Miss Consigliere Reincarnated As A Villainess

Chapter 8 - A Father Realization

"Everyone else, leave. Irene stays," he ordered.

The three young men quickly stood up and exited the dining room. Irene felt a bit nervous, wondering if she had done something wrong. She recalled almost hurting an imperial family member and even threatening them.

"Irene," the Duke called her with frustration evident in his voice.

"Yes, Duke Enzo?" Irene responded, uncertainly.

At the sound of his title, Duke Enzo let out a sigh of frustration and rubbed his temples.

"Are you okay?" he asked his "daughter," his face remaining stoic.

Irene felt like bursting into tears if it had been Demetrio who asked her that question, but instead it was the father of the villainess, and to him, she answered "Yes,"

Duke Enzo couldn't bring himself to look at his "daughter" in the eye. According to the report from Doctor Qinrel, Irene's memory loss was due to stress and excessive alcohol consumption. The Duke didn't understand why she had been drinking so much, as her academic records showed no such tendencies. However, there was a report of Irene's inappropriate behavior towards a lower-ranking student, and that was all the Duke knew about her personal life.

He had never noticed the scars littering her body, and he had no idea how she got them. The scars were from different types of injuries, some of which had not fully healed, and there was even a strange tattoo of a snake encircling her arm. The Duke had assumed that Irene wore gloves simply for fashion purposes, unaware that she was hiding something. He decided to interogate the maids that are close to Irene one by one, and one of then had admitted that Irene had threatened them by beheading them if he knows.

"Are you sure you're okay?" the Duke repeated his question.

"No, sir. When I woke up, I didn't remember anything," Irene replied honestly.

"And apart from that?" Duke Enzo pressed further.

"Nothing else," Irene replied, flashing him a humble smile.

The Duke was left feeling puzzled and guilty. He had neglected his children for his work.

The Valentrose family is renowned for their perfection, but their success hides a darker side that only a few people know about. They are a military knight family with a strategic mind, efficient, strong-willed, charismatic, and at times, arrogant. The family's head follows a 'my way or the highway' mindset, and they do not support ideas that deviate from their primary goals, especially those that involve emotions.

Duke Enzo realizes that his daughter, Irene, has become like him in the past, and he is not proud of that fact. Her teacher reported that Irene had bullied some lower rank students, indicating her poor emotional control. Duke Enzo had similar issues during his teenage years, but he never managed to hide his lack of emotional control. He was often distant and sometimes hurt others close to him inadvertently.

After reading the health report from Doctor Qinrel about Irene, Duke Enzo feels guilty and foolish for not paying more attention to his daughter. He knows that everything Irene did, even smiling at him, was an act. She hated him, and he didn't do anything about it because he was a coward. Unfortunately, it's too late now. Irene has lost her memory at the tender age of fifteen, and Duke Enzo has no idea how to fix her. He doesn't even feel worthy enough to talk to her or look her in the eyes.

Irene senses that Duke Enzo is carrying some tragic thoughts, given his gloomy expression. She's still nervous and trying to distract herself from thinking about Gion, but nothing funny comes to mind. Suddenly, she has the urge to smoke and tries to hold back her tears.