HSDTVM| Chapter 3

Episode 3

Of course, there were eyes watching Ilia.

“I knew you’d quit in just a day,” the butler muttered in a low voice. The head maid responded to him.

“But the lady didn’t quit, did she? She seems like a good person.”

The butler and the head maid were watching Ilia in the hallway. The child hadn’t been asked to help, but Ilia was willingly taking care of Riheel and Luel. She wasn’t being lazy, and she wasn’t running away.

“It’s strange that someone who was born a princess is doing this kind of work.”

“Of course, I can’t be sure what kind of person she is. It’s something we’ll have to figure out as we go. But what I’m sure of is, even if the royal family had sent someone else, they wouldn’t have been better than her.”

The butler agreed with a silent nod.

“We should keep an eye on her a bit longer.”

“That’s probably best. Keep some maids around her at all times. We never know what might happen.”

“Isn’t it a bit too much to be so cautious of such a young child? She’s at an age where she should be in her parents’ arms, not married.”

The butler shook his head firmly.

“You’re too soft-hearted.”

For now, Ilia could serve as a shield from the royal family. But what if the royal family was using Ilia to carry out some shady business with the Duke’s family? With Riheel and Luel so sick, they wouldn’t have any choice but to fall into their hands.

For the sake of the late Duke and Duchess, they couldn’t let that happen.

But Ilia’s actions continued unchanged. A month had passed, and that was enough time to break through some of the Duke’s family’s caution.

Ilia thought that in order to gain the Duke family’s trust, she needed to show them that she was consistent. How could she convince the Duke’s people, who had been wary of her from the start, if they didn’t even want to listen to her?

For the past month, Ilia had been taking care of Riheel and Luel without being lazy. Sometimes, it was nice to see them open their eyes and look at her. For now, it wasn’t clear what Ilia could do next.

The Duke’s people were watching Ilia like she was a hedgehog with all its spikes out. Ilia thought it would be better to wait until they came to her first. Even though it felt like being in a zoo, she could understand their cautious hearts. After all, it was the royal family that had killed the Duke and Duchess.

Ilia was, in their eyes, a person who deserved to be excluded.

‘I wish someone would talk to me at least once.’

Ilia sighed deeply as she closed the door.

“Lady?”

“Ah!”

“Did I startle you?”

The head maid called out to Ilia, her eyes crinkling in a gentle smile.

Finally, the signal Ilia had been waiting for had come!

In truth, the Duke’s family hadn’t been unkind to Ilia. No matter how much of an illegitimate child she was, she was still of royal blood and could help hold the Duke’s family together. The marriage had, at the very least, helped save the Duke’s family’s title from falling apart. They couldn’t openly treat Ilia badly.

Ilia knew that things might be different on the inside.

Wasn’t it natural to be cautious?

After all, it was the royal family that had killed the Duke and Duchess.

‘But still, Ilia, the one who stole the money and ran away, is the bad one.’

Because of her, Riheel’s only sister, Luel, had died from an illness. It was no wonder the Duke’s family was furious with the royal family. In such a situation, Lizienne had bravely betrayed her own family and sided with justice.

I guess it was lucky for her that she was the female lead.

Anyway, Ilia realized she had to take the head maid’s hand.

“No.”

Ilia shook her head quickly.

In truth, Ilia was only 12 years old. She was two years older than 10-year-old Riheel, but she was still just a child. Yet, she had managed to have the wedding all by herself, didn’t cry, and had been taking care of Riheel and Luel. She was clearly more mature than her age and had a kind heart.

Her purple eyes sparkled like jewels, and her cute pink hair curled around her small face. Her rosy cheeks looked lovely and adorable.

In the month that Ilia had been there, her behavior had been enough to soften the Duke’s family’s suspicions.

The head maid smiled warmly as she spoke.

“I have something to tell you. Could you spare a moment?”

In fact, this wasn’t something that happened in the original story.

