˗ˏˋChoosing The Villainess As My Mother ࿐ྂ
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Willard Vaughan Crawther's POV
(So, this woman in front of me is the one responsible for taking good care of my daughter?)
"Did you get hurt, my lady?" I asked, watching as she shook her head in response.
"Thank you for your concern, my lord, but please excuse me. I have something very important to attend to right now, for my daughter is in danger," she replied urgently.
(Her daughter...)
(She's calling my daughter her 'own'.)
(And what does she mean that 'my' daughter is in danger???)
(Did something bad happen to my child?!)
"Pardon me, my lady, but may I know why your daughter is in danger?" I asked seriously, concerned as she is talking about my daughter.
"Well... if his lordship has lived here before, then I believe you already know about the children in the orphanage who were burned alive," she said, which surprised me since I had never heard such a story.
"And may I know why your daughter is in danger? I might be able to help," I offered.
"I appreciate your concern, my lord," she replied, looking serious.
"But I need to bring offerings to those children in the orphanage so they won't take my daughter away from me."
I raised an eyebrow. "Would you be so kind as to let me tag along? I would like to hear more about this story."
"Well, I do not mind at all, my lord, as long as you also bring your own offerings for the dead children." I nodded in agreement as she smiled at me.
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A minute passed, and we finally arrived at our destination.
As an arch mage, I could feel a heavy and unsettling energy coming from the orphanage. It was a pity those children died in such a horrible way.
Being burned alive is very painful; you feel the fire on your skin while being cooked alive.
Being burned alive is the worst way to die. It would have been better if they had died in a way that let them rest in peace.
(I'm sure that even if hundreds of people pay respects and bring offerings for these children, who were left to burn...)
(I'm sure their souls will become evil spirits, unable to cross to the other side.)
(They'll become lost souls, unable to find 'peace' because they seek 'revenge'.)
I kept staring at the orphanage, and for some reason, I felt like there were eyes watching me from the windows inside.
"Gods and Goddesses, I pray to you..." she said, kneeling on the ground facing the orphanage. I followed her lead, kneeling and praying for the safety of my beloved daughter.
"And may these children's souls be forgiven. Through the mercy of the gods and goddesses, may these children find their eternal rest, may these children find peace," she continued. Then, she looked at the orphanage, and I did the same. Suddenly, the window shattered into pieces, and the front door slammed hard.
(The souls of these children... they're not happy even though we have brought offerings...)
"It seems like they're not satisfied with what we brought. As I thought, an offering will not change anything," she said. I looked at her.
"Then it only means that I must protect my daughter at any cost tonight. I will not let them take my daughter away from me," she said confidently. I nodded my head and looked back at the orphanage. I caught a glimpse of a dark figure of a child, and I could see it smiling at me.
I got up as we prepared to leave, but then I heard a soft lullaby and the giggling of children coming from every side.
"My lady, can you hear them?" I asked, looking around but seeing no children. Still, I could sense that someone was watching us.
"Pay no attention, my lord," she said, looking very calm and showing no expression. I then stared at the orphanage where she was looking and saw many dark figures of children inside. They were just staring at us.
"Can you see them?" she asked as I continued to look at the children inside the orphanage.
"Yes, my lady..." I replied.
"They can only leave the orphanage when it gets dark. We should go now," she said, turning away.
"This place is filled with evil spirits... how come there isn't a priest to bless this land?" I asked as I opened the door of the carriage. Lady Cynthia looked at me with a smile on her face.
"You're wrong, my lord. Many priests have come to this place to bless it and help the spirits cross to the other side..." she said, staring at the orphanage.
"But all of them died the next day. Their bodies were found burned," she continued, looking at me.
"Those who enter the orphanage, their souls will be forever trapped inside. They won't be able to cross to the other side and will become lost souls of this land," she explained. I looked at the orphanage in the distance and then to the lady.
"The children who were innocent and burned alive couldn't find peace... and I don't think they ever will," she said, getting into the carriage. I followed her inside.
"And my lady, about your daughter, what will you do to protect her?" I asked, staring at her, curious to how such a woman like her could protect my daughter, she doesn't seem like to have anything special that she could do to protect my daughter...
