The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 176
The Emperor narrowed his eyes and rubbed his chin.
‘As I recall, most of Duke Bellion’s family returned to their estate, leaving only the eldest and second son in the capital, didn’t they?’
And he had already received information that Roxelyn Bellion was part of that march.
The Emperor silently tilted his glass, then flicked his fingers.
The ice in the basket floated into the air.
“Capture her without anyone noticing…”
As he clenched his fist lightly, the ice shattered instantly, forming a beautiful rose.
“…and hold her in your grasp.”
The rose made of ice that the Emperor created was placed in front of Arma on the table.
Arma looked at the ice rose in silence.
As he watched the flower slowly begin to melt, he lifted his head.
“Do you mean, like how you plucked and caged my mother?”
“…”
At Arma’s words, the Emperor narrowed his eyes.
Seeing his son drop the usual clumsy act, the Emperor shrugged slightly.
“I don’t like the way that sounds, but yes.”
The Emperor responded openly, not bothering to hide anything.
“That won’t do.”
“…What?”
“It can’t be the same method as yours.”
Arma spoke firmly.
“It can’t? Why so?”
“If I use the same method as you did, I’ll just fail.”
“…What are you talking about?”
Arma had seen in his dreams what would happen to this world if Roxelyn wasn’t there.
He would be broken, and his father would ultimately die alone.
And his mother, caged by this man for decades and broken down, would die soon after her master’s touch was gone.
Arma clenched his fists tightly.
He despised everything that was born and raised in this country.
He tried to hate it and refused to form any attachments.
This country was both the world at his father’s feet and the garden his father had meticulously built to imprison his mother.
In a way, this country was a living hell that his father had created.
After a brief silence, Arma slowly spoke.
“…I despise you.”
At the words of the young man who had just turned twenty, the Emperor raised an eyebrow and let out a small laugh.
“It’s not every day a son tells his father he hates him to his face.”
“It’s not a mere jest. I really do abhor you.”
At the firm tone of Arma’s voice, the Emperor, who had been lounging casually, silently took a sip from his glass and nodded.
“I know. Quite the revelation, isn’t it?”
The Emperor had ignored his son for the sake of ensuring the safety of the only woman he ever loved.
He hadn’t expected to have a close relationship with his children, so he wasn’t particularly regretful about it.
“I despise everything you’ve touched.”
“First it was advice on love, now a confession? Your timing is bad. I’m already dealing with a headache, so if you’re going to complain, save it for later…”
“When I was young, I dearly missed my mother. She probably thinks I’m dead, doesn’t she? You would have made sure of that. That’s why I resent you.”
The Emperor showed a hint of displeasure at the fact that his words were being ignored.
As he looked up with an expression that questioned why his son was behaving this way today, he saw the young man, fists clenched in frustration, staring at him with a look of anger.
“That’s why there was a time when I wished this country would disappear, and later, I thought about abandoning it and leaving.”
The Emperor had some affection for his children in his own way.
He would at least try to stop and warn the one who was crowned Crown Prince if they attempted to kill the other two children later.
Whether it was fortunate or unfortunate, the two children born of the same mother got along quite well.
The only one who was estranged was this boy.
But even so, they weren’t at each other’s throats.
Considering the chaotic imperial lineage, the Emperor had a relatively good fortune when it came to his children.
“There was a time…?”
“I tried so hard not to give my heart to anything born and raised in this country…”
The veins on the back of his hand bulged as he clenched his fist tightly.
The Emperor, who had been sitting half-reclined on the sofa, straightened up and rested his arm on the back of the chair, gazing at Arma.
“…But I ended up falling for someone who was born and raised in this country.”
“…”
“Father.”
The Emperor didn’t respond.
Arma slowly lifted his head and looked at him.
“How does one become Emperor? I want to become Emperor.”
The young man, having shed his boyish demeanor, gritted his teeth as he spoke with determination.
