The Villain’S Daughter-In-Law Is Inherently Powerful [EN]: Chapter 46

“Get lost.”

The reason he’d spat such harsh words at her when she came to watch his training was because he knew he was a danger to her.

The intervals between his transformations were shortening, becoming increasingly unpredictable.

He didn’t know when he might turn into a beast, even in broad daylight, so he desperately wanted her to stay away. To leave him alone.

Because seeing her made his heart pound in his chest in a way he didn’t understand. Go away!

But the girl, who had suddenly leaped from his dreams into reality, had come to him last night, when he had transformed into a beast. And she had transformed into a small, pure white ferret as well.

‘And she even healed me.’

She smelled like strawberry shortcake.

As soon as he had that thought in his hazy mind, he’d lost control and lunged at her.

‘And… a bubble enveloped me, and then flowers bloomed….’

His reason returned in a rush.

There was no doubt in his mind that it was her power. Because even in his dreams, she had saved him countless times.

The adult Dante couldn’t live without her.

‘Ah, my heart hurts.’

Thump. Thump. Thump.

Even now, his heart was racing uncontrollably. It felt like it wasn’t his own, a frantic drumbeat echoing in his ears.

The emotions that the adult Dante had felt crashed down on his young body, and-

Dante, who had stopped walking abruptly, could only blush and fidget, overwhelmed by a torrent of unfamiliar feelings. He didn’t know what else to do, how to process the intensity of it all.

‘But she acted like she was seeing me for the first time.’

And she even stared intently at Viktor sunbae [senior in school]….

Bang.

Dante, who had returned to the abandoned tower where he had exiled himself for the safety of others, unconsciously struck the wall with his fist.

The impact shook the entire building, and dust rained down from the ceiling. Dante wiped his face clean and went down to the basement, seeking refuge in its cold embrace.

He wasn’t going to leave here until she went home, back to the safety of her own life. This time, it was for her safety, not just his.

So he prayed with a fervent desperation that he would get through tonight safely, that the beast within would remain dormant.

“Hello, Dante! I’m here!”

The girl, who suddenly appeared as twilight fell and the world grew quiet, smiled brightly, oblivious to the turmoil raging within him, to the burning inferno threatening to consume him.

“Krrr.”

But all Dante, who had inevitably transformed into an animal, could utter was a threatening growl, a guttural sound of warning and despair. That was all he could manage.

* * *

‘Well, he’s very wary, as expected.’

As night fell, Father took me to the old tower, the crumbling edifice that served as Dante’s self-imposed prison.

Then, Father and John went to take care of ‘adult matters,’ leaving me to stay here with Dante in the meantime. I hoped they wouldn’t be too long.

‘Ah, Pompom is here too. Right.’

Father told me to shout at Pompom if anything happened, a reassurance that did little to quell the unease in my stomach.

Besides, he cast a protection spell on me before going down to the basement, so I wasn’t afraid of Dante at all. Or at least, I was trying very hard not to be.

“Did you have dinner?”

“Krrr.”

“You didn’t? You know, you get cranky if you don’t eat on time. So, ta-da! I brought snacks!”

What I brought was meringue cookies that had come out at dinner tonight, their sugary aroma filling the air.

They crumble in your mouth, so there’s no need to worry about hurting your teeth, and it’s a dessert that makes you incredibly happy with its fragrant sweetness. A perfect little treat to brighten anyone’s day.

My mouth was watering, but I didn’t eat a single one and wrapped them carefully in a handkerchief to bring to Dante. I hoped he would appreciate the gesture.

“Try one of these.”

“Krrk!”

“Good.”

Dante scratched his throat as if he was about to get angry, his frustration palpable, but I didn’t miss the slight opening of his mouth and quickly shoved a meringue cookie in. A small act of defiance against his beastly form.

If Ian saw it, he would have said, ‘What are you doing, that’s dangerous?’ But… ah, I feel like I have to take care of him. A strange protectiveness washed over me.

