The Villain Family Opposes Independence (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 3

Normally, Elodie would have charged right in to pick a fight with Carlot, yet for some reason she left without the slightest hesitation.

She even hummed a little tune as she went.

The Ferdia brothers stood alone, staring silently down the corridor where Elodie had vanished.

Carlot was the first to speak.

“Brother.”

“What?”

“Isn’t she acting strange?”

Seeing Yansi merely smile faintly without replying, Carlot scowled in petty annoyance.

“Boring. Tch.”

Since Elodie was the one exception, Carlot—who had always been aggressive toward her—finally prompted Yansi to call his name with feigned exasperation.

“Carlot.”

“You don’t exactly treat her like a real younger sister either.”

“……”

“I know that much. She probably knows it too, right?”

Outwardly polite, yet in truth no different from how one treats a complete stranger.

Yansi vividly remembered the day Elodie, then a newborn, first appeared in the household.

One day, Duke Ferdia brought in a woman named Arcelia and carelessly announced,

“Elodie Ferdia.”

“……”

“She’s your younger sister.”

Rumors swirled—claims she was a concubine, a slave—but Duke Ferdia offered no explanation.

Naturally, they expected their mother to be furious, yet surprisingly, the manor remained quiet.

A few days later, the woman vanished without a trace, but the baby stayed behind.

How could anyone feel affection for an unknown infant who cried incessantly?

To Yansi, she was forever an outsider. Even toward his blood brother Carlot, he hardly felt deep warmth—though at least they shared a sense of belonging as siblings born of the same house.

“This is really weird. Did she eat something bad?”

Still suspicious, Carlot grumbled with a sour expression.

‘You seem awfully interested… in Elodie Ferdia.’

By nature, the Ferdias had no concern for outsiders. Their individualism was deeply ingrained.

Carlot was unusually unlike a true Ferdia in this regard.

Recalling Elodie’s uncharacteristically calm demeanor, Yansi murmured quietly to himself.

It wasn’t like her to hold back her temper and stay composed.

“Yeah… It is strange.”

That much he could say for certain.

She had changed.

Elodie Ferdia.

[This is the timeline separator]

Long ago, seven great sins drove the mortal realm toward ruin.

Pride, Lust, Envy, Wrath, Gluttony, Sloth, and Greed.

They ravaged the continent, carrying out the orders of Irkala, the goddess of the underworld, who coveted even heaven and earth, never satisfied with what she had.

When the world began to crumble beyond repair, Ishtar—goddess of heaven and earth, and Irkala’s younger sister—finally intervened.

She bestowed her divine power upon seven mortals, entrusting each to seal away one of the seven sins.

In the end, humanity triumphed in battle and was hailed as heroes.

These heroes, who sealed the sins, founded seven noble houses, giving rise to the founding myth of Wilentia.

Over time, only five of those houses survived, eventually solidifying as the Imperial House of Wilrent at the center, supported by four founding ducal families.

And one of them was the Ferdia family—the house I now belonged to.

I suddenly recalled this old myth because it directly affected my livelihood.

‘That accursed divine power!’

If the myth was true, then only direct bloodlines of the Imperial Family and the four great houses could wield divine power.

I’d once been heartbroken, wondering why my power hadn’t awakened around age five like others—was it because I was a bastard? But now I knew there was a clear reason for it.

Of course no power of the Destruction attribute would awaken in me—I wasn’t of Ferdia blood at all.

But did that mean I could never use any power? Since I carried not a drop of Ferdia blood?

‘No.’

I possessed a different power.

In fact, the main-line divine power of another house.

My true father was none other than Richard Severes, head of the Severes ducal house.

Unfortunately, Duke Severes was currently in a coma and absent from public affairs.

‘How perfectly inconvenient.’

Rumors said that, since Duke Severes had neither married nor named an heir, a steward was temporarily managing house matters in his stead.

“Ugh… Of all things, why did my real father have to fall into a coma…?”

If not for that, I wouldn’t have had to scheme so desperately just to survive. My poor life.

The blood of the Severes family flowed through me. The Severes family’s attribute was “Purification.”

When I regained my past-life memories, I clearly recalled that the original story described my power in detail.

During a scene where Elodie was scheming viciously to eliminate the original female lead, Estelle, she unconsciously unleashed her power and was counterattacked.

That incident exposed her as no bastard after all, leading to her expulsion from the family and a tragic end.

The crucial point was this: as long as no one discovered that my ability was the Severes family’s divine power, I could probably use it to my advantage.

Even though this power had led to my death in the original story, I couldn’t help but feel elated—because now I, too, possessed divine power.

‘I actually have a power of my own.’

I’d firmly believed that if only my power would awaken, I could earn my family’s recognition as a true Ferdia. From the day I turned five, I’d prayed every night with my hands clasped, hoping for that miracle.

Of course, now that I knew I’d never be accepted as a true member of the Ferdias, those hopes seemed pointless—but a remnant of that earnest longing remained, making me genuinely happy.

Ever since my past-life memories returned a few days ago, I’d tested the power and confirmed it was real, which plunged me into deep contemplation.

“Hmm… How can I use this ability to make money?”

Lost in thought, I absentmindedly gazed out the window.

Then I noticed something.

The garden was filled with brilliant, dazzling flowers and plants.

It was Duchess Ferdia’s private poisonous herb garden.

Themis Ferdia—the Duchess was the continent’s foremost poison alchemist. Half of all poisons circulating in the underworld had been developed by her.

