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Chapter 29
I Became the Young Villain’s Sister-in-Law
Chatter chatter—
The children who had been happily chattering suddenly fell silent.
In that instant, a chilling stillness fell over the park, as though it had frozen solid.
Even the candy seller, who had been selling lemon honey drops with a warm and gentle smile, stiffened awkwardly.
“A noble.”
“His clothes are sparkling.”
“But why is he here?”
Whisper whisper—the children murmured as they looked at Kalib’s clothes.
Children are quick to notice things.
At the same time, most children are still innocent and don’t know when or where to hold back.
Only a rare few, like Kalib, sense the atmosphere and act with maturity.
“This is our park.”
“Whine… Are the nobles going to take this place too?”
“I heard from Dolan that when nobles like a park, it always disappears.”
“They chase people out and make it into their private gardens.”
“This place will be taken too.”
“But I like it here!”
The children voiced their worries without malice.
They were still “young,” after all—too young to know how to suppress their own thoughts.
“I…”
Just as Kalib was about to say something—
“Oh, oh dear! Forgive us!”
An adult suddenly rushed over.
It seemed to be the parent of one of the chattering children.
He quickly covered his son’s mouth and spoke.
“M-my child has been raised without discipline and has been terribly rude. Please, I beg you, show mercy just this once…”
The man pressed his son’s head down to bow and stole a glance at the buttons on Kalib’s clothes—checking the crest to see which family he belonged to.
When he recognized the insignia of House Indigentia, his face went pale.
“H-hey. You all, apologize at once.”
He urged the surrounding children to apologize as well.
“S-sorry…”
“We’re sorry.”
“But why are we apologizing—ow, why’d you push me?”
“Be quiet.”
“S-sorryyy…”
Though sneaking glances, the children still clasped their hands and apologized.
Watching them, Kalib pressed his lips together, then raised his hand.
“That’s enough. I didn’t hear a thing.”
His voice was bold like a child’s, yet it carried an edge of chill.
Hearing this, the man’s face visibly relaxed in relief as he scooped up his son.
“T-then, we’ll be going now…”
“Eh? But Dad, I want candy…”
“Candy? Forget candy! We’re leaving at once.”
The man scolded lightly and hurried the still-confused children away.
At that moment—
“Waaah! I want candy toooo!”
One of the children being led away burst into tears.
And as though the crying were contagious, another started crying, then another.
Soon several children were wailing all at once, leaving the man utterly stricken.
“Wh-what’s wrong with you all! You can eat candy another time…!”
The man kept darting nervous glances our way, at a complete loss.
Kalib simply watched him for a moment before turning away sharply.
“Elia, let’s go.”
“Huh? Oh… okay.”
“This is boring. Besides, I was taught noblesse oblige. A noble shouldn’t covet even the snacks of common children.”
He took my hand and pulled me along.
His grip was so tight his fingers turned white.
I looked quietly down at him as we walked toward a corner of the park together.
When I glanced back, the man and the candy seller were both wearing relieved expressions.
The seller quickly handed out more candy to soothe the crying children, while the man, embarrassed, paid him.
“Here, take it quickly.”
“Yay!”
“Lemon honey drops!”
Once again, the children’s happy chatter filled the park.
Kalib, still holding my hand, bowed his head low.
Until now, Cedric had been silent, but he finally spoke.
“Shall we move on to the next place?”
Kalib gave a feeble nod but kept his head down.
Watching him, I crouched down in front of him.
“Kalib, look at me.”
When I gave our joined hands a little shake, his downcast red eyes lifted to meet mine.
“Why didn’t you just say you wanted candy? Now the kids have misunderstood.”
“I counted the candies.”
“…Huh?”
The unexpected reply made my eyes widen.
“There were thirty slots on the rack, fifteen candies left, and eleven children.”
Kalib glanced back at the kids now happily clutching their lemon honey drops.
“That seller seems very used to selling here. He left enough aside for the children who play in the park. So those last four candies must already have owners too.”
“But in the end, he’s selling them.”
“Yes. But only ‘to the children who live here.’”
“Ah…”
“If you go to the square or the busy streets, you’ll find candies made in bulk for tourists. I can eat those.”