"I will do everything I can," she said, looking at me with determination in her eyes.
"I wouldn't let those spirits take her away from me." she continued.
(I have been protecting my daughter from those monsters who eat souls...)
(But to think that someone else would try to take her away from me... especially a ghost.)
(I wouldn't let that happen.)
"My lady, would it be alright if I helped? I might be able to assist in protecting her," I offered. She looked at me seriously.
"We have just met, and you're offering to help someone you haven't known for a year?" she asked, her eyes looking at me thoroughly.
I smiled. "I'm also a parent. I understand the need to protect your child at all costs. That's why I'm offering to help you protect your daughter."
"Oh, now that I remember, I think we've met once before?" she said. I nodded my head.
"Yes, my lady, we have," I confirmed.
"And in that brief meeting, I saw the strength and love you have for your daughter. It's why I trust the lady and I offer you my help." I said, staring at her.
"Yes, you were that lady who bought flowers from an old woman," I said.
"Ah, I remember. You told me you were having troubles with your daughter. How is she?" she asked.
"We... we haven't reconciled yet," I admitted, and she nodded.
"I see... she must be pretty upset then," she said, and I nodded again.
"Yes, she is," I confirmed.
"But would the lady take my offer?" I asked.
"You want to lend a hand?" she asked, and I nodded.
"Yes, my lady. I may be able to help if it means protecting a child," I said, and she nodded.
"The sun is setting..." she observed, looking outside the window. I followed her gaze, noticing the sky turning orange and the shadows growing longer.
"We have to get to the mansion as fast as we can and close all the doors. I must set up protection for my dearest," she said, looking worried.
(She worries about my daughter...)
"Don't worry, my lady," I reassured her. "We'll get there quickly and ensure everything is secure."
She gave me a grateful look, and I could see the anxiety in her eyes. The sun was sinking lower, and the shadows of the orphanage seemed to stretch ominously. We needed to hurry.
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Time passed quickly, and we reached the mansion as fast as we could. When we arrived, all the curtains were drawn shut.
"Looks like you've prepared well, my lady," I said.
"I did. I told everyone to close all the open doors and lock everything," she replied, and I nodded in agreement.
As soon as the lady opened the door and stepped inside, she was greeted by all her people.
"Her grace is here," one of the maids announced. I looked around but couldn't see Bosworth anywhere.
(Where is that man?)
Just as I was looking for him, I saw him coming from the other side of the room. He bowed in front of Lady Cynthia and greeted her.
"My lady," Bosworth said, his voice respectful.
"I greet his imperial highness, Archduke Willard Crawther," Bosworth said as everyone looked at me and greeted me.
"Prepare his imperial highness's room!" the head maid ordered. I glanced at Lady Cynthia, who was looking at me intently.
"Is there something on my face, my lady?" I asked.
"I would like to apologize for not recognizing who you were, your imperial highness," she said, looking sincere.
"No need to apologize, my lady. You didn't do anything wrong," I reassured her. Then I glanced around, searching for my little daughter.
"My lady, may I know where your daughter is?" I asked.
"Oh, now that I remember..." she said, looking at the head maid.
"Where is my dear daughter? Whenever I come home, I remember she would always be the first one to greet me," Lady Cynthia said. The maids exchanged nervous glances before looking back at her.
"Where's Althea?" she asked.
(Hearing my little daughter's name makes me smile.)
(I can't wait to see her already.)
"Y-Your grace, we... we don't know where the lady is," one of the maids stammered. My eyebrows furrowed, and I turned my gaze to Bosworth, who had been standing silently.
"What do you all mean you don't know where my daughter is?" Lady Cynthia says, looking worried but trying to be calm.
"Y-Your grace, we have been looking for the little lady since twelve o'clock in the afternoon," the maid explained.
"What?!" Lady Cynthia exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock. She turned to Bosworth.
"Bosworth," she called, her voice demanding answers.
"I apologize, your grace, for not watching the little lady. I went off to send a report to your father at exactly that time and have only just returned," Bosworth explained, his voice steady but apologetic. Lady Cynthia turned to all the maids.
"I told you all to watch my daughter! Now you're telling me you don't know where she is?!" she exclaimed.
