I'm Being Raised by Villains - Chapter 6
<Chapter 6>
“…It was an entertaining sight to see.”
Erno Etam watched her back leave slowly from the window.
The sound he heard whilst passing through the hall to take a look at something was enough to make him stop in his steps.
‘It’s clear that child…’
She hit the back of Duke Mirel’s head this time.
‘She’s been acting mysterious ever since she came to the library and took a look at the orphanage list, but…’
Erno Etam chuckled.
Usually, if one was born into the Etam family, they would want to stay with the Etams until death.
It was hard for the Etam family to have children, thus many hoped that they’d be blessed with many offspring.
Even so, it was a mystery when a child, who was one of its descendants, took a look at the orphanage list and intended to leave the family.
Erno Etam was a little curious, and he would not let up.
As such, he dropped his ring on purpose.
If she didn’t take the ring, then that would be where Erno Etam was planning to end his curiosity.
Since there was nothing more he wanted to find out from that child.
That was what he thought about the little girl with a round head, who clung to the book without asking anyone for help, and read it whilst stuttering.
However, if the child had picked up the ring he dropped, then Erno Etam would decide to give his curiosity a brief chance to return.
If she didn’t pick up the ring and return it, he planned to just stop there.
A simple game for fun.
“I wonder if she really is ready to leave this family.”
Erno Etam giggled.
‘Moreover, the power I felt from the ring was clearly…‘
Even if it was for just a brief moment, Erno Etam felt a refreshing and relieving feeling of his mania symptoms, which made his head hurt to the point that it felt like it was going to burst.
He could have been wrong, but he didn’t leave his curiosity be.
He thought that this year would also be extraordinarily exciting, but the meeting was stopped halfway.
Erno Etam looked at the empty seat.
[Hey, my mom told me not to play with homeless children because they were inferior.]
[You have no parents, no home, no surname, and no friends, right? What the hell do you have?]
[You know, if you hit me, you’ll have to pay, right? My mom said it was called comparation money after getting hit!]
Sometimes, children’s words are sharper and more hurtful.
Children are honest and don’t pay attention to their surroundings, so they don’t know how to conceal their hatred.
He thought the child who lowered her head would cry at once just because she had lost her spirit.
“Pfft…”
He lightly tapped on the wall, bursting into laughter.
He didn’t expect her to lift a rock as big as her face, wobble, and throw it.
“Hm, there’s something I’m curious about. Shall I give her a present?”
He slowly resumed his halted steps.
“There should be punishment for those who can’t educate their child properly.”
He didn’t know why her small back trembled slightly whilst she hugged her knees and bowed her head.
* * *
The New Year’s Meeting was held a week after the last meeting stopped.
“You.”
“Yes!”
“Come here.”
I gulped and slowly descended the stairs, standing carefully before Duke Mirel.
“That’s right, I only heard about your plan that one time. Let’s hear the reason as to why you want to leave this place.”
“Da secwet of my biwth…”
“Right, didn’t I ask you to tell me about it?”
For some reason, the atmosphere of the audience… no, the meeting hall today, feels hotter.
‘Is it just my imagination, or are there more people here today?’
They are like one of those aunties who have come to watch the continuation of a makjang* drama which ended at the climax.
*a drama which has a plot twist which provokes emotions, and is also difficult to accept using common sense and morals in general.
I shook my head to get rid of the unimportant thoughts that popped into my head.
‘Anyways, I’ve done all sorts of preparations in order for me to leave this house.’
I also hid jewelry a lizard could carry, just in case I returned to my original form.
When I manage to get out of this place safely, I plan to collect all the jewelry and wrap it up in a bundle before leaving.
“Sowwy, actually…”
It was at that moment where a shadow stretched out from behind my back.
“Actually, this child is my daughter. So it turns out it was revealed like this… Right, my daughter?”
“Yeah, that’s wight… I’m his dau… eh? Wha-?”
I was so nervous that I went with what I heard, but it was too late. I felt something strange.
As soon as I turned towards the source of the voice, Erno Etam approached me with his characteristic calm steps.
Was this how it felt like to be prey to a hungry beast strolling through the meadows, unaware of when it would be devoured?
“My child, you must say it properly. Tell them that I am your father.”
He said completely absurd things with a soft voice.
Sorry, but if I say it, will I still be able to see the sun tomorrow morning?
I tried to hold back my words which could burst out at any moment, and just rolled my eyes.
“Hurry up.”
Is he seriously asking me to say that?
His sharp gaze made me shut my eyes tightly. Fine, if that’s what he wanted from weak ole’ me.
“Yesh, yor ma fadher…”
“Pfft, hahaha!”
His laugh grew even louder upon hearing my feeble voice.
My face was burning red.
“Don’t make such a bad joke, hurry up and return to your seat! Do you think it is your turn to present yourself now?” Duke Mirel’s voice made everyone shiver in fear.
Despite being subjected to a frightening gaze, Erno Etam drew a soft arc with the corner of his lips.
