The Villain Family Opposes Independence (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 6
Perhaps because I was so focused on the idea of becoming independent before three years passed, I hadn’t actually given much thought to the incident that would cause it.
‘Right. If the poison was switched, there must clearly be someone behind it.’
Where there’s an effect, there must also be a cause.
But there was a reason I hadn’t considered his existence until I actually met Hector.
After all, Estelle, the protagonist, had far more presence than Hector, who was merely a supporting character in the story.
According to the book, Hector, Duke Ferdia’s advisor, was a traitor secretly colluding with the Second Prince, Beltran Locke Wilrent.
Since Duke Ferdia currently supported the First Prince, Adenmir Presil Wilrent, as the next emperor, Hector’s betrayal amounted to an enormous stab in the back.
I stared at the advisor with a meaningful gaze.
‘So he pulls off such a sneaky betrayal while wearing that loyal-looking face?’
Tsk, tsk. He certainly looked respectable.
Indeed, you never truly know a person until you see beneath the surface.
“Young lady.”
“……”
“Young lady?”
I clicked my tongue inwardly but concealed my true feelings, replying indifferently as I usually did.
“I was just walking because I was bored. Even though I’m supposed to stay confined, I can’t stay locked in my room forever, can I?”
“Yes. His Grace will surely overlook that much.”
The advisor answered with a gentle smile.
He really did have a kind-looking face—so much so that the word “betrayal” seemed absent from his personal dictionary.
In fact, since Estelle had been adopted and he had become a solid supporter within the household, it was only natural that no one had noticed his treachery.
Anyway, the advisor’s betrayal was an event that occurred in the story only after I’d been removed. Moreover, there was no guarantee he was currently colluding with the Second Prince.
And even if he did turn, it wasn’t my concern.
‘Because I’ll be independent before Estelle gets adopted.’
But still, knowing and doing nothing about it left a bitter taste in my mouth.
‘Hmm.’
I looked up at the advisor, who wore a friendly smile.
Maybe I should set a small trap.
“Lord Arald. I have a worry—will you listen?”
“Yes, my lady. What is it?”
“Well… Father seems very angry. Is there anything I can do about it?”
I deliberately drooped the corners of my eyes to feign sorrow.
Outwardly, I appeared gentle enough that this pitiful expression usually worked well—though I only ever showed it to Martha.
“Why is His Grace angry?”
“Well… you know I said I wanted to break off the engagement, right?”
He, being the advisor, would certainly know that much. He nodded calmly.
“Yes. But why would you do that?”
That was exactly what I’d been waiting for him to ask.
Holding my cheeks with both hands, I looked down shyly at the floor and murmured as if embarrassed.
“I’ve fallen for someone else. That’s why I want to break off the engagement with His Highness the First Prince.”
“Is that so? And who might this other person be?”
It was obvious he couldn’t care less whom I liked—he was only asking out of politeness.
But would he still keep his composure after hearing my next words?
I glanced around quickly, then gestured for him to come closer.
When he leaned his ear toward me, I whispered secretly.
“Just between us… the one I’ve come to admire is—”
*Smirk.*
“—His Highness the Second Prince.”
“……What?!”
The advisor’s eyes widened in shock.
Understandable—he was hearing lunacy: that I admired none other than my father’s political rival.
“Shh. Your voice is too loud.”
“Ah—I’ll be silent.”
Still visibly stunned, he stammered his reply.
If I gave him any more details, it would surely become a nuisance, so I quickly changed the subject.
“So, Lord Arald, how should I go about calming Father’s anger?”
“Well… the best way would be for you not to cause any more trouble.”
“Understood, Lord Arald. I’ll keep that in mind. Thank you for listening.”
I watched the advisor’s back as he walked away.
The Second Prince had no interest in me. Though I occasionally felt his gaze during banquets, it was probably just because of my noticeable appearance.
From the start, he’d likely deemed me useless to him, so he’d never approached me.
But if the advisor was indeed still colluding with the Second Prince, he’d surely report this.
After all, why would he ignore a golden opportunity—the Duke’s daughter, even if illegitimate, confessing affection for him?
Who would refuse prey walking straight into their mouth?
Even if that prey happened to be poisoned.
‘I wonder… will he fall for this trap?’
Somehow, things just got interesting.
