The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 107

“Haa.”

Only after getting on the carriage could I calm my racing heart.

‘Inanna was right.’

Everyone would appeal to the best of their ability.

‘How on earth did Inanna choose Grandfather in such a cutthroat relationship?’

What gave her the conviction to choose him?

Inanna made her choice without much difficulty, but I…

“Little Mistress, shall we return to the mansion?”

“Yes, that would be best.”

Maybe it would be better to make a decision in my heart. That way, I wouldn’t give the other children any room to maneuver.

‘It’s only been three years since I was ten, but so much has changed since then.’

I’m scared of what will happen when I get older and become an adult.

‘Perhaps now is the last time we can all be friends.’

Once I come back, I’ll be an adult, and it would be better to choose the next head of the family before Raheen appears to reduce the chaos within the family.

I was slowly realizing that I couldn’t be friends with everyone.

* * *

Arriving at the mansion, I went straight to my room to hide the gift.

I hadn’t had dinner yet, but I wasn’t hungry because I was so worried. But then, I saw a very familiar silhouette in front of my room.

“Dante?”

“Where have you been, Dong-geul?”

Dante, who had been leaning against the wall with a bored expression, brightened up as soon as he saw me. But then, he coughed for no reason and tried to suppress his twitching lips.

I burst into laughter at his attempt to act dignified like the adult knights around him, and I hurried over to him.

“I went to buy Ian a gift!”

“Why such a grand gift? Hyung [older brother/term of endearment] would be happy if you just gave him a gold coin rolling around under your bed.”

“And what about you, receiving a sword from me this year?”

“Ahem.”

Dante’s birthday is March 23rd.

It was spring.

I pestered Dad to get a very sturdy sword, and I gave it to Dante as a gift. It seemed like a necessary item for Dante, who would become a Paladin in the future.

And now, when it’s Ian’s birthday, he’s telling me to just give him a gold coin.

“You should have a kind heart; you can’t be like that.”

“Hmph. Ah, but you……”

Dante carefully grabbed my wrist and put his nose to it.

After sniffing, Dante frowned and grumbled.

“You met that shark bastard. That guy’s fishy smell is all over you.”

“Oh my, look at how you talk about your sibling.”

“You need to get your facts straight, Dong-geul. That bastard doesn’t even consider us hyungs.”

That’s… true, but.

I couldn’t deny it, so I scratched my cheek.

I don’t know how he’s doing in the Imperial Palace, but a leaky bucket leaks inside and out [meaning someone’s true nature will always be revealed].

The Driblyane family’s general meeting, held once a year.

All heirs could attend from the age of eleven, and Yuri always acted very arrogantly at those meetings.

Yuri acted as if no one but me existed, and he didn’t even allow anyone to speak to him except for Grandfather, Inanna, Father, and me.

‘And he completely ignored Dante and Ian as if they were invisible.’

To think positively, it’s only been three years since he came out of the fish tank [left his sheltered upbringing], and he’s already established himself as an emperor.

To think negatively… I wondered how much worse he would be in other places if he was like that even in Driblyane.

I was a little worried that if Yuri became emperor, the strongest and most arrogant emperor in history would be born.

‘Ah, but I heard he’s kind to the people, just like he is to me.’

So Yuri’s popularity is enormous in the Magic Empire right now.

‘If that’s the most important thing, then I guess it’s okay…….’

The most important thing is the people, and if he’s won their hearts, then whatever.

“So, what did you buy?”

“Ah, a tie. I thought Ian would be able to use it well even when he becomes an adult.”

“Hmm, really? What color?”

“I bought a red one, why?”

“No, you bought well. He can really wear it ‘normally’.”

Dante shrugged and took my hand.

I tilted my head, thinking Dante seemed to emphasize the word ‘normally.’ But that’s not what’s important right now!

“You went on an expedition! How did you come so early? Let me see your face. Are you hurt anywhere?”

“Do you think I’d get hurt?”

“But last time, you went all the way to a volcanic zone!”

“Ah… the commander’s training is a bit unconventional. But this time it was normal. I’m fine.”

How long has it been since I saw Dante’s face?

I didn’t have the ability to count every minute and second like Yuri, so I didn’t know how long it had been since I last saw him.

‘I really like how it’s not awkward at all, even after seeing him after so long.’

That was Dante’s strength.

Treating me as naturally as if he had seen me yesterday, even after three months.

“Andre was whining, saying it’s hard to put up the decorations on the ceiling, so come quickly.”

“Andre? He was?”

“The commander saw him send that kind of content by military carrier pigeon, so I think you won’t be seeing Andre’s face from tomorrow.”

“Andre, really.”

I chuckled and stood with Dante in front of the empty room where we decided to hold Ian’s birthday party.

When I opened the door, Andre was falling off a high ladder.

