Translator: Nox

The Baddest Villainess Is Back

Chapter 59

“I won’t! Full house!”

Yuldian, sitting around the table in the drawing room of Marquis Gerren’s estate, shouted as he threw his cards down.

“……I have a flush. I’m sorry, Roselyn.”

“It’s fine. I wasn’t expecting much anyway.”

At Roselyn’s indifferent remark, Arma flinched.

He glared at his innocent cards for a moment before slowly nodding his head.

Yuldian burst into a triumphant laugh.

“Kyahaha! You stupid fool. No matter how much you fly and crawl, in the end, you’re still right below me!”

“How is it that even her nasty personality is exactly my type? Ha, seriously…… it’s like someone sculpted a creature just for me.”

“…….”

Yuldian, who had been laughing vulgarly, fell silent instantly.

Keeping his mouth shut, he slowly turned his head and frowned.

“That’s unfortunate. I have four of a kind.”

As Roselyn laid her cards down, Yuldian’s eyes widened.

“No way! How do you have four of a kind?! Do you know how low the probability of a four of a kind is…….”

Yuldian started to point a finger at her, but seeing Naryan’s fierce gaze, he quickly folded his fingers and placed them demurely on his lap.

Naryan usually laughed off most of Yuldian’s foul personality, including his insolence and squawking, but there was one exception.

She would never tolerate any rude behavior toward Roselyn, whom her mother had acknowledged as a friend.

Once, on a day he had mocked Roselyn, Naryan had playfully smacked his bottom a couple of times. After being unable to sit properly in a chair for several days, Yuldian never dared to defy Naryan again.

‘As expected, the favoritism of those in power is the best.’

Thanks to that, Roselyn was quite comfortable.

No matter where one went, as long as one stayed in the good graces of those at the top, things generally went smoothly.

“Umm, Rin! Mine are all the same color, but the shapes are all different. What is this?”

Naryan said, showing her five cards.

“……Crazy.”

Instead of Roselyn, Yuldian muttered a curse under his breath.

“A Royal Straight Flush…….”

“Royal…… what? What is that? Why are the games of outsiders so difficult?”

Naryan, her lips pouting, waved her hand and spoke bluntly.

“It’s the best hand in the game. It means you won.”

At Roselyn’s explanation, Naryan’s eyes rounded.

“I won? So that means I’m first place?”

“That’s right.”

“……How does she even have such good luck?”

Yuldian muttered in a small voice as if he were tired of living, then let out a hollow laugh.

It was then.

Click.

Geron entered the room where they were sitting around the table, now wearing different clothes than before.

It was one of the drawing rooms in the Wilbrid Marquisate.

He walked in with a clean face and spoke with a smile.

“Roselyn was right. Both of them were henchmen of ‘Makruksa.’”

“You seem to have enjoyed yourself quite a bit.”

At Roselyn’s remark, Geron smiled broadly.

“You should know why I’m doing this, shouldn’t you?”

“I do.”

The Marchioness had withered away under Geron’s indifference, but she had not been a sickly person by nature.

In Roselyn’s world, she had contracted a contagious disease that was rampant in the Empire.

Before long, Geron had found out, and around that time, it was said that a certain pharmacist had developed a cure for the plague.

Demand overflowed while supply was scarce, so the price skyrocketed.

In truth, neither Roselyn nor Geron were people lacking in information or money.

From what Roselyn heard, Geron had managed to obtain it.

However…….

For some reason, Marchioness Wilbrid died the following year, during a year of severe famine.

The cause was the untreated plague.

Rumors of discord between the Wilbrid couple reached their peak around then.

They said Geron Wilbrid hadn’t even procured the medicine for his wife that could be bought with mere money.

‘……Was it that Geron didn’t give it to her, or that the Marchioness didn’t take it?’

Roselyn couldn’t know for sure, but the latter was more likely.

If so, it made her wonder why she hadn't taken it.

Roselyn stared blankly at Geron as he sat at the table with a calm face. As if feeling her gaze, he smiled.

“Why are you looking at me like that? Have you finally made up your mind to become my daughter?”

