The Villain Family Opposes Independence (13 Chapters Left to Complete) - Chapter 9
I naturally assumed we’d go to the study, but I was wrong.
The Duke Ferdia stopped right in front of his private bedroom.
‘Why are we here?’
Ever since my birth mother brought me to Ferdia, I’d always lived in the annex.
Not that I’d ever faced obvious discrimination like being banned from the main residence—but there were still a few places I couldn’t enter.
The first was the Duchess’s greenhouse, the second was the basement of the mansion where Gluttony, one of the Seven Deadly Sins sealed by the Ferdias, was imprisoned, and the third was the Duke’s bedroom.
Back when I still believed I was his illegitimate daughter, I’d been too intimidated by the Duke to even consider approaching this room.
Now that I knew I wasn’t even his biological daughter, I had even more reason to keep my distance from him.
The Duke pushed open the bedroom door without hesitation and stepped inside.
Uncertain what to do, I hesitated—but the Duke turned to look at me.
“Come in.”
“Yes…!”
I quickly entered the room and closed the door behind me.
This was the first time in my life I’d set foot in the Duke’s bedroom, and it perfectly reflected his solemn, weighty presence.
Though the bedroom itself was spacious, the minimal furniture made it feel somewhat empty.
Despite it still being daytime, thick curtains covered nearly every window, leaving only one small pane to let in sunlight.
It was the epitome of Duke Ferdia himself.
While I discreetly glanced around the room, careful not to overstep, the Duke suddenly began unbuttoning his shirt.
‘Huh.’
I subtly averted my eyes. He probably wanted to change clothes—blood must have splattered onto them while interrogating his advisor.
‘His body is seriously incredible.’
It was hard to believe this muscular physique belonged to a father of two grown sons—it resembled a masterpiece of art. Having reached the pinnacle of swordsmanship, his body aged slowly; even his appearance seemed frozen in his twenties, making him look nothing like a typical father.
‘No wonder so many noble ladies admire Duke Ferdia.’
I could fully understand their feelings.
Scattered across the Duke’s upper body were countless scars—some large, some small.
They bore silent witness to his countless trials as the head of House Ferdia, a shadowy powerhouse, fighting to secure his position.
I watched discreetly, waiting for him to finish changing.
With a careless flick, he tossed his bloodstained sword onto the discarded clothes and looked straight at me.
“Sit down.”
I awkwardly took a seat on the sofa, and the Duke sat directly opposite me.
He wasted no time getting to the point.
“How did you know?”
Though his sentence lacked a subject or object, understanding his meaning wasn’t difficult.
He was asking how I’d learned his advisor was colluding with the Second Prince.
It seemed wiser to mix some truth into my answer rather than lie outright.
“A short while before His Majesty’s birthday celebration, I ran into Lord Arald in the corridor.”
“……”
He gave no verbal reply, but Duke Ferdia watched me silently with a grave gaze.
Though his eyes held neither accusation nor interrogation, my throat still went dry.
“He left with a rather strange misunderstanding.”
“Misunderstanding?”
“Yes—that I fancied the Second Prince.”
Crack.
A deafening sound cut me off mid-sentence. I glanced down to see the Duke’s hand crushing the desk into splinters.
“……?”
Was he implying he’d crush me like that desk? Terrified, I vehemently denied it with all my heart and soul.
“Of course not! There’s no way I’d ever fancy that womanizing rogue!”
Seeing my earnest denial, the Duke withdrew his hand from the ruined desk and leaned back against the sofa, his expression slightly relaxed.
I never expected the usually stoic Duke to lose control, even for a moment.
‘He must be worried—if I, his means of maintaining an alliance with the First Prince, were to side with the Second Prince, everything would fall apart.’
No other reason made sense.
But still… wasn’t that a bit excessive?
At any rate, the Duke appeared to believe me. I took a small breath and continued.
“I didn’t bother correcting Lord Arald’s misconception, but then at the party, the Second Prince approached me—just as you saw, Father.”
