This Three-Year-Old Is A Villainess - Chapter 49
***
The atmosphere in the courtyard froze.
Rachel’s face turned a sickly pale blue, and she froze stiff.
The servants didn’t know what to do, and the soldiers…
“Has she lost her mind?”
“I’ve heard all sorts of nonsense in my life, but this takes the cake.”
“Did Mrs. Rachel always have that kind of personality? Gives me the creeps.”
“Young Miss, are you okay?”
The last words were from Enzo.
He rushed to me, who was being held by Heidi and Betty.
He examined me closely and then looked at Father.
“She hasn’t been hurt, sir.”
Rachel seemed taken aback. She extended her trembling hand toward Father, hastily trying to explain.
“Ge, General, you see… it’s just that if you listen to what I have to say, you’ll understand…”
“Shut—”
Thud!
It felt like a mountain pressing down.
Father was exerting his blessing.
The vases placed around the courtyard emitted a clinking sound as they moved, creating a gap.
“—that mouth.”
Rachel, the servants, and the soldiers seemed rooted to the ground.
Father walked past Rachel slowly.
Then he reached out his hand toward me.
‘M, Me? To carry me?’
What if I start breaking apart under the influence of that domineering blessing!
Monsters that were disintegrated by Father’s blessing on Mt. Hadix flashed before my eyes, and my heart thumped.
It might have been an overblown reaction, but I was terrified.
But running away from this place wasn’t an option.
I clung to Father, my entire body trembling.
“Tell me with your own mouth. What happened?”
At that moment, Lady Rachel’s face turned a sickly shade of blue.
“Ge, Geeneral…”
“Bwecause of, Mwissus Wayshul. The sewants, they suffewing. They good to me. They twake cawe of me. But Mwissus Wayshul got angewy.” (Because of Mrs. Rachel. The servants, they’re suffering. They’re good to me. They take care of me. But Mrs. Rachel got angry.)
“Then.”
“I, I sabe maids. Becwause it’s mwastews dooty. Bwecause Mwissus Wayshul say bad wowds.” (I, I save the maids. Because it’s the master’s duty. Because Mrs. Rachel said bad words.)
“…”
“Shwe call me diwty bwod!”
I pointed my finger at Mrs. Rachel.
“…!”
Mrs. Rachel was bewildered and could only open her mouth.
The soldiers burst into laughter.
“That woman really has gone mad.”
The words came from Mosco, the 3-meter-tall man.
Enzo gave her a stern look.
“Don’t you dare speak to the Young Miss like that. Instead of showing gratitude for the General’s mercy after he brought you in as a housekeeper, you dared say such things.”
“I, I… General, I—!”
A man with a lean, model-like build chuckled.
“The General had a different look in his eyes, you say?”
Mosco let out a snort.
“As far as I remember, even when he was killing people on the battlefield, he had that kind of look.”
Soldiers and administrators muttered.
“Seems like she’s lost her mind…”
“She doesn’t even know her place…”
“Gives me the creeps…”
At the muttering, Mrs. Rachel’s face flushed with anger. Her expression looked like she wanted to crawl into a mouse hole.
Father spoke.
“Heed my order. Open the punishment chamber.”
“Y-Your Excellency…”
“Engrave deep into this woman’s bones respect for my daughter.”
“Please, spare me. Spare me, Your Excellency! I’ll beg like this! Please, think of the camaraderie between you and my deceased husband…”
The maids took her away.
‘Oh…’
While clutching my father’s neck, I watched Mrs. Rachel, who screamed so loudly that her throat might tear.
The punishment chamber is a place that is opened when the servants have caused significant harm to the household.
The master doesn’t participate, and it’s a space for the servants to pass judgment on each other.
‘Well, considering how she’s been whipping the servants until now, she’s not going to come out of there unscathed, to say the least.’
It’s karma.
I waved my hands secretly towards Lady Rachel, who was screaming and hanging around Father’s neck, without anyone noticing.
‘Bye bye!’
***
Nighttime.
After having dinner, I found a prepared potion in my room.
“Wha’s thwis?”
When I asked Heidi, she giggled.
“Master asked me to prepare it. He seemed worried that you might be very surprised by what happened today.”
“…”
I smoothed the wrapping paper of the potion.
‘Father seems like a good person. Maybe… Oops.’
What am I thinking!
I smacked my cheeks with both hands.
“Heavens, Young Miss! Why would you hit your precious cheeks like that…!”
“Rather, hit Sir Enzo!”
“Right!”
In the chaos of the maids, I thought.
‘Trying to hope for family affection again. I almost became a fool who’s learned nothing.’
Hoping for unconditional love is like wagging your tail to become a loyal puppy.
Didn’t I experience that when I had hoped that Mom and Stepfather would love me as much as my younger sister?
‘Even when I was sick…’
“Our Hyemin is having a hard time. It’s my fault making you suffer too much. It’s all this Mom’s fault.”
I leaned on Mom, who held me on painful days and sobbed. That’s when I had started to hope again.
