My Child Is A Villain - Chapter 76

As soon as the bird gave its approval, Ronschka opened the window and jumped out. It was a dangerous move, but he believed that as long as he was being watched, he would be caught. And he was right. He felt something envelop him, and his falling speed gradually decreased. Ronschka safely landed in the garden.

Although Heirn was nowhere to be seen, Ronschka felt he knew where to find him. Without hesitation, he started walking.

“Ronschka!” Leon’s voice called out from behind, but Ronschka didn’t stop. “Don’t go!”

He couldn’t stop. Ronschka was making the best choice he could to meet his mother. As he crossed the garden and stepped outside, he saw Heirn standing in the storm. Wearing a deep hood, Heirn stood unaffected by the pouring rain and wind.

“I want to become stronger.”

Heirn responded to Ronschka’s words, “I will make you stronger. But in return, you must treat me as your father from now on.”

“Alright.”

“Then the contract is sealed. Follow me. There is much to learn.”

Ronschka nodded and followed Heirn.

***

Leon gritted his teeth as he watched Ronschka walk away.

“Master! Ronschka is leaving!” he shouted urgently, but Lucas remained unresponsive. “Master! We have to stop him!”

“With what face could I stop him?” Lucas spoke self-deprecatingly, “Ronschka made this choice himself.”

“But still! Ronschka is not in his right mind right now! How sad will Miss Adele be when she finds out Ronschka went to Weatherfield?” Leon cried out, lowering his head.

“I’m sorry, Leon.”

“Don’t apologize to me; go after Ronschka!”

“I can’t do that.”

“Master!”

Leon stomped his feet in frustration, but in the end, he couldn’t stop Ronschka from leaving.

***

“Adele, my beloved daughter.”

Regin sought out a talented painter to create multiple portraits of Adele from memory. However, no matter how lifelike they were, they could never compare to the real, living person. Just thinking about where she might be and what she might be doing was enough to plunge him into despair.

“Master.”

“Kai.”

“There’s new information. Ronschka has entered the Weatherfield estate.”

“Ronschka? Why?!”

Heirn was nothing but a scoundrel who deserved to be torn apart. Hearing that his grandson had gone to him made Regin worried.

“Should I arrange a meeting?”

“No, how could I face that child?” Regin looked at the portrait with a pained expression. “He’s a smart boy, so he must have his reasons. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone there on his own. That means I have only one thing to do: find Adele.”

“We are doing our best.”

But Kai, like Lucas, was stuck on a similar problem. That was the issue.

***

As soon as Ronschka arrived at the Weatherfield estate, he immediately began his training. Setting aside other subjects like culture, literature, and history, he started with the study of spirits. Most of his teachers were elders, and occasionally, Heirn himself joined in. During this time, Ronschka learned a few things.

“There are many summoners in the Weatherfield family who specialize in fire, but that doesn’t mean there are no other types. Some spiritists handle earth, water, and wind.”

“Like Rosalind?”

“Yes.”

“What’s different about handling spirits of different elements?”

“There is a summoner named Aika who handles water. She’s one of the branch elders currently dispatched elsewhere.”

“And?”

“She can read the memories of nearby spirits.”

Hearing this, Ronschka had an epiphany.

“Yes, it means she can trace your mother’s trail that was lost at the harbor. I’ve already ordered her to return, so she should be arriving at the harbor soon.”

“Can we really find Mom?”

“We must,” Heirn answered firmly. “For that reason, I will go to the harbor.”

“Me too!”

“No, you’re not of much help yet. You should continue honing your spirit skills.”

Ronschka bit his lip, but he knew Heirn was right. At this moment, he wouldn’t be much help in finding his mother.

“I’ve instructed the elders, so learn and become stronger.”

Ronschka nodded at Heirn’s words.

As soon as Heirn finished speaking, he prepared to leave, heading to the harbor. Watching him absentmindedly, Ronschka turned toward the training ground, intending to practice his spirit arts further.

“Ronschka.” Rosalind blocked his path.

“What?”

After a brief hesitation, Rosalind asked,  “Are you okay?” You didn’t originally want to come here. Are you really okay? She had many questions, but all she could ask was if he was okay.

“I’m fine,” Ronschka replied and continued walking. Everything had started to go wrong since the day Adele disappeared. His father had become scarier, and Ronschka wasn’t different.

Rosalind disliked this but had no way to change it. All she could do was watch and pray. She clasped her small hands in a hopeful prayer.

“Miss Adele, please come back soon.”

***

Gideon thought there was still much he didn’t know about Adele. Although she needed more rest, she insisted on working.

“You can rest more.”

“Resting too much isn’t good either. Besides, I feel like I might remember something if I keep busy.”

“If that’s the case, then I can’t stop you.”

“Just give me something to do!”

Adele eagerly jumped into the work. However, it seemed that the tasks typically done by the maids didn’t quite suit her. After a hard day’s work, she would be unwell the next day. Yet she persistently tackled her duties, causing concern.

“I’m fine. I’ll get used to it! I can’t just stay here without doing anything.”

She refused to give up.

One day, while she was assigned to the library, Adele organized scattered books in order.

Usually, Gideon himself took care of the library. Since it wasn’t a grand noble house, most of the working maids were commoners, and even those who weren’t often couldn’t read. Therefore, the maids’ tasks in the library were usually limited to dusting.

“Do you know how to read?”

“Well, it seems I do, doesn’t it?”

“Shall we see what else you know?”

Gideon continued to test Adele after that. She could read, even tackling difficult books with ease and summarizing their main points. She was quite good with numbers too. Actually, she wasn’t just good. She seemed to be better at it than Gideon. Though her handwriting was initially a mess, she became proficient in no time.

She always had a bright smile, but there were moments when she looked as if her world had collapsed. Sometimes she even cried, saying her chest hurt and felt empty, but she couldn’t remember why.

In the end, Gideon told Adele to stop doing maid work. Instead, he assigned her the task of organizing simple documents.

“Isn’t this too easy?”

“Having a guest do maid’s work was strange from the beginning,” Gideon said with a smile. 

After that, Adele’s body felt more at ease. But her heart didn’t. Sometimes, a maid would bring her child to the mansion. Whenever Adele saw the child, her heart felt like it was tearing apart.

Do I have a child too? Naturally, such thoughts arose.

“We can’t be sure,” Sana replied to Adele’s concerns. “But the doctor said your memory would gradually return, so try not to worry too much. It hasn’t been that long, has it?” Sana continued while attending to Adele.

She really is a noble.

She was so accustomed to being served.

Where could she be from?

Sana liked Adele very much. She thought Adele would be a good match for Gideon, who had been too busy working to have a romantic relationship.

It’s not entirely far-fetched.

Gideon seemed to be interested in Adele too. Although her status was still unclear, it didn’t matter much. After all, the Gideon Barony wasn’t a very prestigious family. Having an unknown noble lady as a wife wouldn’t be a bad thing at all.