This Three Year Old Is a Villainess-Chapter 287

Dalia—no, Se-eun—hummed a tune as she entered the keep.

The servants lined along the walls all bowed in unison.

‘Wow...!’

This is it! The grand greeting you always see in films, dramas, novels!

‘A sign that one’s status is rising!’

Because of the fire, we hadn’t seen it at Grimie’s domain.

“Hell...o there?” Dalia said shyly. Two maids approached.

“Please, call us by name. I’m Heidi, and this is Betty; we’ll attend Lady Dalia exclusively.”

‘Really Heidi and Betty...!’ Dalia’s eyes sparkled.

“I can actually see the ‘Aww, how cute~!’ in person.”

“...Yes?”

“Oh, nothing. Just talking to myself!”

I’d often read in the novel how they raved “Aww, how cute~!” while watching my back.

Dalia laughed and continued, “Where’s my room?”

“We only just received word of your arrival, so preparations are underway. If you wait in the drawing room, we’ll finish quickly.”

“No, I want to explore myself.”

“P-please wait in the drawing room—”

“Then come fetch me later!”

“J-just a moment...! Dalia-ssi!”

Dalia darted down the south corridor.

‘That’s where His Grace’s study is!’ Heidi and Betty started after her, but—

Suddenly every servant’s comm-stone buzzed.

“A crisis! Monster packs at the servants’ quarters...!”

“The knights report food poisoning at the garrison...!”

“A hearth explosion in the kitchens...!”

Heidi and Betty’s eyes spun wildly.

‘What is happening? Why all this at once?!’

As if the world conspired to keep Dalia occupied, chaos erupted everywhere.

Heidi shouted, “Betty, inform our lady and go to the knights’ barracks! Lonzi, check the kitchens. You two, head to the servants’ quarters!”

“Y-yes!” “At once!”

Heidi cried out, “What on earth is going on? Wait—where’s our lady?!”

In that moment, Dalia had vanished.

At Betty’s warning, I sprang up.

“What?!”

“This is utter madness. What do we do?”

“If the knights all have food poisoning, there’ll be no one to deal with monsters. Balzac, go eliminate those beasts.”

“Right!”

I dashed from the room. Betty followed, panting.

“Have you found Dalia?”

“Heidi ran off, but she hasn’t reported back, so I assume not.”

There were plenty of guards in the keep—unable to find her?

‘Damn that heroine buff!’

They’d let everything break at once so Dalia wouldn’t escape. The Veil agents and guards couldn’t locate her because of that buff.

‘She’s effectively invincible.’

I understood why Grimie had gone to such lengths to bring her.

I halted and activated my boon. Text appeared before my eyes:

‘Active chapter... good, Chapter 2.’

[Dalia gaped at her surroundings.

“The Daimond domain’s wealth rivals the top Astras... how much is all this worth?”]

No wonder the novel described this room as “filled with gold and jewels.”

‘The smell of money!’

I steeled myself. I would live happily among the Astras.

A room piled high with treasure...

‘The Ninth Warehouse.’

How on earth had she snuck there unseen? It was far from the entrance. But ‘how’ no longer mattered—

‘All impossible situations are the heroine buff’s doing!’

I hurried to the Ninth Warehouse.

Dalia’s eyes shone as she held up an object buried in gems—like a cushion-foundation compact. And another piece, bejeweled like a magical-girl mirror.

‘So very fantasy world~!’

Excited, she opened the case.

“Huh? A magic device? Why won’t it work?”

Had it broken, left here?

‘That must be it. No one would toss something precious about.’

But then—

“Huh?”

The moment Dalia’s breath brushed the device, light bloomed across it like dye in water. And on the display:

[Because of last night’s storm, the vegetables spoiled—hence the food poisoning...]

Beep.

[My lady! Over here! Monsters this way...!]

Beep.

Strange voices and images floated in midair.

‘This is Daimond domain—but I saw those servants at the entrance ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) earlier.’

Beep. The screen changed. Joshua appeared with a handsome brown-haired man—“Conrad,” Joshua called him.

‘So that’s Conrad! Really handsome! Wait... this cushion compact might be—’

Dalia covered her mouth with one hand.

A CCTV! A mini CCTV without any camera, of all things.

‘It must link to a mirror... so we can see everything happening in the mirror’s room?’

Jackpot!

Dalia focused, eyes bright.

[The branch families’ movements are indeed subversive, my lady.]

[I thought so... What are they planning, what’s their objective?]

[It seems they intend to bring soldiers and arms into the manor. One person couldn’t manage that alone; they must have formed an alliance.]

[Then they drafted a pledge to guard against betrayal.]

[Yes. Should they obtain it, nothing would stop them—not even their lives, let alone autonomy.]

[The pledge is the key. We must get it by any means—]

‘A pledge?’

At that moment, someone gripped my wrist roughly. Dalia startled and turned.

“E-Erilot?”

“What is this?”

“Oh, this magic device? I found it on the floor...”

“You activated the compact?”

“T-The compact? What’s that?”

I ground my teeth and snatched it from her hand.

“Ah!” she stammered, stepping back.

“Are you angry?”

“You can’t spy on others, even kin.”

“I—I wasn’t spying! I was just curious, and it activated...”

“And it’s rude to handle another’s property. Unthinkably rude.”

Dalia shrank, then murmured, “I’m... sorry...”