“See? It’s delicious, right?”

“…….”

Dante didn’t react for a moment, his golden eyes fixed on me with an unreadable intensity.

I kept a safe distance and sat down on the floor, the cold stone seeping into my clothes. Then, I looked at Dante’s wrist, which had been badly injured yesterday. The memory of his pain still fresh in my mind.

“Huh? Your injury from yesterday is all healed! What happened? Did you get treatment separately?”

But the injury that was so severe was completely healed, leaving no trace of the previous damage. It was as if it had never happened.

Did Father heal him with magic? Well, that’s why he attended the event without any problems, right? It was the only logical explanation.

“Ah, you can’t answer now. Tell me later. I was worried a lot, but I’m glad.”

Sigh. I let out a sigh of relief and then looked around, taking in the grim surroundings.

It turned out that where Dante was, wasn’t even a room. It was more like a cell.

Father took me to a place where he felt a presence, but unlike what I expected, Dante was in the basement, confined to this desolate space.

A cold, dirty, and hard basement prison. An environment that doesn’t suit the heir of Driblian at all. It was a stark contrast to the life he should have been living.

“It must have been hard for you all this time, right?”

Dante can’t answer, trapped in his animal form, but I kept talking to him, filling the silence with my voice.

“They ignored you because you were young. They must have thought they could just hide it when people from the family came.”

I grit my teeth, a surge of anger coursing through me.

Confined environment. Deceased parents. Sudden rampages. It was a recipe for disaster.

How shocking must it have been? How terrifying to lose control and transform into a beast?

Some children develop mutism when they experience the death of their parents. It’s that terrible of a shock, a trauma that can silence them completely.

Dante is probably in a very mentally strained state, teetering on the edge of a breakdown.

Perhaps the teachers took the lead in gaslighting Dante so that he couldn’t properly protest even if he was treated like this. Manipulating him into believing he deserved this treatment.

Saying that he was being treated like this because he was causing harm. A cruel and twisted justification for their neglect.

Looking at the state of the servants, I thought it was possible. They seemed indifferent, even callous, to Dante’s plight.

“When you smelled the flowers I made yesterday, you came to your senses a little. So I’m going to give you flowers today too. Want me to show you something amazing?”

I offered Dante another meringue cookie, a small peace offering, but Dante closed his mouth and never opened it. So I felt bad, but I scattered the remaining meringue cookies on the floor, creating a colorful mosaic on the cold stone. Then I put my hands on top of them and closed my eyes tightly, focusing all my energy on the task at hand.

‘Let the most beautiful flowers in the world bloom.’

Since I’m conjuring flowers in exchange for a very sweet dessert, wouldn’t something very beautiful bloom? I hoped my magic would create something truly special for him.

“Ta-da, look at this! It’s a bouquet I’m giving you!”

And a moment later, I handed Dante a bouquet with a bright expression, my heart filled with anticipation.

‘Sunflowers come from sunflower seeds, and light pink ranunculus bloom from meringue cookies!’

Amazing. I should experiment with this and that when I get back to the mansion. The possibilities seemed endless.

Although Dante had a sullen expression that could be seen even in his black panther form, I liked the ranunculus bouquet. The delicate petals seemed to glow in the dim light.

“Want to smell it? My flowers will help you.”

“…….”

“Oh, my name is Florin. Do you know?”

There was a very small window near the ceiling in the underground prison, a sliver of an opening to the outside world.

It had been cloudy all day, but now it seemed like it was clearing up, and moonlight poured through it, bathing the basement in an ethereal glow.

I admired the glossy fur of the black panther, which shone in the moonlight, transforming him into a creature of myth and legend.

Dante was the second son of Ariadne and a nobleman of good birth, destined for greatness.

In the original story, when describing Dante, it was said many times that ‘he was born well’ or ‘he was perfect in terms of status.’ His lineage and potential were constantly emphasized.