[This is the timeline separator]Once a month—irregularly—the Ferdia family held a formal dinner.
In the quiet dining room, the only sounds were the occasional clinks of cutlery.
Five sat at the long table, and more than ten servants stood at the edges of the room, yet not a word was spoken—a suffocatingly silent meal.
In a way, it was also a scene I’d grown far too used to.
After all, it meant we faithfully gathered for dinner at least once every month.
I glanced sideways at Duke Ferdia, who ate with impeccable aristocratic grace.
‘I really don’t understand why he insists on family dinners.’
Perhaps it was the Ferdia family’s principle, but the Duke was cold even toward his wife—whom he’d married for political alliance—and his two biological sons.
Naturally, he showed even less interest in me, his (supposedly) illegitimate daughter.
Yet he never failed to invite me to these family meals, which only made it more puzzling.
While stealing glances at the Duke, our eyes suddenly met.
I nearly looked away in surprise, but instead gave a bright smile.
‘Maybe if I butter him up now, he’ll go easier on me later—even after he finds out I’m not really his blood.’
That was my grand plan, at least.
“……”
The Duke looked at me for just a moment, then coldly turned his gaze away.
Well, I hadn’t expected him to smile back anyway, so I felt nothing.
Just as the deathly silent meal continued, Yansi broke the stillness.
“I heard the news, Mother. You developed the antidote in such a short time. As expected, you’re incredible.”
“The story hasn’t even been published yet, yet you’ve already heard? You truly are well-informed.”
The Duchess answered with a dignified smile—not scolding, yet somehow overwhelming.
I crunched my salad loudly, pretending not to listen while straining my ears.
After all, I was the one who’d developed that antidote.
For him to already know unpublished information—Yansi Ferdia truly excelled at gathering intelligence.
‘No wonder he’s ranked number one in sneakiness.’
The conversation continued.
“You’ve always been skilled at making poisons, but you usually took ages to develop antidotes. What made this time different?”
“I was lucky.”
“Lucky?”
“Yes. I’ve acquired a capable apothecary.”
At those words, I tensed up instantly, worried the Duchess might look my way.
But her gaze remained fixed on Yansi.
‘Phew.’
My mouth suddenly went dry, so I silently took a sip of water.
Yansi asked the Duchess seriously, “An apothecary? Is this person trustworthy?”
“Hmm…”
“If it concerns you, I’ll look into their background.”
*Cough, cough…!*
‘B-background check?!’
I choked and coughed, drawing every family member’s attention.
I quickly lowered my eyes back to my food as if nothing had happened.
Thankfully, they soon lost interest in me.
‘Even if Yansi investigates, only the Duchess knows I made the antidote, so it won’t be exposed.’
My only hope was the promise I’d made with the Duchess.
Feeling uneasy, I glanced at her—and our eyes met.
For just an instant, I saw the faintest upward curve of her lips.
“Don’t do anything foolish.”
She gave Yansi a brief warning, then returned to her meal.
It seemed my secret would stay safe after all.
Relieved, I resumed eating. The head chef of the main estate truly was exceptional.
“Lily. If you have no appetite, you don’t need to force yourself to eat.”
“Huh?”
I glanced at my empty plate, then back at Yansi.
He must not have noticed how much I’d eaten from his distant seat—his face was utterly bewildered.
“You… finished it all.”
I smiled back at Yansi, who gave an awkward laugh.
“Yes. It was delicious, wasn’t it?”
Not long ago, I would nibble awkwardly at these uncomfortable dinners before retreating to the annex—but now, I had no reason to do that.
This family had no love to speak of.
No matter how hard I tried, I’d never truly be one of them—and if I wasn’t family anyway…
‘Might as well live comfortably.’
Food wasn’t to blame, after all.
After neatly finishing even the dessert, I set down my utensils and stood.
“I’ll be going up now.”
The atmosphere had been a mess, but the food was truly delicious!
[This is the timeline separator]…Oh.
Carlot froze, still gripping his knife, his eyes fixed on the dining room doorway through which Elodie had just left.
“…Is she insane?”
No one answered Carlot’s stunned mutter.
Elodie had always stayed until the very end of family dinners.
Yet this time, she’d simply declared she was done and left the dining room—so why wasn’t anyone saying anything?
“Father, isn’t she acting strangely?”
