I Raised the Villain's Daughter Too Well-Chapter 16: Didn’t Know! -

Firnea stretched and flopped onto the bed.

“Can I sleep now?”

“I’m sorry, My Lady. This time, I have business to attend to.”

“What is it?”

“It’s regarding the Academy.”

“...”

Firnea sat up, slightly more serious now.

“They’ve arrived, haven’t they?”

“Yes. The notice...”

“I’ll say this in advance—I'm going. Even if it’s dangerous.”

“...”

To discuss danger in relation to attending the Academy—

It was because it was obvious that the one who assassinated Pitus wouldn’t leave Firnea alone.

Until now, she had handled everything within the territory.

That territory, nearly the size of four cities, may not have felt stifling—but if she went outside, who knew what evils might reach for her.

“Still, I have to go. Connections are the most important thing... Isn’t that what you always say, Virdem?”

“As you say, My Lady.”

“And I don’t want to live a life locked away forever, scared of some bastard like that. It should be the opposite. He should fear me.”

Firnea declared it with a calm confidence, showing neither arrogance nor anger.

In truth, she had steadily built her strength over the years. And she had simply come to a conclusion through that process.

That now—no matter what came—she was confident she could crush it.

Seeing that reflection of Duke Pitus’s blood so vividly, Maclaine wiped at the corners of his eyes.

“Ah, My Lady... If the Master had seen you like this, surely...”

“Stop it. That’s embarrassing.”

Firnea smiled as she comforted Maclaine, then turned to me.

“So that’s how it is. I’ll be counting on you at the Academy too, Virdem.”

“Ah, I can’t go.”

“...What?”

At those words, Firnea froze.

Maclaine, still dabbing at his eyes with a handkerchief, added an explanation.

“No personal attendants are allowed inside the Academy. They could be used for cheating or as couriers, and it’s impossible to monitor all of them. Since butlers are also considered attendants, they’re prohibited as well.”

“Ah, I see?”

Firnea nodded cheerfully as if she understood—

“Then I’m not going.”

“...My Lady?”

“I’m not going.”

She responded even more cheerfully, with a bright smile.

“I won’t go even if I die.”

****

“Um, My Lady?”

—Bang!

“May I come in?”

—Bang!

“Haa...”

Late at night.

I let out a sigh and leaned my head against the door of the office.

It wasn’t that the ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) young lady was smashing anything—she was working.

As someone who would eventually become the Head of House, she was now taking on various responsibilities from Maclaine to learn them.

All of it was dreadfully boring work, the kind a young girl at her prime would normally hate...

But she never complained or grumbled. She just did it, saying it was only natural.

...Suddenly, I remembered the first day I met Firnea.

A little girl who secretly held grudges against the retainers, who didn’t know how to consider others’ feelings, and grew bored of anything that didn’t interest her.

She’d grown up to the point where she could process her frustrations through work instead of expressing them to others. Admirably so.

It wasn’t the time for it, but a small smile crept onto my lips.

Somehow, I thought—maybe this is what it feels like to raise a daughter.

“Ahem. My Lady.”

—Bang!

“Come to think of it, you still haven’t received your present from me.”

—...

The sound of stamping documents stopped.

“I had hoped to give it to you before today ended... But it can’t be helped. I’ll give it to you next time, so once your work is done, please rest well.”

I turned on my heel and began walking, silently counting in my head.

One step.

Two steps.

And on the third step—

Click.

A precise sound of the door opening rang out.

I held back a grin as I opened the door.

“Pardon the intrusion, My Lady.”

“...”

Firnea, clearly sulking, was working in her nightgown.

Still, it wasn’t like she was doing things half-heartedly—she wore small glasses and carefully examined each document before stamping them.

While I stood silently, I heard her voice, faint and subdued.

“The Academy. It’s six years.”

“Yes, it is.”

“You’re going to leave me alone for six years? You said you’d stay with me until the revenge was over.”

“Of course. I have no intention of breaking my word. I will visit you at the Academy every day.”

“...There’s no way you’d do something so shameless. You’ve got things to do too.”

“It’s no problem. My duty is to be with you, My Lady. Ah—happy birthday.”

I took out the box I’d been keeping close and handed it to her.

Feigning disinterest, Firnea levitated the box with telekinesis and deftly opened it.

...As I’d felt earlier, that’s definitely not how you’re supposed to use that magic.

Inside the box was a pendant—one I could confidently say had been beautifully crafted.

“This is...”

Firnea widened her eyes and examined the pendant.

It wasn’t the beauty that captivated her—she’d seen and worn thousands of luxury items.

Her gaze was fixed on the Heart Fragment embedded in the center of the pendant, the flawlessly infused mana, and the magic circles engraved smaller than a grain of rice.

Any mage would recognize the value of this pendant.

“Virdem, this... is it?”

“Yes. That’s correct.”

We had obtained it together... or rather, Maclaine had bought it and set it aside.

A magical artifact in the form of a pendant, created using the final stage of dwarven enchantment techniques, with a Heart Fragment embedded inside.

It was a near-artifact-class treasure that could nearly double the power of all magic spells.

Looking at this relic that truly belonged in the Imperial Treasury, Firnea covered her mouth in genuine shock.

“H-How did you make this? A magic tool that only shows up in legends??”

“You were right, My Lady. Like you said before—I seem to be rather handy.”

