I Was Picked as the Tyrant's Daughter-in-law Chapter 4

The male protagonist of I'm Done with the Tyrant's Government is the tyrant Parmes Aslet.

At seventeen, his older wife gave birth to a son and died. That son was Britain Aslet.

Britain is described as a crown prince who resembles his father, with a very beautiful appearance and a chillingly cold intellect.

But Britain Aslet is my fiancé?

I couldn't comprehend the situation at all—me, the daughter-in-law of the tyrant from the original novel?

Weren't I just an unlucky commoner kid who didn't even qualify as an extra?

"Sir, I think there's been a misunderstanding."

Though the string of absurd situations nearly made me faint, I steadied myself and looked up at the man. I also pulled my hand free from Britain's grip, which had tensed and gone stiff.

"So, Uncle Zimmer. No, Your Majesty. I don't know how you became emperor, but congratulations all the same. The silver hair suits you really well. You're handsome."

To be honest, I wasn't even sure what I was saying. My head was spinning, and I was just spouting nonsense, but I could see a smile forming on his lips as he listened to my rambling.

I wasn't sure if the position was changing him or if he'd always been like this, but the simple, slightly dim impression I'd had of the man was completely gone.

"But I need to tell you something. Your Majesty may no longer be Uncle Zimmer, but I'm still Arinell Maila."

My mind was in utter chaos.

First of all, could I even survive here? Why had the tyrant Parmes Aslet pretended to be Uncle Zimmer, and why had he brought me here? Surely the daughter-in-law declaration wasn't sincere? There's no way he'd genuinely consider that scrap of paper a marriage contract…

There were so many questions I couldn't voice, but…

'I should emphasize that I'm harmless and have no ambitions.'

"It's impossible for me to become Your Majesty's daughter-in-law. So… I think I'll head back home. Haha, you don't need to lend me a carriage; I'll figure it out myself…"

"Arinell."

Parmes's low voice cut me off, and a heavy silence settled between us.

Awkwardly glancing around, I saw Britain's blue eyes flickering as he watched me from the side.

"Lady…"

What's with that wounded look on your face from the very first meeting?!

"Yes."

Parmes removed his hand from his furrowed brow and looked at me.

"It seems I didn't explain things well to Arinell. Arinell, you won't be returning to Galnem anymore."

"Wh… What?"

"There was a huge fire in Galnem. I'm truly, truly sorry, but… it's nothing but an empty wasteland now."

It felt like a bolt of lightning struck me. The village burned down?!

The village where I'd lived my entire eleven years!!

"Adam."

When Parmes called out a name, a man standing behind raised his hand to his chest and responded.

"Yes, Your Majesty."

Familiar voice—the kidnapper who had brought me here earlier.

"Do your best to help Arinell adjust to the empire. You'll need to explain things so she can understand."

He commanded in a voice so drastically lowered that it was unrecognizable from the man who had spoken to me as Uncle Zimmer.

"I shall obey your command."

The kidnapper called Adam nodded with a trembling voice, and I couldn't bring myself to speak amid the solemn atmosphere between the icy emperor and his knight. My mind was blank.

Britain… gazed at me for a long moment with unreadable eyes before offering a faint smile.

"…I'll wait, Lady."

A calm, gentle voice drifted into my ear.

Even his smile seemed to cast a halo behind him, but the fact that I couldn't fathom the reason for his kindness toward a stranger felt bitter.

"Don't worry, Arinell. Everything will be fine."

As if he hadn't just given orders to his knight in a cold voice, Parmes turned to me with a bright smile.

Ugh! What exactly is going to be fine?!

My heart was pounding anxiously.

A few hours later.

I stared blankly at the enormous, grand mansion spread out before me.

The mansion looked a bit worn, as if it hadn't been touched by human hands in a long time, but it was opulently large enough to house all the people of Galnem village and still have room to spare.

"So this is… my home?"

"Yes, my lady."

"I'm supposed to believe this too?"

"Yes, my lady."

I had always believed I was the daughter of a low-ranking official and a knight.

But Adam's words delivered a massive shock.

"Your father was Heizen Machen Maila, the second son of the Northern Maila Grand Duchy and the Marquis Maila, the empire's sole Great Spiritist. Your mother was from another country, but she became a promising knight under His Majesty through her own merits—a remarkable woman."

