My Adorable Daughter Can't Be A Villainess

Chloe and Charlotte were in their new room.

It was quite big. A double bed sat just across from the entrance, and a cupboard on the left had enough space to accommodate two Charlottes.

By the window was a small tea table. There was also a showcase adorned with several antiques, and a bookshelf that Charlotte was currently exploring.

She hadn’t touched a thing, aside from the basics; the glass on the table, the bed. She was cautious about damaging something valuable, which was why only her eyes traveled over whatever was stacked on the shelves.

Still, she couldn’t help being amazed by the range of books available here.

Her mother had been her only tutor since childhood. She had taught her about various things, including combat and manners. And thanks to that, Charlotte knew that if they were invited to the dining table, she wouldn’t embarrass her mother.

“What brews in that small head of yours?”

Charlotte startled at her mother’s teasing voice so close behind her. She spun on her heels, eyes wide.

“Why are you standing and walking around?” Charlotte asked, already reaching out to hold her hand.

Chloe weakly chuckled. “You know I’m not so weak that I can’t even stand for a little while. Come here.”

She opened her arms and pulled her little one close, hugging her by the shoulders.

Charlotte let out a long breath as she hugged her mother back. Feeling her warmth after so long melted that tightness in her chest.

Following Charlotte’s line of sight, Chloe’s gaze lingered on the bookshelf. “You can read them if you want to.”

Charlotte gave a wry smile. “Really? Those books look quite rare.”

Chloe shot her a small look. “Since when did you get this cautious?”

Charlotte lowered her head. “It’s because… this is the first time I’m meeting a friend of yours. And from what I heard from… you two were really close.”

Chloe’s eyes narrowed a little, but Charlotte didn’t notice, too busy choosing her words.

“That’s why I don’t want to do anything that might make Uncle Eric think, ‘Chloe used to be so disciplined… and this is her daughter? Disappointing.’”

Chloe couldn’t help but chuckle, the chill in her expression softening.

Her mother’s laughter filled Charlotte’s chest with relief and a bright sort of joy, and she found herself laughing along too.

“Haa, Haa… Cough…”

When Chloe finally calmed down, her breaths came a little uneven. Charlotte’s smile vanished. She eased her into the nearest chair and hurried to pour her some water.

Chloe thanked her daughter and took a few sips of the water before gesturing for Charlotte to sit as well.

As Charlotte sat down, still unsure whether she should be worried, she heard her mother say, “Have I not told you before, Char? You are my pride, child, and nothing you do would ever embarrass me. So don’t hesitate. Look at any book that you want.”

Charlotte nodded. “Alright, I understand. But for now… let’s get you back to bed.”

Chloe was about to say she wanted to sit here and look at Charlotte when a knock on the door was heard.

“Ms. Chloe, Ms. Charlotte, pardon the interruption. Would you like me to serve dinner now?”

It was Maylie, the maid.

Chloe glanced at her daughter, and Charlotte took the cue at once, moving to open the door.

Maylie stepped in with a respectful dip of her head, and Chloe said, “Let’s go to the dining room.”

The maid’s smile stayed gentle. “Young Master said you need to rest, so it would be better if you stayed here.”

Charlotte blinked, a small frown formed. “But Uncle Eric… will he have dinner alone?”

She remembered the maid saying all the other servants were visiting their families, so there were only the four of them and a cook in the house at the moment.

The maid offered the young girl a gentle smile and said. “Thank you for the concern but it has always been like this, young lady. The Young Master is used to eating alone.”

Chloe froze for a moment.

…So it was true. Eric hadn’t married anyone all this time?

Charlotte glanced at her mother, then asked softly, “Umm… if he wouldn’t mind, could Uncle Eric join us for dinner? Here, I mean.”

“Charlotte?” Chloe blinked, caught off guard. Just minutes ago, her daughter had been careful with every word… now she was suggesting that without flinching.

Maylie hurriedly replied, “I will go and ask the Young Master. Excuse me.” And with that, she quickly left.

Chloe let out a quiet sigh as she watched Maylie leave, her daughter’s excitement practically spilling over. Somehow, Chloe could tell exactly what was going through that small head.

Charlotte took a small step toward her mother. “Did I do something wrong? But earlier, when I said you and Uncle Eric were close, you didn’t say no… so I thought it was fine.”

Charlotte’s voice grew quieter near the end.

Chloe shook her head and said softly, “No. Go on Char and freshen up.”

Charlotte grinned, her mood flipping instantly, and rushed toward the bathroom.

Once she was alone, Chloe remained seated for a moment longer. Then she clicked her tongue, stood up, slipped on her cardigan, and began combing her hair.

Don’t delude yourself Chloe. This is nothing. You’re just doing this… so she wouldn’t look inappropriate. Nothing else.

…..

A little farther away from their room, Eric stood in his workshop, trying to do what every awakened being naturally learned to do.

Practicing his Arcane control.

Just as the heart pumps blood and circulates it throughout the body, the magic-producing organ is called the Nexus. The Nexus produces magic that runs through every inch of one’s body, and fragments of residual magic leak into the environment.

The more experience and battles you had, the less you exhausted your Nexus. And the more time you spent on mana refinement, the more residual magic you released into your surroundings.

Eric could manipulate the mana within his body, but the problem was his Arcane.

He couldn’t channel magic to form a spell… something stable, something that could affect the world around him.

Consider reality like a rubber band. It rests when you do nothing. Applying mana to form a spell makes that rubber band stretch. A stronger spell pulls it tighter, wider.

But if you couldn’t sustain the spell, or failed to deliver it the way you intended… reality would snap back to its original state, as if your spell had never existed.

So if it wasn’t done right, a spell meant to change a phenomenon of reality might never work at all.

And for a bona fide mage like him, that was disastrous.

‘No. I need to do something–’

“Young Master~”

A familiar excited voice from outside broke his train of thought.

He hummed, pausing before replying. “What is it, Maylie? I’m busy with work here.”

The maid responded in a merry tone. “Miss Chloe wants to have dinner with you in her room. But well, since you the Young Master is busy, I will tell them–”

Click.

Maylie’s widened grin came into view as a breathless Eric appeared in the doorway in a hurry.

“I just finished my work,” he said quickly. “Tell them I’m joining in a minute.”

===============

Releases one day ahead on Kuupress.:

https://kuupress.com/read/my-adorable-daughter-cant-be-a-villainess