The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 151
“Ah.”
“I heard the plague hadn’t even spread when you started acquiring them.”
At the voice that added how curiosity increases with age, Roxelyn shrugged.
“The Abyss.”
“The Abyss?”
“Yes, I have awakened it.”
Roxelyn added nonchalantly.
“I’m curious what kind of Abyss possesses such miraculous power.”
Roxelyn shrugged again.
“Isn’t one’s Abyss something like a trade secret?”
“Of course it is. I wasn’t asking you to tell me.”
Seeing the man smile reassuringly, Roxelyn added that it was okay.
“Oh, honestly, I was joking. I’ve got no such thing as an Abyss. I just came back to life after dying once.”
At Roxelyn’s words, he paused.
The captain of the imperial guard chuckled quietly, as if he had heard an amusing story.
“An old friend of mine turned out to be a god who’s just playing around. Somewhere down the road, I remembered that this friend of mine had asked me to help Kaluta, so I went and did it.”
“It seems the Lady of the Bellion Dukedom enjoys jokes. If you don’t want to talk about your Abyss, that’s alright.”
The captain replied in an amused tone, as if he thought Roxelyn was lying to avoid talking about the Abyss.
“Unless there’s a special reason, one’s Abyss isn’t something that needs to be disclosed.”
She shrugged.
‘But I’m telling the truth.’
With this reaction, she didn’t feel like being honest.
“Was it interesting?”
“Yes, it was.”
“I guess I inherited a sense of humor, unlike my father.”
Roxelyn replied.
At her words, the captain laughed quietly again.
Walking down the corridor, Roxelyn suddenly stopped. It was because a group of servants was coming from the opposite direction.
The group also paused upon noticing Roxelyn and then approached her.
Roxelyn bowed.
“Who do we have here, if not the Ducal Lady of Bellion who’s been the talk of the town lately.”
“Greetings, Your Highness the First Prince.”
As she curtsied calmly, a low laugh came from above.
“Yes, I’ve been looking forward to seeing that precious face.”
“Is that so.”
Roxelyn responded indifferently.
The First Prince’s lips twitched slightly.
Normally, such a response would be followed by apologies for not showing her face more often or for not greeting him sooner.
“…Alright, this greeting is enough, you may raise your head.”
“Yes.”
Roxelyn straightened up.
Golden hair and blue eyes, a haughty sanpaku gaze.
It was clear why he was considered the Imperial Crown Prince in secret.
‘He looks just like the Emperor.’
With such a resemblance, it was no wonder everyone saw the First Prince as the Imperial Crown Prince.
‘So, the Third Prince must take after his mother?’
Roxelyn slowly lowered her eyes.
There was little publicly known about the Third Prince, Arma’s mother.
Some said she was a maid and others said she died in a great fire.
With no backing, the Third Prince had little standing and grew up struggling.
‘They say it’s trauma…’
Far from the line of succession, even with the title of Imperial Prince, Arma must have had a hard time.
A burden.
Too precious to discard, yet bothersome to keep; a person better off dead.
“Are you on your way from seeing the Emperor?”
“Yes, I was mediating the treaty with Kaluta. Before that, I also met with the Third Prince.”
“…Did our youngest go to see the Emperor?”
“Yes.”
The First Prince, arms crossed, looked at Roxelyn with a displeased expression.
“I don’t like it.”
Roxelyn lightly dismissed the muttered complaint.
“If you’re the fiancée of my younger brother, shouldn’t you have greeted me first? How could you not show your face for over ten years?”
“…Excuse me?”
“Tsk, are the Emperor and the youngest in the reception room?”
“Yes.”
“If you’re curious about that kid’s childhood, come visit me. I’ll give you a special tour.”
He brushed past Roxelyn and headed straight to the reception room. Roxelyn blinked once.
‘…The Emperor seems to care for Arma too, so…’
Was that resemblance a coincidence?