“Your chambers should be ready. Go. And don’t wander the keep unbidden.”

“Mhm...”

Betty approached Dalia coldly. “Let us go.”

“Okay...” Dalia slipped away, casting me a final glance. “I’m sorry...”

I said nothing.

Outside the Ninth Warehouse, Dalia sighed.

‘Big trouble. The heroine’s on guard.’

Yet she’d gained something. Dalia grinned.

‘If the pledge is the goal, then find that!’

If she did, my father could become duke.

Once inside her guest room, Dalia dismissed Betty, closed the door, and seized her comm-stone.

‘Now to use this thing... Ugh, it’s harder than I thought.’

She fiddled until suddenly a voice came through:

[Dalia? What is it?]

A warm, sweet voice—Grimie’s.

“Ah! Father, can you hear me?”

[I can.]

“I have news—good news.”

[Good news?]

“Yes, yes!”

Dalia chatter-explained. Grimie laughed.

[Excellent, Dalia.]

“My lord is busy, but I can handle this!”

[I’ll send someone.]

“Please—um, those in fantasy attire, those who called me ‘Precious One.’”

[The Veil.]

“Yes! Send the Veil.”

[At once.]

She ended the call, smiling.

‘My father will be Duke Astra.’

I summoned Joshua and Balzac to the room.

“Dalia activated the compact. I heard everything Joshua and Conrad discussed.”

“What?!” Balzac barked. 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“Why did she eavesdrop on strangers?!”

As he raged, Joshua’s face grew pale and stern. He knew the value of information and guarded it fiercely.

“Brother.”

“...”

“Joshua.”

“...”

“Joshua!”

“...Alright.”

I gripped Joshua’s shoulder.

“It’s not your fault. The frightening one is Dalia, who triggered that compact.”

“...”

“We can handle it. Pull yourself together.”

Joshua stared at me, dazed, then smiled faintly. Pressing his forehead to mine, he said,

“Very well, Erilot.”

“We must move now. Dalia is already in motion.”

Because of the food poisoning, we can’t use troops. We have fewer than ten available. The Veil, by contrast, is vast.

‘Every single person counts.’

Just then Balzac said,

“Where would the branch families hide the pledge? We need that location.”

Exactly—not numbers, but the pledge’s whereabouts.

‘Where would I hide a pledge?’

Suddenly inspiration struck.

“Why must we find the pledge? We can have it brought to us!”

Joshua blinked.

“Erilot, you don’t mean...?”

“Spread rumor to Baron Fuslhur that Dalia seeks the pledge!”

“Right! Then the branches will move it to a safer spot!”

“Yes, and we wait at that spot!”

Balzac frowned.

“Which spot, though?”

“We’ll decide for them, Brother.”

“What do you mean...?”

“We’ll trap whoever brings the pledge. Post our people at every approach.”

“You’re... clever!”

Both Balzac and Joshua tousled my hair.

“You sly one!” “Good plan, Erilot.”

I smiled.

“Let’s go.”

‘My father will be Duke Astra.’

“Oh—what are they? They’re swarming out of Fuslhur Castle!”

Dalia, watching through a spyglass, exclaimed.

“If you cry out so, the horses will be spooked.”

The Veil ride behind her, guiding her mount.

“Oh, sorry.” Dalia giggled.

“You said they’re on your father’s side?”

“Yes.”

“Then ‘Great Mashitabba’ suits you!”

Beside Dalia on her white steed stood a dark-ridden man.

“So am I ‘Little Mashitabba’?”

“Indeed!”

Dalia glanced between the twins with a shy smile.

‘Though twins, they feel completely different.’ One serious and gentle, the other mischievous and rough. Both hated crowds, yet fawned over her.

“Messiah, you can’t know how long we’ve waited.”

“I’ve waited ages. Now that I’ve found you, I’ll never let you go.”

“Your intel said the pledge is at Fuslhur Castle?”

“Yes, Messiah. I assure you.”

“As they know we come, they’ll try to spirit it away. How to counter...?”

“That matters little,” said the other, shrugging.

Dalia nodded.

“Right. Finding the pledge is what matters.”

She looked back. The Veil and troops brimmed behind. Dalia proclaimed,

“By command of your Messiah, fetch the pledge!”

“All hail.” “All hail.”

Both Mashitabbas clicked their stirrups and urged their mounts—“Hiiiii!”

The elder twin said,

“The saddle bears protective wards, but be ever vigilant.”

“Huh?”

“If a single hair of Messiah’s is harmed, I shall never forgive myself.”

“Of course.”

The Veil treated her like a princess. All adored Dalia as if she were flesh of their flesh.

‘What an amazing world. I looked pretty cool just now.’

Dalia giggled.

“The rider on the black steed is the strongest. Treasure belongs to the leader. We pursue the black horse!”

At the younger twin’s words, Dalia nodded. They rode hard after the troops.

But something was odd. The Mashitabbas exchanged looks.

“Where exactly are we headed, brother?”

“I’m not sure. But it’s definitely strange.”

Dalia’s eyes widened.

“Why? What’s strange?”

“We should be past these mountains into Daimond domain. No reason to go this way.”

They crossed a mountainside when—

Click! Click, click! Click!

With button-presses, lights flared across the hills. Ahead of Dalia and her guard stood—

“Thank you for coming this far.”

Erilot Astra, cloaked in black.