Reforming the Villain Family (5 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 3
The soreness in my bottom was brief. Seeing the Duke’s smile vanish made my heart sink.
‘I’m doomed.’
The Duke’s frown lasted only a moment. He quickly smoothed his expression again, but this time his gaze seemed sharper than before.
I replayed my recent mistake in my mind. I should have simply behaved like any ordinary child—staying quiet and obedient.
I should have acted clueless, like any kid my age, but instead I’d reacted too obviously in front of the Duke.
Almost as if I knew exactly who he was.
“Are you all right, Miss?”
Yan was the first to speak in the awkward silence. He quickly helped me to my feet.
The Duke stared intently as I stood up. Meeting his gaze—devoid of any smile—made my body stiffen.
His eyes scrutinized my face with piercing sharpness. Though he said nothing, I felt as though I were being interrogated.
“How old are you?”
The Duke broke the brief silence first. When I failed to answer promptly, Yan spoke up.
“She said she’s four.”
“Is that so?”
The Duke lowered himself slightly and rubbed his chin. Even before remembering my past life, I’d always been perceptive—and perceptive children tend to draw adults’ dislike.
The Duke was suspicious of me. The proof? Even the superficial smile he’d shown me earlier had completely vanished.
Normally, children lower their guard the moment a smiling adult approaches them. My behavior—doing the exact opposite—surely hadn’t looked like that of an ordinary child.
‘It would’ve been better to appear utterly clueless.’
“It’s all right, Miss. This gentleman is the Duke who ordered that you be brought here.”
Yan spoke gently to me. I quickly stepped back and clutched the hem of his clothes.
I looked up at him without blinking. My vision blurred almost instantly.
“Huh?”
“Ugh…”
Yan glanced back and forth between me and the Duke. The Duke, too, seemed slightly flustered, his brows furrowing.
“Waaah!”
After letting a couple of tears fall, I buried my face against Yan’s leg, clinging tightly to him.
“Waaah! Waaah!”
“Why are you suddenly crying like this…? You were fine just a moment ago…”
Yan muttered in a flustered voice, his restless gestures clearly showing how awkwardly trapped he felt.
‘Sorry, Yan.’
Yan gently tried to push my shoulders away, but I held firm and refused to budge. He could’ve forced me off if he’d really tried—but he didn’t.
From behind me, the Duke let out a quiet sigh.
“She seems too overwhelmed to greet me properly right now.”
I peeked up just a little. The Duke must have been watching me the whole time—our eyes met immediately.
He wore an expression that seemed to say, “What an odd child.” Seeing that, I relaxed slightly.
The Duke appeared sensitive to children’s crying. Without another word, he promptly left the room.
Yan patted my shoulder with his large hand and said,
“Miss, the Duke has left. You’re safe now.”
I peeked up again, still sniffling.
“Were you scared?”
“Hup… yes.”
Even as I sniffled, I kept a close watch on the door, just in case the Duke might return.
But the door remained shut. In the meantime, Yan took out a handkerchief and gently wiped my face.
He didn’t seem to care at all that my tears and snot had stained his trousers.
“It must be because it’s your first day. But don’t worry—he’s not a frightening person. He’s a good man.”
Yan clearly had no eye for people.
‘He’s definitely not a good man.’
I reconsidered the Duke.
Kyleius Crustel—the man Yan called “good”—was the ultimate mastermind and villain of this world.
Worse still, he didn’t just commit evil deeds alone; he molded the very children he raised into villains as well.
It pained my heart to think that such a kind, honest young man as Yan had ended up pledging loyalty to this place and would inevitably suffer for it.
Just then, someone knocked on the door.
“Sir Knight, I’ve come to take the child.”
I’d momentarily forgotten—thanks to Yan’s comforting presence—that he was a knight. Which meant someone else would be taking care of me from now on.
The Duke, who’d left earlier, must have sent someone specifically for that purpose.
“Hello there, little one? My name is Sophia, and I’ll be looking after you from now on.”
Seeing Sophia, who’d come to collect me, made one thing perfectly clear.
‘I’m really going to live here.’
I felt a little relieved knowing I wouldn’t have to see Rebecca right away.
“Hello.”
I bowed politely to her. Sophia smiled gently in response.
“Oh my, how sweet of you! Shall we go together, then?”
Sophia gently took my hand. As I followed her, I suddenly glanced back.
My eyes met Yan’s instantly—he must have been watching me all along.
‘I didn’t even get to thank him.’
I hadn’t managed to thank him for rescuing me from Rebecca today. Yet somehow, when our eyes met, I felt he understood everything anyway.
“Shall we say goodbye to the knight?”
Noticing my hesitation, Sophia asked kindly. After a brief pause, I gave him a small wave.
I saw Yan press his lips together tightly—almost as if trying to suppress a smile. He replied briefly,
“I’ll see you again later, Miss.”
[This is the timeline separator]Sophia was warm and kind. It was clear she was trying her best to ease my tension as we walked to the room.
The first thing I did after entering the room with Sophia was eat heartily.
“Little one, please chew thoroughly and eat slowly. If you need more, I’ll bring it right away.”
Hearing Sophia’s words, I slowly scooped up some soup and brought it to my mouth.
Truthfully, if it hadn’t been for the cookie I’d eaten earlier, I might have ended up shoveling the soup into my mouth with my hands from sheer hunger.
‘Delicious.’
I couldn’t remember the last time I’d eaten proper food.
I’d gone two days without food, and even before that, all I’d had was some nameless porridge made by mixing a bit of flour into boiled water with foraged foxgrass.
Even that, Rebecca had barely filled a bowl with.
