Chapter 8: The Villainess Never Neglects Laying the Groundwork
“Welcome home, Father.”
Standing beside Virgil, who was accompanied by the servants, Claudia greeted her father with a gentle smile.
Though still a child, she carried herself like a true lady, and her father’s eyes widened as he froze in place.
His gaze wandered as though confirming something.
‘He is surprised.
Very surprised.’
To be warmly welcomed by children who had once been distant would unsettle anyone.
Virgil’s expression remained nearly blank, yet Claudia’s presence at his side softened the atmosphere.
Claudia herself had her grievances toward a father who neglected his household.
Still, if she could catch him off guard like this, dinner might prove enjoyable.
“Dinner is prepared.
Please, this way.”
“Ah… yes.”
She had heard from the butler that her father planned only to dine before returning to his mistress’s residence.
Seeing that he carried no luggage, she smoothly guided him toward the dining room.
Her flawless escort left him simply following along.
Once the entire family was seated, the appetizers were served.
The servants were tense at the rare return of their master.
Naturally, the atmosphere at the table grew stiff.
So Claudia decided to break it.
Deliberately ignoring the tension, she spoke brightly and cheerfully.
“How was it?
Did I welcome you properly?”
“Indeed.
You have changed remarkably.”
When prompted, he responded.
At his reaction—proof he was not entirely indifferent—Claudia beamed.
‘It was only Mother and Martha who were strict.
Father merely fled from that suffocating atmosphere.’
He had avoided involvement, but he had not truly hated either Claudia or Virgil.
As a father, that was questionable, yet it meant the rift between them might still be mended.
She did not seek his love now.
But to stand against Fermina, his trust was indispensable.
“I’m so relieved!”
She placed a hand over her chest, intentionally adopting a childlike gesture.
Her earlier composure at greeting him had been a stretch beyond her years, and she wanted him to see it as such.
‘Mother never knew how to separate public and private.’
Etiquette was required in public, not in private life.
The saying “a lady by day, a courtesan by night” reflected men’s true feelings all too well.
Her mother had failed to see that and had taken spoken words at face value, pursuing them relentlessly.
‘Perhaps my former simplicity was inherited from Mother.’
Even so, the foolishness had been Claudia’s own.
This time, she would not repeat it.
As she nodded to herself, the men at the table looked at her warmly.
Though she appreciated their convenient misunderstanding, it left her slightly concerned as a duke’s daughter.
‘Now that I can read between the lines, I realize Brother and Father are rather easy to handle.
Perhaps it is because they do not guard themselves against a daughter or sister.’
Knowing her former childishness likely lowered their guard further.
Even so, she could not help suspecting they were easily deceived by women.
After all, they had been deceived by Fermina.
She wished to warn them, but if she drew suspicion upon herself, it would defeat the purpose.
The delicate balance made her head ache.
“Dee has truly been working hard.
Father, you have received the reports from her tutors, have you not?”
“Yes.
I have.
That is why I wished to see it with my own eyes.”
So that was the reason for his return.
She studied her father carefully.
Countermeasures against Fermina could come later.
‘For now, Brother treasures me.
I must preserve that.’
When the mistress and Fermina had first been brought into the estate, Virgil had been wary.
Though he gradually softened, if she could guide him to maintain some caution, he would not blindly side with Fermina.
Noticing her gaze, her father straightened his expression.
“Claudia, you will attend a tea gathering with His Highness the Crown Prince.”
‘What?’
“With your current conduct, you will be properly acknowledged as a fiancée candidate.
Details will follow.”
“Y-Yes, Father.”
‘That did not happen last time!’
So this was his true purpose.
Under the table, she clenched her hands.
Seeing her unease, Virgil smiled reassuringly.
“With how you are now, Dee, you will be fine.
You may be nervous before His Highness, but he will understand that.”
“If one looks at your grades in geography and history, you should have no trouble conversing.
His Highness is intelligent enough to inspect orphanages at this age.
So long as you avoid impropriety, there will be no issue.”
Even her father offered rare encouragement.
All she could do was resolve to do her best.
Rather than anxiety, she chose to see this as an opportunity.
With the experience she now possessed, she would not fall behind other girls her age.
“You once struggled to sit still, did you not?”
“Yes.
That, too, is thanks to Martha… the head maid’s guidance.”
‘Father initiating conversation with me—could this be the first time?’
She kept her surprise to herself.
Perhaps she had simply forgotten, but she recalled only formal exchanges with him.
“Is she too strict?”
“She is!
There were many times I nearly lost heart…
But that is precisely why it is worthwhile.”
Her father knew Martha was strict like her mother, so she did not deny it.
Instead, she emphasized that such strictness was necessary for her.
Martha could not be dismissed.
“You know I am prone to indulging myself, Father.
With the head maid here, I can discipline my lazy tendencies.
And when I nearly falter, Brother supports me.”
She smiled at Virgil, who returned her gaze warmly.
By the time the siblings displayed their closeness, the atmosphere at the table had grown pleasant.
Afterward, her father departed for his mistress’s residence as planned.
Yet the conversation had flowed, and it felt as though the distance between family members had shortened, if only slightly.