The Villainess Hides Her Wealth

Chapter 6

“Th-that’s…”
“Father, there’s a situation that makes Lilika unable to answer properly…”
“No, Brother. I’ll explain it myself.”

My brother tried to stand up for Lilika up to this moment, but this time, Lilika did not avoid it.

‘As expected, my brother is oblivious.’

The atmosphere was different than usual.
If Lilika hid it at this point, my father would be angry even if she were his cherished daughter.
The astute Lilika was able to read the atmosphere.

“I-I just… Sister isn’t good at embroidery, so she asked for my handkerchief… I didn’t know this would happen. I’m sorry.”

In a pathetic manner, she barely followed up with an answer as she trembled behind my brother.
Instead of denying the facts, she reduced the results and apologized, appealing that she didn’t know at all.
It was good management. The fact that she was crying in the meantime made it difficult to talk loudly to Lilika.

“How could you do something so stupid!”

But my father’s anger did not go away.

Oh, I did well in crying first earlier. Given that my father was pressing Lilika so hard, it seemed that the effect of her tears was reduced.
But, as expected, Lilika was Lilika.

“Yes… I was the one who caused big trouble for my family. Even with the good teachings of my father and mother, I came from a vulgar bloodline, so I…”

I don’t know about anything else, but mentioning that she is a poor extramarital child was a lethal move for everyone in this family to fall for.

“Lilika, you don’t have to say that. That bastard Vieira…”

For now, at least my brother was feeling more sorry for Lilika than before. He wasn’t even thinking of me, his biological younger sister. I knew that would happen.

‘I have to shut Lilika’s mouth at this point.’

I was choosing what to say with moderate timing, but unexpectedly, my mother, who had been keeping quiet, stepped forward.

“That’s right, Lilika. You don’t have to say those self-deprecating words. This has nothing to do with your bloodline.”
“Mother, thank…”
“How come you and Sir Vieira matched the color of your garments? If you explain that, I think we can somehow rule out the handkerchief situation as a misunderstanding.”

She seemed to be taking sides, but judging from what she said, it was against Lilika. It was a sharp question.

‘I didn’t think my mother would say something so appropriately.’

It was a little surprising that my mother, who had always obeyed my father, would take action.

She would have taken a breather if it was over like this, so I wondered if Lilika was embarrassed because it wasn’t.
Lilika couldn’t think this far and continued to speak in a flutter.

“I don’t know either. Maybe it was just a coincidence… I told everyone to wear blue, so I don’t know why he came wearing that color. I really don’t have feelings for Sir Vieira. There must be some kind of misunderstanding…”
“But you two seemed to complement each other too well to call it a coincidence. Especially since it’s a light pink suit. It’s a color that men don’t really wear.”

It was not an ordinary color; it was light pink. She couldn’t find an excuse for that, so it would be embarrassing for Lilika too.
It was a dress code that was made to f*ck me over, so she must be wondering why it came back and bit her on the butt. She tried to make me miserable by stealing my fiancé, but she never thought the outcome would be like this.

“Lilika, you don’t have to make an excuse like that for my sake.”
“Sister?”

My mother laid the situation well for me, so the timing was right to step forward. Even though I was a victim today, I still had the evil deeds I had committed until now. My standing in this household was horribly small. If I even pointed out that they looked like a couple, it might seem like I was attacking Lilika too much.

“I just decided to acknowledge it. The relationship between you and Sir Vieira… You don’t have to deceive your heart for me.”

I turned to my father, who closed his mouth after interrogating Lilika earlier.

“Father, it is common for engagement partners to change within families. If I just get out of the way and take Lilika’s side, their relationship can be sorted out without a problem.”
“Wait. Sister. So…”
“It will be hard for a family like Vieira to ask for a change of engagement partner because they love Lilika, the esteemed daughter of the Duke. That must be why he did something so unnecessary.”

Lilika tried to intervene, but I didn’t give her a chance. I continued, speaking with a soft tone of voice.

