Chapter 16
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Introducing the New Family
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I'll introduce you to the new family.
I'd become the newest adopted daughter of the villainous household.
And that was before even a single day had passed.
Overnight, I'd become nobility, with the surname 'Rahel Tani' now attached to my name.
If this family weren't destined to become infamous for its worst atrocities in the future, it would have been a wonderful turn of events.
Someone might say something like this.
Just stop Roselia from turning villainous, right?
On the surface, it sounds that simple.
But that wasn't the real problem.
Even if Roselia never turned dark in the end, the schemes she was preparing were fated to bring this family crashing down one day.
The endpoint of the plan she was quietly devising under the Rahel Tani name was, after all...
The death of the Grand Bishop, the highest authority in the current temple.
Anyway.
Even setting aside Roselia's plot, there were even bigger problems lingering in this family.
Or rather, not problems so much as direct threats to my life.
And that threat was now staring right at me.
"I'll introduce you to the new family."
As Roselia spoke, two pairs of eyes slowly turned toward me.
One belonged to a middle-aged man, the other to a girl who looked about my age.
Both had faint, subtly glowing purple irises.
"This man is the head of the Rahel Tani family, Daniel Rahel Tani."
Roselia's hand gently pointed at the man.
He approached with a calm smile and a nod.
"So you're Bella. I've heard so much about you from my wife. To have such a beautiful daughter—it's truly a blessing."
For a brief moment, Roselia's gaze flicked toward the man. He immediately clamped his lips shut and forced an awkward smile.
Roselia opened her mouth with a smile that held no warmth in her eyes.
"You don't need to call him Father. Just address him as Family Head."
It was less a kind suggestion and more a command.
"Got it, dear?"
At her sharp tone, I nodded reflexively.
The truth was, I already knew.
The man smiling so mildly in front of me right now wasn't Roselia's husband.
He was just one of the subordinates she kept in the shadows of the family.
They pretended to be a married couple on the surface, but in reality, he existed solely to follow her whims.
And there was only one reason he held that position—and that reason was sitting right beside him.
"And this is my daughter. Say hello, Camilla."
At Roselia's words, the girl gave a slight bow.
Long black hair like the night sky cascaded quietly over her shoulders.
"Since Bella is eight, that makes Camilla your little sister."
The girl Roselia called her daughter—Camilla.
In truth, she wasn't Roselia's biological daughter. Nor was she the daughter of the man sitting there.
The real reason Roselia had placed that man as family head was because he resembled Camilla so closely.
Right down to his eyes and hair—so much so that no one would doubt he was her father.
His role was a superficial device to place Camilla under the count family's protection.
A play sustained by their outward family resemblance, allowing them to claim kinship.
And the protagonist of that play, sitting there with her vacant gaze fixed on me, was a figure who would later gain infamy rivaling Roselia's own.
"They're family, but you won't see them often. They're both so busy."
Roselia's words let me breathe a little easier.
At least I wouldn't have to face her regularly—that was a huge relief.
Roselia had the excuse of being driven mad by a curse.
But the girl before me was evil incarnate from birth.
A villain who defied the grand premise that every antagonist has a backstory. One of the final boss routes in the DLC after the main story of Kairen Chronicles.
And there she was, staring at me without a word.
'Should I drop to my knees and beg to cancel the adoption right now?'
It might actually be possible.
Roselia was somewhat favorably disposed toward me. If I pleaded desperately, she might revert to our contract relationship.
But just as that thought crossed my mind...
"Oh, and your adoption papers have already been submitted to the Grand Temple. Approval should come through today."
Roselia's cheerful voice casually shattered my hopes.
I stared at her wordlessly. Unlike my trembling eyes, she smiled with seductively curved lips and added,
"Now you're officially a member of the Rahel Tani family. Feel free to be happy about it."
I'm not happy at all.
I wanted to shout it, but I swallowed the words rising in my throat.
It had only been a day since signing the adoption papers, and they'd already reached the Grand Temple.
I was impressed by her swift action, even as it annoyed me.
Faced with inescapable reality, I finally lowered my head in resignation.
'...Let's try thinking positively.'
Even if it was the heart of the villainy, I'd gained the status of heir to an influential count family.
For an orphan like me, it was a miracle. To others, it would seem like a fairy-tale rise in station.
This could even be an opportunity.
Above all, I'd finally secured the personal protection I'd so desperately wanted.
No matter how dark the Rahel Tani family's future, it wasn't complete despair.
The main story of the game began in the year 341 of the Kairen Imperial Calendar—the year the Hero was born.
Now was 335. We still had six years of leeway.
Roselia's conspiracy wouldn't kick into high gear until around the Hero's academy graduation—about nine years from now. That meant I was safe from direct threats for the time being.
If I prepared well during that time, ways to change the ending would surely emerge.
The surest path was independence from this family.
The first step was enrolling in the academy. Once there, dorm life would naturally lead to independence. And if I got lucky enough to join the Hero Party, even better.
The second option... slim as it was, there was another way.
If I could prevent Roselia from turning dark—and even thwart the plans she was hatching—the Rahel Tani family might not become villains at all.
It would unfold in a completely different direction from the original story, but that change... surely wouldn't be for the worse.
But honestly, that was next to impossible. Aiming for family independence was far more realistic.
'Let's move forward positively.'
I clenched my fists tightly, steeling myself.
Turning crisis into opportunity—that was the mark of true competence.
Either way, right now I had Roselia's favor on my side. I had to build my own strength while it lasted.
With my resolve firm, I clasped my hands in front of my navel and bowed toward the two watching gazes.
"I'm Bella. I'll do my best not to be a burden."
The fake count observed me with interest, while Camilla continued staring with her emotionless eyes.
Maybe it was my newfound positive mindset, but her vacant gaze didn't feel as chilling as before.
A look that said she saw no value in me. Utter indifference, like I was a bug.
That was more than enough.
I didn't even want her attention. Quite the opposite—being noticed would be trouble.
If things stayed like this, I might slip out of her sight and live quietly, unnoticed.
If that happened—
"Camilla, why don't you show your new big sister around the estate?"
Roselia's voice rang out clearly.
My thoughts froze, my mind going blank for a moment.
I looked up at her with panicked eyes.
"Pardon?"
"It'll help you bond with your little sister. Go on."
"Ah, no, I mean... It's fine! You're busy, so I can explore on my own..."
"Camilla, would you mind?"
Roselia ignored my words entirely and turned to Camilla.
Camilla slowly rose from her seat.
"Yes, Mother."
She strode toward me with a faint smile.
"I'll show you around the estate."
"Ah, um... th-that..."
I shot Roselia a desperate pleading look, clinging to my last hope, but...
She showed no sign of noticing, merely offering her usual smile.
"Big Sister?"
"Ah, uh. P-please do."
"Drop the formal speech. You're older than me."
"Ah, y-yeah. Got it..."
...Am I really okay?