Bring Justice to those Who Dare to Harm my Beloved Daughter (The Villainess)!

Hello, I’m Wolfgang Malleus Zonta, a reincarnator and the acting head of the Lehman Ducal House.

Yes, you heard that right—I’ve been reincarnated.

As the father of the villainess, Lady Louise of the Lehman Ducal House.

In my past life, there was an otome game called Fantasia: The Ballad of the Azure Maiden, or AoFan for short. It was part of a series I really enjoyed, despite being a gamer with pretty broad tastes—romance, horror, pure love, even the weird and wacky—I played it all.

This series was a sequel to Fantasia: The Ballad of the Crimson Maiden, or Benifan, and though the two shared the same world, their timelines and settings were different. The new installment took place about 100 years after the original, in another kingdom on the same continent.

The gameplay of AoFan followed traditional elements like its magic system and the “Out-of-Control Event,” where magical beasts ran rampant. However, it introduced a new mechanic: the “Saint” system. This was completely separate from the “Spirit’s Chosen” mechanic of the first game.

In Benifan, the protagonist was a count’s daughter chosen by the spirits. She increased her stats through classes, built relationships with potential love interests, and ultimately faced the grand Out-of-Control magical beast event in the climax.

In contrast, AoFan was not a school-based story. Instead, the protagonist, a lady called a “Saint,” traveled the kingdom performing rituals and training to prevent the Out-of-Control events from happening. Building relationships with love interests remained a core aspect of the story.

Of course, if even one Out-of-Control event occurred, it was a Bad End—Game Over.

In our country, the Kingdom of Bernard, noble sons and daughters called Saints or Saints-in-Training would place protective barriers around the cities. Only nobles could perform these duties because magical ability was largely confined to the aristocracy.

It’s a principle akin to noblesse oblige—or Adel Verpflichtet, as it’s called here. Honestly, why is there so much German in this country? Anyway, the idea is that those with power have a duty to protect the citizens and their lands.

Occasionally, a commoner with high magical ability would emerge, often due to noble lineage. In such cases, the kingdom would provide protection and ensure the person was formally adopted into a noble family—a process enshrined in our laws.

The protagonist of AoFan is Monica, the daughter of the Becker Count House. Her default background in the game is that she was originally a commoner.

This was a departure from Benifan, where the protagonist was a trueborn count’s daughter. Monica, in contrast, has a cheerful, carefree personality reminiscent of the heroes and heroines commonly seen in “adopted child” tropes.

And just like that, she ensnares everyone around her.

Including those who drive my daughter to misery.

Yes, my daughter Louise.

My precious, beloved child. The only reminder I have left of my late wife.

The game never delved into this, but according to the supplementary materials, the villainess’s mother died young.

The same was true in this world. My wife, Cassandra, passed away from an epidemic a few months ago. Louise is only four years old—still young enough to need her mother. Despite beginning her etiquette training as a lady, she’s at an age where she naturally craves a mother’s affection.

“No! I hate you, Father! I hate everyone! I want Mother! Mother!”

Louise—Lulu—cried and screamed, rejecting me outright.

When I tried to comfort her, she shoved me away, even slapping me at times.

Day after day, she refused to speak to me, and even I was at my limit.

If I were to take the “mature” approach, I’d give her some space. That’s exactly what the Wolfgang from the game did.

Even my trusted butler, Christoph, who has served the family since my father’s time, advised, “It might be best to give the young lady some time. It would be better for both of you.”

Trying to force things wouldn’t work. Lulu’s attitude might not change and could even worsen. The best approach would be to maintain a neutral relationship until she calmed down.

That’s what my reincarnated brain would suggest.

But unfortunately for her, my personality doesn’t align with the Wolfgang from the game.

“…F-Father?”

Lulu had been lashing out at her maids and attendants. Kneeling to meet her gaze, I tried to reason with her, but she lashed out in frustration. Her small hand accidentally knocked my glasses to the ground.

Her eyes widened in surprise as she watched them fall. Tears began to well up in her eyes, though she seemed unaware.

Honestly, I wasn’t doing much better. Tears spilled uncontrollably down my face.

Losing Cassandra—losing Cathy—hurt me just as much.

“Cathy…”

Even in a world like this, I thought I could survive as long as I had you by my side.

“Father?”

A small hand patted my head.

When I looked up, Lulu quickly withdrew her hand, clutching her dress tightly instead.

“…Lulu?”

“…I’m sorry, Father.”

“What are you apologizing for?”

“I thought… I thought you didn’t care about Mother being gone, Father. You didn’t cry when we said goodbye.”

During Cassandra’s funeral, I had to maintain my composure as the acting duke.

Had this been my previous life—or had I been a lesser noble or commoner—I would have cried and clung to her body.

But as the acting duke, I had to present myself with dignity, especially with schemers lurking among the mourners.

To a child, however, I must have seemed like an emotionless monster who didn’t shed a single tear for his wife.

“There were many visitors that day, weren’t there? Some of them weren’t good people.”

“Really?”

“Yes. To ensure they didn’t cause trouble, I had to pretend everything was fine. Lulu, come here.”

Words alone wouldn’t suffice.

I decided to show her—to take her to that room.

The one that would prove just how much I loved Cathy.