Reincarnate as the Villainess's Husband - Chapter 81

Chapter 81: Foreground
A young girl with black hair and blue eyes sat timidly beside Neonidas. For some reason, she felt safe next to the man who had brought her here. She had thought of this man, who had taken her sister away before, as someone cruel, but her opinion had changed.

“Do you like your new hair color?” Neonidas asked the girl.

The girl sitting beside him was the illegitimate daughter of Duke Maximilian Valen—the same pink-haired girl. Cassandra had sacrificed her freedom, becoming Neonidas’ concubine to save this girl. Now, with her pink hair dyed black, the sweet girl had a faint smile on her face. She was smiling because Neonidas had promised she would see her sister.

Neonidas held up a mirror for her to see herself. “I can’t see it… There are words written on it,” she said.

As the carriage sped toward the Oreoned Mansion, Neonidas’ expression froze at her words. But shortly after, a grin formed on his face—the kind of grin a capitalist would have when their investments yield great profits. Just as he had suspected, this girl would be the protagonist of the continuation or a spin-off of the original novel his ex-girlfriend had written.

Neonidas knew his ex, who had left him before he died, had been working on a new story, but he hadn’t known who the protagonist would be.

Now, realizing that the girl could see her “system” in the mirror, he was almost certain she was the protagonist of that future novel. Having a system was an incredibly powerful trait.

Without a system, it was difficult to know whether your power had grown or how much it had increased. People without systems could only clearly sense power boosts when they made significant mana progress.

Compared to Avelina’s system, Neonidas’ system was primitive. Avelina’s system included features like purchasing information with points, viewing others’ stats, and, most importantly, a store where many things could be bought. In contrast, Neonidas’ system only allowed him to see his own stats and increase his power. Even so, he had managed to grow incredibly strong in a short time.

This little girl likely had a system similar to, or even more powerful than, Avelina’s. However, for now, Neonidas said nothing about the system to the girl sitting beside him, not wanting to awaken a sleeping giant. He first needed to ensure the girl’s loyalty. If he couldn’t, he would have no choice but to eliminate her.

“By the way, what’s your name?” Neonidas suddenly asked, having not bothered to ask for her name until now.

“My name is Oriana… my mother’s name,” the girl replied softly, her voice gentle and shy. Neonidas took in her answer with a thoughtful expression. “Oriana…” he repeated to himself, as if engraving the name in his memory.

“A beautiful name. It sounds like a strong one,” he added, as though analyzing the meaning behind it. Oriana, flustered by the compliment, lowered her head slightly, her cheeks flushing.

As the carriage creaked and echoed along the path, Neonidas watched Oriana silently gazing out the window. He sensed the heavy burden of a cruel fate resting on the innocent girl’s shoulders. At the same time, his cold, calculating mind was already plotting how to use her for his own purposes.

When the carriage entered the mansion, Neonidas turned to the girl before stepping out. “From now on, forget your name. It’s very dangerous… If you want to live happily with your sister, you must obey my every word.”

His words initially surprised Oriana, but then lowered her head slightly, murmuring, “Okay…” in a soft, obedient tone. Her innocent submission brought a faint look of satisfaction to Neonidas’ face. It was exactly what he wanted to see—a good start to keeping her under control.

“We need to find you a new name,” Neonidas said as he stepped out of the carriage. Oriana quietly followed him. As they approached the mansion’s grand door, Neonidas paused, thinking aloud.

“Baldwin? No, too conspicuous. Maybe Saladin? Hmm, I can’t decide. Ah, yes, Cinderella! Yes, a perfect name, don’t you think? You had an evil stepmother, and now a duke—not quite a prince—is taking you away… Wait, was that how the story went?”

Oriana—or rather, Cinderella now—had no idea what Neonidas was talking about, but oddly enough, she liked the name. “Cinderella… I like it.”

After a while Neonidas and Cinderella were waiting when they saw Cassandra waiting for them at the door. Warned by her master beforehand, Cassandra merely glanced at her younger sister in silence.

