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Chapter 4
Third grade elementary school.
The moment I heard those words, my mind literally turned completely blank.
“Sniff…… hic…… uuuugh…….”
The one who burst into tears again—Lady Melissa, no, the third-grade elementary school child—was absolutely no help at all.
But honestly, this was normal.
A third grader meant ten years old in Korean age, nine years old in this world’s age system.
It was exactly the age where children got nervous in front of others, made mistakes, became scared on their own, and ran away crying.
After barely regaining my senses, I started comforting Melissa.
“You’re only ten? I see…… It must have been really hard for you. How did you transmigrate?”
“Hic, sniff…… I just…… before going to sleep…… I was reading a webtoon with Grand Duke oppa in it…… waaah……”
“I see, it was a webtoon…… Do you remember the title?”
I pretended to stay calm on the outside, but inside, my thoughts were a complete mess.
Unlike novels, which carefully explain even small settings in detail, webtoons usually shorten explanations and show things through pictures instead.
That meant even if Melissa remembered the story, there would still be limits to how much information she actually knew.
That was assuming this tiny ten-year-old even remembered the story properly at all.
“Sniff…… Save the Villain Brother…….”
At that moment—
My head suddenly spun.
“……What?”
Unable to support myself properly, I collapsed onto the floor.
It felt like electricity suddenly returning to a room after a blackout. Clear images flooded into my mind.
It was the memory of myself reading the novel Melissa mentioned.
‘A novel I only read once… and one that didn’t leave much of an impression.’
Maybe it was natural that I had forgotten it.
But the moment Melissa said those words, the memory returned perfectly clearly.
As if…… Melissa’s words themselves had been the trigger.
『Save the Villain Brother』, shortened to 『SVB』.
It had been so popular that a webtoon adaptation came out almost immediately. Melissa must have read that version.
‘I was an extra in a childcare novel?’
A nameless government official from some insignificant department nobody would ever mention in the story.
But I didn’t have time to stay shocked.
“I-I want to go home. I miss Mom and Dad. I want to play with Choco…….”
“Who’s Choco?”
“O-our poodle.”
Melissa pouted her lips, and her chin immediately started trembling as if she was about to cry again.
‘Oh dear.’
She was clearly trying her best to hold back her tears, but there was no way that would actually work.
I hugged the child, who had already started sniffling again, and swallowed a sigh as I comforted her.
‘Good grief…….’
My head hurt.
Not because I felt guilty about eventually having to tell a ten-year-old child that she could never return home.
She would find out sooner or later anyway.
Out of the thousands upon thousands of romance fantasy novels, only a tiny handful ever let someone return to their original body.
What truly gave me a headache was the content of 『Save the Villain Brother』 itself.
Just like the title suggested, the villain brother—Melissa’s older brother, Grand Duke Achilles—was the hidden mastermind.
And what did that mean?
It meant that although he appeared obedient to the Imperial Family on the surface, he was actually planning a rebellion.
That’s right.
Grand Duke Kardicha was currently preparing for treason.
He dreamed of turning the Northern Autonomous Territory into something greater—of ruling the entire Empire itself.
For reference, in the original novel, Grand Duke Kardicha briefly seized imperial power—
But in the end, he was defeated.
Naturally, his ending was execution by beheading.
Melissa was executed alongside him.
The small girl trembling in my arms… was destined to die.
Honestly speaking, whether Grand Duke Kardicha lived or died was none of my business.
In fact, after remembering the insane things he did in the original story, I almost wanted to assassinate him myself.
Then Melissa would survive, and the Empire would stay peaceful.
Two birds with one stone.
But unfortunately, I didn’t have the ability to do that.
And if I left things like this—
‘Everything is completely screwed.’
If war broke out, the Child Protection Bureau, which leisurely handled children’s matters, would obviously disappear first.
The workplace and career I worked so hard to build would vanish instantly.
Of course, there was also the possibility that I would simply become another handful of blood mixed into a sea of corpses.
Haha…… my life……!
I laughed bitterly inwardly before quickly pulling myself together.
‘There’s no time.’
Right now, countless people were probably searching for Melissa.
And naturally, someone would eventually think to check the balconies.
Once Melissa returned to the Grand Duke’s residence, it would become incredibly difficult for a commoner like me to ever meet the Grand Duke’s younger sister again.