The Duke gave a brief, silent nod.
I recalled our conversation on the balcony, where I’d warned him to be cautious.
“That’s why I told you to be careful.”
It wasn’t a lie.
I’d simply omitted the fact that I’d deliberately fed his advisor false information about favoring the Second Prince—the rest was entirely true.
“I see. So that’s how it happened.”
The Duke showed no suspicion at my explanation.
Though this worked out in my favor, I was still bewildered—he believed me so readily.
An awkward silence settled between us.
If only there’d been a cup of tea in front of me, I could have pretended to sip it to ease the tension—but unfortunately, there was nothing.
Fidgeting with my fingers, I finally asked the question I’d been debating.
“Um… what will happen to Lord Arald now?”
“Hmm… He must pay the price for betrayal.”
Anyone daring enough to betray the Ferdias wouldn’t receive a light punishment.
I knew traitors were punished according to the family’s traditional methods, though I wasn’t exactly sure what that entailed.
“Will he be executed?”
“No.”
“Then what?”
“Wouldn’t death be far too merciful a punishment?”
His expression and tone remained as calm as ever, yet sitting across from him, I suddenly felt a chill run down my spine.
It was terrifying how casually he spoke of inflicting suffering worse than death.
In my past life, I might have pressed further just to earn the Duke’s attention—but now, I stayed silent.
I’d finally realized that staying quiet was the wisest choice.
After watching me in silence for a moment, the Duke called my name.
“Elodie.”
“Yes, Father?”
“Avoid the corridors as much as possible for now. So many rats have infiltrated our house—it’s time for a thorough purge.”
“Yes, I’ll keep that in mind.”
I smiled brightly as I answered, but my heart pounded in my chest.
‘Strictly speaking, I’m also a rat hiding within this family.’
I clung to the Ferdias under the pretense of being an illegitimate child, though I wasn’t even his true daughter.
This incident only strengthened my resolve.
‘I must never be discovered.’
If I were, I might suffer the same fate as the advisor.
With my true father, the head of House Severes, now in a coma, I had no one left to protect me.
Moreover, I’d heard that Duke Severes and Duke Ferdia had been on extremely bad terms before the former fell comatose.
Clearly, the safest path forward was to stay quiet and gradually work toward independence.
Just as I was about to suggest taking my leave—since our business seemed concluded—I happened to glance up.
Our eyes met. His mysterious golden gaze seemed to bind me in place.
“Elodie.”
“…Yes?”
“For your significant contribution in uncovering this traitor, I shall grant you one wish.”
My eyes widened in surprise at this unexpected offer.
I hadn’t anticipated a reward like this.
‘Honestly, what I really want to ask is for him to promise never to kill me no matter what happens…’
Heh. Having lived through countless trials in my past life as a Korean, I knew better than to expect much from verbal agreements.
Making such a request recklessly might not only get it denied—but could also seal my doom.
So, at this early stage of preparing for independence, I already knew what to ask for.
“Then please lift my house arrest.”
While life in the annex wasn’t unpleasant, I’d started feeling an urgent need to re-engage with the outside world.
Relying on Martha to make requests for me wouldn’t work forever—it was time to act on my own and prepare for independence.
Apparently, my request surprised the Duke—his expression hardened subtly.
“Is that truly all you desire?”
“Yes. That’s enough for me.”
After all, the reason I’d been confined—the broken engagement—had fizzled out due to the First Prince’s involvement.
Besides, I’d been quietly staying in the annex lately, so I expected him to agree without issue.
Even I had to admit I’d been unusually well-behaved recently.
After a brief pause, the Duke readily granted my request.
“Very well. I’ll lift your confinement.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Outwardly composed and respectful, inwardly I was overjoyed.
‘Yes!’
But my triumph lasted only a moment—then the Duke spoke again, his tone deliberately grave.
“However, there’s a condition.”
“A condition…?”
