The Villain Family Opposes Independence (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 4
“How exactly do you plan to help me?”
You?
I hadn’t heard the rest, yet it felt as though I had.
Recalling myself from just a few days ago, I fully understood why Duchess Ferdia’s expectations of me were so abysmally low.
A few days ago, I was… well… let’s just say…
‘An absolute mess…’
As if challenging me to speak up, the Duchess smiled leisurely, her expression languid yet subtly mocking.
When she covered her lips with her fan, her heavily made-up eyes stood out strikingly, exuding undeniable charm.
Her aura, commanding and overwhelming—just like her husband Duke Ferdia’s—was unmistakable.
I placed the small vial I’d prepared onto the table.
“What is this?”
“An antidote.”
“An antidote?”
“Yes. The antidote to the insecticide you recently developed, my lady.”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
She stared at me with a completely sober expression, not a trace of amusement in her eyes.
“I obtained your poison and created this antidote myself.”
“And you expect me to believe that?”
“Of course I don’t expect you to believe me.”
“You’re not joking with me, are you?”
Though her tone remained elegant, I felt utterly pressured by her presence.
At moments like this, yielding was not an option. I firmly reminded myself of this before speaking.
“Instead of doubting it, why not try it yourself?”
I pressed forward confidently, refusing to back down.
‘I guarantee its effectiveness!’
Though I spoke boldly without shrinking back, I held no expectation of receiving a positive response.
If rejected once, I’d ask twice; if rejected twice, I’d propose a third time.
And yet—
“Very well. I happen to be thoroughly bored—so I suppose I can humor you for a while.”
“……!”
I was startled by how readily she agreed—far more easily than I’d anticipated.
“Of course, if this turns out to be some trivial trick to deceive me, you’ll pay dearly for it.”
Naturally, a warning followed.
With a crisp snap, she closed her fan and rose from her seat. After summoning the caretaker of the poison garden and exchanging a few brief words, she glanced sideways at me.
“Follow me.”
I silently trailed behind her.
As expected, the Duchess led me to the greenhouse located in the rear garden.
There, rare medicinal and poisonous herbs from across the continent were gathered, each section meticulously regulated by temperature-controlling magic devices—a place where maintenance alone drained fortunes.
Though this served both as a poison cultivation site and her private laboratory, it was my first time entering. I’d only ever observed it from afar.
I eagerly scanned my surroundings, marveling at the array of rare plants.
‘Wow! Isn’t that the flower that only grows in the Far East?’
‘And that’s Namunde—the one even the Imperial Family failed to cultivate!’
I was once again awed by the Ferdia family’s—and especially the Duchess’s—immense wealth.
The money I’d carelessly splurged on merchants in my previous life was surely nothing compared to even a drop of what was spent here.
Lost in admiration as I gazed at a blossom, I suddenly realized how quiet everything had become.
Startled, I lifted my head—only to find the Duchess watching me intently.
“Elodie.”
“…Yes!”
She shook her head slightly, then beckoned gently with a fluttering motion.
“…No, come here.”
On her workbench lay an assortment of rare, hard-to-obtain materials for crafting poisons:
Powder from Elu Forest butterfly sprites, glowing moss found only on the coastal cliffs of Aethaim territory, and even the Red-Horned Madcap Mushroom—so toxic it required a binding magic device just for safekeeping.
Among them, she pointed to a transparent glass case. Something inside writhed faintly.
“Do you know what that is?”
“It looks like a bug. A rather large one.”
“Correct. That creature is Wormkranda—the cause of the recent pestilence.”
It looked almost cute, yet it was responsible for the widespread crop failures across the continent.
“It’s no ordinary insect. It’s a magically mutated lifeform with tenacious survival and reproductive capabilities.”
“I see.”
“Then let’s test the antidote you brought.”
Though I was confident, my heart pounded nervously as the moment arrived.
In stark contrast, the Duchess moved without hesitation. She poured the insecticide into the glass case without delay, and Wormkranda’s movements immediately slowed.
It looked on the verge of death—its life hanging by a thread. Then, my antidote was poured over it.
One second… two seconds… three seconds…
Time passed, yet Wormkranda remained utterly still.
‘This can’t be right…’
Just as I began to panic and steal a glance at the Duchess—
The seemingly lifeless Wormkranda suddenly sprang to life, darting energetically around the glass case.
Even more vigorously than before.
“Wow! It’s alive, my lady!”
“…….”
“S-sorry!”
