The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 128

‘Hearing such fervent praise only makes me realize how terrifying 유리 [Yuri’s name romanized] is to them.’

Ordinary people only get to see 유리 waving at the head of the procession for about a second, but these people hear rumors and deal with her every day.

So, their reaction was genuine.

“Well, 유리’s eye smile is captivating.”

I said something like that casually.

Some of them must be 유리’s eyes and ears. It was impossible for them not to be.

“I want to rest alone now, so just heat up the water and leave.”

“Yes, I will!”

The structure of the large bathhouse was quite unique.

Inside the spacious room, there was only one tub filled with cold water and two tubs filled with warm water.

Built with golden pillars and pure white marble, it looked like a spring where the gods bathed.

To the right of this large bathhouse was a small door, and going through it led to an open-air bath.

From the inside to the outside, the water was prepared just for me. So, it was utterly silent.

Wearing a light slip, I sat on the edge of the open-air bath and stretched out my legs.

The water was so hot that it was impossible to soak my whole body in it.

I’d end up like steamed dumplings.

I leaned against a water-soaked rock and splashed my feet.

That’s when it happened.

Flap-!

“Huh?”

Startled by the sudden flapping of wings, I widened my eyes and looked up.

Although it was dark due to the night, the torches illuminated enough for me to make out what was sitting on the wall.

‘A canary?’

Wait, it looks like it’s carrying something on its ankle.

The canary, meeting my gaze, flew softly towards me without making a sound.

Without thinking, I reached out my hand, and the bright yellow little bird landed lightly on my palm, extending its foot. It was a clear sign that it wanted me to untie what was dangling from its foot.

‘A very small box and a rolled-up note.’

I untied the small box and the note at the same time.

I hesitated, not knowing what to look at first, but the canary stretched out its tiny claws and tapped the box.

‘Is it not just a canary but a bird beastkin [a human with animal features]? Can canaries even be beastkins?’

I was doubtful, but anyway, I opened the box first.

The small box, covered with velvet, looked like a ring case, and it was indeed.

‘A ring with a red jewel.’

Someone immediately came to mind…….

“Ah.”

My stomach churned.

The moment I put on the ring, I felt a distinct sensation of my ears going numb.

It felt strangely disconnected from this world, as if Father had just demonstrated the subspace, so I quickly unfolded the paper.

Baby, did you put on the ring first?

Baby.

It felt like hearing a gentle whisper right next to me. I knew it was 이안 [Ian’s name romanized] who sent it from the moment the ring’s jewel was red, and it really was.

The ring can block the connection between you and 유리. My uncle was making it, but I ended up delivering it.

It wasn’t easy to put a subspace into a jewel, so he failed repeatedly, but this is the last successful one.

That’s so 이안.

I liked how he explained the key points first.

유리 probably knows everything you see, hear, and read.

I can’t be sure, but… If you want to hide something, use that ring. Let’s meet soon.

이안.

Father and 이안 are more closely connected than I thought.

That was my impression after reading the note.

‘Father didn’t tell 단테 [Dante’s name romanized] about 유리. But 이안 knows everything. He was even entrusted with delivering the ring.’

That’s a relief. Father was supporting 이안.

I wanted anyone to be on 이안’s side, and it was Father, so that’s a relief.

I dipped the note in the water. Then, the ink completely dissolved, and the letters disappeared.

Only after confirming that it was as clean as if nothing had been written on it from the beginning did I twist the ring off.

If the maids saw a ring when I came out that wasn’t there when I went in to wash, they would be suspicious.

‘The best thing is to hide it in the pocket of the clothes I wore in.’

So, 이안.

‘Where are you now?’

The canary flew away again, and there was no sign of 이안 at all.

I swallowed my disappointment and soon immersed myself deep in the open-air bath.

I thought I wouldn’t be able to sleep well because the bed had changed, but with this ring in my possession… I felt like I could have good dreams.

* * *

‘So, I slept well….’

What on earth is going on?

The next day, I woke up at an ambiguous time because I slept so well after taking a long bath.

Too late for breakfast and too early for lunch.

In the end, I decided to have a snack and went out to the Crown Prince’s garden since the weather was nice.

The table placed in the center of the lilac-filled purple garden looked as if it were labeled ‘Sit here and enjoy the scenery.’

So far, so good. Until I was intoxicated by the lilac scent carried by the breeze.

The problem arose after that.

“Ah, say ah. Hmm?”

“I can eat with my own hands.”

“I know. I know, but… I want to do it for you.”

“I’m telling you, I’ll just eat it myself?”

“Yes, yes. I know. Just one more bite of this, and then you can eat with your own hands.”

I was now struggling for thirty minutes just to find ‘the right to eat my meal with my own hands.’

It was because 유리, who appeared with simple finger foods, kept trying to feed me.

‘The knights are pretending not to see, the servants are pale, and the maids are squinting with expressions of having seen something they shouldn’t have….’

If it were just 유리 and me in this place, I would have just gone along with it, but a Crown Prince is someone who brings about ten people with him every time he moves.

But doing this in front of so many people made me feel so ashamed that I wanted to disappear.

“Sister doesn’t even need to do things like eating herself. Really. I’ll do everything.”

“Haa.”

“It’ll become natural in a week. Don’t worry.”

No, seriously. I don’t want things like this to become natural.

I was hungry, and I didn’t have the strength to push 유리 away, so I was just doing as he said, but I was starting to get annoyed.

“I don’t like being manipulated at will, 유리.”

When 유리 picked up another roll sandwich and brought it to my mouth, I finally spoke sternly with a serious expression.

Anyway, he’s not the ‘Crown Prince’ right now, just ‘유리,’ so it’s okay to say this much.

“I know you want to do everything for me. But it’s not something I asked you to do. I don’t want it.”

When I looked him straight in the eye and said each word clearly, a strange light flickered in 유리’s pupils.

I think he understood, but how is he going to react now?

I was a little nervous, but suddenly 유리 shrugged his shoulders and burst into laughter.

“Ah, you’re so cute. What did you eat to grow up so cute?”

“……?”

“When Sister gets angry, her eyebrows look like this. But you look so round and innocent that only your eyebrows are angry, so it’s so cute I could die.”

I heard that you can’t win against a crazy person because you can’t reason with them, and I was exactly like that now.

I didn’t realize he was growing up strangely at all when we were exchanging letters…….

“Sister will eventually choose me. It would be nice if you loved me, but it doesn’t matter if you don’t.”

That’s when it happened.

The smile slowly dried up from 유리’s lips.

Like the water in a full water bottle decreasing in an instant, the sparkling atmosphere around 유리 disappeared, and all that was left was a fake smile that forced his eyes to curve.

Looking at 유리 like that, I calmly asked.

“If… If I were to choose someone other than you. Would you respect my choice?”

“I have to. Even if I don’t like it.”

“You won’t do any harm to the 드리블랴네 [Dribblyane] family? And you won’t try to hurt my husband?”

“Because I can’t help it.”

유리 shrugged with a pitiful expression. It wasn’t easy to believe, but it was a relief that he was at least saying that.

‘Ah, is this the moment?’

Suddenly, the advice Father had given me came to mind.

“Hey, 유리.”

“Yes, Sister.”

“I actually… want to fall in love.”

For me, love and marriage were the same thing. But for now, I have to pretend they’re different.