The Villainous Family is Against Independence

Chapter 59. I’m Going To Make This Thing Work

Dorothea Angellu’s personal maid arrived in front of a room, pushing a cart loaded with large boxes.

It was the bedroom of her master, Dorothea.

Knock, knock.

“My lady, the dress sent from the dressing salon has arrived.”

Knock, knock.

“Miss?”

The maid knocked again and again, but Dorothea was silent. Unable to enter without her master’s permission, she had to wait patiently for an answer.

Some time passed before a figure staggered down the corridor.

Pale, as if he’d never seen the light of day, with his eyes narrowed. A slender body, a frail, restless face…….

The maid, recognising the other’s countenance, bowed hastily.

“Wizard.”

“…….”

Gabe didn’t even bother to look at the maid, just glanced at the cart parked beside her. The gaudily wrapped boxes dazzled him.

They were luxuries that seemed to cost a fortune.

“These are the items that Miss ordered this time-“

The maid didn’t even finish her sentence.

Bam!

Gabe burst through the door without knocking. Startled by the suddenness, the maid clapped her hands over her mouth and cried out in a shrill tone.

“Stop, Wizard……!”

” You can go.”

Still not looking at the maid’s face, Gabe waved her away.

The maid didn’t say a word, for he was her superior. As she scurried away, silence fell over the hallway and the bedroom.

Gabe strode boldly to the bed and flicked open the canopy.

Hugging her knees, head bowed, Dorothea spoke without lifting her face.

“You may be my master, Gabe, but you shouldn’t come into a lady’s bedroom like this.”

Dorothea’s warning didn’t faze Gabe in the slightest. He just glared at her coldly.

“Get a grip, Dorothea Angellus.”

“I know, and I’m trying.”

“Any work on your powers?”

“…… Not yet.”

“You said it yourself. Elodie Perdia is just a bastard with no powers, but you have the power of one of the Four Great Families.”

It was true.

Elodie Perdia, who had been an insignificant subject, had recently become a nuisance.

From being the ugly duckling to suddenly being favored by House Perdia’s family and now being called the savior of the Temple of Ishtar.

But no matter how distinguished Elodie might be elsewhere, as a direct descendant of Angellus, Dorothea wielded great power.

Gabe whispered to Dorothea as she fidgeted with the quilt, thinking of that fact.

“The only thing you have more than her is power, and even that needs to be practiced, don’t you think?”

A sneaky voice gnawed at her heartstrings. Dorothea’s voice trembled slightly as she raised her head with a grim face.

“Now, what are you trying to tell me……?”

“How long are you going to stay in the mansion and live like a loser?”

“Well, that’s-.”

But that was to be expected, she thought.

Her humiliation at the Fountain of Ishtar had already been reported, and if she showed her face, she’d be a laughingstock in social circles.

“If it’s that damn skin, I’ll get you an antidote.”

“……Really?”

Now she couldn’t remember a time when her skin was smooth. This horrible face seemed to be hers since birth. She felt like she would do anything to make this horrible rash go away.

The corner of Gabe’s mouth lifted at Dorothea’s expression.

“So you’re going to bend to my will?”

“But the publicity is still–”

Dorothea hesitated.

Tak. 

Gabe slammed the newspaper he was holding down in front of her. Dorothea, who’d been bombarded with articles covering her story, looked up at Gabe in disgust.

“Newspapers are ugly……!”

“Front page. Look.”

Although she didn’t want to look at the newspaper, she couldn’t argue with Gabe.

Dorothea bit her bottom lip hard and looked down at the paper.

[Exclusive. First Prince Adenmir and Elodie Perdia’s breakup is imminent…… imperial aide “will make an official announcement soon!”]

“……!”

Dorothea’s eyes widened as she read the headline and she looked up at Gabe again with a fresh gaze.

“Dorothea Angellus. This is the news you’ve been waiting for.”

The breakup of Elodie Perdia. It meant the end of Elodie’s power.

The corners of Gabe’s mouth twitched upwards as he watched Dorothea’s face light up.　