Realizing I’d gotten overly excited, I flinched and hastily stepped back.
‘She must find my over-familiarity unpleasant.’
I need to be careful. My tendency to get carried away the moment I relax is truly a problem.
Hesitantly, I lifted my head—only to find the Duchess already gazing down at me.
Her expression, as she looked at me, had hardened slightly.
“Elodie.”
“Yes.”
“How did you make this antidote?”
Her serious tone confirmed it for me.
‘She’s hooked!’
My plan had succeeded.
After all, a near-dead creature reviving instantly was undeniable proof of the antidote’s efficacy.
But the real challenge began now—I had to leverage this ability to negotiate with her.
Deliberately feigning regret, I bowed my head deeply.
“I’d love to share the method with you, my lady, but the risks involved are simply too great… You’ll understand, won’t you?”
I risked a quick glance upward—the Duchess’s expression was utterly daunting.
Her eyes narrowed sharply.
As the matriarch of one of the Empire’s Four Great Houses and the most renowned noblewoman in high society, there was no way she wouldn’t grasp my implication.
After a moment, the Duchess finally spoke.
“How bold and reckless of you, Elodie.”
“I apologize if I’ve offended you.”
“You haven’t offended me. I’m merely… intrigued.”
Her blue eyes studied me intently, and I couldn’t help but tense under her gaze.
“The girl who was always so timid and fearful before me—what could have caused such a sudden change…?”
I swallowed hard.
“To dare propose a deal with me, of all people.”
Though her words carried an edge, her tone remained as gentle as ever.
After a brief pause, she reached a decision.
“Very well. Tell me—what is it that you want?”
“……!”
I’d finally succeeded in sitting at the negotiation table—with none other than Duchess Themis Ferdia herself.
Calmly, I stated my request.
“Please sell this antidote under your name.”
“……?”
“And give me a fixed percentage of the sales revenue.”
“Why not use your own name?”
“No one would believe it anyway—that Elodie Ferdia created this antidote.”
Who would believe it?
That the Ferdia family’s disgraced illegitimate daughter had suddenly developed an antidote overnight?
It would only sow doubt about the antidote’s efficacy.
“I may be reckless, but I do know my place.”
“Is that all?”
“And… I don’t want to draw attention.”
“Hmm.”
“So, I’d like you to keep all of this a secret.”
Especially the fact that Elodie Ferdia had developed the antidote to the Duchess’s own poison.
After studying me meaningfully for a moment, the Duchess reopened her fan and gave a slow nod.
“Very well. It seems I stand to lose nothing.”
Thus, my terms were accepted.
Now came the moment I had to explain how I’d created the antidote—something I’d already prepared a plausible lie for.
“Tell me—how did you make this antidote?”
“Actually, my divine gift awakened a few days ago.”
“A divine gift?”
For the first time, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed the Duchess’s face—even more than when she’d seen the antidote’s effect.
Divine gifts typically awakened around the age of five; late awakenings were exceedingly rare.
And I had been the even rarer case—one whose gift never awakened at all… until now, according to the story I’d crafted.
“Yes. It seems my gift is the power to ‘destroy’ poison.”
Not quite.
In truth, my gift was the ability to ‘purify’ poison.
‘Well, call it what you will—it’s flexible enough.’
In the original story, Elodie tried poisoning her sister Estelle with a lethal toxin, only to accidentally ingest it herself.
Because Elodie possessed the Severes family’s purifying gift, she survived the poisoning—but her true lineage was exposed in the process.
Fortunately—or unfortunately—the attempted murder was described in detail in the original work, making it easy for me to deduce the mechanics of my ability.
To activate my purification gift, several conditions had to be met.
First, I had to ingest the poison myself.
Second, after some time passed, manifesting the purifying power into ordinary water would transform it into an antidote.
The quantity I could produce depended on my proficiency—and thus was quite limited.
If time was insufficient after ingestion, I could use my own blood as the antidote, as my gift seemed to purify my blood first before manifesting externally.
‘A useful ability—but not without its drawbacks.’
After all, I had to consume poison to use it.
Though it wouldn’t kill me, the pain was excruciating enough to feel like death.
“Finally awakening your gift—that’s wonderful news. But why call it a great risk?”
“I’d rather avoid unnecessary misunderstandings.”
That was all I said, yet the Duchess clearly understood.
That as a mere illegitimate daughter, I had no intention of threatening her sons’ positions.
As I’d said before—I knew my place.
“So, please don’t worry.”
