The Baddest Villainess Is Back - Chapter 98

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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 98
The noblewoman who had been smiling froze, their faces hardening like cracked porcelain.
“Or perhaps I should also educate you about matters of etiquette…….”
Rozelin’s smile deepened.
As the noblewomen laughed—”Ha-ha, ho-ho”—bewilderment flickered across their faces, their usual camaraderie shattered.
“Or is it perhaps the basic courtesy of your social circle to waddle about reeking like filthy rags, running your mouths?”
Rozelin smiled beautifully, unfurled her Fan with a flourish, and spoke in a soft, almost lyrical murmur.
“I’m still young and haven’t spent much time in the social circle, so I’m hardly accustomed to its manner of speech. It seems that vulgar language—the sort fit for commoners—has come into fashion, and there’s much I don’t understand. I would appreciate it if you ladies would instruct me directly.”
She delivered the insult—calling their speech common beyond measure—with such a charming laugh that the noblewomen’s eyes grew sharp as blades.
“Ahem, we’re not sure what the lady imagines we’ve done.”
“We were merely having a conversation.”
“Yes, as you said, the lady hasn’t had much experience in social circles, so it seems you found this situation somewhat unfamiliar. We should have been more careful.”
“That’s right. If we’ve offended you in any way, we apologize.”
What sort of groveling performance was this?
Rozelin regarded them with an indifferent, weary expression, looking down upon them with arrogance before she spoke.
“They say beasts cannot be reasoned with through gentle words, and it appears they were right.”
Her roundabout way of calling them “beast-whelps”—a truly masterful display of social circle eloquence—made the noblewomen pause.
Of course, they had been invited as guests, so it wasn’t as though they were entirely without standing.
The Northern Region was impoverished in many respects, and the families existed in something closer to mutual dependence.
In particular, the Bellion Duchy sustained itself for more than two-thirds of the year through Food Trade with these very families.
Which meant that Bellion could no more cast them aside than they could cast off a limb.
‘After all, if we penalize one house, the others will band together against the duchy.’
The lady was certainly worthy of respect by virtue of her station, but these noble wives need not sit idly while accepting such insults.
The Countess of Riaku, having swiftly calculated the situation, stiffened her chin.
“Are you insulting us? If you understood what sort of relationship we have, this would not be a wise approach.”
“By that logic, then the lady partakes of food produced by beasts.”
“……Ah, I’m relieved you possess the wit to grasp that much.”
Rozelin laughed, having abandoned courtesy altogether in response to yet another thinly veiled threat.
“But lest there be any misunderstanding, I’ll speak plainly. If you’ve been invited to a banquet and mean to come here running your mouths, waggling your three-inch tongues and reeking of corruption, I’d prefer you leave. You may be accustomed to the stench, but I’ve been raised delicately, my senses are sharp, and my constitution is frail.”
Rozelin smiled radiantly, tapping the Countess’s chin lightly with the edge of her Fan.
“I was raised with refinement and haven’t the patience to endure the base prattling of those ignorant of basic courtesy.”
“W-What…… surely that’s too harsh, isn’t it?!”
“And yet I gave you a chance—to swallow your filthy, vulgar words and apologize.”
Rozelin’s smile vanished. She spoke with flat, glacial precision, and the others felt a chill run through them, their bodies stiffening.
“We’ve come all this way with such effort to ensure we survive this winter together. Is this how you receive your guests?!”
When one of the noblewomen raised her voice, Rozelin simply shrugged.
“What’s happening? My lady, why are you…….”
As the commotion grew, the Count hurried toward his wife.
“The lady called us corrupted, vulgar beasts! How can we be expected to continue our trade after this?!”
As the noise swelled, all eyes turned toward the scene.
Seeing them suddenly raise their voices—evidently to sway public opinion in their favor—Rozelin smiled widely.
“True enough.”
She snapped the Fan shut with a sharp crack.
“Rozelin, what are you doing there?”
“……Kaluta?”
