My Child Is A Villain - Chapter 57
He was a mature gentleman who exuded elegancy.
“Cease this at once, Sir Deper. You’re being too rough on the lady.”
With those words, the man released Adele’s hand and spoke, “Is this woman worthy of being called a lady?”
“All women are ladies. Surely you know the code of chivalry as well.”
“My knighthood exists for the sake of others.”
As Deper spoke, his clothing began to catch fire. And from behind, Heirn and from the front, Lucas approached him.
“Wh-why is there fire?!”
He tried to pat out the flames with his hands, but the sparks didn’t extinguish. Instead, the commotion escalated as the fire continued to grow.
Oh, my head. Adele pinched her forehead lightly with her hand. He said he wouldn’t help. She couldn’t fathom what made him so upset that he would set fire to a person.
Lucas, the first to arrive, carefully checked on Adele, “Adele, are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m fine.”
Her wrist, which had been tightly held, was sore, but fortunately, it wasn’t visible thanks to her gloves. She decided it wasn’t necessary to escalate the situation further here. For now, she decided to divert attention.
“He helped me out.”
“Sir Regin.”
“It’s been a while, Sir Lucas. You shouldn’t leave your fiancée alone in a place like this.”
“My apologies.”
The man addressed as Regin gently scolded Lucas the whole time. Seeing Lucas meekly accepting it, they seemed to have a familiar relationship.
Oh, right!
Adele realized she hadn’t yet expressed her gratitude. She cautiously stepped forward and bowed her head to Regin. “Thank you for your help.”
“Don’t mention it. It was Sir Deper’s foolishness.”
It felt like encountering a proper noble after a long time.
“By the way, what about him?”
Deper had taken off his burning jacket, but now the flames had spread to his shirt.
“Hmm.”
Adele tilted her head slightly as she looked at him. Did she really need to help someone who had caused trouble? That thought crossed her mind. And it seemed Deper had also noticed Heirn by this point.
“Marquis! What is the meaning of this?!” Deper shouted angrily.
In response, Heirn replied in a slow voice, “What do you mean, what did I do?”
“Aren’t you the only one here who can control fire?!”
“So what?” Heirn crossed his arms and looked down at Deper, who was now bending over to extinguish the flames.
Looking into Heirn’s icy gaze, Deper’s excitement subsided. Thinking of the rumors circulating in society about Heirn, his body involuntarily shrank.
“Please. Put out the fire.”
“Why should I?”
“Marquis!”
“Stop shouting. It’s undignified.”
I shouldn’t be feeling this way, but seeing him in such a situation is somewhat satisfying. Of course, that doesn’t mean my opinion of Heirn has improved.
“It’s him?” Lucas asked at that moment.
“Do you know him?”
“I do. We were in the same knighthood in the past.”
Regin, who hadn’t left yet, provided an additional explanation from beside Lucas, “He drowned in inferiority complex and caused trouble in the end. In any case, my lady, step aside over here.”
Adele looked at Lucas after that statement, and he nodded. Regin seemed trustworthy.
As Adele quietly moved to Regin’s side, Lucas took out a pair of gloves. He then threw the gloves at Deper, who was still rolling on the ground.
Thunk. The white gloves hit Deper’s face squarely. The part of his face struck by the gloves was now red.
“I challenge you to a duel.”
A murmur of admiration erupted from the bystanders at his words.
“Are we going to witness the skill of Sir Lucas’ swordsmanship?”
“Who do you think will win?”
“Sir Lucas hasn’t been seen for years, so perhaps Sir Deper might win this time.”
“I doubt that.”
The clamorous discussions were irritating. Meanwhile, the situation was strangely shifting. After putting out the fire on Deper, Heirn and Lucas began to confront each other.
“Isn’t it rude to intervene at this point?”
“I just did what needed to be done.”
“Then follow the order. I will duel first.”
“But you didn’t properly request a duel, did you?”
“I did it differently.” Heirn pointed at Deper’s charred jacket.
Right now, these people are eyeing each other to duel Deper first. Either way, it was an unfortunate situation for Deper.
I don’t want any more attention on me.
