Translator: Nox

The Baddest Villainess Is Back

Chapter 7

“We have arrived.”

“Very well.”

She stepped down from the carriage, escorted by the coachman.

“It has been a long time, Lady Bellion.”

“Yes, it has. I am glad to see you looking healthy, Head Chamberlain.”

Roselyn followed the Head Chamberlain, who had come out to greet her, toward the drawing room.

Her black dress was certainly conspicuous; startled gazes from here and there briefly landed on her before darting away.

Considering that, the Head Chamberlain—who hadn't so much as twitched an eyebrow upon seeing her—was truly impressive.

“The 3rd Prince is waiting for you inside.”

“I see. Thank you for the guidance.”

At Roselyn’s polite remark, the Head Chamberlain faltered for the first time.

However, he quickly erased the agitation from his face, bowed, and opened the door for her.

“Your expression has brightened considerably.”

At the Head Chamberlain’s words, delivered in a voice bordering on a faint smile, Roselyn glanced at him and let out a light, short laugh before entering the drawing room.

As she stepped inside, a youthful boy who had been sitting restlessly on the sofa sprang to his feet.

“Ah, o-oh, you’ve come! L-Lady Roselyn!”

A young man with slightly wavy black hair and striking pale-blue eyes stood up abruptly.

His joy and fluttering excitement were palpable through his awkward, smiling expression.

“It has been a long time, 3rd Prince.”

“Ah, no! I told you not to stand on ceremony with me, my Lady. That… well, ah! First, please come this way!”

Flustered and unsure of what to do, the young man hurriedly extended a hand clad in a pure white glove.

Whether he had been reading, a luxurious leather-bound book lay on the table in front of the sofa.

Roselyn nodded as she looked at the young man smiling with a bright face.

She gazed quietly at the face of the man who had been her fiancé—the man who had made her realize love too late—and then let out a faint smile.

“Thank you for allowing this sudden meeting.”

“Ah! Not at all. I heard that you went through a big ordeal, my Lady… is your health…?”

Fair skin, a faint flush on his cheeks, blue pupils trembling with irrepressible affection, black hair falling calmly, and a shy smile.

The pure white uniform embroidered with gold suited him exceptionally well.

“I am fine. I apologize for being discourteous, considering our engagement.”

“Ah…! That is a great relief.”

Phew. The youthful man let out a small sigh of relief.

“Um, since we haven’t met in a while, I feel I must get straight to the point. Would that be alright? I have a schedule to attend to afterward.”

“Ah…! Th-that’s fine.”

Roselyn nodded slowly, facing the man who now looked visibly disappointed.

“Shall we break our engagement, Your Highness?”

Clatter.

At the sound that erupted the moment she finished speaking, Roselyn slowly raised her head.

“…Wh-why?”

Before his lips could even quiver, drip—a droplet fell onto the table, making Roselyn pause for a moment.

“Is it… is it because I’m dull that you dislike me? Or… I mean… did I do something wrong to you, my Lady?”

“…….”

“If you tell me, I’ll fix it, so…”

Before she knew it, the 3rd Prince, Arma Dianitas, had approached her. He looked down at Roselyn with a distorted expression.

‘…Was he always this tall?’

Perhaps because it had been so long, he felt somewhat unfamiliar.

Roselyn looked up at him in silence before slowly shaking her head.

“Your Highness has done nothing wrong. It is simply that I am being selfish.”

“…Lady Roselyn.”

“Of course, I know that an engagement with the Imperial Family is no light matter. This is my unilateral wish… So, if you could perhaps arrange an audience with His Majesty, I will speak with him…”

“…fuse.”

Arma shook his head and took a step back.

“Pardon?”

“I refuse…”

“…No, Prince. Please listen to me.”

“…I refuse. Tell me what you desire instead. I will find a way to make it happen. At least tell me the reason.”

At Arma’s appeal, which was firmer than expected, Roselyn narrowed her eyes.