“Did they confess the location of the arsonist?”

At Roselyn’s question, he shook his head.

“If they won’t speak even after being pushed this hard…… they either truly don’t know, or their mouths have been very thoroughly sealed.”

Geron said.

At that, Roselyn pursed her lips and then slowly nodded.

While he briefed the others on what he had discovered, she silently turned her head, lost in thought.

‘They’re much more resilient than I thought.’

Well, it made sense.

According to what the ‘King’ said, ‘Makruksa’ was a group established for a single purpose.

‘My head hurts.’

Roselyn rubbed her forehead once, and as the atmosphere grew lively, she quietly stood up from her seat.

It was because there was someone she had wanted to talk to since coming here.

“Where are you going, Roselyn?”

“To see the Marchioness.”

“I’ll go too.”

“No, I want to go alone. Please stay here.”

Roselyn dissuaded Arma, who wanted to go with her, and walked slowly down the hallway.

Roselyn had stayed at Geron’s house in her original world, so the house wasn’t unfamiliar to her, making it easy to find her way.

She even knew roughly where the basement would be, where Geron would have interrogated the two men, including the priest.

Walking leisurely, Roselyn headed toward the Marchioness’s room and knocked on the door.

Knock, knock.

After a couple of polite knocks, the door opened.

“Hello.”

“……You are.”

“Nice to meet you, Marchioness. I am Roselyn Bellion of the Bellion Ducal House.”

“……Ah, I know who you are.”

The beautiful woman, with hair like a flowing deep blue river, quickly masked her flustered expression and welcomed Roselyn.

“……I heard you came because of the incident being investigated.”

Roselyn recalled the Marchioness, who always kept her mouth shut and cowered, merely walking beside or behind Geron whenever she appeared in social circles.

“If you don’t mind, could I perhaps be treated to a cup of tea?”

At Roselyn’s request, she stared at Roselyn for a moment before smiling faintly and nodding.

“Yes, that would be lovely. I wanted to thank you anyway.”

The Marchioness said, lightly brushing aside her water-colored hair.

Roselyn flinched as she spotted the Rose Diamond earrings hidden beneath the long hair.

“This way.”

Following the Marchioness’s guidance, they arrived at a small drawing room.

Roselyn looked down at the tea being served and spoke.

“Since there are unpleasant rumors circulating between Marquis Geron and me, I thought I should speak with you at least once.”

At Roselyn’s words, the Marchioness’s eyes widened slightly as if she were hearing something unexpected, but she soon laughed softly and shook her head.

“I don’t doubt you. I never have, and I’ve already heard his explanation. If it were true…… he would be the one to be condemned.”

“Yes, but I thought it was only right to tell you out of a sense of duty.”

Roselyn added.

“For the record, I am someone who doesn’t care whether Marquis Geron lives or dies. Whether he’s shot in the street or thrown into a pit of fire and turned to ash.”

“……Ah.”

The Marchioness’s eyes rounded in surprise at the unexpectedly harsh language.

“Anyway, I want to say that you don’t need to have any doubts on that point.”

“……Yes, I believe you.”

She looked at Roselyn with a somewhat troubled expression.

“Do you dislike him that much?”

“Yes.”

“……Umm.”

Recalling Geron’s words about wanting to make her his daughter, the Marchioness looked at her with a pained expression.

“I heard that the Young Lady helped the Marquis. That when he was about to die, engulfed in flames…… Young Lady Roselyn dove in and saved him.”

“……Did Geron, no, did Marquis Geron say that?”

“Yes, was it…… not so?”

“……No. I suppose I did run into the room and drag him out.”

Roselyn spoke stiffly, struggling to swallow her absurdity.

“……The Marquis suffered burns and has had a very hard time with heat as an aftereffect.”

“Ah…… Marquis Geron struggles with heat.”

“Yes, thank you for helping him.”

Seeing the Marchioness bowing politely, Roselyn hid her bitter expression as best she could and spoke.

“……Yes, don’t mention it.”

Thinking that the sly man was truly putting on a ridiculous show just to get some attention, Roselyn simply gave a pretty smile.