This Three-Year-Old Is A Villainess - Chapter 215
Now I understand why they were so eager to congratulate Uncle Grimier when he was appointed as the foreign ambassador.
‘They probably planned to shove Uncle Grimier into a position like that and secure a spot for themselves in the Central Tower.’
Everything the direct line did was ultimately about gaining the Duke of Astra’s title.
As I pondered this, Loreina, the eldest daughter of Uncle Valdrich, smiled brightly and spoke.
“Your Highness, I heard my father recently purchased a boat for leisure. The view of the river from it is quite beautiful.”
“Is that so?”
“If it pleases you, how about a boat ride?”
Despite Loreina’s polite offer, the former princess looked disinterested.
Then, as if a bright idea had struck her, she turned her gaze to me.
“Yes! How about Erylotte?”
“Pardon?”
“Do you enjoy boat rides?”
“Oh… yes.”
I managed to force a smile and answer. The former princess’s face lit up as she turned back to Loreina.
“Would you lend me the boat? It would be so delightful to go with Erylotte.”
By asking to borrow the boat, she was practically saying she didn’t want to take Loreina along.
For a moment, Loreina’s expression twisted in a frightening way.
‘Why are you looking at me like that? I didn’t say anything!’
She was the one who suggested the boat ride, but now the former princess was leaving her out and asking for the boat to take someone else.
It was blatantly rude.
However, Loreina quickly forced a strained smile to hide her trembling lips.
Her fists were shaking under the table, but she managed to respond.
“If that is your wish, of course.”
“That’s settled then. Isn’t that right, Erylotte?”
‘I don’t want to!’
The social world in this world is like a magic box.
You put in a piece of cloth, and a dove comes out.
[They went on an outing alone. → The former princess and Lord Daymond’s daughter are close? → Could it be that the former princess is planning to marry Lord Daymond!]
—That’s how rumors can spiral out of control without any basis.
And above all,
‘Grandfather must not hear about this.’
The aunts, uncles, and even the third-generation kids seemed to be treating the former princess as a stepping stone to power, but…
‘They’ve got it completely wrong.’
Even if they managed to curry favor with the imperial family and get into the Central Tower…
Grandfather wasn’t going to make them his successor.
‘There’s no way Grandfather would appreciate someone who earned their position by pandering to the imperial family.’
Especially when it wasn’t even the Emperor but the former princess they were trying to please.
I clicked my tongue inwardly.
‘Anyway, no boat ride.’
With that thought, I immediately drooped my eyebrows.
The former princess was good at playing the sad, pitiful act, but this was actually my specialty.
I looked at her with an expression of sincere regret.
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
“…What?”
“I’m not feeling well.”
Cough, cough—
I even let out a few dry coughs, putting on a performance, and the former princess exclaimed, “Oh my,” reaching out to me.
She gently stroked my cheek as if deeply concerned.
“A cold during this season… Is it because you lack a mother to take care of you…?”
“No, it’s not that—”
“Here’s what we’ll do. I’ll visit Astra often and look after you.”
“Pardon?”
“You can think of me as your mother.”
She giggled softly, and I almost froze in place.
‘What is this princess saying?’
I had always thought she had a mind as blank as a sketchbook, but I didn’t realize it was this empty.
‘What in the world is she saying in front of everyone…?’
Anyone listening might think the former princess was my dad’s lover or something.
Naturally, the atmosphere turned strange.
The aunts whispered among themselves, and even the third-generation kids widened their eyes, staring at me.
But the former princess continued to smile as if nothing was amiss.
She kept offering me various desserts, speaking in a sweet voice.
“I find you very adorable, Erylotte. Of course, it’s partly because you’re his daughter—”
‘Did she really just say that out loud?’
I was too stunned to respond, and the former princess now looked at me with the same wistful gaze she gave Dad.
“I could tell the moment I saw you.”
“……”
“If he and I had a child, it would be just like you…”
“……”
“You look just like him, but your temperament is more like mine, Erylotte.”
I realized something then.
‘I thought after experiencing reincarnation and regression, nothing could mentally exhaust me anymore…’
I was wrong.
I was still just a kid, far from invincible.
The world was vast, there were plenty of crazy people, and there was no end to bizarre situations.
The absurdity of it all made my head throb.
“You can even call me Mother if you’d like.”
The former princess covered her mouth with one hand and laughed softly, Fufufu.
I ended up gaping at her, my mouth hanging open.
‘Wow…’
I shouldn’t have been worrying about Imperial Consort Othellia.
The real final boss was right here.
