The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 77

As soon as I realized the voice sounded familiar, the unidentified escort carefully set me down on the garden floor.

“Where is Young Master Ian…?”

“Ian needs to make friends too. He can’t just stick by my side, right, Nina?”

“!”

Slender build, tall height, even those sleek legs. Although she’s covering her whole body in black attire, I recognized her at once.

This person is Nina!

“I thought you might recognize me…”

“I’ll pretend I don’t know Nina’s other face. Shh, it’s a secret!” (Referring to her role as an escort).

No wonder. I wondered why she was so quiet even though I said I was only taking Linda to the Imperial Palace this time. She was watching over me as an escort from the start, wasn’t she?

I hugged Nina tightly around the waist and looked up at her with sparkling eyes.

“Belladi. Do you know where she is? The one with the crimson hair.”

“…I’ll take you to her.”

In the end, Nina picked me up in a flash and shot off somewhere in the blink of an eye.

It was almost like the speed of the wind.

And finally, arriving at a secluded corner of the garden, I discovered a large tree where the trimming of the branches had not yet been completed. Belladi was up in it, hugging a sketchbook and drawing something.

“I’ll lift you up. Be careful.”

“Okay.”

Nina tapped her feet a few times and then jumped at once, placing me next to Belladi.

Admiring her amazing leaping ability, I waved to Nina.

‘No wonder I couldn’t find her. How could I have found her if she was here?’

I would have failed if Nina hadn’t helped me.

“Hello, Belladi. What are you drawing?”

“…”

“I’m Florin. I’m ten years old!”

Since it’s important to get close to Belladi first, I showed the prettiest smile I could.

Belladi was really quiet and docile, just like in the report. And quirky.

Usually, if someone suddenly appeared like this, they would be surprised and scream, but Belladi just continued what she was doing.

She didn’t respond to my words, nor did she push me away or avoid me.

“Can I see the drawing, maybe?”

I was sitting right next to her, so I could see it even if I didn’t want to, but I asked for permission first. Then, I slyly glanced over Belladi’s shoulder as she sketched.

“It’s abstract!”

“…!”

“Um, is it an analysis and reassembly of a subject? If it’s something that’s easily visible here… the moon?”

Even if I don’t know much about art, I knew that the lines extending from Belladi’s hand were non-figurative, not figurative.

Because it’s something that’s neither a landscape nor a person.

Abstract art basically doesn’t express a subject as it is. (Abstract art: Art that does not attempt to represent external reality, but seeks to achieve its effect using shapes, colors, and textures.)

Depending on the artist’s mind or intuition, it is disassembled and reassembled, and expressed as planes, lines, or shapes, so even if you draw the moon at first glance, you wouldn’t think it’s the moon at all.

The reason I thought Belladi was drawing the moon was simply because today was a full moon.

The moon is so pretty and round that I want to draw it myself.

‘Well, all I could do is color it with crayons.’

But it’s really amazing. She already understands and draws abstract concepts at this age?

“I like the moon. The moon changes every day.”

It was then.

It was a very small voice, but Belladi opened her mouth for the first time.

I widened my eyes and turned to look at Belladi.

“The moon’s wavelengths are so pretty…”

“So you were drawing the moon!”

“But you emit a prettier light.”

“R-Really?”

What is this? I’m supposed to be charming Belladi, but Belladi is charming me?

I scratched my cheek and carefully pointed to the sketchbook.

“Can you show me what you drew before, maybe?”

“Okay.”

Flap, flap.

The sketchbook turned page by page.

Completed drawings, still unfinished sketches.

Watching all of that, I realized that Belladi genuinely loved to draw.

Each page is filled with obsessive affection. Delicate and thin lines come together to create the moon.

I unknowingly fell into Belladi’s paintings. I didn’t know how to appreciate it well, but I just thought it was really good.

“Awesome.”

Does the concept of abstract art exist in this world? If not, could Belladi be the beginning of it?

I looked at the painting and unknowingly blurted out a compliment filled with sincerity.

“Awe…some?”

“Yeah. Have you ever submitted it? To a contest or something.”

This is a skill that deserves recognition. If she just submits it, she’ll win an award even if I don’t intervene.