“Uwaaagh!”

“Tch. I told you to be careful.”

I just stared with wide eyes, but Dante’s figure disappeared and caught Andre.

Dante narrowed his brows and shook his head, grabbing Andre’s nape tightly.

“Oh, thanks for saving me… not! I’m doing all the hard work, and you’re coming in all friendly with Florin. That’s unfair!”

“Shut up. Military carrier pigeon? Are you crazy?”

“Ugh! No, I was testing to see if the carrier pigeon might be hijacked in the middle! People who saw it would have thought it was some kind of code!”

Andre struggled, and Dante scolded him. Meanwhile, Meriem quietly approached me.

“What do you think? I tried to prepare as much as I could.”

“The decorations are much better than last year! I’ll help with the rest!”

Ian was very embarrassed to be celebrated like this, but he was secretly happy.

The other kids enjoyed birthday parties too, but they didn’t enjoy them as much as Ian did, so… everyone put in more effort to take care of Ian’s birthday.

The successor’s residence had been rebuilt, but we were still living together in the main building, so it wasn’t difficult to take care of him.

“Ack, ack! Stop hitting me! Anyway, we’re finishing the preparations today and gathering on his birthday, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right. Andre……”

Andre, who was being beaten by Dante, moved nimbly and hid behind me. He seemed to think that Dante wouldn’t be able to drag him away if he did that.

I, who had suddenly become a human shield, clapped my hands with a sigh.

“Dante, put up some of the decorations that Andre couldn’t. Everyone bought gifts, right?”

Somehow, I came here directly with Dante, so I brought the gift in my hand.

I put my gift on the low table in the center of the room.

Meriem’s gift was already there, but Andre’s and Dante’s were not.

“I’ll go get my gift!”

Andre, who was watching, quickly opened the door and ran away to avoid Dante.

Dante seemed to be wondering whether to chase after him, but I decided to give Andre some breathing room. He’ll be scolded by my stepmother tomorrow anyway.

“What about Dante?”

“Ah, I just came. But I heard that the shoes I ordered will arrive tomorrow.”

“This year’s gift is shoes!”

“Yeah. I had shoes custom-made that Hyung can use ‘normally.’ With various functions.”

What is Ian’s normal life like that he keeps emphasizing it like that……? I’m a little uneasy.

“Florin, can you make flowers with this?”

At that time, Meriem came to me and gave me colorful jellies.

As a result of my research, my alchemy wasn’t particularly limited by the medium. However, there were certain types that suited me better, and those were mainly food… and the easiest thing to turn into flowers was jelly.

I put the jellies here and there in the bedroom and used alchemy, so that Ian’s birthday would be filled with my flowers.

The flowers I made had good durability, so even if I bloomed them today, they would be fine for half a month.

“Oh, by the way, everyone.”

After looking at the flowers I had made with satisfaction, I suddenly became suspicious.

“Do you guys know where Ian goes normally?”

* * *

‘Suspicious. Very suspicious.’

A week later.

The morning of Ian’s birthday.

I narrowed my eyes as I ate yogurt with lots of fig jam. Andre was munching on toast in front of me. Dante and Meriem were eating sirloin steak from early in the morning.

Even the timid Zion came out and picked up a croissant, but Ian was not in this place.

Because-

‘Ian has insomnia, so he doesn’t usually eat breakfast.’

So far, I had never thought it was strange that Ian didn’t show up in the morning.

‘And we don’t usually have lunch together.’

This family is busy with their own schedules in the afternoon. So, instead of gathering in the dining room, everyone tends to eat simply where they are.

For dinner, we either eat out if there is an external schedule, or we eat with the adults of the family.

Of course, there were days when I couldn’t see Ian all day because the times didn’t match, but I still saw his face at least once every few days.

Unlike Yuri, who couldn’t come out easily because he was in the Imperial Palace, or Dante, who went on expeditions, I still ate snacks with him at least once every five days.

Was that why? I thought Ian’s daily life wouldn’t be much different from mine.

‘But if you think deeply, it’s very strange.’

First. Dante moves with the elite of the Black Wheel Knights. They receive many kinds of training to develop the ability to cope with special situations.

So that means I know where Dante is and who he is with.

Second. Andre trained with the remaining knights in the mansion.

He has a bright personality and talks a lot, so when I walk down the hallway, I can hear Andre’s voice from somewhere.

He shouts and runs around, climbs trees… He makes all sorts of pranks, so I can’t help but pay attention.

In other words, I couldn’t help but know where Andre was even if I didn’t try to find out.

Lastly, Meriem and I had the most overlapping routes. She is learning something from the butlers, chief administrators, and accounting clerks in the mansion.

Meriem and I also take a couple of classes together.

‘But Ian…… where is he? Who is he with and what is he doing? How does he usually live? I don’t know any of that at all.’