Please Leave The Sickly Villainess Alone

Luka smiled cheerfully as he spoke:

“And yet I am still the Crown Prince. It is my remorse to be a child who has yet to satisfy you, Madam. I simply must strive harder.”

Leaving those words about seeing her at the next banquet, Luka brushed past Jeria.

Until the very moment he entered the Main Palace, he endured the piercing gaze from behind him. Only now did he truly feel like he had returned to the Imperial Palace.

The moments he had shared with Ria faded away like a melting snowflake, pretty before its demise. The realization that this was reality left Luka with a profound melancholy.

* * *

In the reception room, Ria’s gift was indeed ‘seated’ there.

Larger than the wide sofa it obscured.

“A teddy bear…?”

A servant happened to deliver a letter that had arrived from Rayes.

[To Luka]

Why did seeing his name in her handwriting feel so unfamiliar?

[Did you make it back safely? I was so flustered earlier that I didn’t ask if you were doing well. Since we have both emerged from the shell that was the Troy Orphanage into this world, it’s only natural for everything to feel unfamiliar.

Even so, let’s persevere. You and I, let’s grit our teeth in our new nests until our wings grow strong enough to freely soar into that sky.]

It was a message both to him and to Ria herself.

In truth, she was the one who remained composed despite being thrust into this world for the first time, experiencing something new each day.

She was strong. Luka wanted to lean on that slender back of hers forever.

Her mere existence had become the purpose of his life. He wanted to tear apart anyone who tried to attack Ria from behind, to trample anyone obstructing her path.

Luka was someone capable of doing so, and had to be.

He read the rest of her letter.

[Did you like the teddy bear gift I prepared? It’s really big and soft, so you’ll definitely sleep well hugging it! Hoping your day was a good one, see you again soon.]

So it seemed Luka would be bedding this massive teddy bear tonight.

The peculiarly smiling bear looked rather ominous, but after considering it from various angles, this teddy bear Ria had gifted as her proxy was no longer just a pile of stuffing.

To him, it was a more precious gift than any gold or jewels.

Luka chuckled as he carefully lifted the teddy bear.

“The courtiers will think I’m just a helpless child.”

But despite his words, he proudly carried the bear out of the room, as if it were a prize.

* * *

As promised, Terry clung to me like a leech – or a baby koala, you could say.

Having abruptly appeared yesterday to declare she would become a servant at the Ducal estate, Terry seemed to be adapting well to the estate in just a day’s time.

-Too… too adorable!

-I even baked cookies to give the baby.

She had become a celebrity among the maid sisters.

-The young Miss is tending to an even younger child – what an endearing sight!

-Finally, the spring breeze blows through this stark Rayes Duchy…

-I heard she was the younger sister the Miss used to care for.

From the whispers behind the pillars, I glanced at Terry plastered against my back. Touched that she had returned because she missed her Sister, I patted her head affectionately.

Then I set Terry down on the floor with both arms.

Looking up at me as if sulking over being put down, I spoke firmly:

“The Duke has summoned me, so I have to go. Terry, play with the maid sisters for a bit.”

With a reluctant ‘Hmph,’ like a tragic heroine, Terry scampered off to the maid sisters hiding behind the pillar.

Leaving the newly idolized child behind, I headed to see Dad.

I hadn’t been able to see him even at breakfast time. But despite being incredibly busy with the matter involving Luka, Dad still made an effort to spend time with me.

He had called me over to take a short break now. Normally, I would recount my fond memories from the orphanage for him to listen to, but today, I heard he had something important to discuss.

‘Well, I can pretty much guess what it is…’

* * *

As expected.

“Drehan arrives tomorrow.”

Dad’s study truly befitted the head of the Empire’s foremost noble house, with a faint coffee aroma permeating the air.

Amidst that, what I was drinking was a strawberry yogurt smoothie.

‘So delicious! Head Chef Shrimp is truly a master of all trades.’

As I sipped the smoothie, I muttered a quiet ‘I see.’

So the eldest son of Rayes was finally coming.

In the original work, he was a character who staunchly rejected Laveria and ultimately obstructed her from even discovering her true name. From my perspective, he was an unwelcome blood relation.

I could understand the novel’s portrayal of Drehan.

He was a ‘manless’ person – someone born without any innate mana at all.

Even if not from a mage family, most people are born with a unique mana force, just differing in quantity and quality. But Drehan was utterly devoid of it.

The term for such people was ‘manless’, but since they only possessed negligible mana anyway, it usually wasn’t an issue.

However, for Drehan, it was practically a curse.

Because it caused him to fail to recognize his own younger sister.

Those who had directly met the young Laveria before her kidnapping sensed her overflowing mana and instinctively remembered it.

Father and Miller were such cases. What they had merely felt was an intuition turned out to be their sole connection to Laveria.

You could say it was akin to a paternity test in this world.

But Drehan couldn’t do the same. He only remembered his sister’s childhood self, so upon seeing my current appearance, he would perceive me as a complete stranger.

After graduating at the top of the Imperial Academy, he would soon receive heir training. Beyond that, he would likely attend various high society events to increase his public exposure.

It’s not like there was no way to avoid encountering him as much as possible, but…

‘Like that would be easy…’

I let out a deep sigh.

Watching me, Dad gave a faint smile and said:

“Are you feeling anxious? Drehan has a cold personality, but he will certainly open his heart to his family, so don’t worry too much.”

“Will he really see me as family? As you can see, I’m hardly a pure Rayes.”

At my words, his expression visibly stiffened.

“Don’t tell me someone has spoken to you in such a manner.”

I shook my head vehemently.