Firnea stared at the pendant with trembling eyes—

Then hugged it tightly to her chest.

It was hard to imagine what kind of expression or emotion was hidden under her lowered head.

“...Thank you. Out of all the gifts I received today, this one’s my favorite.”

“Thank you, My Lady.”

The words were so pleasant that I couldn’t help but smile.

Firnea looked at me—and then suddenly blushed and lowered her head.

“...My Lady?”

As I approached her in concern, she shook her head furiously, snapping back to her senses—then made a sudden expression.

It was the face she made when she’d made up her mind about something.

“...Ah, I really can’t. I don’t want to go to the Academy without you.”

“If the Academy doesn’t suit you, you don’t have to go. That’s what I th—”

“No, I have to go. I have to go—for Father.”

Firnea shook her head and declared.

“But you’re coming too.”

“...Pardon?”

“You’re coming with me.”

I laughed, thinking it was a joke.

...Until I saw her firm expression—the same one she had when, at ten years old, she ordered me to go hunt a lion.

****

A small mansion in the North, during dinnertime.

“Unnie, what are you doing?”

Leah looked at her older sister with half a disapproving, half worried expression.

Armeria, with a dazed look on her face, was slicing the same piece of meat again and again—until the steak had become practically liquid from the bizarre ritual of cutting it to death.

Leah only spoke up once it had reached a level beyond minced meat.

She couldn’t help it. She’d learned from experience that if she spoke to Armeria when she was like this, it would be a major hassle.

Armeria replied with a vacant gaze.

“...Leah, remember how six years ago, Duke Pitus was assassinated and died?” fɾeewebnoveℓ.co๓

“Yeah.”

“Well... something like a ‘variable’ popped up then?”

“Huh?”

“Is that what caused this? But I didn’t do anything to the Seriratus Family... Is it the butterfly effect? But how could there be such a bizarre butterfly effect...? It’ll probably be fine, right? Right?”

...From the second sentence onward, Leah didn’t understand a single word, and sighed in that familiar way one did when someone lived up to expectations.

Her older sister Armeria was weird.

From birth to now, she had behaved so crudely it was impossible to believe she’d ever received a noble’s etiquette education—and drew constant side-eyes because of it.

But at the same time, no one in the family dared treat Armeria lightly.

There was only one reason.

She possessed absurdly good fortune.

Every month she would vanish on a journey, and then return with armfuls of elixirs that couldn’t be bought even if the family spent all its wealth.

Whenever anyone asked for details, she would ramble something utterly incomprehensible, to the point that even her own family—who had lived with her their whole lives—couldn’t make sense of it.

Which is why the family treated Armeria with the same reverence one would give to a truffle-hunting pig.

“Unnie, just take it easy today. Let’s skip training.”

“...Ah, yeah. It’s probably nothing. Nothing at all... Ugh, and I went through so much to get you set up...”

Armeria started squishing Leah’s cheeks aggressively.

Leah struggled to fight back as she dragged Armeria into her bedroom.

That’s when Armeria, as if she suddenly remembered something, pulled a small box from the table.

“Oh, right. Leah. Want to eat this?”

“...Unnie, I told you I don’t need any more elixirs or potions.”

Leah recoiled in horror.

From early childhood to now, 80% of the elixirs Armeria brought back had ended up in Leah’s mouth.

If any other noble saw that, they’d foam at the mouth—but Leah didn’t care about strength. Most of the time, the potions tasted terrible, made her whole body heat up, and left her bedridden for a week.

Sure, afterward she’d feel stronger, but... where was she even supposed to use that strength?

Leah didn’t care about praise from her family or drawing blood in sparring matches. She didn’t want to get stronger.

What she secretly wished for—even from her sister—was a sweet, innocent romance once she entered the Academy. Especially with a cold and handsome guy like the one from the novel she recently read, The Duke’s Northern Son Who Stabbed Noble Daughters with a Heated Poker.

But Armeria shook her head.

“This isn’t an elixir. It’s a chocolate cookie.”

“Cookie?”

Leah perked up.

In the House of Paltis—where diet was strictly regulated under the belief that sweets and pastries would disgrace the family name—chocolate cookies were practically mythical.

In the end, she reached out, pretending to resist.

“...A-hem. I’ll just try one. Can’t gain weight, you know.”

“And the elixirs—you’re going to eat all of them anyway. Even if they taste bad, just suck it up and eat them.”

“What are you even saying—mm...”

Leah shot Armeria a glare as she popped the cookie into her mouth—then her eyes went wide.

It wasn’t just sweet. It was bitter, and a bit salty too. But the balance of those flavors elevated the taste threefold—into something she’d never experienced before.

Leah’s face melted instantly.

“So...so good...”

“Right?? Right?? I was shocked when I first tasted it too! It tastes just like the kind they used to sell back home—how did they get that exact combination...”

Leah ignored all of Armeria’s rambling and locked her gaze on the still-full box of chocolate cookies.

As her hand stealthily reached for the box—

Tap.

“...Huh?”

New-model erasure.

Leah’s presence vanished instantly from the room, cutting through even Armeria’s lax reflexes.

Armeria looked blankly at her now-empty hand—

“...Leah, I was saving those! F-Fine, I’ll give you a thousand-year ginseng—no, a ten-thousand-year ginseng! Just give it back!!”