I followed Adam at a quick, small pace, listening to the unbelievable story.

Seeing my reaction, Adam slowed his pace to match mine.

I had known my mother had no relatives, but my father's identity was beyond shocking.

"And I was a knight who followed the Marquis until he departed. I had been with him since he was in the Grand Duchy."

"Gasp…"

The kidnapper was my father's knight! I stared at him in shock, eyes wide.

Adam had curly brown hair and light green eyes, with a handsome appearance that suggested he was in his late twenties.

He opened the heavy door with a light touch, and dust swirled as it swung open.

Inside the open door was an antique hall fit for a movie, with a portrait of a man hanging between two arched staircases.

I knew who it was without Adam needing to explain.

"The title of Great Spiritist is held by only the most powerful spiritist in the empire. You are a noble lady who has inherited the bloodline of such a person."

The face in the portrait resembled the one my mother had described to me when I was young.

A slender jaw, clear green eyes, and even soft-shaped eyebrows.

Somehow, he looked a lot like me.

Along with a strange emotion, there was something I couldn't understand.

"But… why did I grow up in Galnem? Why did my father die so early, and why didn't my mother tell me the truth? And why am I back here again…"

When I tilted my head and asked, Adam gazed at me for a long moment, his eyes suggesting he had much to say.

Was it a difficult question to answer?

Waiting anxiously for Adam's answer, I was startled.

Because he had knelt on one knee to meet my eye level.

"You'll gradually learn why His Majesty and you were in Galnem. But even if you don't know everything, there's one thing you must remember. Your father, Marquis Maila, was…"

It seemed as if sorrow and fullness swirled within his eyes.

"He was a benefactor to the empire and the great emperor."

His words, filled with certainty, left me with an indescribable feeling.

My father… was Parmes's benefactor?

'There must be stories I don't know about.'

"As his daughter, you are precious to everyone who followed him. To me as well."

Adam continued. The eyes I had thought belonged to a vicious kidnapper now looked at me with warm affection.

"…"

After finishing his story, Adam turned from the portrait and walked back toward the door.

When he opened the door, which had closed naturally in the wind, about ten people were lined up.

Half were women in maid uniforms, and the other half were men in servant attire.

Adam spoke to me.

"After Marquis Maila's passing, contact with the Grand Duchy was cut off, but since we've notified them of your return, someone will arrive from their side soon."

"Ah…"

"Additionally, His Majesty has sent staff to rebuild the Maila Marquisate. They will work for you and the mansion from now on."

They bowed to me as if addressing a superior.

I was still a child in a dirty dress, and flustered by the greetings from adults much older than me, I tried to bow back, but Adam smiled and shook his head.

Startled, I looked at him, and Adam spoke with an affectionate gaze.

"You are the rightful heir and owner of the Marquisate. You don't need to bow to the servants."

Seeing my unfamiliar eyes, Adam spoke as if to reassure me.

"You must be very confused. But I'll be by your side to help with every step you take."

At Adam's sincere voice, I looked up at him with shimmering eyes.

"I've been waiting for you to return all along."

Adam spoke to me with a face full of hope for the revived Maila family.

All the events of today felt like a dream.

Dark night fell, and I still hadn't adjusted to the new room in the Marquisate, which seemed several times larger than our house in Galnem.

The bed was large enough for three adults, but even this huge bed seemed absurdly small compared to the room.

To my small frame, it was like a sports field.

I sat slumped on the wide bed, gazing out the distant window.

"…No one could sleep after something like this."

Uncle Zimmer was the terrifying tyrant from the original novel I'd read.

And my late father was the empire's Great Spiritist, Marquis Maila!

My fate had completely changed from a rural girl to the heir of a Marquisate in a single day—it was disorienting, but I had to find my bearings again.

If I couldn't return to Galnem, this place was my new… home.

As I struggled to calm my chaotic thoughts and relied on the survival skills I'd honed, trying to strengthen my resolve…

Thump—

I heard something tap the window.

Startled, I tensed up.

It was inevitable—my room was on the third floor.

Unlike the countryside where everyone knows each other, I'd heard cities had many thieves.

Panicked, I frantically looked around for something like a bat, but the window creaked open.

Following the end of the shadow cast before me, I looked up,

"…!"

I froze, unable to move for a long moment.