‘What’s the point of a tiny thing eating so much anyway?’
That meal had neither filled my stomach nor provided any real nourishment—it hadn’t even been enough to temporarily ease my hunger.
In stark contrast, just a few spoonfuls of Sophia’s meal made me feel satisfyingly full.
“Would you like some more?”
Sophia asked gently. Instantly, my fondness for her soared in my mind.
“I’m fine.”
“But you hardly ate anything.”
“No, I’m full.”
I politely handed her the empty bowl. At that, Sophia’s expression softened, her eyebrows relaxing downward.
‘Oh, again.’
It was the same expression Yan had worn in the carriage.
It was an expression Rebecca had never once shown me.
‘She always just frowned whenever she saw me.’
In my past life, many adults had treated me that way, so I’d assumed that’s just how grown-ups were.
But seeing Yan and Sophia, maybe that wasn’t always true.
Sophia bathed me thoroughly and gently tucked me into bed.
Seeing her pat me softly, it seemed she intended to stay by my side until I fell asleep.
‘So soft.’
Normally, I wouldn’t have been able to fall asleep with someone else around—but with Sophia, I felt completely at ease.
My body quickly grew drowsy, and my eyelids felt heavy.
Just as I was drifting halfway into sleep, hazy and dreamy, I repeatedly opened and closed my heavy eyelids like someone with something important left to do.
“Can’t sleep?”
Sophia asked with a smile. I let out a deep sigh and replied,
“When I fall asleep…”
“Yes?”
“It feels like everything will disappear.”
Unaware, I’d blurted out my true feelings in this dreamlike state. I clutched tightly onto Sophia’s sleeve.
If I fall asleep like this, it’ll all turn out to be a dream.
When I close my eyes, I’ll wake up back at home.
And when I wake from this dream, Mother will be there again…
Sophia gently patted my back and spoke softly,
“It’s not a dream.”
“…”
“It’s not a dream, little one.”
Hearing Sophia’s words, I finally let go of my worry.
It’s not a dream.
Being full and warm—it’s not a dream.
None of this is a dream.
‘Thank goodness.’
At last, I was able to let my heavy eyelids close completely.
[This is the timeline separator]A child raised by a back-alley prostitute had arrived at the Duke’s mansion.
The news quietly spread among the household staff, who had grown accustomed to silence.
“Did you hear? About that child the woman brought yesterday—the master took only the child.”
“So that woman was telling the truth after all?”
“Yes, she brought the Duke’s ring as proof.”
The rumor swept through every servant in the estate in no time.
Yet none of them truly understood the facts.
Could that child really be the master’s secret offspring? But hadn’t he already adopted princes?
These were people who had worked here since the day this lavish estate was built in the desolate north.
In that isolated place, where nothing ever changed and silence reigned, this new rumor set their tongues wagging incessantly.
“Anyway, they say the ring was a fake—they just took pity on the poor child.”
“So the child won’t be officially registered into the family, then?”
Into the hushed chatter of the maids, a tall figure suddenly stepped forward.
“Well… the proof was genuine.”
“Aaah!”
The maids, unaware someone had approached, shrieked and jumped back in surprise. The intruder was Philen, the Duke’s young aide who spent most of his days glued to his side.
The most cheerful of the maids spoke first.
“Lord Othol, if the proof was genuine, does that mean the woman wasn’t lying?”
“I couldn’t say for sure. Even if the proof is real, that’s not the whole story, is it?”
Pahlen replied lightly, then glanced around cautiously. He clearly had more to say. Another maid nearby quickly picked up on this and asked again.
“So… the woman’s story isn’t something we can just dismiss as nonsense, then?”
“Yes. The master himself seemed quite troubled about it.”
His reluctant expression made it clear he was answering only because pressed. He added one final, firm reminder:
“You must never say I told you this.”
The maids nodded eagerly, their eyes sparkling.
Pahlen returned to his duties, assigning each of them their tasks before turning to leave. His destination was none other than the Duke’s study—the very source of this rumor.
“Come in.”
A low voice sounded from inside instantly at his knock. Opening the door, Philen saw Kyleius reviewing documents.
“You’re here?”
“Yes. As instructed, I’ve already spread the word.”
“Good.”
Kyleius replied curtly, his eyes still fixed on the papers. Noticing Philen showed no sign of leaving, he finally looked up.
“Is there something else?”
“I wished to ask the reason behind today’s order. It’s untrue that the proof was genuine, isn’t it?”
Male lead says he’s pregnant — and it’s female lead’s child
Something seems a bit off about this world.
Wang Zhao thought as she watched a pregnant man walking towards her…
Intro
Female lead finds herself in a world where the men who possess the ability to bear children.
As she navigates this unfamiliar reality, she is caught off guard by the sudden appearance of her boyfriend, who reveals that he is pregnant.
Is this truly her boyfriend?
Why can’t she recall any details about their time together?
She begins to doubt whether the child her boyfriend is carrying is even hers.
Is there a hidden reason behind her amnesia, or could it be a side effect of her sudden arrival in this strange new world?
Just when it seems the protagonist’s life couldn’t become any more entangled, her ex-boyfriend makes an unexpected appearance, raising questions about the protagonist’s past.
__________
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (116)
Well done, our little one, you’re very clever. Don’t let him deceive you. You must escape from this crazy duke.
Yes, yes, you have to leave. You cannot stay with a crazy person trying to kill you, but that’s a stranger whose name you never said.
What is this? Why didn’t she run away when she saw them? And why didn’t she mention her name?
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Miioo
Oh, how pitiful our little one is! What is this? Is she really not his daughter? Why did he lie?