The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 138

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Part 2, Episode 8
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Splash—
Someone once said that the day you leave is market day.
Of all times, why did a downpour have to strike the night she’d decided to depart?
“I really do have the worst luck.”
Rozelin muttered to herself, staring blankly at the sheets of rain pouring down.
She’d planned to rest a moment on the wooden crate stacked in the alley before leaving, but the rain had come out of nowhere.
She’d barely fallen asleep before a sudden deluge caught her, startling her awake.
‘What kind of rain pours down like a waterfall?’
With her packed belongings tucked under her arm, Rozelin squeezed into a gap beneath a reasonably dry eave and sighed.
The past few days of street life had been far from easy.
She’d considered trying to infiltrate the Religious Order, but it didn’t look promising.
‘So I decided to leave today…….’
The result was a complete failure.
Her ultimate goal was the capital anyway, so she’d have to leave eventually, but still.
Rozelin continued staring blankly at the rain pouring down as if heaven itself had split open.
‘I’m definitely mentally exhausted.’
It was just then, as she was wondering where she could shelter and sleep, that—
“My, what’s a precious little girl like you doing out in this rain?”
A shadow fell over her head, and a familiar voice reached her ears.
“You……!”
“It’s been a while, Rozelin. What happened to your cheek?”
Ah, she’d been hit during that scuffle with the guards, and because her skin was tender, it had swollen.
“Tsk, you look a mess. Come on—let’s head to the residence.”
He reached out and scooped the grimy Rozelin into his arms without hesitation.
An umbrella appeared above her head.
Perhaps it was the cumulative weight of everything that had happened, but Rozelin found herself overwhelmed with emotion, and—
She clenched her fists and pummeled Garren Wilbred repeatedly.
Other men would have yelped in pain and collapsed, but Garren Wilbred merely glanced down at her with an unmoved expression and remarked, “Your strength has grown,” before lapsing into silence.
That infuriated her more than if he’d complained, so she landed a couple more blows before grabbing his clothes tightly.
“Garren, do you know?”
“Hmm?”
“I’ve been through so much…….”
Garren Wilbred looked at Rozelin and let out a low chuckle.
“I can tell.”
He carried her through the torrential rain, where not a soul stirred.
* * *
Rozelin finally sank into a hot bath and washed herself as thoroughly as she wanted.
Grime had accumulated so heavily it clung to her skin, but once she scrubbed it away, quite fair skin emerged.
Her cheeks were soft—perhaps because of her young age.
After all the hardship, her mind felt oddly at ease. She’d been slightly unsure about what came next, truthfully.
She’d even seriously considered pacifying the back alleys and establishing either a Mercenary Guild or an Errand Guild.
‘Thank goodness he showed up.’
Even as that thought crossed her mind, she recalled that this entire situation had unfolded because Garren Wilbred hadn’t existed in this world, which irritated her slightly.
If only he’d told her beforehand, she could have devised backup plans B and C.
In any case, after Rozelin had scrubbed herself clean, only then did she discover that the hair of this small, young body she now inhabited wasn’t murky brown at all—it was black.
And blue eyes to match.
‘It feels a bit strange.’
After fidgeting in front of the mirror, she put on the pajamas Garren Wilbred had given her and emerged.
“Ahhh…….”
The moment her body touched the plush bed, all her accumulated fatigue seemed to vanish.
Rozelin lay sprawled on the bed, her eyes darting about.
‘Residence,’ he’d called it, and she’d half-expected something modest—but the place he’d led her to was, in fact, the Wilbred Marquis Residence itself.
‘……It feels natural somehow.’
Was she allowed to come here like this?
Despite the late hour, he’d simply walked in, given her a room, provided her with clothes, and then excused himself to wash up.
‘……Well, having someone to rely on isn’t the worst thing.’
Rozelin found herself pondering how little a seven-year-old could actually accomplish and clicked her tongue.
If she’d at least had money, things would have been simpler, but without funds, she couldn’t start any ventures either…….
‘At least leaving the marquis estate was impossible.’
The Religious Order must have laid their trap beforehand—they’d apparently asked the children not to venture beyond the estate’s gates.
As a result, whenever anyone tried to leave, the Order’s people would coax the children back inside.
‘First things first, I need to stop Father’s wedding.’
No, wait.
‘Finding the missing Lily Bellion comes first.’
Rozelin shook her head.
Only by resolving that could she hope to restrain the troublemaker Ian Bellion.
‘That’s second.’
After that, she’d need to gaslight—no, advise—him into being honest about his feelings and emotions.
This time, the goal was to sweep away Marlux entirely before it could even take root.
‘And then there’s…’
She had to save her grandfather, keep the second troublemaker alive, save the eldest uncle…
‘There’s more work than I thought.’
The thought made her slightly drowsy. Rozelin closed her eyes slowly, then opened them again.
Knock-knock.
A polite knock sounded, and the door handle clicked open.
“Resting comfortably?”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
Rozelin, her small body still loose and warm from the bath, spoke from where she lay on the bed.
“Hey, Garren.”
“What is it?”
He set down a warm cup of tea on the tea table by the window as he spoke.
He took a seat at the lavender-scented table and tilted his head slightly.
Light desserts were arranged there as well.
“I thought you might be hungry, so I brought something, though perhaps it was unnecessary fussing?”
“No, it’s… thanks.”
Rozelin descended from the bed and settled into a chair, cutting the cake lightly with her fork before speaking.
“Garren.”
“Go ahead.”
“Are you not just a Demon Contractor, but an actual demon?”
At Rozelin’s light question—almost as if she were asking whether he’d eaten—Garren Wilbred lifted his head to look at the child.
Without a word, he took a sip from the herbal tea he held, a single lavender flower floating on its surface.
“Why are you curious about that?”
“I’m curious. Is it not allowed to ask?”
“Well…”
He lowered the tilted teacup slowly and smiled slightly.
“Must I tell you directly from my own mouth?”
“No, the fact that you haven’t denied it already answers the question.”
“I see. Do you know who I am, then?”
“Vashin.”
At the brief answer, a deeper smile spread across Garren Wilbred’s lips.
He tilted his teacup at leisure while gazing down at the small girl, her small hand gripping a fork, cutting into cake and placing it in her mouth.
She was asking questions, but deliberately avoided meeting his eyes.
“Congratulations. You’re the second human who’s deduced my true nature and guessed it correctly.”
Garren Wilbred offered his praise in a dry tone.
Rozelin glanced at him for a moment, then shrugged and spoke with a reluctant expression.
“Seeing how I perceive both divine beings and demons, I suppose I’m leading quite a valuable life.”
“Your expression suggests you’ve drawn a blank prize instead.”
“It’s irony.”
At the sight of Rozelin speaking so dryly with an adorable face—so like her own manner—Garren Wilbred shrugged.
“If I’m the second, who was the first?”
“A friend.”
“A friend?”
Rozelin’s expression grew quite surprised. She lifted her head to look at Garren Wilbred.
“So you had something like that.”
The sight of her holding a fork in her mouth and gazing up with a bright, innocent face was rather endearing.
Garren Wilbred let out a low chuckle.
“How rude. Well, he was my one and only friend…”
He spoke without sound, slowly rubbing the handle of the teacup with his thumb.
“Now that you’re here, I suppose that’s no longer an option.”

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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