He turned his head again.
I looked quietly at him, deep in thought.
Kalib is the duke’s heir.
The children rejoicing over their candy were his peers in age, yet their circumstances were worlds apart.
Those kids were commoners—they could cry if they wanted candy.
But Kalib could not.
Because he was a great noble, the privileges he enjoyed also meant he had much to give up.
But that was the logic of this world’s people. Not mine.
I came from the modern world.
I once had a younger brother who was just as mature as Kalib.
“They arranged an overseas training camp. Don’t you think I should go?”
“It’s fine if you don’t. Taekwondo is a Korean martial art—why learn it abroad?”
“If you’re telling me not to go because of you, it’s okay, noona.”
Of course, it hadn’t been okay.
But even so, I boarded the plane, pretending not to see through Yun-i’s words.
I thought the sooner I succeeded, the sooner Yun-i would be happy.
And I regretted it all.
Though I always said I was doing everything for Yun-i, in the end, I acted no differently than other adults.
I dismissed his feelings with the excuse of, “There was nothing else I could do.”
I had leaned, unconsciously, on the “maturity” of a child.
“I’m fine, Elia.”
“I’m fine, noona.”
Kalib’s voice overlapped perfectly with Yun-i’s.
I looked at him silently, then closed my eyes.
Maybe the reason I transmigrated into this world, into a place with Kalib—so like Yun-i in both looks and situation—was to be given a chance to make amends.
For all the things I had said and later regretted.
Opening my eyes, I smiled brightly.
“But I’m not fine, Kalib.”
“…What?”
“I want candy so badly, I can’t take another step.”
“If we go out to the square, there’ll surely be lots of lemon honey drops…”
“No.”
I cut him off.
“Didn’t I say before? When you’re with me, you don’t have to act like the duke’s heir.”
“…Yeah.”
“This isn’t the ducal estate. You’re just here with me, Kalib.”
“…Yeah…?”
“Then how should Kalib act?”
“But…”
Kalib glanced up at Cedric.
As if to say, “But there are others watching.”
Cedric, sensing his gaze, quickly looked away, feigning ignorance.
Seeing that, Kalib’s eyes wavered in confusion.
I adjusted my grip on his hand and asked softly.
“What do you want to do, Kalib? Not as the heir, but as yourself.”
Kalib hesitated for a moment.
But only for a moment. With something like newfound courage, he looked at the lemon honey drops and said:
“Right now, I want to eat that.”
Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Cedric’s lips twitch upward.
I nodded firmly.
“Good. It looks like all the kids have already bought theirs. If we don’t buy them, those candies might go to waste. Should we go get some together?”
Kalib hesitated, unsure if he was allowed to be openly happy—then he broke into a radiant smile.
“Yeah!”
It was such a pure, childlike smile that it was hard to believe this was the same Kalib who always wore gloomy expressions at the ducal estate.
At that sight, Cedric’s hydrangea-blue eyes shimmered.
“I’ll continue making inquiries among the townsfolk.”
“Alright.”
I headed with Kalib toward the candy cart.
The children were already running about with their sweets, while the seller chatted casually with the man.
“There were exactly four left from Elphinium Square.”
“See? I told you not to make too many, just enough for the regulars. It’s not like they buy them every day.”
“True. I almost had too many left over.”
Just as Kalib had said, the seller seemed to have this neighborhood well in hand.
And fortunately, the last four really were extra stock.
“Hello!”
I greeted brightly.
“Ah, y-yes! H-hello!”
“Hello!”
The seller and the man jumped in surprise and straightened their posture.
They must have already realized we were great nobles.
Smiling, I said:
“I’d like to buy three lemon honey drops, please.”
“Three? Of course!”
The seller quickly handed me three candies.
Out of habit, I almost gave one to Kalib the way you’d give to a child, then flinched.
But Kalib, unfazed by the fact that a commoner had handed it to him directly, eagerly accepted the candy.
“Wow…”
He held the honey-glazed candy stick up to the sunlight, looking no different from the other children running around the park.
Perhaps it was that innocent look—
The seller finally gathered the courage to speak.