‘Maybe that’s why he looks so dignified even in his animal form.’

I don’t know why, but Dante had dignity, a regal bearing that even his transformed state couldn’t diminish.

‘And his eyes.’

Maybe it’s because his eyes are like planets… I feel like I’m being sucked in, drawn into their depths.

Ian’s eyes are like a golden moon, warm and comforting, but Dante’s are like planets, vast and mysterious.

“You know, Dante. Spring has come to the world. Don’t stay here, why don’t you come home with me?”

Dante, who had become quiet, raised his eyes and glanced at me. It was as if he was saying, ‘So what if spring has come?’ I chuckled, amused by his stoic demeanor.

“Well, because it’s spring, we can go on picnics and go boating on the lake. You’re already too strong to rampage… you won’t learn anything more here, locked away in this basement.”

My theory was that children who are too outstanding should just have a good teacher at home and receive 1:1 tutoring, tailored to their unique needs and abilities.

Honestly, there are a lot of alphas [people with high magical power] in Driblian, or rather, around me, but for ordinary people, ‘alpha’ is like a mythical being that they may never meet in their lifetime. They are figures of awe and respect.

I know people’s malice well, so I honestly didn’t think there was no jealousy in the reason why Dante was left in this state. Envy and resentment could easily fester in the hearts of those who felt inferior.

An alpha, but still a child. A vulnerable target for those who sought to exploit his power.

How easy would it have been to trample on him? No, how much did they want to trample on him, to crush his spirit and extinguish his potential?

‘Maybe they wanted to nip the young sprout in the bud.’

“I became an adopted daughter of the Idaho family. The Idaho margrave family. And Sir Idaho, the commander of the Knights, is at the mansion now. I can learn from my adoptive mother.”

My adoptive mother did not appear in the original story. This was a part where the original story was twisted because I became the daughter-in-law. My presence had altered the course of fate.

But looking at the current situation, it seemed that ‘Sir Idaho, the commander of the Knights’ returning to the mansion was not only a good thing for me. It was a sign of change, a shift in the balance of power.

“He’s an alpha and a veteran knight, so there’s a lot to learn. He could teach you so much.”

I don’t know how strong the position of commander of the Knights is, but wouldn’t he be incomparably better than the instructors at the academy? His experience and skill would be invaluable.

When Ariadne was alive, Dante may have had outstanding talent, but he was too young to be taught. His potential was still dormant, waiting to be awakened.

And Sir Idaho had to stay by Ariadne’s side at all times, so he must have been on the battlefield…. His duty was to protect her, to fight for their cause.

Since the outstanding knights were all driven to the battlefield, Dante’s father put his son in the academy. It was also a great honor just to be admitted to the academy, a testament to his abilities.

‘But he didn’t know that his son would become so strong that he would rampage as he grew up by one year.’

I leaned forward slightly and approached Dante, my heart pounding in my chest.

“If you go home with me, you can rest assured even if you’re about to rampage. Because I can always make flowers for you! My magic can help you control your transformations.”

Even if he resisted and didn’t want to go, Father would forcibly drag him back home, but I still explained to Dante all the ‘good things about going home,’ hoping to sway him with my words.

I just wanted to say one more word, to convince him that he belonged with us.

Because-

‘Sigh, it’s a sin to be weak in the face.’

I’ve been denying it since yesterday because I’m too snobbish… but now it’s time to admit it. I can’t hide from the truth any longer.

Dante… was seriously my type. He possessed a certain allure that I couldn’t ignore.

That’s how it was when he was wearing his uniform, and that’s how it was when he was sparring with a senior cadet next to him while the other kids were just repeating horizontal slashes. His dedication and skill were captivating.

‘And his expressionless face is honestly handsome too….’

I counted one by one the reasons why I was trying to take care of Dante, and then I just lowered my head, overwhelmed by a wave of embarrassment.

I’m embarrassed!