The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 157

‘How vulgar.’

Stepping out of the room, Ian stared at the window with an expression colder than ice.

‘The place I went with her was a humble seaside village. The first thing we ate wasn’t a parfait, but pancakes I made.’

It’s a fake, as expected.

He knew it even before setting this trap to confirm it, but facing the truth left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Oh, are you done already?”

It was then.

A man, deeply shadowed in the hallway, glanced at Ian while reading a book in his hand.

With a demeanor of glass, as if all the sparkles in the world were gathered and molded, Yuri stood out in a way that was the complete opposite of Ian.

Ian gestured with his eyes towards the maids who were peeking at Yuri from the end of the hallway, then nodded.

“Huh, where did he go?”

“H-He disappeared!”

Yuri was the first to vanish without a trace. Soon after, Ian also disappeared from the spot.

The onlookers were startled and screamed.

“I want to twist all their necks, but I shouldn’t.”

Yuri, who had climbed onto the roof of the mansion in the blink of an eye, muttered while looking down.

Ian skillfully brushed off Yuri’s nonsense and said what he needed to say.

“Let’s cooperate.”

It was a simple word, but that was all that was needed right now.

Yuri smirked and nodded.

“It’s a bit disappointing that I’m not the only one who noticed it’s a fake, but whatever. The important thing is to return the real one to where it belongs.”

“Do you know where the real one is?”

“Well, who knows.”

Yuri, grinning, and Ian, with a slight lift of his lips, stared at each other as if probing.

Yuri was the first to speak.

“So, what are we going to do with that idiot?”

Yuri had no qualms about calling his half-brother an ‘idiot’.

Ian’s eyebrows twitched slightly, but he didn’t deny it since he half agreed. Unfortunately, Dante had a role to play right now.

“To prevent the fake from suspecting, Dante must remain as he is. Dante must accept everything the fake does. He must not let the fake notice any strange behavior or suspicion.”

“Ah, Dante doesn’t seem like the type to act even if he knows the truth.”

“He is a knight, after all.”

Ian defended Dante.

Isn’t being rigid and inflexible a virtue of a knight? Crown Prince Yuri and the leader of Joker could act like they breathe, but Dante couldn’t.

‘If he knew it was a fake, he would draw his sword right away.’

So, it was better for Dante not to know.

‘I must keep Dante next to Lahn like a wedge and find the whereabouts of the real one in the meantime.’

But there was something puzzling. It was about the Shark’s attachment.

‘If he didn’t know where the real one was, he wouldn’t be so calm. He would have turned the Imperial Palace upside down and used all the troops for the search.’

Therefore, Ian thought Yuri knew the whereabouts of the ‘real one’. Or… Yuri himself created this situation.

If it was the latter, he would kill Yuri without fail.

Even if he couldn’t kill him in his youth, he couldn’t be strong until he was old and elderly. Steadily, continuously, for a long time, with patience.

Ian was such a person who could torment someone.

“Ah, your expression is fierce. Can’t you act for me too?”

Yuri was looking right through Ian’s thoughts. Of course, Ian knew that his thoughts were being read, but he didn’t bother to control his expression.

The two were so similar and therefore knew each other well.

“Why bother doing something that’s a waste of time when acting won’t work anyway.”

“You’re so calculating even with your brother.”

“Since when did you consider me your brother?”

Ian replied indifferently and stepped back.

Either way, his subordinate will bring the data he ordered to investigate around today. Seeing that will make it clear.

‘Whether the Saintess of the Holy Empire and the Saintess of the Magic Empire were switched or not.’

He was anxious. His mouth was parched. Whether she was safe, whether she was okay. Whether she was sick.

‘Judging by Yuri’s silence, she seems to be safe…….’

She should be enjoying only the best in the most precious place, but he was worried that she might be suffering. And as much as that worry, he hated the fake.

“When the real one returns, what about the fake’s disposal?”

“I need to think about that. Killing is too simple, isn’t it?”

Yuri reached out to Ian’s sternly hardened lips. Then, he pressed and lifted them up.

“Smile and live. A clown’s job is to smile, so why the sad face?”

“I only sell my smile to one person.”

Ian didn’t fall for the absurd provocation.

He slapped Yuri’s hand away and spat out the conclusion in a chilly tone.

“Looks like you have no intention of dealing with it, so I’ll take care of it.”

