The Villainous Family Loves Me Too Much!

For reasons unknown, Beatrice invited Lord Roati to a tea party she was hosting.

“It’s a partner-accompanied party, so please bring an appropriate gentleman. Our Lord surely knows their place, so I trust they’ll handle it properly.”

When I said I lacked a suitable dress for the tea party, Beatrice instructed me to visit her dress room beforehand, as she would prepare a dress.

‘What game is she playing now?’

I decided to attend the tea party with Lucian in disguise as my partner.

For now, I had to accommodate Beatrice’s every whim to avoid raising her suspicions.

“Your Highness the Crown Princess, it’s Lord Roati.”

Upon knocking, the servants let me into the Crown Princess’s palace.

It was my first time visiting Beatrice’s dress room. Even for measuring the wedding gown’s considerable volume, we had used the bedchamber, not the dress room.

“You’ve come, Lord Roati? Then who is this…?”

Beatrice scrutinized Lucian in his disguise mask from head to toe.

Likely sizing him up. Lucian in disguise probably failed to meet her standards.

“Ah, greetings.”

As expected, her curt greeting lacked sincerity.

Having lost interest in Lucian, Beatrice focused entirely on me.

“I’ve prepared a dress. Would you like to try it on?”

The servants brought out a delicate pale sky blue silk dress.

“Well… Your Highness. I…”

It might have suited my original long mint-colored hair and odd-eyed mix of brown and blue.

But for my disguised self as Roati, it was utterly unsuitable attire.

Roati had short blonde hair and a freckled face.

“Just try it on quickly.”

Beatrice forcibly shoved me behind a partition and whistled as she waited.

Though reluctant, I changed into the dress she gave me.

‘What is this? Completely rustic.’

Giving the blonde, freckled me a pale sky blue silk dress was just asking for ridicule.

Moreover, the maids brought in a long mint-colored wig, from who knows where.

‘A mint wig? Could she… know something?’

At Beatrice’s gesture, the maids affixed the wig atop my head.

Looking in the mirror, my outrageous appearance was unavoidable.

“Oh my, how utterly perfect! Shall we head to the garden for the tea party, Lord Roati?”

For whatever reason, she had made me into a laughingstock before leading me with folded arms to the garden hosting the tea party.

“Everyone, look here!”

Beatrice called out loudly as she entered the garden.

The other noble ladies present all curtsied in perfect Felosite etiquette upon seeing her.

But the moment they raised their heads, they burst into raucous laughter upon glimpsing my face.

Not a single one was exempt.

“Surely the gentleman hasn’t… cross-dressed?”

“Or is it perhaps an attempt to imitate Princess Karena? The hair color and outfit are identical!”

Upon my name being mentioned, Beatrice clutched her stomach, cackling loudly.

“Oh, not at all. Though I must apologize to the Lord, how could one possibly pass with that face? Pfft!”

“The only commonality is being from Felosite!”

After Beatrice fired the opening salvo of gossip, the ladies eagerly joined in one by one.

“In reality, Princess Karena may look good in terms of appearance and attire, but can her Felosite blood ever escape being low-born? Trendy perhaps, but reeking of cheapness.”

“Low-born blood?”

None answered my question.

‘They’re ignoring me?’

Struggling to control my emotions lest my Ability leaked out, I clutched the black mana stone in my pocket tightly.

Detecting my anger, Lucian standing behind me furtively grasped my hand and whispered:

“They’re ignorant. We’re the originals, and they’re the mutts.”

“Pfft!”

Meant as consolation, his words were less than comforting.

Lucian seemed angered by the noblewomen’s Felosite belittlement as well.

Unable to help it, I chuckled at Lucian’s half-serious, half-joking quip.

While brazenly uttering such rude remarks, they seemed utterly oblivious – or indifferent – to my Felosite origins standing before them.

But at that moment, someone else entered my field of vision in a corner of the garden.

‘Colin Piaget?’

There stood a maid resembling Colin’s appearance.

She was clearing empty plates from the table and refilling them with fresh, delectable finger foods.

Without turning back, I walked straight towards her.

As I mutely stared at her before the table, she smiled warmly and extended a small plate with tongs.

“Would you care for anything? I can serve you.”

That face and voice undoubtedly belonged to Colin.

Flustered by Colin’s casual address, I pretended to survey the food, randomly pointing with my finger.

“Here you are. Enjoy.”

Carrying the plate piled with food, I returned to Lucian.

Shaken from encountering Colin, I mindlessly stuffed whatever into my mouth.

“…You saw it too?”

Lucian silently nodded.

“It seems we’ve finally located all the ‘fragments of God’, save for the final one I need.”

* * *

With production of all decorations and ornaments needed for the wedding now complete, all that remained was beautifully setting them up in their designated places.

So under the pretext of decorating the entire imperial palace for the Crown Prince’s ceremony, I began exploring its every nook and cranny.

However, my true objective was locating the ‘piece of God’.

The last time it conveyed a message to me, the ‘piece of God’ had clearly stated:

-If you wish to prevent destruction, maximize amplifying your power, then come find me in the imperial palace. I’ll be hiding where no one can locate me.

Come find it in the imperial palace.

The issue was its declaration of hiding where no one could find it.

‘If no one could find it until now, how can I locate it either?!’

With the wedding date rapidly approaching and the ‘piece of God’ still unfound, I would be unable to acquire the power to confront Beatrice, Colin, and Liam.

“Lord, where shall we install the mini lanterns? We feel this area might be better…”

“Do that. Ah, I’ll go check over there if any new suitable locations can be utilized.”

Unlike recently when I meticulously instructed every minute detail, I had been unable to for the past few days.

My aide and Hailey, aware of our circumstances, told me they would handle the wedding preparations themselves.

In truth, locating the ‘piece of God’ was my far more pressing priority, so I wanted to entrust it to them fully.

However, who knew if someone in this imperial palace was watching us?

-That witch definitely sensed my mana. She may not be certain it’s me, but still.

Since that day, Lucian and I decided to keep our distance from each other outside the Roati Manor for the time being.

The Felosite-origin Roati by Beatrice’s side.

We couldn’t afford to give Colin, who was undoubtedly wary of Roati for whatever reason, any further bait.

Hence I wandered the imperial palace alone, searching for the ‘piece of God’ like this.

‘Last time I checked the southern palace, so I’ll explore the north this time.’

In contrast to the lively southern palace, the northern section had many abandoned rooms.

Thanks to that, there were hardly any palace residents here.

Of course, the northern palace had once overflowed with vibrancy and beauty long ago.

Because this area contained my mother Empress Helena’s quarters and my own chamber before leaving the imperial palace.

Work in the northern palace proved relatively smoother compared to the south.

Rather than furtively entering each room while avoiding residents like in the south, not even an ant crossed my path here.

But after inspecting hundreds of rooms and corridors, there was no sign of the ‘piece of God’ anywhere.

‘What does it even look like? No, shouldn’t it have told me how to find it?!’

Exasperated, I rolled my feet while billowing white smoke suddenly materialized before my eyes.