In the novel, Ilia was angry that Riheel didn’t show up at the wedding, and she would yell at her young husband every day. She ignored Riheel’s apologies, with his red face from the fever, and would scold him right in front of him.

At least, she did that with Riheel. But to 7-year-old Luel, she had done much worse.

She called him a “money-sucking leech.”

She’d even hit or pinch the sleeping Luel.

Luckily, when Ilia entered the story, it was the day before the wedding. Before that, Ilia had never met Riheel or Luel.

This interaction was likely a sign of peace. Ilia spoke in as adult-like a voice as she could muster.

“What is it?”

The head maid looked at Ilia with sympathy. Ilia, still a child, had come to this place with no one she knew. It must have been so scary and difficult. It was admirable and impressive that she had endured it all so far.

Moreover, Ilia seemed particularly small. Her hunched shoulders made her look like a little bunny.

“It’s nothing, Lady. It’s just a small favor I need to ask.”

The head maid spoke gently, as if to make sure the young lady didn’t get scared. She felt like it was important to do so.

“A favor?”

“Yes.”

Was it related to taking care of the children? If this was an opportunity to get closer to the servants quickly, it would be great. Maybe they could make the medicine and get the kids better faster. Ilia wanted to give the two children, who couldn’t even fully wake up, a chance to live.

Ilia followed the head maid as she walked quickly.

But, contrary to Ilia’s expectations…

“Congratulations, Lady.”

“Congratulations on your wedding!”

There was a small party prepared in Ilia’s bedroom. It was a gift from the Duke’s household for the young bride, who had to go through the wedding alone. It was also a welcome party for Ilia, who had taken care of Riheel and Luel for the past month.

And it was a sign of the Duke’s family starting to open their hearts to Ilia.

The bedroom was decorated with soft pink tones, a girl’s dream, and the cake the butler was holding was a luxurious cream cake with strawberries all over it.

“Wow…”

There was also a chandelier that sparkled like stars, and people had gathered to see Ilia.

“Thank you…”

Ilia was the villain in the original story, and the one inside her wasn’t really Ilia, but someone completely different.

But still, they were welcoming her like this.

How long had it been since someone treated her with such kindness? Compared to her tiring and difficult past life, this day felt like something sparkling.

Tears welled up in her purple eyes.

Ilia returned to her bedroom, her heart feeling lighter than before.

Fortunately, she had earned the goodwill of the Duke’s family. The head maid and the butler seemed to appreciate that Ilia had been taking care of Riheel and Luel so sincerely. It couldn’t have been easy to care for two children who couldn’t even wake up. Thanks to that, Ilia could now think about her next goal.

A year from now, a treatment for the illness that had been diagnosed as terminal for Riheel and Luel would be developed. Because of the butler’s private investment in a medical research institute, Riheel and Luel would have the first rights to buy the medicine.

But, because Ilia ran away with the money, they would only be able to buy one dose of the medicine, and Luel would have to die.

In the guilt of selling Luel’s life to save his own, Riheel would lose his mind and come after Ilia to kill her.

But this time, it would be different.

For now, Ilia planned to help Riheel and Luel recover as quickly as possible. She knew how to cure them.

This illness, which spread through excessive exposure to magic, would soon affect the crown prince as well.

The institution studying the disease was called the “Sprout Lab,” and it was staffed by skilled doctors and researchers, but they couldn’t continue the research because they lacked money.

Among those suffering from the illness due to magic exposure, only Riheel and Luel were high-ranking nobles, so the Duke’s family was the only investor.

That’s why the Duke’s family was spending money so freely.

‘I still need to make sure the research continues. We need to speed it up.’

If the disease was cured quickly, Riheel would be able to train faster and help with the monster hunting.

When the royal family discovered that monsters were the cause of the illness, they began preparing for a large-scale hunt, and naturally, Riheel would be involved. By then, the crown prince would also recover and join.

After achieving great success, Riheel would rise up alongside the crown prince as the future of the empire.

It was better if Riheel got better quickly.

‘But then the money will be spent faster…’