Completely caught off guard, I stared blankly at him. It was unlike the Duke to attach unexpected conditions after granting a favor.
Whether I was flustered or not clearly didn’t concern him—he casually continued.
“Choose.”
“…Choose what?”
“Yansi or Carlot.”
‘Just like that…?’
Being told to pick one of his two sons left me even more bewildered.
His tone was so matter-of-fact, as if he were asking me to select produce at a market—it was utterly absurd.
“Why those two?”
“You’ll leave the mansion once your confinement ends, correct?”
“Yes, of course I will.”
“Then take one of them as your escort.”
Why was the Duke suddenly acting this way?
He’d never cared where I went before—did he really not realize how ridiculous it sounded to assign his sons as my mere bodyguards?
Dragging either Yansi or Carlot along was unthinkable.
I could already picture myself returning home dejectedly after an outing, having accomplished nothing because I’d spent the whole time tiptoeing around their moods.
‘I must stop this…!’
Desperately, I began rattling off excuses to make him retract his condition.
“Elder Brother Yansi is busy assisting you with your duties, and Carlot is occupied with sword training—they won’t have time to accompany me on outings. Even if I asked, they’d surely refuse—”
“How dare you?”
His arrogant, unhesitating retort silenced me instantly.
Of course… you’re absolutely right.
As sons, they’d never dare disobey their father—their head of house.
But if the Duke had eyes, he’d surely know Yansi and Carlot despised me.
It was clear he was a cruel, inconsiderate father who disregarded his sons’ feelings entirely.
If he’d truly considered them, he wouldn’t have suggested the idea at all.
“Then I’ll take a knight from the household instead.”
“No.”
Why was he so insistent on these two?
“I can go out quietly and safely on my own—I’ve always done fine with just a maid…”
I subtly checked his reaction, realizing too late my tone might’ve sounded petulant.
The Duke’s gaze lingered on my face for a long moment—penetrating, as if seeing through me.
With an impatient frown, he brushed his temple and sighed.
“The Second Prince might try approaching you. A mere household knight won’t be able to stop him.”
I hadn’t considered that possibility.
To me, the Second Prince was just a tool to expose the advisor—I hadn’t expected further schemes from him.
But on reflection, it made perfect sense.
I was an ideal pawn to check the First Prince, and outside the mansion was the perfect place for him to make contact.
Now I understood why he insisted I take either Yansi or Carlot.
Even a royal wouldn’t easily dare approach me with a direct heir of Ferdia at my side.
Though I understood logically, I still disliked the idea of being accompanied by either of them.
“But still, those two—”
Just as I tried to gently refuse again, the Duke—apparently out of patience—cut me off with a sharp frown.
“Then just take both.”
At that, I recoiled in horror and replied firmly.
“I’ll choose.”
Please let me choose…!
If I absolutely had to pick, one was definitely better than two.
Clenching my fists, I answered with unwavering determination—and the Duke’s expression softened slightly.
“Then who will it be?”
Yansi or Carlot. Whom should I select as my escort? Whichever I chose, it was clearly a minefield.
After a brief moment of deliberation, I reached my decision.
“I’ll…”
Turns Out He’s Been Secretly in Love with Me
One-line summary: He acts like he doesn’t like her but is actually playing hard to get.
Synopsis:
Xu Muzhou like her. He has liked her for a very long time, and through repeated schemes, he finally closed the distance with her.
But this is still far from enough.
He wants to be the one who stands out among her many suitors, to fight for her attention, and to make her take the initiative to pursue him.
_____
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MANGA DISCUSSION
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Chapter Comments (60)
Hahaha, yes, yes, you made a great choice, Lily. Teach him a lesson; I like his responses; he’s completely transparent.
Poor Carlot, she’s been tricked. Where did she go? I hope she wasn’t kidnapped.
- What is this? Has the hero appeared? But how does he know her name from her previous life?
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Miioo
Hahaha, the Duke is really funny. He looks like he’s giving something away, not his own children. Poor Lily.