Of course, here, ‘contest’ refers not to a contest where commoner artists step up to improve their status or position, but to a contest specifically for nobles that the Driblianne family will hold in the future.

My father would take care of manipulating public opinion to make it seem like participating in that competition is a very dignified and noble thing to do.

“The Driblianne family will be holding a painting and sculpture competition soon. How about submitting it there?”

“Something as grand as a competition… is not a place for me…”

“Why not! You can draw so wonderfully!”

“…”

Hugging the sketchbook tightly, Belladi blushed and lowered her head. Then, she hesitated and whispered.

“My sister said… it’s useless… this kind of thing.”

“No! The world doesn’t just revolve around usefulness!”

They’re the same crimson eyes as Selena, but how can Belladi’s eyes have such a pure feeling? It’s amazing that the atmosphere can be completely different even if the colors are the same.

I looked straight at Belladi and puffed out my cheeks.

“Your painting is awesome. Try to repeat after me. My painting is awesome!”

“My… painting is.”

“Awesome.”

“Awe…some.”

Her voice trailed off towards the end, but she still did well.

I nodded greatly.

“I actually fought with your sister.”

“!”

“But I want to get along with you. Won’t you be my friend?”

At my confident question, Belladi grabbed her curly hair and covered her face.

“I like your curly hair, I like your paintings, and I like the color of your eyes!”

“My sister… said she hates everything…”

“What does Selena have to do with you and me being friends? I like everything. Let’s be friends!”

Belladi looked at the girl in front of her, who was smiling brightly.

In fact, Belladi couldn’t see the other person’s face right now. It had been like that since she was born.

Belladi didn’t know how to distinguish people by their faces. The doctor diagnosed her with prosopagnosia (Prosopagnosia: also known as face blindness, is a neurological condition characterized by the inability to recognize faces.). She couldn’t even distinguish her father or sister unless it was by their clothes, and she still didn’t know who the maids were.

So Belladi was worried.

‘She’ll get angry if I don’t recognize her.’

That’s happened so many times before.

‘But… I think I can recognize this child…’

It was sparkling. Blue, pink, yellow, and light green lights were bursting out like fireworks. It was so dazzling that she couldn’t even look at it at first.

Most people have dark gray soul colors, but really, there are occasionally people with special lights.

Like a moth drawn to a warm light, Belladi reached out her hand towards the light.

‘My sister said that no one would be friends with someone like me…’

Selena was the tyrant of the house. Everything Selena said was right. But for the first time, Belladi thought that Selena might be wrong.

Above all, this child looked at her painting and said it was good.

“I… want to be friends…”

If my sister finds out, she’ll scratch me with her claws again, pull my hair, and kick my cheek.

My sister, who has turned into an animal, was really scary. So much so that I couldn’t even think of disobeying her.

‘But my sister said I wouldn’t have any friends. She didn’t say I shouldn’t make friends…’

Ah, it’s warm.

When the light hugged her tightly, Belladi sensed it. That she wouldn’t be able to bear it without drawing this light.

Yes, this was… fate.

* * *

Meanwhile, Hwa-iran, who had finished performing, was subtly hiding from the red-haired boy’s gaze.

I don’t know his name, but that guy who was with the princess was quite persistent. I don’t know what he wants and why he’s following me, but it’s annoying, so I have to avoid him.

“Hmm, hmm. More than that… if she’s really a princess, I can’t leave her here.”

Of course, I was planning to take her to the sky where she should be, but the scenes Hwa-iran saw today were quite displeasing.

Hwa-iran, who is 412 years old this year, has not lived for nothing.

He could clearly see the power structure inside this banquet hall right now.

‘That terrestrial thing from before is one axis, and the princess is another axis.’

They should just be supporting her, but they dare.

Hwa-iran narrowed his eyes and smiled. If it was certain that she was a princess, Hwa-iran would not have left those who disrespected the princess alone.

In Arcalik, royalty is God. The only thing that should be given to those who oppose the noble is punishment. He was only refraining because it was not yet certain.

If I take her directly and mix the precious blood flowing from her body with the blood of the king, the answer will come out.

‘Looking at her face, it seems right… but everything must be certain.’