I Will No Longer Live As Your Villainess - Chapter 35

Feeling the pressure from Teishar, Adrian shrugged his shoulders. Brant gulped, unable to take his eyes off Teishar’s red eyes that stared at him without blinking.

“I know it hurts. I was going to ask.”

Brant said in a small voice. Before he could finish his words, Teishar clenched his fist and slammed it on the table. Startled by the loud bang, Brant flinched involuntarily.

“Did you starve her until she became skeletal because she was so precious?”

“I didn’t starve her.”

“Saying it was Anne is just an excuse.”

“Duke Spencer!”

“You better not say you didn’t know about her emaciated body either.”

Teishar slightly tilted his head and forced a smile on one corner of his mouth.

“At least in front of me, you should say something that shows you properly know the condition of your precious daughter’s body. Only then can I believe to some degree your words that she is the ‘precious daughter’ of Count Pol Heredian.”

“Duke Spencer. Do you realize that everything you are saying now is crossing the line?”

“You say I’m crossing the line… I haven’t properly crossed the line with the Pol Heredian family yet.”

At Teishar’s words, Brant’s face turned red.

“If I do cross the line, I will properly cross it in the name of the Spencer family. If that’s what you want, keep talking. I’ll cross the line for you properly.”

Overwhelmed by Teishar’s frighteningly hardened expression, all Brant could do was stay still without moving. A brief silence passed, and the first to open his mouth was Brant.

“I just want to take my daughter back. I’ve locked up Anne who was abusing Lorencia. Now there is no one left in the estate to abuse my daughter. I will take good care of her, so please let her go.”

“Huh?”

Teishar’s eyes narrowed. He was annoyed that all Brant said was that he would take good care of her.

As if she’s not even his real daughter.

“Do you think only Anne harassed Lady Lorencia? Count Pol Heredian.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Duke Spencer.”

“Lady Illina also hit Lady Lorencia.”

“Our Illina would never do that. As you may know from rumors, Illina is always a kind child who looks after Lorencia.”

At the blatant lie, Teishar suppressed his rising anger with all his patience.

“Lady Illina came by. She said she had something to say to Lady Lorencia in private, and when she left, Lady Lorencia’s cheek was swollen.”

Hearing Teishar’s words, Brant nodded as if it was no big deal.

“Yes. I know. Yesterday, Illina said she missed her sister so much that she went to the imperial palace to see Lorencia. That’s why I came today, I was so worried about it.”

Brant sighed heavily and continued.

“Lorencia is a sick child. She is not whole, physically or mentally. You said her cheek was swollen? Lorencia probably hit her own cheek as usual.”

Teishar remained silent to hear how Brant would talk about Lorencia until the end.

“Lorencia is a daughter with a mental illness due to Anne’s severe abuse. She self-harms and constantly spreads discord. If such a child stays in the imperial palace, she will surely harm others as well. That’s why I’m asking you to return my daughter to the estate. Before she causes turmoil in the palace too.”

Teishar showed no reaction. Brant thought he would refute what he said, but seeing his silence made him uneasy.

Not knowing what he would say, Brant tensed up slightly.

“No matter how I look at it, you and Lady Lorencia don’t resemble each other much.”

“What are you saying? That child is my daughter.”

“Yes. Do you know that daughter is currently malnourished?”

“What are you trying to say to me now? As I said many times, it was Anne who abused her, not me! Duke Spencer. Return my daughter to me at once!”

Brant was trying his best to take Lorencia back no matter what. Rather than looking like an anxious father missing his daughter, he seemed nervous and restless like someone who lost an item.

What was Brant so afraid of? Or did Ruans have some weakness over him?

“Return her…”

“My precious daughter.”

Teishar gritted his teeth so hard it made a cracking sound. Brant kept saying to return Lorencia, his daughter. He was playing with words to somehow take the young sapling Lorencia back to that hellhole.

“I will make sure my lovely daughter is not abused by Anne again.”

Brant kept pleading. If someone who didn’t know the situation heard the conversation, Teishar would seem like a villain who kidnapped his daughter.

“I want to return her to you, but I can’t.”

“What does that mean?”

Teishar recalled what Lorencia had told him yesterday before their writing lesson.

“Lady Lorencia said she doesn’t want to return to the estate.”

“Lorencia. There’s no way our daughter would say that. Now that Anne is gone, the estate will truly be a happy place with me, Illina, and Lorencia.”

Seeing Brant awkwardly smiling and denying Lorencia’s wishes made Teishar’s mood even worse.

“Lady Lorencia said she absolutely does not want to return to the estate.”

“Hahaha. It seems our beloved Lorencia has taken a liking to life in the imperial palace. Duke Spencer.”

“It’s not that she doesn’t want to return because she likes palace life. Lady Lorencia simply doesn’t want to go back to the estate. Count Pol Heredian.”

“Then can you at least let me see my daughter’s face? I miss my little girl so much.”

Teishar gave a twisted smile. Then he reached out and clawed at Brant’s collar, yanking it. The fabric made a ripping sound as it was forcibly pulled. At Brant’s words saying he wanted to see Lorencia, Teishar’s mind was dyed crimson red in an instant.

Indignation surged up at Brant’s brazen lies about Lorencia being precious to him.

“What do you think you’re doing!”

Brant was utterly shocked to have his collar grabbed. He began raising his voice, demanding Teishar let go.

“Duke Spencer.”

Adrian called out to Teishar and stepped in to mediate between the two.

“Still, he’s from the venerable Pol Heredian family of the empire. Please bear with it just this once, Duke Spencer.”

As soon as Teishar released his grip on Brant’s collar, Brant coughed and glared at him. Teishar’s red eyes curved into crescents. If not for Adrian’s intervention, Teishar may have strangled Brant to death.

“I simply came here because I wanted to take my daughter back to the estate. But what is the meaning of this!”

Brant avoided Teishar’s terrifying gaze. He had heard rumors that Teishar was a cold and blunt man. Rumors are just rumors after all. He never imagined Teishar would suddenly grab his collar. He was out of his mind.

If it were up to him, he should demand an apology from family to family, but he didn’t want to tire himself out getting entangled with the Spencer family over hurt pride. It’s best to avoid a lunatic. And right now, getting Lorencia back to the estate unconditionally was more urgent than receiving an apology.

“I simply cannot believe Lorencia’s words about not wanting to return to the estate. So please let me meet my daughter.”

“Daughter…”

Would his rising anger consume him first? Or would killing Brant be faster? Teishar recalled his conversation with Evan and Ameline.