If it became known that a little girl had arrived with Neonidas and that this girl was closely related to Cassandra, Duke Maximilian would undoubtedly grow suspicious. Neonidas knew this and had instructed the two sisters not to act familiar with each other.

Shortly after, Neonidas led Cinderella inside and allowed the sisters to reunite in a private room. Despite having different mothers, their bond was as strong as any ordinary sibling relationship.

As the two sisters embraced and caught up, Neonidas stood by the ornate fireplace, lost in thought. He contemplated the strength of Cinderella’s system and how he could best utilize it.

“Don’t forget what I said earlier—you two must act like strangers in public,” he reminded them before leaving the room and heading to his study.

The mansion where Cinderella was staying was isolated in a snowy region, making it easy for Neonidas to keep her kidnapped with a few trusted guards. Nevertheless, the journey had been tiring.

They had traversed snowy mountains on horseback for days and secretly entered another city. Thanks to Fenrilla’s assistance, surviving under harsh conditions hadn’t been too difficult.

Once in his study, Neonidas resumed the unfinished tasks that awaited him, working until evening.

——

Around this time, the Kingdom of Hindonpon officially declared war on the Donnadan Empire. The justification for this declaration was the empire’s assassination of Prince Alkahmar of Hindonpon and its refusal to return his body. The Kingdom of Hindonpon announced that peace would only be possible if Duke Neonidas’ head was delivered to them and if they took control of the northern border territories.

Now, King Haruth of Hindonpon and his advisors were gathered around a table, discussing the course of the war.

King Haruth sat at the head of the table, his face showing traces of both fury and calculated composure. Standing beside him was General Velmar, one of the kingdom’s most skilled commanders. In Haruth’s right hand was a goblet of wine, and in his left, a report. The death of Alkahmar and the refusal to return to his body had severed the already fragile ties between the two nations.

“Neonidas…” Haruth whispered, as if the name left a bitter taste on his tongue. “That man had the audacity to kill my son, and the gall to insult our people. He will pay for his arrogance with blood. But we cannot rush into this. Neonidas is no ordinary duke. He is engaged to the imperial princess…. Now, how are we supposed to defeat the Empire?”

General Velmar set his glass of water down on the table and turned his gaze toward the advisors. “Your Majesty, I believe we should launch a swift attack and push northward, crushing Neonidas’ forces. Then, we take up defensive positions and force the empire to accept our terms. If we hold our ground successfully, the emperor will eventually tire of the war and agree to our conditions.”

King Haruth nodded as he listened to Velmar’s suggestion. The conversation then shifted to Neonidas and his recent achievements. However, one of the advisors, a young man with a smug and mocking expression named Lord Danthar, leaned forward and let out a loud laugh.

“Neonidas? Have we really come to fear him this much? Your Majesty, take a look at this man’s past. He grew up in his father’s shadow, never participated in a single battle, and is nothing more than a palace rat! We’re giving him far too much credit. Yes, he may be a duke, but he’s no real leader. What has he done besides sit at a table stuffed with food and wander around massive mansions? Is this the man who dares to threaten a kingdom like ours?”

Some of the other advisors grumbled in response, while others couldn’t help but smirk. Noticing that he had captured Haruth’s attention, Lord Danthar continued his speech.

“Neonidas’ power is nothing more than a gift from the emperor to his father. He was handed a title, given some land, and suddenly his son is a hero? No! He’s a fool. A man with childish intellect and an over-inflated ego. With our five hundred Konotiger beasts, even Duke Leonardo, his famous father, would have soiled himself and fled the battlefield.”

These words caused an uproar of laughter in the room, with King Haruth himself unable to suppress a grin. What was supposed to be a war council quickly turned into a session of mockery, filled with crude jokes about Neonidas and his family. Even his fiancée, Allea, became the target of vile remarks and jests.

Eventually, after indulging in their derision, the council approved the pre-planned strategy for the war and disbanded.