The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 178
“Not enough?” the Emperor asked.
Arma slowly closed his eyes, then opened them again, speaking with firm resolve.
“Yes. What I need is… power so absolute that no one can ignore it, so that I can obtain anything in the world, and so that I won’t be ashamed to stand by her side—a power that is unmatched.”
The Emperor quietly observed his now-grown son. Their relationship held no particularly fond memories.
Unlike his eldest son and second son, Arma had grown up lonely in the imperial palace, receiving no protection, and as he grew, so did his resentment toward his father.
“You’ll need to prove you’re better than your brothers.”
“Were my brothers ever better than me?”
At some point, Arma had refused to attend any of the lessons provided to the imperial family, yet he mastered everything on his own.
His genius had been recognized at a young age.
Even before Arma was attacked by assassins, his exceptional talents had already been noticed.
And after learning that his abilities had nearly cost him his life, Arma had never picked up a sword again and never returned to the training grounds.
But the Emperor knew.
He knew that every night, in a place where no one else was around, the young boy practiced his swordsmanship until his hands were raw, using only a manual.
He also knew that on his way back, Arma would stop by the closed library, borrow books, and spend his days reading them.
“It seemed you’d be trapped inside your shell forever… but I guess that wasn’t the case.”
As he aged, the children grew up as well.
“Is it just my imagination, or do you seem anxious, youngest?”
“What do I need to do to be named Crown Prince?”
“Well…”
The Emperor rubbed his chin.
He knew his youngest son’s abilities, but that didn’t mean the eldest was foolish.
If he were made Emperor, he would undoubtedly make the best choices possible from his perspective.
The problem was that the eldest’s best might not surpass the youngest’s second-best.
“First…”
The Emperor, leaning back with his chin propped on his hand, spoke leisurely.
“Convince your brother.”
At those words, Arma’s expression twisted, and his face darkened instantly.
* * *
‘I’m going to die.’
Roxelyn thought blankly as she buried herself deep in the soft blankets.
The journey to the duchy required two whole weeks.
Even though the schedule was leisurely, arranged to accommodate Roxelyn, she fell ill with a fever as soon as they arrived.
She had been weak since birth. It had gotten to the point where it felt odd if she didn’t fall ill with a fever.
Thanks to her father’s strict management and having a personal physician from a young age, her condition had improved somewhat as she grew older, but she still collapsed with a fever whenever she pushed herself too hard.
“This wretched body…”
Roxelyn murmured as she placed her warm arm across her burning forehead.
Though she was often sick, the recent lack of rest seemed to have caused her to collapse more frequently.
“Dear.”
“Father.”
“…?”
“Yes, Dad.”
Roxelyn responded again, noticing Zerti Bellion’s silent discomfort at her earlier address.
“Your fever isn’t going down easily.”
He placed his hand on Roxelyn’s forehead, tidied her disheveled hair, and handed her some medicine.
“Take your medicine.”
“Yes…”
“And… for some reason, the High Priest is nearby. I called him to heal you while he’s here.”
“Oh…”
Come to think of it, it was about time for him to arrive.
The grand imperial festival had just ended, after all.
‘Fortunately, that future hasn’t changed.’
In other parallel worlds, there were plenty of variables, so not all futures play out the same way.
So, in truth, this horse race had been a gamble for Roxelyn as well.
But fortunately, the horse she had mentioned, Visan, had won first place.
