The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 174
‘Did it hurt a lot? It must have hurt a lot.’
The child he selfishly ignored in his desire to protect her would have died filled with resentment.
“No matter which world you’re from, Roxelyn Bellion… the fact that you’re my daughter doesn’t change.”
Zerti Bellion, with his face buried in his hands, spoke without lifting his head.
He couldn’t bring himself to look up.
There were many things he wanted to ask his daughter.
“Roxelyn.”
No, more than that, there was something he absolutely needed to say. Something he had to say.
“Yes.”
“…I’m sorry.”
Roxelyn’s eyes widened at Zerti’s sudden apology.
“For not being able to protect you properly… for leaving you lonely, and ultimately… for causing your death…”
Tears began to drip down Zerti Bellion’s cheeks.
“I’m sorry for leaving you alone. I thought you’d be happier without me.”
“…”
“I distanced myself because I didn’t want to be the cause of your unhappiness, but in the end, I was the very source of it…”
Roxelyn remained silent as tears fell down the man’s face.
“I love you.”
“…”
“From the moment you were born, there hasn’t been a single day I didn’t love you.”
In his trembling voice, each word he uttered carried the many things Roxelyn had longed for.
The things she had once wanted to hear and needed to feel were all there.
Roxelyn opened her mouth to speak but couldn’t find the words, so she closed it again.
“I wasn’t honest with you… I’m sorry for being a cowardly parent.”
He had wanted to protect her. To keep her safe and ensure she grew up well.
But all of that had been impossible.
“You asked me once.”
With a face full of tension, he slowly began to speak.
“You are… not an illegitimate child.”
“…”
“You are truly my child. Your name is properly recorded in the family registry. It’s just that… I was afraid you might hate me, so I couldn’t be honest with you…”
In his tearful voice, Roxelyn finally found her words and spoke.
“I know.”
“…What?”
Zerti Bellion’s eyes widened as he quickly lifted his head.
Looking at the tear-streaked face of the man, Roxelyn kindly answered.
“Grandfather already told me a long time ago.”
She hadn’t expected that the question she had asked back then would be dragged out for so long.
“…What? I was supposed to tell you.”
“You’re too late.”
At Roxelyn’s cold words, Zerti glanced at her. Even though she was his daughter, she could be a bit harsh. But feeling guilty, he kept his mouth shut.
“…And I know.”
Roxelyn spoke slowly.
“I know now.”
Roxelyn met Zerti’s cloudy eyes directly as she spoke again.
She reached into a drawer and carefully took out an Abyss weapon.
It was a dagger that gleamed with a violet light, imbued with Zerti’s Abyss. She stared at the name engraved on it.
“So it’s okay.”
“…”
At Roxelyn’s words, Zerti closed his eyes tightly and finally said what he had wanted to say the most.
“Sweetheart, my Roxelyn. I’m sorry for taking your mother away from you.”
Roxelyn froze.
Then she let out a small laugh.
The unexpectedly refreshing sound of her laughter made Zerti Bellion’s eyes widen slightly.
“To be clear, I never resented you for that.”
Roxelyn shrugged her shoulders.
“More than that, I want to go to the duchy.”
“…Why do you suddenly want to go to the duchy?”
His tears hadn’t even dried yet when Zerti Bellion’s voice sounded incredulous.
“I want to pass on agricultural techniques to Kaluta, and learn theirs in return. The crops don’t grow well in the duchy…”
Roxelyn wanted to do as much as she could before she left.
At her words, he hesitated.
“So, come with me, Father.”
Roxelyn extended her hand.
Zerti stared blankly at the hand she offered, then slowly reached out and took it.
Her delicate hand gripped his tightly, more firmly than he expected, and Zerti’s eyes widened slightly.
