s home was actually the villain’s house…?
Angelica hugged Sabu tightly, unable to hide her anxiety.
She was so tense she couldn’t even touch her own food—she just kept feeding Sabu instead.
She only managed to come this far because she didn’t want to leave her grandmother’s side, but sitting at a table surrounded by these people… the pressure was overwhelming.
She cautiously glanced at everyone around her.
First, her grandmother—gently stroking her back.
Olivier Lespel.
A war hero of the Skelpion Empire, awarded a ducal title despite not being royalty.
Now that I think about it, I did hear her name a few times in the 1st and 2nd playthroughs…
But Angelica had been too busy chasing capture targets to pay attention.
Still… grandmother is kind and gentle. She’s not scary.
Her gaze shifted to the center seat across from her.
Sitting there was Olivier’s son—the infamous, cold-blooded Duke Adrian Lespel.
He had a face like a sculpture, but his eyes and presence felt like a predator’s.
At first, Angelica had only thought he was handsome—but his cold gaze felt like it could freeze a person solid.
So that’s why he looked familiar… not just because he resembles grandmother, but because he looks like the villain ten years later in the original story.
As she lowered her gaze, she saw the villains of the future—only younger.
Two children sat on either side of the Duke, identical to him in every way.
Jet-black hair, golden eyes—features only direct blood heirs of the Lespel line had. And they had inherited their father’s sculpted beauty as well.
They’re even prettier in person. But… scary.
It couldn’t be helped.
The two children—Leonard Lespel and Teyren Lespel—were the very last people Angelica wanted to meet.
In the 1st and 2nd playthroughs, she’d picked routes that guaranteed she’d never encounter them, focusing only on the male leads instead.
Sure, there was one other villain in the game—but avoiding the Lespels was always the priority.
Because in the original game, there were multiple endings where Angelica died because of those two.
Leonard and Teyren were extremely obsessed with the heroine.
If the heroine didn’t have high affection with the main male leads, but either Leonard or Teyren’s affection was high…
Their obsession would twist into yandere madness.
Leonard’s ending: imprisoning the heroine in a basement until she died.
Teyren’s ending: destroying everything—because if he couldn’t have her, no one would.
There were several other gruesome bad endings caused by them.
Knowing all this, Angelica had avoided them at all costs in past playthroughs.
She definitely did not want to die at their hands.
…Though she still died because of the male leads anyway.
Either way, neither Leonard nor Teyren were normal.
Even though they were younger now, Angelica’s fear was instinctive.
She gulped nervously and studied them.
Leonard, the firstborn, looked like a calm, proper model student—tidy hair and gentle features.
In the original he was the elegant, refined heir… even if he locked the heroine away while smiling sweetly.
Teyren, the second son, looked more mischievous—short black hair, slightly tanned skin, a bit boyish… but still absurdly handsome.
In the original, Teyren became a Knight Commander. I’m sure he rampaged across battlefields.
Just as she was thinking that, Teyren suddenly met her eyes.
Oh no.
Angelica quickly looked away. Unlike Leonard—whose expression was unreadable—Teyren was openly glaring at her.
When she avoided his gaze, his eyebrow twitched upward.
Then—
“Grandmother, what is this dirty little thing doing here?”
Angelica flinched.
Sensing her fear, Olivier spoke in a gentle but firm tone.
“She is the child who will become my granddaughter.”
At those words, Angelica felt her nose sting.
In this unfamiliar place, grandmother was the only person on her side. It eased her heart a little.
“Huh? Granddaughter?”
Teyren asked, as if he couldn’t believe it.
Olivier smiled lightly, still caressing Angelica’s back.
“Yes. Angelica is the one who saved my life. I could not simply leave a child like her alone.”
The nearby servants gasped softly.
“Oh my…”
“She saved Her Grace?”
Leonard and Teyren, however, looked completely stunned.
It was hard to believe their grandmother’s claim.
Leonard kept calm, but Teyren said what he was thinking outright.
“She? Saved you?”
“She rescued me when I was on the verge of death in the forest, and then cared for me for several days.”
“That tiny thing… saved you?”
Teyren asked again.
“You don’t believe it? But it’s the truth.”
Olivier’s calm answer shut him up—especially when Duke Adrian raised a hand, silently telling him to stop.
Teyren clenched his mouth shut immediately.
It was a command from the highest authority in the family—and even his father wasn’t objecting.
If he kept talking, it would be rude.
With Teyren finally quiet, the drawing room fell into silence.
“Now then, Rica. Why don’t you greet everyone properly?”
As soon as the atmosphere settled, Olivier stroked Angelica’s hair.
Angelica froze.
So many eyes were on her. Teyren was glaring, the Duke and Leonard looked displeased…
And I have to greet them like this…?
Her hands trembled.
But then—warmth.
Grandmother’s hand.
Angelica lifted her gaze. Olivier was smiling down at her, warm and encouraging.
As if saying It’s alright.
Courage welled up inside her.
“H-hello. My name is Angelica. It’s nice to meet you.”
She bowed her head politely.
The servants immediately murmured in excitement.
“Oh my, how adorable.”
“Truly.”
Angelica’s cheeks turned bright red.
Olivier patted her, praising her for doing well.
Whew… I thought I was going to die from nerves.
It was just a short greeting, but it felt like giving a speech.
To calm herself, Angelica grabbed a cup of water and gulped it down.
As expected… no one responded to my greeting.
But that was fine. Grandmother was next to her. That alone was enough.
Just then, she met Leonard’s eyes.
To her surprise, Leonard smiled sweetly and waved at her.
“Hello, Rica. I’m your older brother—Leonard. You can call me oppa if you like.”
Angelica and Teyren both jolted in shock.
What!?
“H-hyung?!”
Teyren even stuttered. But Leonard didn’t care.
