The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 18
Then the Emperor opened his mouth with a benign smile.
“I heard there was a major accident involving you, lady. It seems you might have hurt your head. I’ll send a physician over for a check-up.”
Roxelyn also stared at the Emperor for a moment before cracking a slight smile.
“In return, I will solve two problems that have been troubling Your Majesty.”
“…Two problems troubling me?”
The Emperor asked with a look of disbelief.
Roxelyn nodded without blinking.
“Yes. The negotiations with ‘Kaluta’, which borders the north, and the recent series of disappearances happening across the region.”
Hearing her disinterested tone, the Emperor’s eyes narrowed.
He twitched his eyebrows and looked at Roxelyn with a meaningful smile.
Negotiations with Kaluta and the increasingly widespread disappearances were indeed issues troubling him.
Only a handful of people knew about these matters.
He had restricted information to prevent unnecessary panic, except to his close aides.
‘…But how does this frail noble lady confined to her room know about this?’
Her pale complexion certainly didn’t look healthy, but her eyes were clear and sharp.
‘Is this the same timid and fragile person I know…?’
Her unwavering gaze seemed to have seen death.
There was no hesitation, a confidence in her, not arrogance or pride.
It was hard to dismiss her words as nonsense; she pinpointed the exact issues troubling the Emperor.
“It’s strange. The Roxelyn Bellion I know isn’t like this.”
“To have even considered death, what more could I fear, Your Majesty? Death is what human beings fear the most.”
Roxelyn had even endured a week of severe torture.
So now, there was nothing more frightening or dreadful for her.
The Emperor had a somewhat frivolous demeanor.
So, his face was magnificent, and his voice was light.
He looked more like a dandy nobleman, lacking solemnity and always smiling, not giving a sense of urgency or alertness.
He even fidgeted with his legs crossed.
Looking at his smiling face, it seemed he was taking the whole situation lightly.
But Roxelyn knew the Emperor’s true nature.
He was not a man to be underestimated. He showed no weakness.
He could be a cruel man who would cut someone’s throat with just a smile.
He didn’t care about the disrespect towards the imperial family or what his children were up to.
The Emperor was perceived to be a mere observer.
That’s why, at one time, everyone called him the ‘Clown Emperor’ without dignity.
‘But in about a year, there will be a great purge.’
One day, the Emperor suddenly dispatched investigators to all noble households in every region.
Not even the ducal houses were spared.
Those who usually looked down on the Emperor went to confront him about this outrage, but he just smiled as always.
With a smile, he nodded in understanding, then, with the same smile, flicked his finger to beckon the first one who had come to protest closer…
In his usual hearty yet somewhat empty laugh, he swiftly slit their throat.
During the three months of the purge.
In this widely discussed event, a third of the nobles died, and another third lost more than half of their wealth.
The Bellion Dukedom couldn’t escape the aftermath either.
From the branch family to the direct line, the Emperor scrutinized everyone, cutting off those deemed worthless, unworthy of life.
In this process, the second son of the ducal house died.
It was because he was a notorious libertine.
Oddly enough, Roxelyn, who was also known for her reckless behavior, was somehow overlooked.
Anyway, this Emperor was a lunatic.
‘He would recite the sins of the parents in front of the heirs under the guise of ‘education’ and then execute them.’
And then, right in front of the deceased parents, he would bestow them the title of heir.
“Ha ha ha!”
And at that moment.
The Emperor burst into riotous laughter.
