The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 49
“…My daughter, do you really have to go?”
Zerti Bellion asked, watching Roxelyn who was calmly tilting her teacup on the opposite side.
“Yes, it’s already been announced.”
Roxelyn replied, elaborating again to a question she had already answered more than ten times.
Days had passed since the imperial banquet…
On the last day of the imperial banquet, it was announced that she would be leaving for Kaluta as the empire’s representative diplomat.
Now, her role as a member of the Kaluta delegation was undisputable.
“Really?”
“Yes.”
Of course, from the eleventh question onwards, she too lost her sincerity.
Later, whether he asked or not, she just nodded indifferently.
Anyway, there were only three days left before departure.
Before leaving for Kaluta, Roxelyn had one more thing to do.
To attend an auction happening today.
From precious gems to rare werebeasts, and even people – a true black market auction.
Makruxa was the one organizing this auction.
However, the core of Makruxa didn’t easily reveal itself.
Like Makruxa, the auction house operated in a cell structure, making it possible to know the background but not the real sponsors or Makruxa’s ‘King’.
Of course, Roxelyn wasn’t participating in the auction to find out about the king.
She wasn’t there for the actual auction either.
She planned to attend the ‘pre-viewing’ before the auction with a VIP ticket procured by Marquis Gerun.
A place where you could see the items before they went up for auction.
Since it granted the right to purchase in advance, one had no choice but to buy at the price they called.
Typically, the price was set at five to ten times the starting bid of the auction.
‘As for the money, Marquis Gerun gave me a blank check, so no problem there.’
Roxelyn was no crusader of justice, and she had no grand mission to dismantle such black market auctions.
After all, Roxelyn was only looking for one thing.
Zerti, seeing Roxelyn’s calm face, sighed briefly.
Ever since the day she disappeared into the library without a word, Zerti had been reluctant to leave Roxelyn’s side.
Roxelyn recalled her father’s expression, disheveled and distraught, as he searched for her that day.
As soon as he saw her, he hugged her and muttered how he thought she was gone again, looking quite anxious.
So much so that after that day, he moved his room from the basement to be closer to hers.
And that was not all.
In the morning, he would come for breakfast, at noon for lunch, and in the evening again for dinner.
When Roxelyn snapped at him to work here instead, he replied, “Alright,” and the next day, he set up a small office in one corner of her room.
And that led to this situation, where he kept asking if she was really going.
Roxelyn sighed, pressing her forehead.
“Roxelyn, at least take this with you.”
Zerti’s voice brought Roxelyn out of her thoughts.
He pulled something from his waist and handed it to her.
“…A dagger?”
It was a dagger, housed in a leather sheath.
Roxelyn’s eyes widened slightly.
As she slightly drew the dagger from its sheath, Zerti flinched.
Unlike the typical silver blade, the blade of the dagger he gave her had a subtle purple hue, seemingly crude but intricately crafted.
‘…This is.’
It was a dagger Roxelyn recognized.
The dagger that would have belonged to Lady Carmel.
“I made this dagger.”
“…Father, you made it?”
Roxelyn asked in surprise.
It was the very dagger Lady Carmel always carried with pride.
She knew her father had given it, but she never imagined he had made it himself.
