Don’t Look for the Resurrected Villainess - Chapter 170
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 170
The second daughter of Roam, who was said to have received the Creator’s blessing, remained as tyrannical as ever.
Before Anelli’s execution, all those at the Roam Estate who had witnessed her misdeeds up close unanimously said they couldn’t understand why she had received the Creator’s blessing.
“I’m curious how she subdues monsters.”
“Did you hear how she subdued the Dura’han at the Imperial Palace?”
“Just a few words, they say.”
“That viper’s tongue works on monsters too.”
With no one to watch out for, their words grew even harsher. This level wasn’t even particularly severe.
After all, it was Anelli who had suddenly returned to Roam and caused discord, so it was natural that the knights couldn’t be loyal to her.
Having easily justified their actions, the knights continued their conversation while omitting the subject.
The words that started out moderately refined grew rougher as time passed. With the resentment they had harbored from the humiliation received from Anelli’s guards added to it, their tone had become quite savage.
“The one causing family discord should have their lineage… Aaah!”
That’s when it happened. The knight who had been speaking enthusiastically suddenly looked beside him and backed away in shock. A black cat had been quietly watching them, though no one knew how long it had been there.
“Tch, how unlucky!”
The startled knight clutched his chest and spat on the ground. In the distance, Anelli could be seen returning. Unfortunately, she looked perfectly fine.
“Tsk.”
The knights of Roam swallowed their disappointment and reluctantly began walking.
The cat stared intently at their retreating figures.
The bead attached to the thin collar around the cat’s neck was glowing strangely, but the light was so faint that no one noticed.
* * *
After finishing all my business, it was much later than I had expected.
When I emerged from the forest and returned to the Lindea River, the knights greeted me with faces full of dissatisfaction in the dim light.
Samuel and Jeon were quite distrustful of them, but without any excuse, they couldn’t follow me all the way to Roam. In the end, the two decided to stay at the inn for now, and I returned to Roam under the halfhearted escort of knights who disliked me.
Having exhausted myself dealing with the last group of Lusaka that had clumped together into a massive mass, I had no appetite.
So I planned to wash up quickly and go to bed early. That is, if Father hadn’t summoned me to his study.
“I hear you moved around leaving the knights behind at the Lindea River.”
Father’s expression was stern as he held his forehead.
I looked at Father quietly, then calmly turned my gaze away.
It seemed the knights had made the first move, worried I might find fault with their negligence of duty.
“Father, I’ve expended quite a bit of mental energy and I’m tired.”
“They say you returned safely by luck, but if anything had happened, Roam would have been in quite a predicament.”
Father didn’t seem inclined to let me rest. Swallowing a sigh, I pressed my eyelids firmly.
Then I took out a small pouch from my chest.
“I was going to handle this first before telling you, but if I had known Father would scold me like this, I should have mentioned it from the beginning.”
“What?”
Father’s eyes widened at my words. I continued as if it were nothing significant.
“Recording crystals.”
What I produced were disposable crystals that, while unable to record video, could record short conversations.
They were expensive, could only record voices, and even that not for long, so they were often treated as useless magical tools.
However, they were quite useful to me with my overflowing wealth. Unlike crystal orbs that could record video, these were small enough to carry several in a pouch.
They were so small that when hung on an animal’s collar, they looked like decorative beads.
“Recording?”
Father asked with a confused expression.
“It seemed Father wasn’t well aware of the sentiments of this household’s employees, so I took it upon myself to look into it.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“I mean that Roam’s retainers are not obeying the will of Roam’s head.”
With a slight smile, I activated the crystals one by one. The voices of employees working throughout the Roam Estate flowed from the crystals. Among them were those of the knights who had accompanied me to the Lindea River today.
The crude words and agitated voices were all criticizing me. The Dura’han had worked so hard to record all this.
“Father’s silence didn’t just make my position unstable. Father, these people seem to have forgotten that they work at the Roam Estate. Seeing how they express such intense hostility toward me, whom you chose.”
Father’s expression hardened coldly. He seemed surprised that the employees had developed such animosity toward me while he had been focused on external affairs.
Such gossip about the successor chosen by the head of Roam was unacceptable.
That fact alone would greatly displease Father. But what would irritate Father even more was… Mother, who hadn’t maintained internal discipline to this extent.
The household’s internal affairs were entirely the domain of Mother, the lady of the house.
Mother’s tolerance of the employees’ loose tongues meant that what they were saying ultimately reflected Mother’s will as well. At least, that’s how Father would think.
“I understand your disappointment.”
“My disappointment isn’t important. I’m just a bit worried.”