Dorothea Angellus. A nuisance to deal with, but too useful to give up.

‘Use your powers solely for my benefit, and–’

Gabe stalked out of her room, his thoughts unspoken.

***

With the Duke of Perdia’s permission, the annulment proceeded at a steady pace. It was a different pace to the one taken when I expressed my desire to marry him on my own.

‘Somehow unfair.’

In the first place, it was a marriage between families, and the engagement was a political one, so there was no need for me to intervene.

I didn’t have to see the first prince’s face, and I only had to sign the documents sent by the butler from time to time.

Obviously, the breakup was only to be discussed between the two parties and their legal guardian, the Duke of Perdia.

Meanwhile, Jansi found out the news like a gloomy villain and came to visit me.

“Lili, how do you feel?”

“How am I feeling?”

“Yeah. You said you wanted to break up the other day, Lili, and you got your wish.”

“Well, I don’t really have any thoughts. If you ask me if I like it or not, I’m leaning towards the good side…….”

The reason for the breakup was to stop wasting time. We’re not getting married in the future anyway.

I’m not sure what will happen in the future because it’s already different from the original story, but when Estelle appears, the first prince will probably fall in love with her.

He doesn’t like me, and I don’t have any feelings for him.

Finally, in the near future, I will become independent from Perdia and leave the capital city of Somnia.

There were so many reasons to break off the engagement.

‘I would not have broken off my engagement if it had been to my advantage.’

Stroking Greed – who was pretending to be a fox – on his lap, Jansi smiled meaningfully.

“That’s another surprise.”

“What?”

“Nothing, but congratulations anyway.”

“Thank you..?”

I replied, feeling strange. My brother, congratulating me on the news of my breakup and accepting a thank you?

‘Is this……?’

Jansi, who was obviously smiling at my confusion, changed the subject.

“I stopped by today, Lili, because of the interim report you asked for a while ago.”

That’s what I had asked him to do. His eyes locked with mine as he grew serious. He nodded, then added, “Yes, the movements of the Mercenary King, Ian.”

“Did you find out anything?”

“Well, it really hurts my pride……”

Jansi said, ruffling through his hair.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?”

“Nope. No history from the time of his birth until he showed up in Somnia. Like he never existed.”

“……Is that possible?”

“That’s why I’m so ashamed of it. Apparently, some of the Emperor’s entourage found out that he came from the slums, but there’s no record of that.”

“Thanks for letting me know, Brother.”

“No problem. It’s a favor for my dear sister, of course.”

Jansi grinned in a creepy sort of way.

“Haha,” I laughed awkwardly and waved it off.

“At this point, I’m getting a bit of an odd feeling myself, so I’m going to investigate further to see if I can find anything.”

“I’m sure you’ll do great!” I said, one hundred percent sincere.

‘Because it’s none other than Jansi Perdia, the number one mastermind behind the scenes.’

Jansi, who had no idea that I was having such thoughts, looked at me in admiration.

“Lili, I’m impressed that you have so much faith in me.”

“Haha.”

“In that sense, Lili, can you please put your hand on-“

“……!”

Is he trying to fumble with my hand again?!

I, who had no intention of putting myself under the threat of imminent annihilation, jumped up from my seat before Jansy had even finished speaking.

“Oh, come to think of it, I was just getting some water to bathe in! Have a good night, then! Many thanks, Brother!”

“……Yes. Get some rest, Lili.”

Jansi smiled and left the bedroom. As the door closed, Greed, who was curled up on the sofa, yawned languidly.

“Good job, pretending to be a fox.”

[That human has a way with words.]

“Really?”

[Thought I was going to see Irkala.]

He seemed to imply that he almost went to the afterlife because he liked it so much, but there was a huge secret that Greed didn’t know. I laughed sinisterly at Greed, who was still languidly stretched out.

“But, Greed, do you know something?”

[Do know. What?]

“Brother Jansi’s power, it’s the power of annihilation.”

Greed licked its forepaws and stiffened.

[An……nihilation?]

“If he touches it, it’s gone.”

[That’s a lie!]

Greed howled.