“Heavens, those barbarians at the banquet…….”
Rozelin glanced at Batar, who had appeared beside her, then surveyed the bewildered faces of the invited guests.
“Exactly. I fail to see why we should trust those who plot backstabbing Grandfather while smiling to his face.”
Rozelin shot Batar a sidelong glance, then turned her head again, her smile returning with unhurried grace.
“……What are you saying, granddaughter?”
Devon and Cherti had entered the banquet hall.
“Grandfather, these people covet the mines and mean to blackmail us with food.”
At Rozelin’s words, the noblewomen’s eyes flew wide.
‘Of course, they hadn’t said so in so many words…….’
But by their manner, it was plain they’d been about to do exactly that, so Rozelin tattled on them without a shred of shame.
The atmosphere turned cold and heavy.
“What in the hells is all this nonsense?”
Devon Bellion fixed them with a piercing gaze.
Rumble.
A savage killing intent suffused the air, and an invisible oppressive weight descended upon the entire banquet hall, ponderous and threatening.
Throughout it all, Rozelin gracefully accepted a Champagne glass from a rigid servant’s tray and lifted it to her lips.
“My lady!”
The Count, struck by her pointed remark, cried out in alarm, turning sharply toward the Countess of Riaku.
The Countess went pale and shook her head.
“No, that’s a misunderstanding! I never said any such thing to the young lady! It was only…….”
The Countess opened her mouth to mention the conversation they’d just had, then realized it was something that absolutely could not be spoken aloud, and her jaw froze.
How in the world could she possibly reveal that she’d been speaking ill of her host’s son and granddaughter?
“Only? Why have you nothing more to say?”
Cherti Bellion, who had drifted to Rozelin’s side, asked with unconcealed displeasure.
“……Only that! We were simply discussing the matter because our opinions didn’t align!”
Rozelin drank in silence, lifting her glass to her lips.
“I’m afraid I don’t follow what you’re saying, but surely the young lady is simply mistaken.”
“Y-yes, that’s right. If there was any misunderstanding in what we said, I’m truly sorry. I do apologize.”
Rozelin furrowed her brow, then hurled the Champagne glass she’d been holding directly at the ladies’ feet.
Crash!
The glass shattered with a sharp sound just before the Countess’s feet.
“Kyaaah!”
The startled Countess’s eyes flew wide open.
The Count and the other nobles from various domains stared at Rozelin in shock.
“What’s wrong?”
Rozelin smiled brightly.
“Truth is, I don’t mind you insulting me. I mean, I’m moody—that much is fair, and I can be timid too.”
Where on earth?
Every person in the room looked at her with an expression that begged the question, but she kept her eyes fixed on the ladies.
“Right now, just thinking about how Father and Grandfather are going to scold me afterward—my heart’s racing so hard I can barely breathe.”
Rozelin spoke in a flat, expressionless voice.
There was not the slightest hint of tension in the way she described her anxiety.
The assembled company stared at her with their mouths agape at such brazen lies, but Rozelin paid them no mind.
“I do know the cheap way of speaking that people in the social circle use to bond—the sort that’s out of step with the times—so I understand, anyway.”
Rozelin tilted her head, and the arrogant smile gradually faded from the girl’s face.
“Since the enemy of my enemy is my ally, you’ve decided to set me as the common foe and enjoy yourselves amongst yourselves—well, I won’t stop you.”
She strode toward where the Countess stood.
“But tell me, madam—why do you presume to invoke my grandmother and mother, now that they’ve passed? Do you not know restraint?”
At Rozelin’s words, the faces of Cherti Bellion and Devon Bellion turned rigid.
“If you’ve stuffed your mouth with filthy rags, the least you could do when you’ve accepted someone’s invitation is rinse your mouth before you arrive. The stench carries from ten meters away—it’s truly dog-like.”
The Countess stood frozen, her eyes wide, her mouth agape at the storm of blunt words pouring from Rozelin.
In all their lives, they had never been spoken to so directly and harshly.

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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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