“It’s just my own thoughts. When I make my social debut, people will surely…”

“If anyone treats you that way, all of Rayes and our vassals will retaliate. We’ll make it so they can’t even stand on the ground.”

His deep azure eyes spoke only the truth, commanding trust.

The ripple effects from my influence that diverged from the original story had permeated more areas than I expected. For instance, Dad’s actions.

Though the villainess’s story wasn’t described in detail in the original, Duke Rayes had initially made earnest efforts to bond with Ria.

However, his clumsy displays of affection only served as poison to Ria, making her misunderstand that she was being treated as a substitute.

Even when asked what she wanted, all she would cry out for was the Crown Prince who already had a lover, so the Duke was likely left with only deep regret and self-loathing at having found his daughter too late.

Not the sweet, affectionate gaze he now regarded me with.

He was also the one who, when Ria’s misdeeds ultimately culminated in her attempting to poison Senia, still strived to save her life amidst Kablos’ relentless assault.

The place he sent her to under the guise of exile was the warm Tranze region in the south, the Duchess’s hometown.

He would have prepared everything for her without omission.

He just couldn’t have foreseen the incurable illness that would claim her life there.

I smiled brightly at Dad.

“You’re so reassuring. Even if just words, thank you so much, Dad!”

His demeanor gave me a glimmer of hope that he could perhaps change Drehan as well – including the despair described in the side story ‘Drehan’s Regret.’

That night, after playing with Terry until I was exhausted, Sister Serine came to my rescue.

Watching her retreating back as she dragged away the protesting child insisting on sleeping together, I waved goodbye. Then, as my thoughts deepened while lying in bed, I dozed off.

* * *

“Why did this have to happen to me?!”

My eyes flew open at the childlike voice coming from somewhere.

‘…What is this scene?’

As if I had become invisible, the orphanage children ran right through me.

My younger self was huddled in a corner of the Troy Orphanage, head in hands. I appeared to be around seven years old. However, I had no such memories from my past.

Such a tormenting moment would be impossible to forget.

I was a complete outsider in this space-time. No matter how I reached out to the young Ria left behind, my hands simply passed through her.

“Mommy, Daddy, I miss you…”

The emotion conveyed by those hollow eyes pierced my heart.

‘What is this feeling?’

The moment I placed my hand over my chest, the space-time suddenly began to shift. The large window cut into the orphanage ceiling made it seem as if hundreds of days had passed in an instant-

-the sun setting, the moon rising, the sun rising again, repeating endlessly until the cycle abruptly halted.

“His name is Luka. Abandoned by his parents, he became a drifter chased by forest bandits until a head injury caused amnesia. Ria, you’ll be responsible for taking good care of him.”

It was the already deceased Miss Layola’s voice. But those words weren’t directed at me, rather at another Ria standing behind me.

That child still had emerald eyes filled with only despair and emptiness, but when gazing at Luka, a glimmer of emotion could be seen for the first time in so long.

Perhaps curiosity, perhaps amazement – that sort of feeling.

Time flowed once more. Whether I was trapped in this space-time by someone’s will, or if the world itself was moving, I knew nothing.

After a whirlwind passed, the dimly lit location was the small library in a corner of the gloomy Troy Orphanage – where Luka stood, being threatened by Miss Layola.

More accurately, Layola appeared to be controlled by something, her actions like a marionette on strings.

Her eyes were bloodshot, and a strange pattern glowed on her forehead.

In an instant, I realized she was being manipulated by Duke Kablos’s curse.

I had thought some contingency must have been arranged to control Luka, but I couldn’t have imagined such a curse would actually be placed on Layola in preparation for his potential escape.

The child’s body was utterly helpless against this threat.

It felt like my thought processes ground to a halt.

The library floor was open – the sealed storage room Luka had tried to escape through.

‘The Library Escape Attempt’ incident was unfolding right before my eyes. Was I witnessing the original story?

It was then that Layola instantly transformed into a monster.

Losing her human form, she became a vicious beast in the blink of an eye.

‘Wh-What is that?!’

Whether she had originally been a monster disguised as a human, or if Duke Kablos had turned the human Layola into a monster, I couldn’t tell.

It was a high-level monster. Menacing in appearance, it lumbered towards Luka, crimson eyes gleaming ominously.

Sprawled on the floor, looking up at the approaching monster, Luka’s expression showed a degree of resignation.

‘No!’

To intervene would mean death. Or crippling injury.

Even so, I charged at the monster. My judgment was instant, and even I was surprised by my own choice.

As expected, it simply passed through my body.

Having tumbled beside the crouched Luka, sharing his vantage point, I looked up at the encroaching monster.

Its murderous aura seemed to permeate through my skin.

Though I knew it would be futile, I embraced the young Luka. It was then that I felt his heart pounding rapidly.

“Miss Layola, stop this.”

At the voice coming from somewhere, Luka and I simultaneously raised our heads.

Though clearly trembling, it was the resolute, upright voice of a young girl.

“Punish me instead. Luka is the child I was tasked with caring for.”

It was another Ria with lustrous silver hair that didn’t lose its brilliance even in the dark night.

The moment captured in Luka’s childlike eyes was sheer rapture, as if greeting a deity.

To simply label this instant as ‘salvation’ would be an understatement.

“Then I’ll crush your legs instead!”

The monster stomped towards Ria, who boldly glared back at it.

Despite his battered state, Luka rushed to stop the monster from reaching Ria.

But it was far beyond the young Luka’s capacity, and he was instead struck by the monster’s attack, slamming against the wall with a sickening thud.

“No, please…!”

Thrashing in agony before losing consciousness, Luka’s plea went unheard.

* * *

And I awoke from the dream to the morning sunlight and the chirping of birds.