It would be fine if Melissa herself searched for me later, but expecting that level of cleverness from a child in her current state would be idiotic.
‘She’s already overwhelmed enough as it is…….’
Melissa was the protagonist of 『Save the Villain Brother』 itself.
And for the record, she was not an illegitimate child.
She was simply a very late-born daughter, seventeen years younger than her older brother.
The Grand Duke and Duchess adored their late-born daughter dearly, but unfortunately, Melissa fell into a lake on her fifth birthday and remained in a coma for four years.
The Grand Duke couple summoned every famous doctor in the world, but nothing worked.
After years of despair over their unconscious daughter, the Grand Duchess slowly fell ill and died.
Not long after, the Grand Duke followed her.
And when Grand Duke Kardicha hurried back to the castle after hearing of his parents’ deaths—
What greeted him was his younger sister, fully awake.
With no memories at all.
By now, anyone would understand what happened.
Someone else’s soul had entered Melissa’s body, which was why she awakened.
‘But the novel never said a ten-year-old transmigrated into her body!’
Actually, I didn’t think the story ever mentioned the transmigrator’s age at all.
Still, one thing had been clear—
The transmigrator was definitely an adult.
She used knowledge only adults would know to save Grand Duke Kardicha, skillfully run businesses, and even invest in real estate.
Looking at the current Melissa, it was impossible to imagine such things.
I took a deep breath.
No matter what, I had to accept the reality in front of me.
And I had to move in a direction that would help Melissa.
But before I could even think of a proper solution—
Bang!
The balcony door suddenly flew open, and a man rushed inside.
The very person I wanted to avoid more than anyone else—
Grand Duke Achilles Kardicha.
Compared to how he looked earlier at the ballroom, he appeared far more exhausted now.
His silver hair was messy, and his bloodshot violet eyes clearly showed how desperately he had been searching for his younger sister.
But a handsome man remained handsome no matter the situation.
Unlike the cold and intimidating atmosphere he gave off in the ballroom, he now looked dangerous and decadent instead.
……Needlessly sensual, in other words.
“Melissa.”
Grand Duke Kardicha spoke in a half-hoarse voice.
“So you were here.”
I had absolutely no desire to catch the eye of a villainous Grand Duke, so I immediately tried to leave.
Melissa ruined that plan.
“O-oppa…….”
No, Melissa! If your brother came, you’re supposed to go to him, not cling to me!
But Melissa seemed completely unaware of my silent screams as she slowly hid behind my back and peeked out timidly.
“Oppa, I’m sorry…….”
Grand Duke Kardicha narrowed his eyes.
He stepped toward me and slowly opened his mouth.
His voice was filled with obvious hostility and suspicion.
“And who… are you?”
I let out a sigh.
This was exactly why I disliked older brothers in romance fantasy novels. Treating someone who kindly helped your younger sister like some suspicious stranger—
“I am Tessa Harrington, Vice Director of the Child Protection Bureau, Your Grace.”
Even so, I greeted him as politely as possible while following proper etiquette.
I had no desire to give him any reason to hold something against me.
I valued my life very much, after all.
“The Child Protection Bureau…….”
Grand Duke Kardicha’s expression became strange.
Fortunately, he no longer looked openly hostile like before, but I still couldn’t relax.
Melissa trembling while tightly gripping my hand was not helping at all either.
And after silently staring at the two of us for a while, the words that finally left the Grand Duke’s mouth were—
“Do you also… think I abuse Melissa?”
……What?
The way Grand Duke Kardicha casually used the word “abuse” made him look strangely self-mocking.
“Your Grace, I have never once thought such a thing—”
More importantly, meeting Melissa had been pure coincidence. It had nothing to do with my duties as Vice Director of the Child Protection Bureau.
But before I could finish speaking, Melissa suddenly interrupted loudly.
“No!”
Melissa looked desperate.
“Oppa…… oppa……”
Her voice once again mixed with sobs.
Still tightly holding my hand, Melissa looked up at me and mumbled tearfully,
“He really does care about me… waaah……”
It would have been wonderful if Grand Duke Kardicha could hear Melissa’s words.
Unfortunately, Melissa mumbled so quietly that only I, standing right beside her, could hear them.
