Ten Years Have Passed Since I Was Reincarnated. I Have Become the Father of a Villainous Noble Lady - Chapter 1

“Do you swear eternal love?”

Standing before me was the woman who would become my wife.

She was incredibly beautiful—so much so that I felt she was far too good for someone like me.

But it wasn’t her appearance that made me fall for her.

At first, our impressions of each other weren’t the best. But after a certain event, everything changed between us.

One thing led to another, and we began dating. And eventually, it brought us here—about to be wed.

I looked into the eyes of the woman in front of me. We exchanged a small nod before I responded to the priest’s question.

“I do.”

“I do.”

Gong… gong… The sound of the wedding bells echoed around us.

White doves soared into the bright blue sky above.

It had been five years since I was reincarnated into the world of Witchcraft Academia as a mere background character.

Like most reincarnators, I thought I’d be caught up in some grand, world-shaking incident—but that never happened. Instead, I found myself living a rather peaceful and uneventful life.

Well, it made sense. After all, none of the characters tied to the main story were anywhere near me. So it wasn’t possible for me to get involved in the plot in the first place.

Still, the world setting matched Witchcraft Academia (WcA) exactly, so the story was probably progressing somewhere else, far beyond my knowledge.

And honestly, I preferred it that way. I didn’t want to get tangled up in anything troublesome.

I was happy with the life I had now.

If possible… I hoped this happiness would last forever.

Five More Years Later

It had been nearly ten years since I was reincarnated.

But in those five years, my wife passed away—leaving behind a single treasure: our daughter.

Her name was Alize.

Alize Bataille, when you include the family name.

She was nearing her third birthday and had just started speaking clearly.

Despite being caught up in the duties of my marquis household, I still made time—no matter how busy—to spend with my precious, adorable daughter.

Still, I couldn’t deny that the work often overwhelmed me. I left much of her care to the nanny and maids.

And then, one day, a single letter arrived that completely overturned everything I thought I knew.

It was from Duke Berger—one rank above my title.

The letter was a proposal: a suggestion to arrange an engagement between his son, Dirk, and my daughter.

Dirk Berger.

Alize Bataille.

The moment I saw those names, memories I had long forgotten came flooding back.

They were the names of the hero and the villainess noble girl from Witchcraft Academia!

In other words—at this rate, Alize would grow up spoiled and arrogant, become labeled a villainess, have her engagement broken off… and be executed.

That was out of the question.

I had to do something.

But declining the engagement wasn’t an option—not when it came from a duke’s household.

If I refused based on personal reasons, not only would Alize suffer, but the entire Bataille family could be ruined.

I wasn’t particularly attached to my noble status, but I didn’t want to fall into ruin unless absolutely necessary.

There had to be a better way.

…Maybe, just maybe, I could raise her to be kind—and strong.

No, I had to raise her that way. It was obvious.

I needed to put more thought and effort into nurturing her to be even kinder and even stronger.

That way, maybe she could avoid triggering the flags that led to her downfall.

Yes… in the end, that was the only thing I could do.

After thinking it over seriously for three whole days and nights, that was the conclusion I reached.

And if the situation ever got truly out of hand, I decided—I’d be ready to flee in the dead of night if I had to.

With that resolution in my heart, I quietly swore to protect my daughter’s future.

But How Do You Raise a Kind Child?

The question was—how exactly do you raise a kind child?

Of course, I had no experience raising children in my previous life either, so I had no idea how to nurture kindness.

Still, when I looked back on my own life, I had a feeling that regular communication between parent and child was important.

So, without a second thought, I tossed all my work aside and headed straight to see Alize.

“Ah! Father!”

As I entered Alize’s room, she noticed me immediately. She stood up from her chair and came running over with a bright, cheerful smile.

It seemed she had been in the middle of her lessons with a private tutor. The female tutor, seeing me, visibly tensed up.

She probably assumed I was there to check on her performance.

But that wasn’t the case. I had only come to deliver a small message to Alize.

“How’s your studying going, Alize?”

“Yes, Father! I’m doing my best!”

“Good, good. That’s wonderful to hear. I’m proud of you, Alize.”

“T-Thank you, Father!”

When I praised her, Alize blushed with a shy smile, her cheeks lightly flushed.

Seeing that, I decided it was time to bring up the main reason I had come.

“…Hey, Alize—would you like to play in the garden with me this afternoon?”

Her eyes widened in surprise.

“With you, Father?”

“That’s right. With me.”

“Um… are you sure? Aren’t you busy with work…?”

Hearing her ask that, so hesitantly and anxiously, made my heart ache.

I see… so all this time, she’s been holding back because of me.

She must’ve wanted to play together, but refrained because she thought I was too busy.

With renewed determination, I crouched down to her eye level, gently placed a hand on her head, and said:

“Of course I’m sure. You’re the most important person to me, Alize. From now on, I’ll make sure we have more time to play together.”

“R-Really!? Yay! Thank you so much!”

Her radiant joy made me feel as if I were the one being saved instead.

Children are supposed to be under our protection… and yet somehow, just by being themselves, they have the power to heal us.

Their pure hearts—perhaps they possess a kind of magic that cleanses the grime clinging to us adults.

After I said all that to Alize, I stood up and turned to her tutor.

“I’ll be counting on you to continue guiding Alize.”

I then handed the tutor three gold coins as a token of appreciation.

For an average commoner, that amount could easily cover three months of living expenses.

The tutor’s eyes widened in disbelief.

“…Are you sure it’s okay?”

“Of course. It’s thanks to you that Alize is growing up to be such a good girl. This is my thanks.”

With that, I stepped out of Alize’s room.

Now then—
Time to finish off all my pending work before our afternoon playtime together!