It seemed too late. From the other side, the princess could be seen walking toward them.
Please don’t come! she silently prayed, but it was futile.
The princess looked at Lucas and Heirn alternately, then asked, “What’s going on?”
“I challenged him to a duel.”
“I challenged him to a duel.”
Their words overlapped.
“A duel?” Princess Amanda looked puzzled.
“Yes, he insulted my fiancée,” replied Lucas first. Well, that was a well-known fact, so the princess could understand. The problem lay with Heirn.
I wish I could shut him up.
Adele looked anxiously at Heirn. Would he be considerate enough to be careful with his words for Adele’s sake?
“I stepped forward to assist my child’s mother.”
As if that would ever happen! It was despairing. Adele pressed her palm against her forehead.
“M-mother?” Amanda’s eyes widened, and she turned to Heirn, questioning. Adele wished someone would shut him up so he couldn’t speak.
Useless man.
“Heirn,” Lucas called Heirn’s name in a threateningly low voice.
“Why, did I say something wrong?”
Despite the threat, Heirn didn’t back down. Rather, he seemed to be using his own power to counter Lucas’ pressure, causing the temperature in the hall to rise.
On top of that, people around them were busy interpreting Heirn’s words.
In the end, Adele had no choice but to intervene.
“Stop it!”
“Adele.”
“Who are you referring to as your child’s mother?”
“Don’t you know?”
“I don’t know. Didn’t I say I didn’t want to be involved anymore?”
“Do you believe that’s possible?”
With each word, Adele felt like she was falling into a pit. Heirn was catching onto her words, repeatedly confirming that she was indeed the mother of the child he mentioned.
Lucas seemed to have caught on as well.
“Adele’s child is mine.”
“But he’s not your biological son, is he?”
“He might as well be.”
They stared each other down, refusing to back down. And Amanda, who watched them, trembled slightly. “So, what’s going on here?”
“Adele’s child is mine,” Heirn replied naturally. Meanwhile, Lucas countered with a fierce voice.
“We’re getting married soon, so he’s mine.”
Just then, as if on cue, the emperor entered the hall.
“Behold, the sole light of the great Empire, His Imperial Majesty!”
Usually when the emperor entered, everyone would bow their heads in reverence, but the atmosphere was tense for some reason.
Adele’s efforts to resolve things somehow ended up being futile.
This wasn’t supposed to happen.
She had come too far without realizing it. Adele found herself trembling, and instinctively, her arms wrapped around her trembling body.
“Don’t be nervous,” Regin, standing beside her, tried to reassure her. “They are the ones who have made mistakes.”
Adele knew that, but this world was irrational. Just because she was a commoner, Adele would be subject to unfair judgment.
“I’ll help too,” Regin blurted out, causing a slightly surprised expression to appear on Adele’s face. Though the reason for his offer was unclear, the assurance of assistance seemed to calm her a bit.
“Oh my.”
The emperor, entering the hall, didn’t even take his seat but strode directly toward them.
As he approached, the nobles began to part ways as if by miracle. Arrogant as they were, each bowed their heads in reverence.
Adele too bowed her head.
“Sir Lucas!” The emperor, Selexion, called Lucas’ name first. “It’s been a while. Raise your head. I must see the precious face that wouldn’t come no matter how many times I called.”
There was steel in his words. In the past, Lucas would have casually retorted, but now there were several people he held dear. Because of this, Lucas carefully chose his words.
“I apologize.”
“No, there’s no need for apologies. I’m just glad you’re here now. So, you mentioned your betrothed would be joining us today. Where is she?”
“Here, Your Majesty.” Sir Regin, who stood beside Adele, kindly offered assistance. Adele still kept her head bowed.
“Hmm.”
Selexion stared at Adele. Then, he shifted his gaze toward Amanda.
Storyteller Wook's Words
My Child Is A Villain is now included in my Wook's Ko-fi membership program. It's a cheaper alternative for advanced chapters, bundled together with other Wook's creations. Starting August 2024, this novel will update twice a week: [SUN] & [THURS] UTC+8. Advanced chapters price has also been adjusted just a tiny bit...
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