The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 35

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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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Chapter 35
Rozerin kept her gaze fixed only on the man before her, though she felt eyes upon her from all directions.
A look of intrigue.
Yet beneath it, a predator—one misstep away from closing its jaws around her throat.
A Court Lady’s title meant nothing once you stepped beyond the Empire’s borders.
The Kaluata, in particular, paid no heed to foreign hierarchies.
“I learned it long ago from a wandering minstrel who traveled from place to place.”
“A minstrel…?”
“Yes.”
Rozerin nodded.
After leaving her family behind, she had once offered a minstrel a room to stay for about a month.
The old Rozerin would never have made such a choice.
So even now, she didn’t know why she had shown such kindness.
She had simply felt it was the right thing to do, and in gratitude for her consideration, the minstrel had taught her the Luta Language, saying that if she ever needed help, she should come to him and he would assist her.
Since then, wars had come and the world had fallen—circumstances had made such aid unnecessary.
But the language was unusual enough that her memory of it remained vivid.
“…How strange. Those who know the Luta Language are already quite aged, and those learning it newly would only be the Khan’s inner circle or the leaders of each band.”
Rozerin, who had been gazing at the man whose pigmentation had faded considerably with age, offered no reply to his murmur.
“Do you know the name of that minstrel?”
“Yes.”
“If you don’t mind, tell me.”
Rozerin hesitated.
She couldn’t be certain whether revealing the name was wise—not because it was unclear whether the person in that world and the person in this one were the same, or even if such a person existed, but because it was equally unclear whether this man before her and she herself had any genuine connection.
But if she didn’t speak, she would invite suspicion.
After a brief moment of deliberation, Rozerin opened her mouth.
“This person may not remember teaching me this language. Would you be willing to promise not to interrogate me about that, or about teaching the Luta Language to an outsider?”
Rozerin spoke carefully.
Someone suffering harm because of her was tedious. She had no desire to feel guilt.
The moment Rozerin spoke in the Luta Language, Second Prince Yuldian’s mouth fell open.
‘When did this stammering Court Lady become fluent like that?’
Wasn’t she the Court Lady who never lifted her head, always staring at the ground?
Yet somehow, in this oppressive atmosphere, she could hold her head high and converse with the Khan as though nothing were amiss—he couldn’t fathom it.
‘Father said to leave the negotiations to the Court Lady and not interfere unless necessary, so I thought he’d lost his mind….’
She was far bolder than he’d expected.
Yuldian had wanted to return to the Empire the moment Baian tore off a man’s arm with his bare hands.
‘None of this would’ve happened without this woman in the first place.’
Whether it was some form of retaliation, she had singled him out, and he’d had no choice but to come.
‘…Come to think of it, this bastard is just as incomprehensible.’
Yuldian glanced at Arma.
Yesterday he’d worn dark clothes with his hair pinned back, his forehead fully exposed; today he was in his usual pristine white uniform.
His bangs were back down as usual, and that book he carried like a trademark was back cradled in his arms.
‘He must have thought it didn’t suit him.’
Yuldian snorted inwardly.
Of course he’d be tired wearing clothes that didn’t fit.
‘But what in the world is he going on about?’
Yuldian watched the Kaluata man laugh heartily, his own expression growing more suffocated by the moment.
“I’m not sure whether to praise your boldness or warn you to be more careful.”
“I’d prefer boldness, if you please.”
The two of them conversed in a strange language Yuldian couldn’t begin to understand, lost in their own world.
‘Can everyone standing behind him understand it?’
Yuldian studied the Kaluata warriors, their faces utterly unmoved.
Suddenly, Naryan, who stood behind the Khan, caught Yuldian’s gaze and winked at him coldly.
‘…I want to go home.’
At that, Yuldian shuddered with disgust.
Arma too seemed frustrated, his expression hardening in a way that was unlike him.
He’d been shooting pointed looks from the side this whole time, trying to hint that some explanation was warranted, but Rozerin didn’t spare him a single glance.
It was as though she’d forgotten they existed at all.
“Yes, I promise.”
“Sansar.”