Speaking politely, the man unhesitatingly knelt and grasped Roselyn’s hand, eventually bowing his head until his forehead rested against the back of her hand.

‘That’s strange. There shouldn’t be much of a connection between us at this point in time.’

She had expected him to be upset and hurt since he was a tender-hearted person, but she hadn’t imagined he would shake his head so resolutely.

The Arma that Roselyn remembered was a man who always gave her whatever she wanted.

If she said she wanted to do this, he did it; if she said she wanted to do that, he did that.

Even after she left the Duke’s estate, Arma had secretly come to find her. Later, when pursuers were sent after her due to the grudges she had incurred after leaving the estate, Arma had fled with her and died protecting her.

Roselyn had used his death as a stepping stone to escape.

And the world had called her the worst of temptresses, one who had seduced the naive 3rd Prince and used him as bait.

Therefore, Roselyn was indebted to Arma.

That was why Roselyn wanted Arma to meet a good person and be happy.

Since she couldn't possibly voice the thoughts swirling in her head, Roselyn shrugged after a brief moment of deliberation.

“I’ve just grown a bit tired of it.”

“…Pardon?”

She pulled her hand from Arma’s grasp and spoke with an air of nonchalance.

“You aren't very interesting, Prince. You are frail, timid, and the 3rd Prince with no prospect of becoming Emperor.”

As she shrugged and let out a scoff, he stared at her with wide, wounded eyes.

His beautiful blue eyes, like sapphires, were trembling faintly.

“…Lady Roselyn?”

“So, I’m sorry, but I’d like you to let me go for my own sake. I prefer someone more promising, someone with a clear sense of self and masculinity—someone a bit more fierce.”

Roselyn recited an ideal type that was the exact opposite of Arma.

In truth, this wasn't her ideal type, but someone else's.

Arma’s face, already fair to the point of being unmanly, turned even paler.

Looking at the man who stood frozen with his mouth agape as if he had lost the ability to speak, Roselyn rose from her seat.

“If it is difficult for you to arrange time with His Majesty, then I have no further business with you, Your Highness.”

She spoke as she placed her wide-brimmed hat, which she had briefly set aside, back onto her head.

“I shall try to request an audience with His Majesty through other channels. Regardless, it has been a pleasure.”

“…L-Lady Roselyn.”

As she moved to leave the drawing room without a lingering thought, his trembling voice caught her.

“Please, do not go.”

Roselyn did not look back.

Just as she was about to open the door, she felt her dress sleeve being weakly grasped.

“I…!”

Arma was suddenly standing behind her.

“I will arrange a meeting with my father. If that is what you wish, my Lady, I shall do so.”

There was a time when Roselyn had nothing but this blindly devoted man.

The person who stayed by her side no matter how much she pushed him away when she could trust no one.

Thinking back now, it seemed she had relied on him quite a bit.

She had even learned things from him, like how to erase her tracks or how to grip a dagger.

“Thank you.”

“…It is nothing. It is only because I am lacking.”

At the innocent man’s words, Roselyn’s lips parted slightly before she slowly closed them again.

I didn't say those things to hurt you. I didn't say them because I hate you. Just resent me.

She could have said many things if she wanted to, but she didn't let them out.

In Roselyn’s view, the distance between him and her was just right as it was now.

“I’ll be going.”

“Yes. Um… later, even if we break the engagement, could we… stay friends?”

At his words full of lingering attachment, Roselyn narrowed her eyes and swung the door wide open.

“Unless you wish to tarnish my honor, it would be best if you didn't.”

“Ah…”

Roselyn turned away without listening further.

As she walked away with rhythmic clicks of her heels, she sensed someone following her and let out a sigh.

She tried to pick up her pace, but Roselyn faltered when she saw those approaching from the opposite hallway.

“Oh, look who it is. If it isn't the world’s most perfectly matched, low-class pair?”

A sarcastic voice rang out, as if the other party had spotted them as well.

It was the 2nd Prince.