The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 125
To prepare for the Kalutans, all the troops and personnel were gathered in the rear garden, where the banquet was held.
Although it was outdoors, the event’s scale wasn’t small at all. In fact, it was so large that there were more things to keep an eye on, making the external security stricter than usual.
The Kalutans were more jovial than expected.
Thanks to their easygoing nature, the banquet quickly became lively.
Roxelyn also loosened up, feeling good as she drank one glass of wine after another.
“Lady Bellion.”
Roxelyn’s face was slightly flushed.
She paused at the call of a maid who approached while she was drinking yet another glass of wine.
“Yes.”
“Marquis Wilfred urgently requests your presence. He said he has something to say about the recent incident, so if you could come over when you’re ready…”
“…Gerun?”
“Yes.”
Roxelyn tilted her head slightly at the maid’s words, then nodded obediently.
‘Why is Gerun suddenly calling me separately? If it’s about the recent incident…’
As she followed the maid into the Imperial Palace, she frowned. If it were about the recent incident, he should have come himself.
“…Did he specifically ask for me to come?”
“Yes.”
Roxelyn pressed her thumb slowly against her forehead. She felt her slight drunkenness begin to dissipate.
“This is strange.”
“….”
At Roxelyn’s words, the maid suddenly stopped walking.
“Gerun doesn’t trust people enough to share what we talked about with anyone. Who are you?”
“…Wow, our lady is quick-witted? I thought you two had some kind of special relationship… but it seems there was something else?”
At the chilling voice from behind, Roxelyn’s eyes widened.
Simultaneously, she felt a heavy pain around her neck accompanied by a dull thud.
The next moment, her vision blurred.
* * *
She had been kidnapped.
Roxelyn was unsure whether to be glad or sad about her current situation, which could be summed up in a single phrase.
‘I should have been more careful when the Khan already warned me.’
Despite the Khan sensing something and advising her with his beast-like intuition, she hadn’t anticipated this situation. She clicked her tongue inwardly.
‘Kidnapped in the heart of the Imperial Palace…’
It was lamentable how lax the security was.
No doubt, since the Kalutans had visited, the need for thorough preparations left the internal security of the palace weakened.
“Hello, Miss. Are you awake?”
“….”
“I know you’re awake, so open your eyes.”
At the sound of the approaching voice, Roxelyn frowned, pretending to be unconscious.
As she sighed and slightly lifted her head, a familiar man burst into laughter.
“Long time no see.”
“I wish you wouldn’t act like you’re greeting an old friend you ran into on the street. It’s irritating.”
Roxelyn said, tied to a chair with her hands bound behind her back. She twisted her hands around, but it didn’t seem like they would come loose easily.
She clicked her tongue inwardly.
“Where am I?”
“Well, where do you think?”
The man, who had dragged a chair opposite her and sat cross-legged, dressed like a noble but didn’t look like one.
Indeed, he looked more like a back-alley thug than a noble.
“You know, Miss. How do you always manage to interfere with our plans so meticulously?”
“….”
“Sorry to say, but I checked your body while you were asleep, and you didn’t seem to have any special powers.”
“You seem quite confident admitting you touched a woman’s body without her consent.”
“Well, I wasn’t doing it with that intent.”
Aximus Baldur scrutinized Roxelyn up and down. His expression was indifferent, and his gaze unwavering.
But he knew how strongly Roxelyn’s heart was beating.
Just because her expression was calm didn’t mean she wasn’t scared.
“I’m curious, do you have some reliable backing that makes you speak so freely? But I didn’t see any reason for your confidence.”
He added, his voice lacking any dignity, his speech without refinement, and his actions rough.
Roxelyn stayed silent, looking at the man who didn’t fit the title of Count at all.
She had no intention of engaging with that foolish man.
‘…Count Baldur.’
As far as she remembered, everyone in House Baldur had died in unexpected accidents, making him, an illegitimate child, the next Count.
‘Could it really have been an accident?’
Everyone knew that it was a suspicious incident, even if the culprit was never revealed.
“Hmm? Are you going to stay quiet? What will you do if I decide to kill you?”
“If you were going to kill me, you would have done it already.”
“Hmm?”
“Tying me up instead of killing me means you have other business with me, doesn’t it?”
Roxelyn spoke coldly, suppressing her emotions as much as possible.
Count Baldur chuckled at Roxelyn’s demeanor and shrugged his shoulders.
“Oh, sorry, sorry. I inherited the title due to an unexpected accident, but I didn’t learn much.”
“I can see that.”
At Roxelyn’s mocking words, the man paused.
“I know you’re a vulgar commoner by birth, but can you at least try to speak properly now that you’re wearing those clothes? My ears feel like they’re rotting, and I can’t even cover them since my hands are tied.”
Roxelyn’s sarcasm made Count Baldur’s mouth twitch.
The man laughed heartily and behaved as if everything was a bother.
Moreover, his appearance and mannerisms were rebellious, with his attire and demeanor in complete disarray.
This was his way of rebelling against the world.
Roxelyn understood well because she had once thought similarly.
For a man close to forty, such rebellion was almost pitiful and laughable.
Roxelyn moved her bound hands as if trying to free herself.
The seven-stone bracelet was still on her wrist.
Gerun Wilfred had picked up the red stone and returned it to her.
She remembered the colors of the beads and raised her head.
“…Our lady seems to be crossing the line a bit.”
“Oh, sorry. I thought it was better than calling you a childish brat, but I guess not.”
“A childish brat…?”
The man’s lips curled into a nasty grin.
Thump!
His hand gripped Roxelyn’s neck.