At those words, several of the Kaluata tribe members hesitated.
The man’s eyes widened at Rozerin’s statement.
The suddenly heavy atmosphere made Rozerin falter slightly, her gaze shifting.
‘Is it a criminal’s name? Or perhaps a name that doesn’t exist here?’
If that were the case, it would be troublesome indeed. Rozerin held her breath and carefully gauged their reactions.
“What did you say his name was?”
The man asked, his expression rigid with disbelief.
“Sansar, he said.”
“Do you remember what he looked like?”
Rozerin paused, tilting her head.
She felt uneasy and nearly offered another warning, but decided it would be overstepping, so she simply shrugged and offered her description.
“Well… he had long silver hair with large waves, down to his waist, and green eyes. He was quite beautiful…”
Rozerin brushed her cheek with the back of her hand once, then continued.
“He was male.”
……
Silence fell over the gathering at once.
“What? Did you say something strange again?”
Yuldian, sensing the shift, furrowed his brow and challenged her.
Rozerin simply shrugged and didn’t deign to respond.
“Were there any other distinctive features?”
“Well… aside from that, he resembled the Kaluata tribe quite closely…”
She trailed off softly, then let out a quiet exclamation.
“Ah, I think his eye color changed sometimes. When he looked up at the sky or when he was lost in thought…?”
Rozerin recalled that mysterious figure from her memory.
He had always emanated an enigmatic presence.
She had simply offered him kindness—sharing bread she happened to have when she found him collapsed from hunger.
Despite his light-hearted manner and casual speech, there was something oddly reassuring about him.
So much so that she had allowed him to stay temporarily until he found somewhere to go, even on their first meeting.
‘Now that I think about it, it was strange.’
Whatever his circumstances, he was a man and she was a woman living alone.
“If he learned the Luta Language, it seems you spent considerable time together…”
Rozerin pulled her mind back from its wandering and turned to face the man again, opening her mouth.
“I can tell you more about him, but first, since I’ve been honest with you, I’d appreciate it if you’d be honest with me as well.”
“… Suddenly, what are you talking about?”
Rozerin smiled as she looked at the man’s displeased expression.
Something had occurred to her during their conversation.
A single thing that Sansar, her friend from long ago, had once told her.
“Ah, there’s an interesting secret hidden in Kaluata. Want to know what it is?”
“An interesting secret?”
“Yes. The Khan of Kaluata is…”
Recalling those words spoken by someone whose voice she could no longer quite remember, Rozerin slowly parted her lips.
“If you want to hear any more, call the real Khan for me.”
“… What are you saying?”
The man scrunched his face in confusion, questioning her.
“It could only be a woman.”
Rozerin’s lips curved into a smile.
“The Khan of Kaluata can only be female, chieftain.”
The moment Rozerin finished speaking, silence engulfed the gathering.
The man standing across from Rozerin, who had been staring at her intently, snapped his fingers.
At that instant, the figures standing behind the man vanished from sight.
“What are you—!”
The Kaluata tribe members blocked the view of everyone except Rozerin.
“What’s happening here?”
At the cold voice, Rozerin startled and turned her head.
Arma was watching the man with a stern expression unlike his usual demeanor.
Or rather, it was more accurate to say he was watching the beautiful woman who appeared to be a dancer standing behind the man.
“It looks like one person leaving will be sufficient.”
The man’s lips moved.
“What?! Hey, who do you think you are?! Do you know who I am?! I am of the Dianitas Empire—!!”
Yuldian was dragged away and expelled.
The man rose, and the alluring woman who had appeared to be a dancer settled herself at an angle on the empty seat, propping her elbow on the table and resting her chin in her palm.
“So, you bold little thing. How did you figure it out?”
The vivid woman with her red hair tied back in a ponytail asked with a smile.

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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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