The Baddest Villainess Is Back
Chapter 34
“Kyaa! How is it that two men exactly my type showed up at once?!”
Naryan shouted, her smile as bright as sunshine.
Originally, it was a man who might have been only one.
Arma was shocked as he easily recalled the misunderstanding Roselyn must have had.
And he was shocked once again that she had readily given her permission even while knowing of that misunderstanding.
“I know I’m handsome, but let go of me! You little brat!”
“Oh my, how cute. Are you threatening me right now? Oppa?”
“Who’s your oppa?!”
“Why? I heard people in the Empire liked it when cute, small girls talked to them like this…. Our darling is quite picky.”
Yuldian’s face, already pale from the series of events, had now gone beyond white to a muddy grey.
The young girl shrieked with delight as she clung to Yuldian.
“Haa… what a shame. That pretty oppa and unnie over there were good at running away too…. How about it? Want to marry me?”
“I’ll pass.”
Roselyn shrugged and answered flatly.
“Tch, you’re a cool unnie. Well, fine! I have two handsome men for myself anyway!”
Naryan winked at Arma.
At that, Arma quietly mussed his hair, letting his bangs fall back down to cover his forehead.
“Alright, here it is!”
The place they were guided to was a structure resembling a circular tent.
The frame was built of wood and covered with fabric thicker than usual, making the insulation look quite good.
It was a welcome sight, as the wind blowing across the high terrain was as cold as early winter.
The door wasn’t a flap of cloth but a proper wooden door.
It wasn’t divided into a living room and kitchen like a house, nor did it have multiple rooms, but it felt as if a single massive space contained everything from a kitchen to a bathroom and a bedroom.
Of course, even though it was a tent, it wasn’t shabby.
It lacked nothing compared to other houses and appeared quite spacious and sturdy.
It was understandable, given that there were almost no permanent buildings due to the nature of the Kaluta, who originally did not settle in one place.
Indeed, since the Kaluta lived as separate tribes, the settlement took the form of a village.
“The details will be explained by these guys here.”
Those waiting in front of the residence approached.
Even as they walked toward armed soldiers and knights empty-handed, they showed not a hint of tension.
“We were originally planning to hold a banquet tonight, but given the situation, it might be delayed a bit.”
Naryan said with a smile.
“Because an execution might be held for the first time in a long while.”
Naryan spoke of something gruesome with a radiant expression. That made it even more chilling.
“…….”
Yuldian, still held in her arms, was so pale he looked ready to vomit.
“If you don’t want to see anything unpleasant, everyone should try not to leave their tents today.”
She said so as she finally set Yuldian down.
“See you tomorrow, cutie.”
Mwah—.
After kissing the back of Yuldian’s hand, she vanished from sight.
Roselyn also let out a tired sigh and entered her assigned tent.
* * *
“……Ha.”
As soon as Arma entered his assigned tent, he roughly ran his hand through his hair and threw off his black coat.
“She makes things difficult every single time.”
He was speechless, realizing that all his agonizing over how to act naturally was completely useless.
Roselyn simply seemed to have no feelings for him whatsoever.
‘Why am I even doing this in the first place?’
In truth, breaking the engagement wasn’t a major problem in his life.
She was a partner who was interesting enough to observe, but that didn’t mean he needed to put in this much effort.
Arma had learned how to hide himself from the moment he matured to a certain extent.
He hid because it was bothersome.
Not wanting to become like his father, the Emperor, he acted in a way that appeared foolish, weak, and pathetic to others.
So, in fact, acting out his true nature like he did this time was a bit dangerous.
“But all of that was……”
For the sake of someone else?
Arma felt a wave of dizziness and slumped onto the cheap bed.
‘……How did Roselyn know the ideal type of the Kaluta Princess, whom she’s never even met?’
He thought, very slowly closing and opening his eyes.
“……No.”
Arma muttered softly.
“What exactly am I lacking?”
Aside from the character flaw of being slightly timid, he was surely not lacking in anything.
‘Is it because there’s not enough physical affection after all?’
Arma lowered his gaze.
Certainly, out of consideration for her, he hadn’t so much as held her hand or tried to set a romantic mood since the engagement.
Perhaps that was why she hadn’t shown even a flicker of a reaction when he held her hand this time.
“……I can’t let it go on like this.”
For the sake of the woman he thought he didn't need to work for, Arma began to devise yet another kind of effort.
From tomorrow, the negotiations with Kaluta would begin in earnest.
‘Roselyn will be nervous, so I must stay by her side and help as much as possible.’
Arma wiped his face with his palm and let out a long breath.
* * *
“Sorry to keep you waiting. I am Khan of the Kaluta.”
A man of massive build, who arrived exactly at the appointed time, introduced himself with a brief apology.
Roselyn shook her head to indicate it was fine.
He had his front closed, presumably because he was appearing at an official meeting.
Even so, his chest was still mostly visible.
‘He’s younger than I thought.’
He looked even younger than the Emperor of the Empire.
It made her want to ask exactly how old he was when he got married.
“It is quite alright.”
He seemed momentarily puzzled to see Roselyn sitting in the center with the two princes flanking her, but then he plopped down across from them at the round table.
“Well, I’ve never seen a negotiator with two princes as her escort before.”
He spoke with a hint of amusement in his voice as he accepted a large oak mug filled with liquor.
“Would you care for a drink?”
Roselyn fell into a brief silence at the offer.
In truth, she didn’t handle alcohol very well.
However, in Kaluta, refusing a cup was considered a grave breach of etiquette.
“I cannot drink much as I have a low tolerance, but I will gratefully accept the first cup.”
“I’m fine with that as well.”
“Me too.”
“Hahaha! I was worried since I heard youngsters were coming, but you are a polite bunch.”
The man who appeared to be the Khan laughed heartily and nodded.
Roselyn showed proper courtesy by taking the cup and drinking a few sips.
As the alcohol hit her head, which had been throbbing since morning, heat began to rise from her cheeks and neck.
She ignored the sound of her quickening pulse ringing alongside the tinnitus in her ears.
“Right, I heard you saved my son, young lady. We believe in repaying a debt tenfold, so I’d like to offer a reward. Is there anything you desire?”
At the Khan’s words, Roselyn furrowed her brows slightly and looked up with a smile on her lips.
“No, as I mentioned to the Vice Chief before, that was a gift from me. I believe one does not discuss payment for a gift.”
The Khan’s green eyes narrowed as he watched Roselyn speak clearly without averting her gaze.
“You desire nothing?”
“I didn’t, but now one thing has come to mind.”
Roselyn smiled.
The Khan nodded with an expression of great interest.
“Speak freely, then.”
“We are sitting at a table of fair negotiation. A fair negotiation means there is no tilt to one side.”
At Roselyn’s words, the Khan raised an eyebrow.
“My name is Roselyn Bellion of the Bellion Ducal House. Not ‘young lady.’”
“…….”
“Also……”
Roselyn spoke slowly.
“I understand that ‘Khan’ is a title close to what would be called a ‘King’ in the Empire. I have yet to hear your name.”
What flowed from Roselyn’s mouth was ‘Luta.’
Luta was the language used by those collectively called ‘Barbarians’ before the Kaluta tribes were unified.
Not many would know it. There were even those within Kaluta who could not speak Luta.
After a moment of staring at Roselyn, the Khan burst into a thunderous laugh.
The Khan, who laughed boisterously for a long time—almost to the point of making others feel awkward—suddenly hardened his expression and opened his mouth as he looked at Roselyn.
“Where did you learn that tongue?”