However, his eyes weren’t smiling.
“Haha, what an interesting story. When was the last time I was called to the front when the Patriarch was alive?”
“How long have you been freed from probation…?!”
“Ah, I heard taking notes down on a memo was good for improving one’s memory, Patriarch,” Erno Etam replied to Duke Mirel’s words casually.
Speaking with my 20 years worth of life experience, such words 100 percent meant the opposite.
In terms of a fantasy romance, that way of speaking was the speech of an elegant and refined socialite.
So, Erno’s words just now implied that Duke Mirel had a bad memory…
“Erno Etam…!”
“You need not address me with an ‘affectionate’ tone, my hearing is still very good. You ought not to think based on your own standards, Patriarch.”
And those words subtly reversed and meant, ‘You may not know this, but I’m not as deaf as you.’
A vein protruded out of the top of Duke Mirel’s fist.
It was like boiling lava was coursing throughout his protruding veins.
Erno Etam was truly a person who fit the term of madman perfectly.
He responded to the harsh words with a smile and a gentle voice, but there were underlying meanings behind every word he said.
“Here we go again. No wonder last week’s New Year’s meeting was so quiet.”
“That’s because it stopped halfway.”
“That’s right, that’s right. The new year wouldn’t have truly started without something like this. Lord Erno always acts like this every year…”
“It seems that little girl is his target this time.”
“It seems so.”
“He will only make that child miserable. He’ll get bored of her in less than a year.”
“Let alone a year, she’ll be fortunate if it’s half a year.”
As the two began arguing in earnest, the murmurs around them sounded quite clear.
When I turned my head slightly, I saw the people, who were rather far from me, talking.
‘Surprisingly, after I entered this body, my hearing got a lot better.’
Is it because I am far from modern day gadgets? I just find it a little strange.
However, something like this happened not just once or twice.
‘Well, it’s indeed already obvious, even from the novel’s description…’
Erno was often described as a crazy psychopath in this world, so his initial symptoms wouldn’t be normal.
In the novel ‘Adopted’, Erno Etam accidentally adopted the female lead as his foster daughter, but unlike other children, she wasn’t a very sweet girl.
In fact, the people around them were more worried about her.
Somehow, it felt like a business transaction which was just mutually beneficial as needed.
“Half a year? Who knows. I’m guessing three months. I heard that Lord Erno was into sodomy last year, and brought a man as his partner to the New Year’s Meeting. Duke Mirel was furious, and destroyed the meeting room. That man lasted four months, right?”
“Even Duke Mirel fainted, and things got messy.”
“When things were about to end, I heard that the money he gave the man after playing with him was enough to buy a small island.”
I paused when I heard that story.
‘Aha, so this is what it means to screw Duke Mirel over.’
Now I understand his behavior towards me earlier.
I took a deep breath as I felt like my heart was going to explode.
‘If I act like a fake daughter according to his will, I won’t be kicked out. Instead, I will be able to earn money and get out of here, right?’
They said half a year at most, right?
That is too…
AMAZING!
Didn’t they say that the money given was enough to buy an island as long as one could adapt?
‘I’m still young, so I’m fine if only half of that…’
I’ve never eaten and lived in luxury in my whole entire life.
My eyes lit up in an instant, and my ears focused on listening in on the conversations of the people who seemed to be used to such situations.
“Then guess what that man did? He said he didn’t need all that money, he just asked him to stay by his side, despite the family’s loud views on it…”
“But I actually understand. At that time, Lord Erno was being very kind. He looked for what he needed, what he wanted, and even looked for the fruit he wanted, which wasn’t in season. Honestly, was there anyone who wasn’t deceived back then? Certainly not me.”
Oh?
He seems to be quite a romantic person.
Even though he always took advantage of people whenever he needed and threw them away after that in the novel <Adopted>.
His psychopathic talent isn’t going anywhere.
“Ahem, well that’s the best scam compared to the things he’s been doing so far.”
“Actually, if he acts nice to me with a face like that, I think even I can be deceived by him despite knowing his traits.”
I nodded.
If this crazy psychopath acted nice to me, and only me, I could also fall for him too.
‘But of course, I can put up with such fake love thanks to my stupid brothers.’
They also behaved this gently towards me once, but they tricked me and laughed at me in an instant.
That’s why I don’t believe in humans.
“So you won’t listen to my plans.”
There seemed to be a fight happening before me whilst I listened in on the interesting conversation behind me.
“When did I give you the rights?”
“Aren’t you following the direction of justice and equality? Like I said earlier, about the habit of taking notes down on a memo…”
He truly is a person who has a great talent for deceiving other people.
This, too, can be called a talent.
“Shut up!”
“You could say my plan this year is to be a good father to my daughter, whom I belatedly reunited with.” Erno Etam emphasized his plan out loud without the slightest change in his expression.
“Be a good son, bastard!”
“Oh my God! Apparently you’ve failed to raise your own son.”
That smile of his was even more refreshing than a splash of lemon.
<To be continued>