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Chapter 3
For some strange reason, there hadn’t been a daughter born into House Kereis for generations.
Long ago, girls had been born into the family, but at some point the bloodline simply stopped producing them.
As a result, the original novel only featured the Duke of Kereis and his three sons.
Whenever the author described them, one phrase appeared again and again:
“A family of men so handsome they could blind you.”
I wondered why there weren’t any women on the cover… but now that I’ve seen him in person… I feel like I’m going to get a nosebleed.
While a maid set tea on the table, I secretly stole glances at the Duke.
He was carefully adjusting a crystal glass so it lined up perfectly with the edge of the table.
Right. He’s a perfectionist.
Cruel as he was, the Duke couldn’t tolerate even the slightest imperfection.
Well… with a face that perfectly symmetrical, it made sense he’d want everything around him to be just as orderly.
“How long do you intend to keep staring at my face?”
“…!”
Startled, I snapped my gaze away.
Leaning lazily against the sofa, the Duke spoke again.
“I dislike unnecessary complications.”
His deep, composed voice echoed through the room.
I already knew where this conversation was headed.
“The reason I brought you here is simple.”
…
The Duke of Kereis was ambitious.
Even though his house was already the most powerful noble family in the empire, he wanted influence great enough to control even the Emperor himself.
And to achieve that…
He needed a mage born with exceptional, pure-blooded magical talent.
My uncle had lied to him when he sold me.
He claimed that I, Maryanne Delbe, had inherited extraordinary magical abilities from the Delbe bloodline.
No doubt he’d received an enormous sum of money in return.
“I’m going to make you my eldest son’s fiancée.”
…!
My mind went completely blank.
So…
It was finally happening.
I swallowed hard.
Engaged…
To Shevert.
“N-No… I…”
“It’s already been decided.”
“Your Grace…!”
As my voice rose in protest, the Duke suddenly reached out his hand.
Thump.
Thump.
My heart pounded.
Without a word, he gently brushed a loose strand of my hair back into place.
The wind must have blown it out of order.
Naturally, something so untidy would bother a perfectionist like him.
Even at a moment like this…
That was what caught his attention.
Steadying my racing heart, I pleaded once more.
“I’m too young to be engaged!”
It didn’t matter.
My uncle had already transferred every legal right over me to House Kereis.
That bastard…!
The original story was unfolding exactly as it should.
Maryanne became engaged to Shevert.
Once they reached adulthood, Shevert would fall hopelessly in love with the heroine.
And I…
I’d help him pursue her.
That was how I became the infamous villainess.
The future image of Shevert and Maryanne—the villain couple—formed vividly in my mind.
Anxiously, I looked back at the Duke.
He was smiling.
A cold…
Knowing smile.
* * *
The Duke assigned me a surprisingly luxurious bedroom.
“Wow…”
For the moment, I’d completely forgotten what had just happened.
Money really was amazing.
Compared to the crumbling bedroom in the Delbe estate, everything here screamed luxury.
The bed.
The desk.
The wardrobe.
Everything looked incredibly expensive.
Not only that—
Everything matched perfectly.
It was exactly what I’d expect from a perfectionist like the Duke.
Running my fingers across the smooth surface of the desk, I eventually flopped backward onto the bed.
My head was spinning.
Too much had happened in a single day.
“Seriously… how is a thirteen-year-old supposed to deal with all this…?”
Without thinking, I took the little tree branch out of my pocket.
Only a few days had passed…
Yet it was already beginning to dry out.
For some reason…
That made me sad too.
Slowly, my eyelids grew heavy.
Before I knew it…
I’d fallen asleep.
In my dream…
Everything was covered in thick white fog.
I couldn’t see anything.
I simply waved my hands through the mist.
Then, all at once…
The fog cleared.
Standing before me…
Was a tiny lion cub.
A lion cub…?
Before I could question it any further…
The little lion suddenly ran over and rubbed itself against me.
Its bright eyes seemed to plead,
“Please hold me.”
It was so adorable that I crouched down and scooped it into my arms.
As I gently stroked its soft fur…
…!
The lion cub disappeared.
In its place…
A young boy was resting against my chest.
The thing my hand had been stroking…
Wasn’t fur anymore.
It was dark blue hair.
Eek! That’s someone from the Kereis family!
Startled, I shoved him away—
“Hah!”
—and jolted upright in bed as if I’d been launched by a spring.
“Kereis!”
Again.
Another dream about someone from the Kereis family.
“Ha…”
I still hadn’t seen his face.
But judging from the blue hair…
He was definitely one of the Kereis men.
Maybe I’d been thinking about the novel so much that my dreams had started mixing everything together.
I took a deep breath.
Calm down.
Now wasn’t the time to panic.
Just then—
“…Waaah…”
The sound of a child crying drifted through the hallway.
“Hm?”
At first I thought I’d imagined it.
Then the crying came again.
Stepping out into the corridor, I looked around.
A bedroom door not far away stood open.
Someone was inside?
Curious, I slowly walked toward it.
Before I got there…
A tiny child suddenly came running out.