“Wait a minute. Don’t rush so much. If you’re going to kill her, ask me first. Aren’t I the most reliable way to distinguish [between the real and fake Saintess]?”

Yuri, with his hands in his pockets, asked back with a grin.

It’s annoying, but honestly, it’s true. The Shark’s attachment would never let the object of his affection die. Yuri is the fastest way to distinguish between the real and the fake.

In an instant, Ian separated reason and emotion and agreed silently. It was the moment when the two half-brothers formed an alliance, excluding Dante.

* * *

Honestly, Yuri had no reason to tell Ian that Florin had become the Saintess of the Holy Empire.

Of course, there is no reason to join hands with Ian. He knows exactly who the real one is.

But the reason why he bothered to talk to Ian was because he had to be careful.

Florin’s situation is not easy right now. Yuri also knew that the Pope had planted a divine power bomb in Florin’s heart.

‘If Florin returns to her place, what happens to that bomb?’

Is Florin going to come back with the bomb? Or is the bomb going to be planted in the body of Lahn, who has become the Saintess of the Holy Empire again?

That was the most important part first.

‘It’s done with the power of God, so how do we send Florin back to her place? That’s also a problem.’

As long as he attached his water droplets to Lahn, her whereabouts would be revealed in the [water divination], so killing her was no problem.

So Yuri wanted to be careful. Because he wanted to get Florin back safely without a scratch.

Still, Florin will arrive in the Magic Empire soon. According to what the [divination] told him, she was scheduled to arrive at dawn.

* * *

‘Ha, that was really tough.’

I collapsed on the wide bed and sighed, placing the back of my hand on my forehead, which was getting hot.

As soon as we crossed the border, the carriage ran like crazy. The previous motion sickness was a joke, and my soul was completely shaken by the violently swaying carriage.

I couldn’t even keep my mind straight, so I didn’t even know when I entered the capital. As soon as I entered the Imperial Palace and arrived at the assigned bedroom, I collapsed on the bed like a doll with a broken string.

“Wooh……. Wooah.”

“It’s okay…… It’s okay.”

“Wooah……”

The squirrel beastkin, Retina, raised a damp cloth with a worried face next to me.

I felt grateful for her concern, so I let her do whatever she wanted and slowly inhaled the air of my longed-for hometown.

Maybe it was just my imagination, but the anxiety and sensitivity that had been gnawing at one corner of my heart had subsided a lot.

‘Yuri is in this Imperial Palace. Ian is not far away. And Father too…….’

So I’m okay.

I repeated that to myself and turned my gaze to the neat Saintess robes that Sandy had left, saying they were the clothes to wear tomorrow.

I wanted to leave this room right now and go to the Crown Prince’s room.

It was then. I heard a very familiar squeaking sound from somewhere.

I quickly turned my eyes to the ceiling and almost burst into tears when I saw the letters fluttering there.

I’ll pick you up after breakfast tomorrow, Sis.

‘Yuri! He recognizes me, he recognizes me!’

Of course. Don’t worry. I’m looking for a way.

‘Thank goodness.’

I believed it, but honestly, I was worried too.

‘My heart was burning…… To contact me like this as soon as I arrived here.’

Actually, I wanted to contact you sooner to reassure you. But in that damn Holy Empire, you were hardly ever alone. I’m sorry.

‘No. What do you have to be sorry about.’

I rubbed my eyes. My nose was tingling.

As I was doing that, Yuri added a few words. This time it was important.

I need your help to screw over Lahn. Can you act well?

‘Of course.’

Good. I’m going to have some skinship in front of Lahn. Just accept it appropriately. In my opinion…… I think we need to make Lahn want to go back to normal on her own.

What Yuri is saying now is something I’ve thought about a few times.

Lahn has little patience and can’t stand it. Besides, she was too greedy.

Lahn is the type to take everything good for herself. So if we act affectionately, she’ll probably explode, right?

It was as if I could hear Yuri giggling like a rascal from somewhere.

“Thank you. See you tomorrow, Yuri.”

I whispered that and put the damp cloth that Retina gave me on my eyes and cried a little more.

‘My eyes will be swollen tomorrow, but I didn’t come here to look pretty.’

After falling asleep for a few hours, I opened my eyes to Retina’s gentle touch.

It was morning.