He asked Duke Ferdia almost like he was tattling—but the Duke only silently drank his wine in reply.
Carlot seemed to be the only one confused.
‘She’s lost her mind—why is everyone acting like it’s normal?!’
Contrary to Carlot’s thoughts, the other three each briefly stared at the dining room door where Elodie had disappeared.
[This is the timeline separator]Even under house arrest, I had to attend official family events.
One such event was today’s imperial birthday banquet.
On the carriage ride to the imperial palace.
“Do you have something to say?”
When I asked Adenmir, who was staring fixedly at me, he narrowed his brows and immediately denied it.
“There’s nothing.”
Yet for someone claiming that, he stared so hard the whole way that I felt holes burning in my face.
After long pondering why he kept doing that, I reached one conclusion.
‘Does he want an apology for my collapse?’
The moment that thought crossed my mind, the carriage stopped.
Since we had to enter the banquet hall first, I moved with Adenmir’s escort.
As soon as we entered, the First Prince was surrounded by his close aides.
“I’ll be back shortly.”
“Yes. Go ahead.”
I wisely let the First Prince go.
He likely had important matters to discuss with his faction’s nobles.
Though I attended parties as his fiancée, our engagement was merely formal—we’d rarely spent time together or danced.
Besides, I had something specific to do at tonight’s party, so being alone was better.
Soon, I moved to another spot—specifically, in front of the western pillar.
A place that seemed unnoticeable yet was perfectly visible.
My reason for standing there was clear.
“Good to see you, Princess Consort?”
Exactly—to give this man a chance to approach me.
Before me stood the Second Prince, Beltran Locke Wilrent.
“I greet Your Highness the Second Prince.”
I bowed and gave him a faint smile.
The Second Prince approaching me meant one thing clearly:
Duke Ferdia’s advisor was already colluding with the Second Prince.
Long before the events of the story officially began.
[This is the timeline separator]“Then I shall carry out Your Highness’s orders as instructed. But there is one issue, Your Highness?”
“……”
“Your Highness…?”
“Just a moment—.”
Adenmir had witnessed a scene.
His own fiancée, Elodie, was speaking with Beltran—the man he despised most.
He was speechless.
Was she smiling?
Worse, Elodie had even greeted Beltran with a faint, polite smile.
In that instant, the memory of Elodie blushing shyly flashed through his mind.
“To be honest… I’ve fallen for someone else.”
“…What?”
“It’s embarrassing.”
He was furious.
Hah.
“That bastard?”
When yandere male lead believes she loves him — but she never did
“How dare you!”
“How dare you make me love you, only to cast me aside as nothing more than a friend?!?
“I will never accept that.”
“I will never let you return to him.”
“Even if I have to burn myself to ashes.”
“Even if I must shatter my purity, my dignity, my very soul.”
“I will never let you escape me!”
This was the first novel that introduced me to the matriarchal genre. I’ve read it three times already!
At first, the male lead despised the female lead. Later, he misunderstood that she liked him, so he condescendingly and reluctantly reciprocated her feelings.
Then, he suddenly discovered that she was kind to everyone in the same way, and there was already someone she cherished in her heart, and that person was not him.
The male lead couldn’t believe it, he became angry and crazy. He was determined to capture her body and heart by any means necessary.
Synopsis:
Want to see how a green tea bitch male lead falls in love with the female lead?
Want to see how he flirtatiously pursues the female lead?
Want to see how he gets slapped in the face repeatedly?
The male lead is a green tea bitch, a poisonous lotus, jealous, ruthless, unscrupulous, with a venomous heart, and he’s also a delusional maniac.
The female lead is righteous, positive energy-filled, kind, a holy mother.
Let’s see how two people with extreme personalities come together~
_____
Please help me, I want to bring you the best possible things.
If you find any chapter or novel with poor translation and editing quality, let me know by commenting directly under that novel or chapter. I will retranslate it as soon as possible.
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
MANGA DISCUSSION
1 Comment
Chapter Comments (63)
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.
Hahaha, the Duke is really funny. He looks like he’s giving something away, not his own children. Poor Lily.
YOUR COMMENT
2. Inline comments are now available. Tap the end of any line in a chapter to share your thoughts instantly.
Log in to comment.
Miioo
Hahaha, is he jealous or does he not want to be the second prince so he doesn’t lose his position?