The Baddest Villainess Is Back
Chapter 68
In principle, a family council is never postponed as long as the head of the house, the successor, or a proxy is present.
This meeting was no different.
Even in the absence of the head, Devon Bellion, there was the successor, Cherti Bellion.
As the heir, it was a meeting he had to lead and conclude. Any delay would only provide an opening for others to find fault.
That was precisely why Roselyn spent the entire meeting sabotaging it at every turn.
“If you invest here, it’s obvious that even I, your daughter, will be mocked for it.”
“Choosing this is just being an idiot.”
“This one is complete nonsense.”
“And this one is trash.”
“If you think this mine is going to hit the jackpot, why don’t you buy it yourself instead of asking the family to pay for it?”
Roselyn sat with her chin propped in her hand, tossing out critiques with an air of utter boredom.
Whenever they tried to explain something, this tiny little thing would sneer and throw out a biting remark—what else could they possibly say?
If they tried to argue back, she would refute them clearly in her childish lisp, and the worst part was that she was always right.
Furthermore, the sight of her looking at them as if they were pathetic made everyone’s blood boil.
“Ahem, the Young Lord must be pleased. Your daughter takes after you so much. Looking at her personality, she is quite…”
“The Lord has never been late before, yet he is delayed by this unprecedented hail and torrential rain… perhaps it is all due to a curse…”
Cherti Bellion, whose self-esteem was already at rock bottom due to his unfortunate childhood, furrowed his brow.
“Haha, what I said to the Young Lord wasn’t—”
“Bullshit.”
The entire conference room froze at the vulgarity flowing from the mouth of such a young child.
“……Pardon?”
“……Roselyn?”
“It’s only natural for a child to take after their parents.”
Roselyn snorted.
“But Father and I don’t look alike at all. I’m not gloomy like this.”
“…….”
The conference room fell silent at Roselyn’s words, which drew a sharp line between them. Everyone seemed to have lost their voice.
“That is a bit much to say…”
Some even began to pity the deathly pale Cherti Bellion.
But soon, as a purple mist began to spread through the chillingly still room, they scrambled to pack their things.
“C-Come to think of it, I believe that covers all the agenda items!”
“Yes! Let us end it here for today!”
“Good work, everyone!”
They rushed out of the conference room in a flurry.
“Father.”
“……Yes.”
“I think I’ve been poisoned.”
Roselyn’s swaying body collapsed forward.
“Roselyn!”
A panicked Cherti quickly reined in his Abyss, pulled Roselyn into his arms, and poured an antidote down her throat.
“A physician! Call a physician!”
He shouted at the top of his lungs.
One week later.
Devon Bellion arrived seven days later than scheduled, as the river had swollen and the currents had become too dangerous.
Upon seeing the documents detailing heavy investments in various unknown businesses, he let out a roar of fury.
“So you’re telling me you went ahead with all of this just because a child said so?”
“Yes.”
“Are you going senile already, Dean?”
Devon Bellion asked with a scoff.
If it were Dean, he could have feigned ignorance and postponed things for a while.
And yet…
“To go ahead and process all of it…?”
“Rumors are rampant lately that the young lady has a keen eye for these things.”
“You’ve been by my side for so long—do I look like the kind of man who believes in such nonsense?!”
Fortunately, the investments didn’t require massive sums.
Everything had been distributed reasonably within the planned budget.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t something to be so enraged about.
“Hmph, I must see this wicked granddaughter of mine for myself.”
Dean shrugged.
Only then did Dean realize Devon Bellion’s hidden intentions and nodded silently.
“I would like to take you to her immediately, but the young lady is currently unwell.”
“What? Why? Where is she sick? Did she fall into the water again?”
“No, is she not naturally frail?”
Dean hesitated for a moment before adding one more thing with a faint smile on his lips.
“It seems the shock was quite great after hearing so many harsh words during the council meeting.”
“……What? What did she hear?”
Devon Bellion’s expression hardened.
Dean recounted the meeting from a week ago, exaggerating just enough but wrapping the truth in clever phrasing.
“……Those madmen have truly lost their minds. Summon those bastards, every last one of them. I’ll strip them bare from their brain matter to their toenails. Those insignificant runts… I’ll have to stuff their own entrails down their throats before they’ll shut those mouths.”
His eyes, now devoid of any vitality or casualness, turned as predatory and ominous as a beast’s. Dean smiled thinly.
In his youth, Dean had chosen Devon Bellion as his master after seeing those very eyes.
The sanpaku eyes that looked dead, lacking any spark of life.
A man who was infinitely ruthless and cold toward anything outside his own fence.
“I will summon them immediately.”
“Good. And send plenty of nourishing food to my frail granddaughter.”
“Yes, I will look into it.”
“Tell them to wash their limbs and organs well before they come.”
“I will pass on the message.”
The butler poured red wine into Devon’s glass and withdrew.
“And…… the Emperor seems to want to pair my granddaughter with the 3rd Prince. I’m thinking of letting them meet once.”
“If it is the 3rd Prince……”
At Dean’s worried voice, Devon rubbed his chin.
“He’s keeping a low profile for now, but having spoken with him, he resembles the Emperor the most.”
He’s a man who will become someone great.
There was no hesitation in the voice that added those words.
Time flowed like water.
Living as a child wasn’t so bad.
She did many things and saw many things she couldn’t do or see in her original childhood.
It meant that nearly a month had already passed.
“Roselyn.”
“Yes.”
Roselyn answered while sitting blankly.
‘If my memory serves me right, the day after tomorrow is the day I originally woke up.’
So, if things went as expected, tomorrow would likely be her last day here.
And tomorrow, a meeting with the 3rd Prince had been arranged by her grandfather.
‘However, if I wake up here even the day after tomorrow……’
Then things would get a bit complicated.
“It seems it’s about time for you to sleep. You still have a fever.”
“Mmh.”
Roselyn glanced at her father, who was standing some distance away.
“You’re not giving me an answer.”
Roselyn threw the words out casually.
“What? An answer to what all of a sudden……”
“Never mind.”
The young Roselyn shrugged.
Since her body had become young, she was being quite overprotected.
‘No, was it always overprotection?’
Her grandfather had visited once, and since the businesses she invested in wouldn’t see results for several years, she probably wouldn’t be around to check them.
‘It might just be a dream.’
Maybe the future won’t change because of this.
Her head throbbed from the many thoughts swirling around.
Roselyn pulled back the covers and climbed into bed.
“I’m going to sleep. You should go back too, Father.”
“……You want me to go?”
At the questioning tone, Roselyn looked up at him with a puzzled face.
“Yes.”
What are you going to do if you don’t go? Just stay there?
Whether he saw the indifference in Roselyn’s eyes or not, Cherti Bellion flinched and cleared his throat once.
“……Didn’t you used to ask me to hold your hand?”
He said, casting a cautious glance at her.