My Adorable Daughter Can't Be A Villainess - Chapter 6 - Cornered

To ensure the parasite had been completely wiped out, Chloe was asked to remain in the church for the night.

There was still a chance that the parasite had survived, hiding somewhere in her body. That was why, unwilling to take any risks, Saint Robert asked Eric to let her stay.

Naturally, Eric agreed. He didn’t want even a fraction of risk to remain.

Chloe was helped by the nuns to change her clothes after she was taken to the room where she would be staying for the night.

Eric stood outside the door.

It took a few minutes before the two nuns stepped out. With a soft nod, one of them said, “She is resting now. We will come to check on her in a few minutes.”

Eric gave a brief nod. “Thank you, sisters.”

The two women walked away, chatting quietly among themselves, as Eric knocked twice before stepping inside.

The room was modest: a fairly broad bed against the wall, a wooden wardrobe across from it, and a small tea table to the side.

Eric pulled a chair beside the bed and sat down.

Chloe was still quite weak. It was clear from how she struggled to even open her eyes.

They stared at each other for a few moments before Chloe finally whispered, “You… really don’t need to do this.”

Eric raised a brow. “What?”

She breathed out her words, “…saving me… you could have just adopted Charlotte and given her a family.”

Eric pressed his lips together before standing up and pulling the sheet over her frail body.

As he drew it up, their faces came closer.

In a deep voice, he told her his decision, “I already told you; this family would be incomplete without you. So focus on recovering.”

Chloe’s eyes trembled with emotions she believed she had long forgotten.

Confusion, anger, frustration… and many others.

What stung Eric most was the absence of hope in her eyes.

And it was understandable, given how she had lived for the past fifteen years.

But not everything could be fixed instantly. He couldn’t simply assure her that he was here for her now.

So instead, he stood up and told her, “Rest well… I’ll go bring our daughter.”

As he turned, tears welled in Chloe’s eyes.

Tears she didn’t want to shed, not in front of this man, finally fell when she heard him say ‘our daughter’.

Eric didn’t turn back to look at her, and for the first time, she felt something other than hatred for him.

She was thankful.

….

The tavern was warm and lively, filled with the soft glow of lanterns hanging from wooden beams.

The smell of roasted meat, fresh bread, and spiced ale drifted through the air.

Long wooden tables were packed with people, all eating hearty meals while their boots tapped against the stone floor.

A fireplace crackled at the far end, its flames dancing as it lit up the rough stone walls.

Voices mixed together in a steady hum — laughters, clattering mugs, and stories shared between bites of food.

Hunters, wanderers, merchants, everyone shared the same space to enjoy their time in the famous eatery in the town nestled close to the County.

“Incoming!”
Through the rows of tables, a certain boy walked by, carrying several trays across his hands and even his upper arms, as if the weight of the mugs and dishes didn’t bother him at all.

The balance and precision he displayed were admirable as he continued serving food to the tables.

“Thanks, Charton.” The old man who received his drink and snacks grinned at the boy.

The silver-haired boy smiled back. “Enjoy your meal, Darwin.”

He moved forward, placing another tray on the next table. “Here you go. Enjoy~”

The young couple looked up and smiled at the enthusiastic boy.

Holding the last tray, he made his way to the far end of the eatery and set the dishes down.

“Here you go, dear sir. Let me know if you need anything else.”
Unlike the other patrons, this one neither smiled nor offered thanks.

The boy didn’t seem to mind and turned around, ready to leave… when suddenly—

“Can you explain what the heck this is?!”
The man’s voice tore through the chatter.

Many fell silent as the silver-haired server turned and saw the customer holding what looked like several strands of hair.

The customer snarled, “You fucking pig, dropping your filthy hair in my food!”

*CLANG*

He shoved the entire tray away, dishes crashing to the ground, bowls shattering.

The whole tavern fell utterly silent.

The head cook hurried out of the kitchen. Short, thick-armed, and heavy-browed, he demanded, “What’s happening?”

He looked between Charton and the furious customer.

The man flung the strands of hair into the air and shouted, “That server of yours wanted me to eat his hair! Is this how you serve customers?!”

The cook stiffened. “I—I… this has never happened before. You can ask anyone here. Charton is a very good server.”

The boy in question stood there, his delicate face hardened, fists clenched at his sides.

“Yeah, man, Charton’s never messed up,” someone from the tables called out. “You sure you ain’t seein’ things?”

The patron snapped, “Oh yeah? How many of us here have silver hair?”

Everyone’s eyes drifted to the strands on the floor—and indeed, they matched the silvery locks on Charton’s head.

The angry man continued, “To save time, that brat serves several customers at once, and that’s why this happened.”

The head cook lowered his gaze, unable to find any way to defend Charton now.

Just then, the complaining patron stepped out from his table and approached the boy.

The silver-haired server trembled, eyes fixed on the floor.

The fuming man leaned in close and whispered, just loud enough for Charton to hear,

“If you don’t want to lose this job… come to my room tonight… Charlotte.”

Charton(?) flinched as he looked up at the grinning man with his eyes widened.

He knows!

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

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