***

Isis, Lord of the Western Magic Tower, was indeed an impatient man.

He wrote to me once, but I only replied to his letters and didn’t stop by the tower.

[If you don’t come today, I will plant a bomb in your house.]

It was a compelling letter. I had no choice but to go to the tower because of the warning of a bomb.

The top floor of the West Tower. I was about to enter the master’s lab when Raeyan stepped back.

“I’ll wait for you outside.”

“Why? You’re not going in?”

“I don’t like all the fuss.”

That meant he didn’t like Isis being so noisy.

“It might take a while.”

“That’s okay, I’ll wait as long as it takes.”

When he said that, it was hard to resist inviting him to join me, but I had no choice but to leave him behind and open the lab door.

[Eek, dirty…….]

Greed’s reaction to the inside of the lab was not far off from my own.

‘What the hell is going on here?’

The lab was in such disarray that I wondered if the bomb had landed here and not at the Perdian mansion. Perhaps it was the aftermath of the magic tool research.

I made my way inside, dodging obstacles as I went, and found what I was looking for.

Amidst the filthy rubble, Isis, the small, cute lord of the west tower, was sprawled out on his back.

“I’m here, Isis.”

“You have come.”

“What is the matter?”

“I have no strength to sit. You don’t know, you are young.”

“There’s not much difference in our ages, is there?”

“…….”

Isis lay still, staring blankly up at the ceiling without speaking to anyone. He seemed dazed.

“Shall I go?” I asked somewhat snarkily.

“Just try to go. I will tear down the Perdia mansion.”

“Then tell me why you’re doing this.”

Isis, who had kept his mouth tightly shut, blurted out with a scowl of arrogance, “I’m screwed.”

“Screwed?”

“Yeah. Screwed.”

In that moment, goosebumps ran down my spine. Denying reality, I asked Isis exactly that.

“You’re not talking about the temperature-keeping wand I invested most of my life savings in, are you?”

“That’s the one.”

“That’s ridiculous.”

“That’s right. The masterpiece magic wand which was the result of our conversion.”

“No, I must be dreaming. It’s a different tool, isn’t it……?”

“How many times do you have to ask, that’s the one!”

“…….”

“…….”

There was only a chilly silence in the wrecked laboratory.

I, who had become a beggar in an instant, slumped to the ground in despair.

‘My independence!’

The independence I’ve worked so hard to save, and now it’s gone to waste. 

I must save it.

I calmly asked Isis with a firm sense of duty, “When did you release it on the market, exactly?”

“When you couldn’t be reached.”

By when I was unreachable, he meant when I was forced to stay at the Temple of Ishtar.

Unable to bear the thought, Isis continued lamenting.

“You said it would be a success, but we’ve only sold two since its release. Do you know how the wizards laugh at me every time they see me? I won’t let them get away with it.”

Isis gritted his teeth, he’d had enough. The wizards at the Magic Tower had largely ignored him.

‘It was obviously a big hit in the original.’

But the process was not detailed. It could have flopped and suddenly gone viral, or it could have been an intervention on someone’s part that changed the outcome.

Or maybe it wasn’t this tool.

“It’s too early to give up, Isis. You’ve only launched, not presented.”

“You’re so young and hopeful.”

With Isis acting like the world had already ended, I went in search of the newly released tool.

I couldn’t figure out what was wrong until I tried it.

“Where is it?”

“There.”

After digging through the byproducts of his research for a while, I finally got my hands on the tool. Isis shook his head, as if he didn’t want to look at it, and explained.

“I made it to stay hot, like you said, but–”

“What?!” I shrieked, both ears perking up. I screamed, and Isis clamped his tiny hands over his ears.

“Why are you screaming!”

“A magic tool that keeps the temperature hot, in the middle of summer?!”

“You told me to do that!”

“What the!”

I could see why he was screwed.

‘It’s like selling electric blankets in the summer!’

But thanks to him, I had a direction on how to make this project work.

“Isis.”

I called out his name, and he replied bluntly.

“What?”

I smiled intriguingly and looked him straight in the eye.

“I’m going to make this thing work.”