The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 221
“He went outside and started a business, and he’s been incredibly successful.”
“…What?”
“When the Crown Prince, who had been handling countless affairs on behalf of his predecessor, suddenly dropped everything, the functioning of the imperial capital practically shut down…”
Albus and Edward’s eyes widened in shock.
“And to top it all off, the 15th Emperor, who seemed like he would return before long, is thriving in business, living luxuriously…”
Gulp—
Someone swallowed audibly.
“In the end, the 14th Emperor personally went to bring back the Crown Prince, but he refused to return, even raising a coup against his own father.”
“…And then?”
“And then…”
Arma trailed off, glancing slyly at Roxelyn. She widened her eyes, as though hearing this story for the first time, and he chuckled softly.
When he gently took her hand, she flinched slightly.
“So, there are things you don’t know, Roxelyn.”
“I am human, after all.”
She replied, averting her gaze.
“You do everything so flawlessly—I thought you knew everything.”
“Why are you pausing in the middle of the story? What happened next?!”
“Are you curious?”
“What? If someone stops in the middle of a story, of course—!”
Arma smirked.
“Then, should I take it that you’ll do as Roxelyn requested?”
“What? What kind of nonsense—?”
At that moment, Edward shouted, his eyes blazing.
“Fine.”
“…Brother!”
Edward yelled at his older brother, who had already given in to his curiosity.
When Arma looked at him silently, Edward let out a low groan before snapping his head up in defiance.
“Well, what is it? Hurry up and tell us!”
It was a small victory for the curious boy.
* * *
A bright yellow light streamed from the stone, seeping into the form that had become nothing more than a breathing corpse.
No one dared to breathe.
Roxelyn watched, tense, as the yellow light soaked into the lifeless body.
As more of the light was absorbed by the shriveled body, the yellow stone gradually shrank.
Eventually, when the stone had been reduced to half its original size, plop—something fell to the ground.
Roxelyn turned to see tears trickling down Albus’s cheeks.
“…Brother?”
Albus, the boy who had trapped his soul in a porcelain doll for so long, slowly reached out and touched the cheek of the boy who seemed dead but was only sleeping.
The once-melted, disfigured body was miraculously healed, with not a single scar remaining.
The once-hardened, molten-like skin had regained the soft suppleness unique to a young boy.
It was nothing short of a miracle.
The foul stench that had filled the air was gone, replaced by the faint scent of living flesh.
“……”
Albus looked at Roxelyn as if seeking her permission. When she nodded, he slowly closed his eyes.
Then, a bright, white glow seeped out of the worn porcelain doll and collapsed to the ground.
Crash—
A piece of the old porcelain doll shattered with a sharp sound.
“Brother…?”
With that small call, Albus’s body, lying on the bed, stirred.
His eyelids twitched, and then, slowly, they opened.
Blue eyes, remarkably similar to Arma’s, were revealed.
“…Brother?”
The boy’s lips moved as if to speak, but when his voice didn’t come out, he repeatedly touched his throat and nodded slowly.
Roxelyn reinserted the half-shrunken stone back into her bracelet.
It looked rather shabby now, no longer resembling a bracelet.
The red stone of the Seven Stones Bracelet had already disappeared, the orange stone had been used to summon the Third Prince instead of the Emperor, the green stone had been ground and scattered across various lands of the Duke’s estate, and the indigo stone had been given to Gerun Wilfred.
All that remained now was the yellow stone, which was half its original size, along with the purple and blue stones.
“Brother…”
“E… d…”
“Brother!! Are you fully conscious? I’m so relieved…”
Edward threw himself at Albus, embracing him tightly.
While Edward was engrossed in the emotional reunion, Roxelyn glanced down thoughtfully at her bracelet, lost in her own musings.
Then, she looked up, startled.
She found herself face-to-face with Arma, who was watching her with a gentle smile.
Thump—
Her heart skipped a beat, causing her to pause momentarily.
