20 years had passed when I woke up! ~ The villain's daughter’s thereafter and after that ~ - Chapter 23

Translator: Darling | Editor: Nebosuke

The battle between Fioria and Annerose.

People were shocked by the scale of damage in the aftermath. 

Meanwhile, in a dungeon underneath the palace– 

“Graaaaaaaaaaa….Grrrrr.”

A fat man was squeezing his body in between the bars.

Bernaza Sylberia.

Tiara’s father and the current Duke of Sylberia.

He was imprisoned in the dungeon as the coup mastermind.

“Arghhhhhhhh!!!!!”

He was lucky just back then. 

He heard a series of big bangs and the whole dungeon shook. The iron bars of his cell became crooked.

The width seemed to be wide enough for him to get through if he pulled in his flabby belly. 

“Anneroooooooooze! Give me some power….errrrrrrrrrrrr!”

He shouted the name of the girl he was in an intimate relationship with, and he pushed himself in. 

Through…. 

Staggered….

Fell over….!

A miracle happened.

The body of Duke Sylberia slipped through the bars, stepped out of the cell, and stumbled down to the ground with the momentum. 

“Huhhhhhh! Hahahhahahahahahahaha! Heaven hasn’t given up on me yet! Wait for me, Annerose. I’m gonna kill the Emperor and the Prince both, and I’ll make you the Queen!”

The sensation of her glamorous skin revived his hands.

After all, young women were attractive. 

He had been with his wife for over 20 years, but he was no longer affectionate to his wife since he had an affair with Annerose.

Is my wife 33 years old this year? She is nothing compared to that teenage girl. 

A charismatic man like me attracts nice young girls like her.

I’ve had enough of my wife. She should die of her illness. 

Oh Annerose, Annerose!

When I’m the Emperor, I will love you a lot!

With a nasty grin on his face, Duke Sylberia rushed upstairs to the palace.

His hair and beard were overgrown because he was in the dungeon, nor had he washed his body. 

He was filthy. Even the guards hesitated to capture him. 

Duke Sylberia jumped into the party hall.

A banquet seemed to be going on. The Emperor and Prince should have been there.

“I’m gonna behead them, huh ha ha ha ha.” He was enraged.

However, he saw a devastating scene there.

“Uhhhhhhhh…!”

“This medicine doesn’t look like a finished product. Drinking it transforms your magical power into youth, but it also has a lot of side effects. I didn’t imagine you would take the bait so easily though.”

His Annerose had been young and beautiful.

She had transformed into an elderly woman due to a side effect of her medicine.

“Oh no…”

Duke of Sylberia became shocked and kneeled down right on the spot.

Have I been conned by her fake youth?

She is just an old hag after all!

“Uhh ah ah ah ah ah ah. Don’t fool me! Don’t look down on me! You’re all morons. All men and women should be gone! Get lost!”

Screaming with her messy hair, Annerose looked like an ugly witch.

Regrets filled Duke Sylberia’s mind and thoughts.

“What have I done………..? I’ve………”

Deep deep despair.

Did he repent? No, he didn’t. 

“Annerose, you’ve deceived me, Bernaza Sylberia!”

He blamed her. 

He had a grudge against her.

He victimized himself, became outraged, and tried to punch Annerose.

“It would be painful to live as an elder. I’ll send you to heaven without leaving any dust. I really hope you will be reborn again.”

Fioria fired her << Wand of Divine Punishment >>.

The devastating, golden light filled everything.

Stunned by the dazzling light, Duke Sylberia collapsed to the floor.

Unfortunately, as he fell down, debris from the crumbling ceiling plunged down on him.

“Grrr…!”

His lower body was crushed.

He didn’t feel any pain.

His brain might’ve shut out the excessive pain.

Or, the nerves in his lower body might be severed.

“Gurrr…ahhhh!”

His upper body was not intact neither.

His broken ribs stabbed his lungs and damaged the arteries.

The blood gushed out of his mouth as he coughed.

“Help me. Someone, please help me…”

“You appear to be in trouble.”

He heard a very calm voice overhead.

He saw a silver moon floating in his blurred vision.

No, it wasn’t.

Rather, it was a human face.

A nobleman with his shining silvery hair.

He might’ve met this man somewhere before, but he couldn’t remember.

“Who are you…? I don’t know who you are, but help me now…! I’m a Duke, no, the next Emperor…!”

“Did you forget your daughter even though I’m dressed as a man? Don’t you recall anything, Father?”

“What? Tiara is it you…?”

“It’s been a long time. I thought I would visit you and pay my regards, but you have come to meet me. I am glad to see you again.”

“Shut your mouth. Enough talking. Get rid of the debris quickly, you stupid girl!”

“I refuse.”

“What…?”

“I don’t understand neither. On that day, you were so furious at me. You jumped to the conclusion and blamed me for pushing Annerose down the stairs. You violently cut the beautiful hair I inherited from my mother, stumbled upon it, and kicked me out of home. .……Why?”

“That’s because…”

“Are you obsessed with Annerose? Is your mistress much more important than your own daughter?”

Tiara slowly raised her left foot.

She lifted her father’s jaw, the Duke of Sylberia, with the tip of her toes. 

“Don’t you feel ashamed? A mature man has been seduced by a young girl, who is about the same age as your own daughter. But since you are such a jerk, you didn’t even realize that you were played like a fiddle. ….Annerose’s favorite isn’t Prince Darc. Whom she really loves is you, because you are a charismatic man. Many nice girls are fascinated by a guy like you. You might think like that, ha? Such an egoist, you are.”

“Gooooh…!”

Duke Sylberia had no words to say back.

Because everything she said was correct. 

“I know a lot of other things. After you expelled me abroad, you sent a letter to Annerose, saying, ‘I’m so cool because I can be ruthless to even my daughter. Don’t you think?’ …………You threw away your daughter to gain your mistress’ favor. Did my life have such a tiny value?” 

Tiara gradually started sobbing as her voice increasingly got louder.

Transparent teardrops spilled from her blue eyes.

Did her tears make the Duke of Sylberia get back his paternal love? No.

“Ridiculous. Stop babbling!”

He spat blood and shouted, “Who gave you life? If you’re my child, help me now.”

He even hatefully glared at Tiara. 

Why won’t this stupid girl listen to me?

Since she was little, I kept yelling at her regardless of the cause. I raised her as an obedient puppet so that she could be my convenient tool for a political marriage. Why does she refuse me? I don’t understand.

“Don’t talk back to me!”

“Shut up.”

Sparks flew in his eyes.

He didn’t understand what happened for a moment.

Her toes kicked his cheekbone. 

“Let me remind you. You aren’t my father anymore because you exiled me out of the Sylberian family.”

Tiara could no longer control her tearful voice. She was crying.

Of course, the Duke of Sylberia was unaware of that.

He was the center of his universe all the time. 

“I am now Tiara de Florence, an adopted daughter of the Duke of Florence in the Kingdom of Tristan… Duke Sylberia, whether you live or die is no longer my concern. If you’re truly a charismatic and respected man, maybe others will help you.”

Tiara turned around and walked away as if she had lost interest.

The Duke of Sylberia finally understood that he was in real trouble. Nobody was going to help him.

“Wait, hold on! I was wrong. I’ll do anything! I’ll even lick your shoes! So…”

So please forgive me and help me.

Uh? That’s weird. Annerose always forgives me if I just lick the sole of her shoe.

After all, he didn’t change anything at all until his very end.

He was crushed by more rubble without noticing any of his wrongdoings. 

Despite many aristocrats and knights standing around, none of them tried to rescue the Duke of Sylberia.