The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 192
After scattering all the powder, Roxelyn dusted off her hands.
The Bellion Duchy was quite close to the boundary of what was commonly called the ‘Monsterwood’. As a result, the duchy was always engaged in battles against monsters that emerged from the forest.
The reason the duchy had developed its mineral and weapons industries more than anything else was because of this.
Over time, the blood of the monsters and the forest’s foul energy had seeped into the lands of the Bellion Duchy.
That was why the crop yields were so poor.
Since the Bellion estate stood as a gatekeeper on the frontlines, blocking all the ill effects coming from Monsterwood, the other territories behind it didn’t suffer much damage.
‘But they didn’t know that and tried to blackmail us using food supplies.’
Roxelyn herself hadn’t realized this until now either.
But she had figured it out once she looked at the map.
The Bellion Duchy was bearing the entire burden, while the other territories had the audacity to blackmail them with food.
“……”
When the Bellion Duchy eventually collapsed in the future, the northern region fell into chaos.
The creatures that had been creeping out of Monsterwood made the neighboring territories near the Bellion Duchy their next target.
A bright smile crept across Roxelyn’s lips.
‘Come to think of it, the banquet is soon.’
The Moonlight Festival.
It happens only once a year.
Held in the fall in the Bellion Duchy, it was a festival to pray for abundance and survival from the monsters through the winter.
And a few days before that festival, there was the Moonlight Banquet, held by the duchy.
Amusingly, the purpose was to strengthen the bonds between the ducal family and other noble houses before praying for safety and abundance from the monsters.
But in reality, it was also a gathering where everyone came with demands for the ducal family.
Roxelyn’s Grandfather dealt with multiple territories simultaneously.
If they traded food with only one territory and something went wrong, or if relations with that lord soured, it would be disastrous.
Importing from distant lands would also be costly due to transportation fees and the risk of food spoiling.
‘The problem was that they had been colluding behind the scenes, using this situation to their advantage.’
Roxelyn had learned this while gathering information from other noble families and their dealings with the duchy.
The food supply issue had been giving her grandfather a significant headache.
The other lords knew well about Devon Bellion’s fiery temper and his sense of responsibility toward his people.
That’s why they’d conspired to use food as leverage.
‘Not this time, though.’
Roxelyn planned to cut off all deals with the other territories during this banquet.
‘Didn’t the Kalutans say earlier they had brought food from their homeland?’
That man had been part of the advance party of Batar, who had come with Roxelyn to the empire.
Even if that food had been brought months ago, the fact that it was still intact meant…
‘It must have excellent storage properties.’
Considering that potatoes and beans also had good storage qualities, it seemed reasonable to assume that the Kalutan food would be similar.
That meant if they could establish trade with Kaluta, they could solve the food shortages for this year and the next.
‘It might be a good idea to switch all our food trade to Kaluta.’
It seemed like it would be worth discussing this with Batar.
In any case, within a year or two, they would be able to survive without the people starving.
“Hmm? Roxelyn! What are you doing here? Milady!”
“Batar.”
“The others went ahead, so why are you alone, Ro… ah, Lady Roxelyn? I told you so many times that you need protection because you’re weak…!”
The boy stomped his foot hard, his round eyes widening fiercely.
His eyes flashed as if he was ready to rush off and beat someone up, so Roxelyn quickly spoke up.
“I asked Father to teach them something. I told him I’d walk around the estate on my own.”
“…But what if you collapsed while walking? Anyway, from now on, I’ll be your escort, alright?”
Batar slammed his fists together, looking determined.
Roxelyn let out a small laugh, and Batar’s cheeks flushed red.
His blushing face turned to kick a stone on the ground.
Whizzz!
Thud!
The stone, which he’d kicked lightly, flew at an invisible speed and lodged itself into a tree trunk.
“……”
Roxelyn decided it would be best not to tease him.