“Call Sir Vieira here and listen to what he has to say. He’s just a little misguided in how to express the rest of his affection for Lilika.”
“Wait. It will be difficult for Sister to look at his face, so there’s no need to call him!”
“Lilika, I’m really fine. Our engagement was something I forced him to do in the first place… At this point, I just want to bless the relationship between you and Sir Vieira and rest.”
“I-I don’t want to. I oppose Sir Vieira coming here.”
“But I am fine with it. Or is there any other reason?”
“That…”

Lilika had no choice but to oppose it.
What if Sir Vieira refuted the excuse she gave?
What if he recited the words of love he shared with her?
In this difficult situation, Lilika was unable to come up with an excuse and just repeated that she didn’t want him to come. Not even Lilika could handle the situation at this point.

Eventually, my mother intervened and spoke in a soft voice.

“I understand your concern, Lilika, but even for Yuria’s sake, it’s better to call Sir Vieira now. We need to discuss what to do about the engagement.”
“I don’t want to become engaged to Sir Vieira. I wasn’t trying to seduce him. Really. Please believe me.”

Lilika seemed to have decided to just appeal to her emotions rather than speak logically.
I mean, what else could she say at this point?

“Lilika, I didn’t mean to say you did something bad…”

Seeing Lilika like that, my mother was at a loss.

“Mother, stop reproaching Lilika.”

My brother hid Lilika, who was panicking, in his arms. He looked like a knight protecting Lilika from her mother.
The ‘engagement’ that my mother mentioned did not necessarily mean that Lilika would be engaged to Sir Vieira.

“The one who is hurting the most right now is Lilika. People are already misunderstanding her; does she need to be scolded even at home?”

As expected, for my brother, Lilika was the only one that existed. Just like he said before I died.
He seemed to have forgotten because he was heartbroken when he saw Lilika crying, but it was me who saw my fiancé confessing to my sister right in front of me. And it was me who had been with him since I was born.

My brother intervened very rudely, but my mother only paused for a moment and was calm at the end. He must have been assuming that everyone’s tone had gotten fiercer because of the severity of the situation.

“I didn’t scold Lilika… and Jiksen, Lilika must be very startled, but think of Yuria too. How embarrassed and sad she must be right now.”

And so, my mother cut him short and tried to move on to another topic, but my brother added a ridiculous remark.

“Stop siding with Yuria just because she’s your child, Mother.”
“What?”

My mother was the one who had been preparing the banquet for Lilika for a few months, even with her sickly body.
I don’t know about others, but it wasn’t something that my brother, who had been watching the whole process, had the right to say.

“How could you say such a thing…”

My mother seemed very shocked. She had been a mother who even embraced an illegitimate child as if she were her own, always treating her without discrimination.
But my brother didn’t stop talking.

“Lilika may not be Mother’s child, but she is undeniably the esteemed daughter of the Duke. Protect your dignity as the Duchess.”
“…”
“Mother must take care of her own daughter, Yuria. But since I am her older brother, I must protect Lilika. She has no one right now, does she?”

My mother was on my side right now because it was justified.
Even my stupid brother knew that she had never discriminated against Lilika, and that there were occasions where she cared for her more.

‘He shouldn’t jump to the conclusion that it’s because Lilika isn’t her biological daughter and criticize her. How upset Mother must be.’

He was also my mother’s son.

‘He can’t say anything to my father, the one who really criticized Lilika. Does my mother seem funny to him?’

Seeing my mother looked almost disheartened, my teeth clenched spontaneously.

But as soon as she heard that, my mother looked at me.
Despite hearing the abusive language, she was taking care of me first, who was only mentioned briefly.

“Mother… I am fine.”

But I was used to my brother’s cold treatment.
It wasn’t the first time my brother had discriminated between me and Lilika.

“Yuria, you…”

My mother closed her mouth. Rather, her thoughts seemed even more complicated than before.
As the duchess, she had always been a dignified and graceful mother, but something seemed to have collapsed inside her. Not even I, who was her daughter, could guess it.

I closed my eyes tightly and opened them. My brother, who had pushed my mother into such a situation, was coldhearted.

Well, let’s see for how long he can hold Lilika in his arms. At times like this, you have to get your act together.

“Father, please call Sir Vieira here. We should give him a chance to explain.”

Now, Brother. Watch carefully how the situation changes after Sir Vieira comes.

——