"My lady, please calm down," I said gently, trying to soothe her.
"Please do not tell me to calm down, your imperial highness! How can I calm down when the sun is setting and my daughter is missing?" she retorted, her voice filled with panic and frustration.
"I only went out to place my offering at that cursed place and intended to come right back. And now you're all telling me you don't know where she is?!" Lady Cynthia says
"Your grace, we will find the little lady," Bosworth interjected, but Lady Cynthia was beyond reason.
"No! Do you think that's easy to do?!" she cried, her voice trembling with a mix of fear and anger.
"She will be taken away from me! Don't you all know that?!" Lady Cynthia cried out, her voice filled with desperation.
"Didn't I tell you all to keep a watch on my daughter and close all the doors?!" She said.
"My lady, getting upset right now won't help. The first thing we must do is find a clue about where she could be," I said, trying to calm her.
"Find a clue? Haha... Probably she's in the orphanage now. Should we go there, huh?" she retorted angrily.
"Your grace, it isn't too late—" Bosworth began, but then one maid stepped forward, interrupting the conversation.
"I think I saw the little lady outside the mansion before she went missing," said the maid with bright orange hair. We all turned to look at her.
"What did you just say?!" Lady Cynthia demanded, her eyes narrowing as she looked at the maid, who now stared down at the floor.
"The head maid told everyone to come inside the mansion before the sun set," the maid explained.
"And Sir David was still outside the mansion since he was helping me get all the blankets I had placed outside." the maid said.
"What?" Lady Cynthia exclaimed in disbelief.
"And what else did you see?" I asked the maid.
"Why would that woman bring my daughter outside when I already told her that my daughter mustn't go outside?" Lady Cynthia says, looking frustrated.
"And what did you do when you saw them?" Bosworth asked.
"Well, I... I did tell the teacher that they must go back inside, but she told me it wouldn't take too long. Of course, I couldn't do anything since the little lady also liked being outside, so I gave them at least ten minutes," the maid explained nervously.
"But when I returned to the spot, I couldn't see the teacher and the little lady anymore. I only found the flower on the ground that the lady was holding earlier," she continued.
"And what's the woman's name?" I asked.
"Her name is Sarah Zwanns," Lady Cynthia answered.
"I see. Then did any of you see that woman leaving?" I asked, scanning the group of maids.
"Well, I saw her leaving as soon as the little lady's lesson ended," one of the maids spoke up.
"What? How could that be? I just saw her with the little lady outside in the garden!" another maid exclaimed.
"I see..." I said, feeling a sense of unease.
(That woman is a suspect then...) I thought to myself, as the pieces of the puzzle began to fall into place.
"And when I returned to close the door again, I saw the lady with the appointed teacher," the maid added.
"Can she wield magic?" I asked.
"She can. She's a witch," Lady Cynthia confirmed with a sigh.
(Now it's all clear.)
"She must have created her own double or used illusions to trick someone into thinking she already left... or maybe she used something else," I speculated.
"Overall, what time did you see that woman and the little lady?" I asked the maid who had seen them.
"Well, it was before lunchtime. The little lady's lesson ended too early, I guess it was around eleven before twelve," the maid replied. I turned to the other maid who had seen the woman leaving.
"And you said you saw that woman leaving after the lady's lesson ended?" I questioned, and she nodded.
"I even talked to her. I was surprised that the lesson ended quite early. Usually, it ends at exactly four o'clock in the afternoon," the maid added.
"So, you also saw her leaving before lunchtime?" I clarified.
"Yes, your imperial highness. I saw her coming out from the library and she told me she was going to leave since the lesson with the lady ended too early," the maid confirmed.
(The other maid says she saw that woman in the garden, around the time before lunchtime.)
(It's also the same from the other maid who saw her coming out from the library.)
(The only thing I can think of is that the woman used an illusion to trick their minds.)
(And she brought my daughter outside, which is also around the time when the other maid caught her outside.)
"Then she could be the one who took her away," another maid interjected.
"That weird woman has been giving strange stares at my little lady. I always had that unsettling feeling towards her, but I couldn't say much since she's my little lady's teacher," the third maid added.
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