“…….”
For some reason, the Duchess remained silent for a long while.
[This is the timeline separator]‘Yay! I made money!’
The Duchess would need time to thoroughly test the antidote and secure formal approval.
And since production was limited, I wouldn’t earn a fortune immediately—but the mere fact that I now had personal assets filled me with soaring joy.
Even though I was exhausted to the point of wanting to collapse—likely due to lingering traces of poison—I couldn’t stop smiling.
‘I’ll work hard, earn money, and become independent!’
Zombie-like in gait but grinning ear to ear, I headed toward my bedroom with the contract in hand—when suddenly—
“Miss!”
Martha came rushing toward me from the opposite hallway, clearly flustered.
“What’s wrong?”
“We have a visitor.”
My face instantly drained of color.
“A visitor…? But I don’t have any friends…”
Who on earth would visit me—the social pariah of high society?
This was undoubtedly the most terrifying event of the year.
Martha nodded gravely, agreeing with my statement.
“That’s true. You don’t have any friends, miss.”
“…Martha.”
“Anyway, you must hurry. They’ve been waiting for quite some time.”
“Who exactly came?”
“His Royal Highness, the First Prince.”
Ah.
My mouth fell slightly open, and I froze in place.
In my single-minded focus on making money, I’d completely forgotten about this existence.
‘Right… the broken engagement was left unresolved.’
Though my body felt terrible and my tension had just eased, I couldn’t possibly turn away the visiting First Prince.
“I suppose I have no choice.”
Summoning every last ounce of energy, I headed toward the reception room.
Right now, I’m going to break off the engagement.
[This is the timeline separator]His fiancée, Elodie Ferdia, had gone mad.
At least, that’s what Adenmir firmly believed.
And for good reason…
“We have something we need to discuss, don’t we?”
When Adenmir cautiously broached the subject, she answered without the slightest hesitation.
“I’m serious about breaking off our engagement.”
And then she added this:
“I’m sorry for troubling you, Your Highness—this engagement was surely unwanted on your part, yet I insisted on it out of my own stubbornness.”
Sorry? She was sorry?
Elodie Ferdia apologizing to someone?
This was utterly abnormal.
Adenmir’s handsome face hardened momentarily.
“My lady… is something wrong?”
He seriously considered recommending a mental evaluation.
Unaware of his thoughts, Elodie remained fixated solely on the annulment.
“Nothing’s wrong. Well… Father opposes the annulment, but I believe he’ll accept it if you speak to him.”
“…….”
“He absolutely refuses to listen to me.”
“…….”
“Your Highness?”
Adenmir stared at Elodie, who called out to him with an innocent expression.
‘As expected—something’s clearly off.’
Elodie was the type who pursued everything she desired relentlessly. The position of Crown Princess Consort was no exception.
‘And she’d always shown clear interest in me.’
So her sudden change of heart was utterly incomprehensible.
She must have some hidden motive.
“Why did you suddenly decide to break off the engagement?”
After a brief moment of hesitation, Elodie smiled brightly and replied.
“Actually… I’ve fallen for someone else.”
When the male lead is punished by carrying the female lead’s child and having periods like a woman
“I’ve given birth to two children for you, yet you still think about him.
Was I nothing but his substitute to you from beginning to end?”
Synopsis:
Meng Huan, a scumbag who has dated countless girlfriends, transmigrates to a female-dominated country.
Day 1: Whether it’s female dominance or not doesn’t matter. The beauties here are passionate and amorous. Isn’t it easier to date them than in modern times?
Day 2: After a night, Meng Huan discovers the differences in the female-dominated world. Men here actually have chastity locks and menstrual cycles. This hinders his ability to perform, damn it!
Day 3: What’s wrong with sleeping around? I don’t want you to marry me. I’m meant to be a playboy. I don’t care about male virtues… What? You want to drown me in a pig cage? Marry, I’ll marry!
Day N: Meng Huan inexplicably vomits and receives the shocking news of his life… He’s pregnant.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (64)
Hahaha, is he jealous or does he not want to be the second prince so he doesn’t lose his position?
Yes, you’re right. You must discipline him. He’s rude and filthy. I don’t like him. Break up with him, Lily.
Oh my God, it’s terrifying, but it’s worth it. Poor Lily, I hope she can escape this family. But I don’t think they’re evil; I think they have some affection for her.
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Miioo
Hahaha, now he’ll say she’s different and no longer likes him, and that he’s chasing after her – a typical cliché.