The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 179
Due to the historically high odds, there was a lot of buzz about who the winner was. Typically, there were only three winners in this horse race.
Any citizen of the empire who had reached adulthood could participate in the race, but each person could only bet on one horse, so they had to be cautious.
After all, no one wanted to lose their money.
And in the end, no one had expected Visan to win.
Only three people had bet on Visan: the jockey and his family.
Normally, they would have taken home the entire prize pool, but this time, the number of first-place winners increased to ten.
Even with ten winners, the prize money per person was an astonishing 520 million Olans on average.
Given that this was a nationwide festival, the stakes were significant, but this particular race was unusual.
Thanks to this, the High Priest probably made a considerable amount of money.
After all, it’s highly likely that at least five of those ten winners were actually the High Priest in disguise, placing bets.
‘Still, I didn’t expect him to come all the way to the duchy.’
She hadn’t planned on him coming to the estate this quickly, so she had been thinking of sending someone later.
“Roxelyn, your fever has gone down quite a bit. The swelling around your eyes has also improved. You must have overexerted yourself.”
“Yes.”
“For now, take your medicine and get some more rest.”
Roxelyn frowned at Zerti’s words.
“I’ve been taking medicine and sleeping for three days straight since I got here, and now you want me to sleep more? I can’t sleep anymore.”
“You fell asleep every time you took your medicine.”
Roxelyn scowled.
“If you’re still sleepy, it means your body hasn’t fully recovered.”
“Father.”
“…?”
“Dad.”
“Yes?”
Roxelyn smiled faintly.
“Anyone would fall asleep if they were given medicine with a sleeping aid.”
Zerti Bellion averted his gaze quietly, as though he had been caught.
“Anyway, I don’t want to sleep anymore. Just call the High Priest and let me talk to him.”
Zerti Bellion stared at Roxelyn for a moment before letting out a small sigh and nodding.
“Just thirty minutes.”
He checked his pocket watch with a begrudging expression, as if doing her a favor.
“What?”
“Visiting hours for patients are usually determined by the guardian or attending physician.”
“What kind of conversation can I have in just half an hour?”
Roxelyn frowned.
“One hour.”
“…Thirty-five minutes.”
“One hour.”
“Fo—”
“Father.”
At his daughter’s stern interruption, Zerti Bellion frowned.
“If you keep being so stingy, I’ll stop calling you ‘Dad’.”
Roxelyn’s cute yet surprisingly bold threat left Zerti Bellion momentarily speechless.
He let out a hollow laugh.
“…Roxelyn, do I look like someone who would back down over something like that?”
“…”
“Fine, one hour. But only if you promise not to leave this room or get out of bed.”
So he did back down.
Roxelyn adjusted her posture, leaning back against the headboard of her bed, and nodded.
“Agreed.”
“Wait here.”
Not long after Zerti left, the door opened again, and the High Priest, looking gentle and dressed in a white robe, slowly walked into the room.
The door clicked shut behind him.
The moment it did, the High Priest’s eyes sparkled, and he quickly rushed to Roxelyn’s feet, kneeling with a wide grin.
“Master~! How can this servant be of service to you?”
Roxelyn looked down at the High Priest with a somewhat skeptical expression.
The dark circles that once threatened to reach his cheekbones were gone, replaced by a plump, healthy complexion.
Even the texture of his robe seemed slightly different, suggesting that he had acquired a new outfit during that time.
Thinking about how the High Priest seemed to have an impressive collection of white priestly robes in various fabrics, Roxelyn spoke.
“I didn’t expect you to come all the way here.”
“Ah, wherever the master is, this servant must rush to serve! How could I dare keep you waiting when you’re here?”
The High Priest snapped his fingers.
A translucent, small circle appeared in the air, and a pile of gold bars tumbled onto the bed where she sat.
“This is double the amount you lent me!”
“You didn’t need to add interest.”
Roxelyn dryly remarked as she looked at the mountain of gold bars piled on top of her blanket.
“How could I not? You provided the information, so this is the rightful compensation.”
The High Priest couldn’t hide his wide grin as he spoke eagerly.