Ironically, her main source of income was antidotes—because anyone using her poisons naturally required a cure.

Though the capital viewed the Duchess as a thorn in their side for distributing poisons through black markets, they dared not act against her under the protection of Ferdia’s authority.

‘Come to think of it, there was something recently that got the Duchess in trouble with the capital.’

A newspaper headline flashed through my mind.

[Ferdia’s Pest Exterminator: A Lethal Poison for Eliminating Political Enemies?]

The article reported that the royal court had issued an immediate recall order as soon as the Duchess’s highly effective insecticide hit the market.

They claimed that since the toxin was lethal even to pests, humans certainly weren’t exempt—and without an antidote, its use in assassinations had begun to rise.

With pests running rampant and threatening the continent with famine, the Duchess had developed this insecticide in good faith for the greater good—only to see her goodwill trampled.

As a result, the launch of her new product was completely ruined, leaving the Duchess in a foul mood.

The capital had sternly demanded she develop an antidote before ever releasing the insecticide again.

But of course, an antidote couldn’t be created so easily or quickly.

My mind began racing.

Lethal poison. Antidote. And… my power.

‘Oh?’

Wait a minute.

“This could actually work!”

A brilliant money-making scheme had just struck me!

[This is the timeline separator]

I immediately put my plan into action.

My first step was summoning my personal maid, Martha.

Martha was the only person in this mansion I could truly call “my side.” She was the daughter of the wet nurse who’d taken care of me as a neglected newborn when no one else would.

Though the same age as me and officially just a maid, Martha was more like a friend—which was why, even though I treated everyone else harshly, I was always soft toward her.

“What is it, my lady?”

“Martha… Can I ask you a favor?”

“No outings. You’re still under house arrest.”

Given my past record of gleefully sneaking out while under confinement, Martha looked genuinely worried. Her reaction was painfully honest proof of how little she trusted me.

“Unfortunately, it’s not that.”

“Good, so it’s not an outing then. What is it?”

I gestured subtly with my hand, and Martha leaned in with an uneasy expression.

I whispered softly into her ear.

As my words continued, Martha’s face turned pale.

“What?! Why would you even do that?!”

I’d expected her to refuse—but not to flare up so instantly.

“I have a good reason.”

“No! It’s too dangerous! What are you planning this time?!”

“Martha.”

“No.”

Martha flatly refused with deliberate firmness, but I didn’t give up.

“Maaarthaaa~”

“It’s just… not possible…”

“Please? For me?”

Just as I was soft toward Martha, she was equally soft toward me—and after my repeated pleas, she finally surrendered.

“Just promise you won’t do anything reckless.”

“I promise!”

Watching Martha reluctantly yield to my confident assurance, I silently made a confession in my heart.

‘Sorry, Martha… I don’t think I can keep that promise.’

The promise not to do anything dangerous…

…Because what I was about to attempt carried great risk.

.

.

.

Two days later, after overcoming numerous obstacles, I finished all preparations and took my long-awaited first step.

Technically, I was under house arrest—but surely walking around the estate itself was allowed.

After two days of strenuous groundwork, I was utterly drained, my body limp and heavy. I felt so dizzy I might collapse any second.

‘I want to rest… But I need to meet her as soon as possible. Time is running out.’

As I walked alone toward my destination, every maid I passed instantly paled and fled in the opposite direction—a clear testament to my infamous reputation in this mansion.

I finally stopped at Duchess Ferdia’s poisonous herb garden in the rear courtyard.

Seated at a table beneath an open parasol, the Duchess was giving instructions to her attendants tending the toxic plants.

Thud. Thud.

Hearing my approaching footsteps, the Duchess turned her head.

“Good day, Duchess.”

The Duchess gracefully smiled in reply to my greeting.

“It’s been a while, Elodie.”

“Yes. I’m glad to see you looking well.”

“Hmm?”

Oof. Her sharp gaze made me instinctively look away. My heart pounded fiercely—what if the perceptive Duchess noticed the change in me?

There was another reason I was so nervous.

She was an extremely uncomfortable presence to me.

Though the Duchess had never once harmed me—the bastard child practically sold into this mansion as a baby—it was clear I was thorn in her side.

Who would ever welcome a stray bastard with open arms? Even I would probably find such a person unpleasant.

‘Don’t worry, Duchess. I’ll leave quietly on my own!’

Reaffirming my resolve for independence, I offered my most harmless smile.

With a flick of her fan, the Duchess politely inquired,

“I heard you’re under house arrest. Did the confinement get too stifling?”

“Yes. Staying cooped up in my room made my head ache.”

“I see.”

Snap.

The conversation ended.

“……”

“……”

We’d never been close, so there was no natural topic to keep things flowing.

The Duchess’s attention had already returned to her herb garden, where work was underway.

My presence beside her seemed already forgotten—or perhaps she was deliberately ignoring me.

‘Either way, it’s just as painful.’

But I couldn’t give up now. Carefully choosing my words to avoid upsetting her, I gently began,

“The royal court really went too far—recalling your insecticide after you developed it for the farmers’ sake.”

“Well… I suppose so.”

The Duchess glanced at me sideways, as if wondering whether I was mocking her.

Though her expression was clearly displeased—understandable, given the sensitive topic—at least I’d caught her attention.

I seized the opening.

“That brings me to my point.”

“Yes?”

“I think I can help you, Duchess.”

The bait was cast!

‘Take it!’

Holding my breath, I waited for the big catch to bite.

At last, the Duchess spoke.