The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 135

‘Maybe the author is older than they look.’

And maybe… just maybe… they were exiled from Arcalik for committing a crime. Because Father pardoned descendants of those who committed crimes, starting from their great-great-grandchildren.

“Being exiled from Arcalik means they were either a traitor or a serial killer.”

I remember Hwa-ran saying that definitively.

“So, we cannot pardon criminals and their direct descendants. Since we live so long, they might still be alive… In any case, they are not eligible. They will never be able to return to Arcalik.”

Her tone was unusually firm, as if there was no room for negotiation on this matter.

‘If that’s the case, they could still have divine power since it’s bestowed by the Celestial God.’

The Pope’s true identity might be a mixed-blood, born between a criminal exiled from Arcalik and someone from the Holy Empire.

If I assume that, it makes sense that the Pope’s hair and eye color are ordinary. Of course, even that might be fake.

‘In any case, divine power must have been a good shield for the Pope.’

Because no one would have thought that an Arcalik person, or even a mixed-blood, would possess divine power.

But this is just speculation. I couldn’t know the truth. Unless the Celestial God suddenly appears and speaks to me-

‘I need to investigate the Pope more thoroughly. I should talk to Hwa-ran.’

What Hwa-ran told me before was superficial information about the Pope and the Papal States.

But now what I needed was… all the secrets the Pope had wanted to hide his entire life.

* * *

That day, after a pointless conversation that went nowhere, Ian was the first to get up.

“Answer. I’ll be waiting.”

He said affectionately, gently brushing my cheek, and then turned away without hesitation.

Left alone, I couldn’t shake the feeling of being bewitched by a fox.

‘He’s going to send a canary [a messenger] again to get my answer, right?’

Then where will Ian sleep tonight?

He doesn’t seem to be coming to the Dribljane mansion. Does he have a separate place to stay?

‘It doesn’t seem like he has another woman…’

He asked me to go on a trip together.

I couldn’t answer right away, but honestly, I wanted to go.

Otherwise, I might never find out what happened to Ian in the meantime, how he’s been doing.

‘But wait a minute. Going on a trip means just the two of us without anyone else…?’

Without any attendants?!

‘…It feels like that’s what he meant.’

Otherwise, Ian wouldn’t have bothered to say he was ‘waiting for an answer.’

“What should I do….”

I want to go, but I’m scared to go.

It’s not that Ian would do anything bad to me, but the problem is me.

‘Would I really leave Ian alone???’

I hit the pillow I was hugging repeatedly.

The poor pillow quickly became flattened, but I picked it up again and buried my face in it.

“……”

My heart is still beating fast. It feels like a tiny fox is frolicking inside my chest.

This pleasant trembling couldn’t be stopped even if I tried.

‘No. I decided not to like anyone in particular before making a choice.’

But… tastes are just unavoidable.

My face flushed, and I jumped up and ran to the bathroom.

After roughly washing my face with cold water, I slumped back to bed and collapsed.

After a few seconds of that.

I pouted and said to myself.

“Ian looked good in that deep red suit today.”

Maybe it’s because he has a slim figure, but the suit fit him really well. I kept looking at him, and I couldn’t help but notice that Ian was skinny everywhere else, but his thighs were so firm and thick.

‘He has a great body and a handsome face… It’s a foul, a foul.’

The face I thought was pretty when he was young had now become the face of a strikingly handsome man.

It’s definitely pretty, but it’s not like his features are as delicate as glass.

Ian exuded a very mature aura, and that’s why his vibe was different.

‘Ah, and… he wore the tie I gave him.’

Is it weird to give meaning to things like this?

I want to grab someone and ask, but my only close friends are Dante and Belladi. And I could never reveal my current feelings to them.

As soon as I saw Ian, I felt a thud, like I had run aground on some reef….

It’s too dizzying.

‘Yeah, I can’t say that…’

I bit my plump lower lip tightly.

I have to be fair. Ian is starting far behind Dante, and most of the family supports Dante.

In this situation, if I were to choose Ian, he must have a hidden ace up his sleeve.

‘I wonder if he has prepared something like that?’

I stared blankly at my face reflected in the window.

After a while, realization came slowly, like a flower blooming in late summer.

Among the three candidates, the only one I’m curious about and want to know is Ian.

And as soon as I realized that fact, heat bloomed on my face.

An emotion that was difficult to describe in words swirled within me.

I was curious about Ian, I wanted to see him, I resented him, I hated him a little. Then I met him, got help, relied on him, and fell for the adult he had become.

After that, I felt regret. I still regret not being able to be with him longer.

‘My heart shouldn’t grow before I make a choice….’

But I can endure pain, but how can I endure my heart growing?

“Haa.”

It’s difficult because I’ve never been taught how to do this.

I sighed, crouched down, and pressed my cheek firmly against my knees.

But Ian was still wandering around in my head.

Like following fox footprints left in a pure white snowfield, I thought of him.

‘He didn’t pressure others with pheromones, he didn’t say mean things, he didn’t threaten me… None of that, but strangely, I felt like I had to listen to Ian.’

Is that what they call charisma? Or leadership?

Dante was a caretaker, someone who was admired and led the way.

‘Yuri is a ruler, someone who dominates.’

But in my opinion, Ian was someone who made others act for him voluntarily.

To put it badly, he’s cunning and sly like a fox, and to put it nicely, he has a political sense.

‘He seems like he would lead the family well in politics and diplomacy… But if Ian becomes the head of the family, the knights will definitely turn their backs on him.’

What to do.

As I was worrying, I heard a knock.

“Sister. Can I come in?”

A tone with almost no inflection. A colorless way of speaking that is neither slow nor fast. Not the usual Yuri, full of aegyo [acting cute].

I answered without moving.

“Yeah. Come in.”

“…Hello, Sister.”

Ian’s ring was on my finger right now. So, according to the hypothesis, Yuri wouldn’t know what I was thinking.

Looking at Yuri, who had a tearful face as if she was about to cry, I quietly reached out my hand.

“Shall we have a conversation? Us.”

Maybe today, this time, will be the end for you and me.

Forgetting about Ian for a moment, I decided to focus on Yuri in front of me.

But Yuri, like I had done earlier, was just looking at my outstretched hand.

“…I don’t want to. Do we have to?”

“Why did you come if you didn’t want to?”

“If I don’t come? Do you have any intention of looking back at me from tomorrow?”

Yuri, who was laughing coldly as if she had been hurt, was quite unfamiliar.

I could easily recognize where that unfamiliarity came from.

You’ve completely abandoned your pretense. Maybe this is the real you.

I eventually gave up trying to appease Yuri and asked what I wanted to ask.

“I didn’t tell you where I was going, and I never explained what happened, but how did you know?”

“What.”

“That I transformed because of the handkerchief. You definitely came later than Ian. There’s no way you could have seen that scene.”

Yuri gritted her teeth and turned her head.

I felt a little bad that she was still standing by the door and not coming closer, but this was an issue that needed to be addressed clearly.

Let’s say it didn’t matter much when we were young. But now we’re adults, and I don’t want to have every single one of my most private personal life exposed.

“…I was wrong. So, let’s just say I found you with the power of love.”

Yuri, who had been looking elsewhere for a long time, opened her mouth in a suppressed voice.

“There’s no reason for our relationship to change because of something like that. Huh? Sister.”

“If I tell you?”

That’s when it happened.

Yuri lifted her head sharply.

A dangerous madness swirled in her gleaming eyes.

Only then did I get out of bed and take a few steps towards Yuri. But Yuri took a step back and snapped.

“Will you stay by my side so I don’t have to find you with that power?”