“Whoa! You scared me!”
At the sound of my voice, the little boy—who looked about four or five years old—stopped crying.
Then he froze, staring directly at me.
“Young Master! Young Master Crimu!”
A woman who appeared to be his nanny hurried out after him.
She frowned at first.
Then, after noticing me, she immediately composed herself.
Looking at the scene before me, I realized—
Crimu!
The crying child was the Duke’s youngest son.
Crimu.
His pale blue hair—like seawater—made him easy to recognize.
After the Duchess died young, no one had paid much attention to him.
He’d practically raised himself.
As he grew older, his uncontrollable strength would only make him more reckless.
That much I remembered from the novel.
But right now…
He was still just a little kid.
“Lady Maryanne, your room is that way.”
The nanny gestured politely.
At the same time, she hurried Crimu back into his room, blocking him from my view.
I returned to my own bedroom.
“Looks like he finally stopped crying.”
Silence returned to the corridor.
Today I’d met the Duke.
Now I’d met the youngest son.
There was no denying it anymore.
I was inside the villainous House of Kereis.
That meant…
When was I going to meet my fiancé?
The eldest son…
Ugh… I really don’t want to.
I’d have to rethink my entire plan.
Staying at my uncle’s house had failed.
So there was only one option left.
Save as much money as possible before I became an adult.
I refused to die as history’s greatest villainess.
Steeling myself once again, I reminded myself:
I deserve to be happy.
If my previous life had been miserable…
Then this life…
I’d make myself happy no matter what.
From a small cloth pouch I’d brought from the Delbe estate, I pulled out a crumpled piece of paper.
I’d written down everything I could remember about the novel.
“So… right now, I’m still before adulthood.”
“Which means… before I become a true villainess.”
Eventually I’d come of age.
Then I’d officially marry my fiancé—
Shevert Kereis.
But Shevert loved someone else.
The heroine.
Saint Bianca.
He would eventually kidnap her.
And I…
I’d become his accomplice.
Far in the future, Maryanne also fell in love with the Crown Prince.
Then Ron Kereis—
the infamous “Seed of Calamity”—
would plunge the empire into a sea of flames.
That was everything I remembered.
“I remember thousands of people dying…”
“But after that… I stopped reading.”
The Crown Prince probably won in the end.
It was a happy ending, after all.
Still…
Feeling sorry for my future self, I made a decision.
I’d simply remove myself from the story.
Just like countless heroines in other web novels.
Why couldn’t I do the same?
I’d save enough money…
Disappear somewhere nobody knew…
And never return.
To make that happen…
The first thing I needed…
Was the Duke’s trust.
“Which means…”
“I have to get along with these lunatics first!”
One by one…
I’d tailor my approach to every member of House Kereis.
* * *
The very next day…
The first person I ran into was the youngest son.
Crimu.
I was wandering through the garden, lost in thought.
Suddenly…
Something tugged at the hem of my dress.
“Huh…? What—”
Looking down…
I found the little boy I’d seen a few days earlier.
Wait…
Was he glaring at me?
His tiny brows were furrowed in anger.
Despite his chubby cheeks, tiny frame, and face cute enough to melt the world…
When he frowned…
He looked like an angry baby bird.
What’s this?
Is he picking a fight with me?
Still, I immediately smiled warmly.
I couldn’t afford to make enemies with anyone in this family.
“Your name’s Crimu, right?”
“Pbb.”
I’d asked kindly.
But Crimu simply puffed out his little lips and made a strange sound.
“Pbb?”
“So that’s your way of saying hello? My name is Maryanne. Nice to meet you, Crimu.”
“Pbbbt.”
“Huh?!”
It wasn’t a greeting.
Crimu…
Was spitting at me.
“Y-You little brat!”
I shook the spit off my skirt.
This tiny little thing…
And he was already getting on my nerves!
I wanted to flick him right on the forehead.
But seeing the maids standing behind him…
I forced myself to stay calm.
“Crimu, you shouldn’t do that.”
Like every web novel heroine I’d ever read…
I’d tame him.
He was only four years old.
Surely he’d be the easiest one to win over.
“That’s right. No more spitting, okay? Good boy.”
I gently stroked his blue hair.
It was incredibly soft beneath my palm.
Slowly…
The crease between Crimu’s brows disappeared.
Oh?
He liked it?
I knew it!
There was a reason heroines in web novels always did this!
Internally cheering, I decided taming Crimu would only be a matter of time.
Growing up surrounded only by brothers…
This was probably the first time he’d experienced an older sister’s gentle touch.
Yes.
It must feel unfamiliar now.
But as time passed…
“Big Sister Maryanne” would become an irreplaceable part of his life.
Muahaha…
Just then—
An angry voice shouted from behind me.
“Hey! You! What are you doing to my little brother?”
Before I could even react…
Crimu’s nostrils flared.
He looked ready to cry.
And…
Sure enough…
“WAAAAAH!! H-HYUNG!!”
He burst into loud sobs.
“W-Why are you crying all of a sudden?!”
…Oh no.
I was in trouble.