Having activated several crystals simultaneously, they all ended at similar points. The profanity that had filled the study disappeared, leaving a heavy silence.
“Mother seems to have found an alternative other than me. Did you know about this, Father?”
It was a question I asked knowing he wouldn’t have known.
And as I expected, Father couldn’t answer immediately.
Seiri was still young and the external situation was unstable. Whoever was ultimately chosen as successor, for now they would need a shield that drew attention while being reasonably plausible.
Mother had the personality to move only after all calculations were complete. She would nod only when she was confident it was sufficiently safe and would proceed as intended.
Naturally, this time too, she would have been calculating various things separate from Lilia’s proposal.
Between Prisian Sister who had left home but was always looking for a chance to return, the publicly notable Reviver, and Roam’s youngest who was obedient and well-raised.
“Your opinions can’t always align. I also know that Father always respects Mother’s opinions. But I was taught not to go against the head of Roam while in the Roam Estate.”
Again, Father didn’t answer. Father, who had been staring down at the crystals I had placed on the desk, curtly issued an order to leave.
“Return to your room.”
My body was drooping and my head was foggy. I gladly nodded.
Even if Father and Mother fought over this incident, Father would ultimately bend first. However, once cracks began to form, they were bound to lead to larger fractures eventually.
What if he accepted Mother’s opinion and settled on Seiri as the final successor, only to realize everything had gone wrong?
What if the result of accepting Mother’s judgment led to the family’s destruction?
Whether Father’s noble love would remain intact even then was something no one could know.
‘Too easy.’
I thought as I walked down the long corridor. Too easy.
Leading Roam to be trampled and everyone to collapse was truly easy.
So easy that it was almost devoid of any thrill.
* * *
After securing an inn room, washing, and preparing for bed, it was already midnight when I sat on the bed.
“…”
Jeon, who had flopped onto the bed, stared blankly at the ceiling with his arms supporting the back of his head. The image of Anelli just before they parted at the Lindea River wouldn’t leave his mind.
「Wait.」
Was it his imagination that her expression had looked particularly weary?
Jeon slowly traced his memories. Until the first fight with the Lusaka, Anelli had been reasonably fine.
She had even been energetic enough to throw punches at the first Lusaka. After that, she had repeatedly been attacked by Lusaka and awakened.
Except for the gradually lengthening time she spent dreaming, Anelli seemed to have no particular problems when she opened her eyes.
‘What changed was…’
The last time.
When she collapsed after being attacked by the grotesquely clumped Lusaka and then awakened.
Until then, Anelli had slept for at most a few minutes, but after the last attack, she had lain there for nearly several hours.
Though surprised by the suddenly extended time, once she was caught in an illusion, they couldn’t carelessly touch Anelli.
Moreover, since Anelli had power to reclaim within the illusion, they couldn’t arbitrarily kill the Lusaka that had put her to sleep.
Of course, it was true that murderous intent toward the Lusaka had built up as time lengthened.
As Jeon repeatedly smoothed Anelli’s bangs while she lay quietly with her eyes closed, he thought of the Empress who was said to be sleeping. The Empress who wouldn’t wake up no matter what was done.
When he was finally about to focus his magic power on his fingertips, betraying his impatience, Samuel, who had been quietly monitoring the Lusaka, spoke.
「Endure it.」
「Endure it? Aren’t you worried about Lady Anelli?」
「Is a mage’s patience shorter than a beast’s?」
Only after receiving Samuel’s criticism did Jeon realize that the animals Anelli usually led around were quiet.
More precisely, they were Dura’han pretending to be animals, but…
Jeon knew well how extraordinarily devoted the Dura’han were to Anelli. And the Dura’han were simply watching over the sleeping Anelli calmly.
At that moment, Jeon felt a strange sense of unease.
‘It felt like they were sharing some kind of bond among themselves.’
Even Samuel was included.
Jeon was the only one feeling anxious for not properly grasping the situation. Upon realizing this, a haze-like displeasure rose in Jeon’s chest.
He had feelings for Anelli, but he didn’t know everything about her.
Anelli was generous with him, but she didn’t explain everything to him.
Unless she explained first, Jeon didn’t bother to pry either. It had always been that way.
What exactly was her relationship with the Dura’han, what exactly was the power she possessed, what was her past life like that kept her from sleeping peacefully…
He thought that if it was something he needed to know, Anelli would explain it to him, and if she didn’t explain it, it was probably because he didn’t need to know.
‘But until when?’
Along with a rebellious feeling that poked out sharply, Jeon became aware of his own emotions.
This was jealousy.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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