Raised by Villains

Everyone in the conference room turned their attention toward me at my appearance.

My heart was beating fast.

'I don't like crowds...'

I had no idea there would be so many people. I swallowed my saliva and moved to find the place where my name tag was written.

My seat was truly at one of the corners of the spacious conference hall. It was a place that clearly showed my position.

“Who is that kid?”

“Oh, why is she there? A bastard child."

"Ah… So she managed to give birth to a child…”

“Has it been seven years? It is difficult for the Etham family to have children, whether through direct or collateral. So, if that bastard had to play around with someone lower outside, breaking through the difficult odds…”

The murmurs broke through the silence and stuck in my ears.

‘It’s not just a simple mess…’

“Still, it sounds like he has quite a bit of money to raise a child from someone who used to smell like alcohol…"

“If it's illegitimate, why don’t you guys adopt and raise it?”

"Adopt?"

“Yeah, it would be better for that kid to be adopted than to grow up without parents like that.”

Oh my god, is there an option to be adopted?'

‘No, but first of all, I’m not really a blood relative of the Etham family…’

If that fact were to be revealed today, will that adoption disappear as well?

As I was thinking, the door opened wide. The loud roaring noise was cut off.

Everyone stood up slowly, holding their breath.

I hurriedly got up from my seat and stood next to the chair.

"The 12th head of the Etham family, His Excellency, Mirel Etham, is coming in!"

With the loud voice of the gatekeeper, an old man with a loud presence strode onto the carpet.

There was a vein on the fist with gold and silver rings, and an elongated wound on the cheek.

Following that, a line of lineal ascendants with black hair and golden eyes came in.

In the meantime, there was Erno Etham with a smile.

Walking arrogantly with a relaxed step, he stopped walking and waved at me as if he had found me.

"What is this? Suddenly, that rascal..."

"What do you mean by a rascal? He's just a devil..."

"But why is he waving his hand…?”

"What do you mean? Isn’t he fickle? I guess it started again."

As he constantly waved, eyes began to focus on me one by one. I also hurriedly waved my small hands.

Only then did he stop and sat confidently and leisurely next to Duke Mirel Etham.

"We're going to start the New Year's meeting. I hope everyone brought a proposal that they liked."

A proposal?

‘What is this all about?’

I blinked in embarrassment, and suddenly a phrase from the novel came to my mind.

〈Etham's New Year begins with everyone gathering to announce their annual plans.

"Did you bring this as a plan? You must have been crazy all last year, leaving your family behind, drowned in alcohol. I can let you live in a liquor jar for the rest of your life."

The year begins with a great bang.

Few people came up with a plan that they liked, and if they didn't like it, everything they did last year was revealed.〉

My mouth widened.

'Mylaaaaaaa! This…!!'

When I was drenched in shock with my mouth wide open, the first person called stood in front of the head with a darkened face, tensed.

The duke nodded his head with an arrogant expression. The man standing in front of him carefully put down thick papers and opened his mouth.

“This year, I want to start new research… Recently, a new plant was discovered in the eastern continent, and it is said that this plant emits a unique scent that calms the mind and body…”

“Did you read the existing research data?”

The duke, who had been listening intently through the documents, stopped talking and tossed the documents lightly.

He took a short breath and opened his mouth.

“Your head must be like a field of flowers. This is a plant that was studied before, the amoeba. Do you live with your eyes on your feet? Well, it may be because you went to and from high-end pubs, got drunk, screamed loudly that you were descended from the Etham family, harassed women in the store, picked up poisonous poison, ate it, and went to death. Why? Did you leave your mind in the underworld after dying? Do you want to go back to the underworld and bring it back?"

"Oh no!"

"No? Well spoken. Tell me what is right and what is not."

“Oh, no, it’s not… The Lord's words are all right! Lord, I'm sorry... I will do it again.”

What we encountered in front of our eyes was a scene of tremendous revelation and craving.

He was almost on the verge of crying out of panic.

‘…No, that's not worthy of scolding, is it?'

The endless pouring of gossip and shameful past reverberated in the conference room.

'What have they been doing in just one year?'

The faces of the people who did not stand in front of the podium were getting more and more white.

And the next turn was a boy. He looked like he was about thirteen now. He seemed to be one of the children on the other side of the room, but he was so frozen that he was almost on the verge of crying.

“Oh, Your Excellency the Duke… My goal and plan for this year is… It's to be in the top 10 of the academy...”

“Last year, your first semester grades were 87th and the second semester was 128th, and you would like to be in the top 10? Do you think this is realistic? Or are you just going to spit it out and get away with it now?"

“Oh, no. Well, if that's the case… It seems possible...”

"Is it possible? It's not like you're going to do it. So, what do you think your chances of success are?"

"That is…"

“I heard your story. Teacher evaluations have been bottoming out lately. While hanging out with a poor quality group, I heard that your studying was really just really bullying classmates…”

At the duke's words, the child turned white.

"Liam, there are things that can be reached and things that are impossible. I certainly like to press others with power, but that is possible because of the power I have achieved. What is left of you without me? Do you think you are sane when I hear complaints about bullying a classmate and causing suicide? Do you know if it will hurt?”

Duke Mirel constantly retorted. I rolled my eyes with my mouth open.

If he was born in Korea, he would have gained popularity by being a rapper.

"Sorry..."

"Listen carefully. If I hear about these things one more time…”

The voice of calmly spitting out words was scattered at once.

The Duke's gaze moved slowly and headed to a middle-aged man and woman sitting on one side.

Seeing that their faces were blue, it was clear that they were probably the parents of that child.

"Start learning how to fly."

Oh, a famous line came out.

That was the biggest curse in this mansion.

...It was a term referring to a person who was considered to be kicked out of the family.

There was nothing more painful than being kicked out of the Etham family.

"...Yes, yes..."

It was sad that the child couldn't even cry, but school violence was not good.

After that, a procession of more direct lineage children continued.

While watching it quietly, I suddenly had a question.

‘Wait. Do I have to do this too?'

As the order continued, sweat began to build on my back.

What?

Uh... What?

Huh...?

Something ominous crept up.

"Next, Callan Etham, Cillian Etham."

Two boys with colorful appearances strode out at the call.

"There's not much I want to do this year. I think I'll have a break this year, Lord."

"I don't have any plans for this year either. I'm going to take a break too.”

A boy with black hair who looks just like Erno Etham and a boy with noticeable red hair expressed his ambition.

'They're the sons of Erno Etham.'

They were the brothers who were in charge of the siscom for the original female lead.

Even though they looked like that, both of them had wounds, so they were helplessly wrapped around the brightness of the heroine.

“Yes, you need a proper rest too.”

The other children were so robbed, the Duke didn't say anything despite the proud declaration of rest.

'After all, the world is all about money, networking, luck and talent...’

…And I have nothing.

"Continue."

“Okay, Irene is next.”

…I’m ruined.

My turn, which I did not expect, has come.

“Irene?”

“Yes, yes…”

I got up from my seat and stood in front of the duke.

He gave a great sense of intimidation.

His whole body seemed to be made of muscles. Even jokingly, it seems that he cannot be called an old man.

The duke's indifferent gaze reached me.

“Tell me.”

'Plan? …Plan? …Plan?'

My mind went blank.

“My, my plan is…”

I only have one plan right now.

“Leaving the house safely…”

Is it because my brain has gone blank?

Words came out without my brain processing.