The Baby Fairy Is A Villain [EN]: Chapter 169

The Sun Emperor’s birthday banquet for the Palen Empire was fast approaching, with congratulatory delegations gathering from various countries across the continent.

Meanwhile, the Holy Empire, recently plagued by a series of unfortunate incidents, had yet to decide whether to attend, even with the banquet just around the corner.

Given that it was the Palen Emperor’s birthday celebration, the Holy King’s presence would normally have been expected as a matter of course.

Neither the Archbishop nor the Cardinals were considered sufficient to properly honor the Sun Emperor.

However, the Holy Empire and the Holy King’s reputation had plummeted.

The Holy King, who had always been revered, couldn’t bear the thought of further disgrace.

Fearing the scorn he would face at the banquet, he finally decided to attend at the last moment.

Before the news of the Holy Empire’s Holy King, Sianor Hilderhd’s, attendance at the birthday banquet was officially conveyed to the Palen Empire, Duke Evroyel, Serea, was already reading intelligence about it.

“So, he’s finally expressed his intention to attend,” she murmured.

The flickering lamplight cast dancing shadows across her face.

Serea narrowed her eyes.

With the Holy King deciding to attend, the Inquisitors would also be on the move.

*Although*, Kieren, having been stripped of his holy orders after declaring treason, was no longer an Inquisitor.

Thinking of the blue-eyed Holy Knight, Serea conjured magic in her hand and burned the paper she was holding.

After carefully clearing away the scattering ashes, she took out an urgent document from the pile of papers stacked beside her.

Amidst the current chaotic situation, Serea was doing everything she could.

Most of her efforts were spent trying to curb the rampaging Kieren.

Having seized control of Palen’s political circles, Kieren was acting as he pleased.

He was causing trouble almost daily, making Serea’s life miserable.

“That damn disciple of mine,” Serea cursed under her breath when he wasn’t around.

She paused while scribbling her signature on the document with a quill, and clicked her tongue.

“Tch.”

She groped around on her desk and grabbed a handful of sage leaves from a bowl.

Munching on the fragrant leaves, she muttered, “Still, it’s thanks to that guy that I became human again…”

Serea recalled the past, still vivid in her memory.

***

It was a love that blossomed on the battlefield.

She was convinced that this person was her soulmate, but the difference in status between him and Serea was vast.

A foreign mercenary of slave origin.

It was impossible for him to marry the noble Duchess Evroyel, who had Palen imperial blood.

So, Serea declared that she would never marry and remained in a relationship with him as lovers for a long time.

She thought she would be happy if she could live like this forever.

However, the sweet moment did not last.

Serea’s lover suddenly met his death.

To fill the empty sense of loss, Serea lived in a haze of alcohol.

Even though she said she didn’t care if she died, she didn’t have the courage to actually do it.

Hating herself for being a coward, she sought out alcohol even more.

Then she committed an act she shouldn’t have.

She started gambling.

Originally, Serea only played light card games with small bets at parties, but at some point, she became obsessed with gambling.

So-called ‘hustlers’ who had approached her with the aim of taking over the Evroyel ducal family’s wealth lured Serea into the gambling scene.

But Serea didn’t realize it was a trap, and she was led by their coaxing to the back-street gambling dens, where she spent her nights.

When she was drunk and gambling, she could forget her dead lover.

She thought it wasn’t so bad to live like this.

That’s when Kieren came.

“Ugh!”

With a bang, the gambling den door burst open, as if it would break.

Kieren, who entered gracefully through the cloud of dust, didn’t say a word.

He stared at Serea for a long time, then smiled and sat down next to her.

“You’re having fun without me. Let me join you.”

And he spent the night gambling with Serea.

Serea, who thought she would be scolded, was surprised but also excited to roll the dice.

That day, Serea lost the most.

She lost so much money that she was terrified.

So, she stayed away from the gambling den for a while.

But her patience didn’t last long.

Before long, Serea crawled back into the back-street gambling den and began to hold cards and roll dice.

Kieren asked Serea, who was gambling all night with dark circles under her eyes, only one thing.

“Are you going to keep doing this?”

“I don’t have any fun in my old age. You understand, Kieren,” she answered roughly, as if annoyed, and focused on the game.

Kieren replied briefly, “I see,” and left Serea alone.

From then on, Serea suddenly suffered a series of losses, and her gambling debts rapidly increased like a rolling snowball.

When she finally came to her senses, the historic Evroyel ducal residence had already been mortgaged to the back-street gambling den.

Serea was trembling, about to go bankrupt, when Kieren came to her and asked, “Shall I lend you money?”

Serea, of course, couldn’t refuse, and she borrowed a large sum from Kieren and repaid it to the gambling den.

The condition for lending the money was simple.

[Serea Fron Evroyel hereby swears to Kieren Vasilian as follows:

1. Will not gamble.

2. Will repay only the principal without interest, within 3 years.

If violated, the price will be paid as required by Kieren Vasilian.]

Even when she stamped the loan certificate with magic, specifying the conditions, she was just grateful to Kieren.

She decided to come to her senses and live properly from now on, but she secretly started to hang around the gambling den again.

Then Kieren’s debt collection began.

“Pay me back, Master,” Kieren, who came with a bright smile, drove her hard without any consideration.

It was basic that he followed her everywhere and made a mess, eventually causing all the gambling dens to refuse Serea’s entry.

Every time she tried to go out for a drink without paying back the money, or tried to do something else foolish, he would come and harass Serea without fail.

He even came to the ducal residence at night with a magic sword and showed her a sword dance.

That day, all those who were secretly gambling with Serea had their wrists cut off.

They were the ones who had first lured Serea into the gambling scene.

Seeing the fountains of blood, Serea began to pay off her debts desperately.

She repaid the money she had earned by wandering around the battlefields.

As she lived on the battlefield again, she naturally distanced herself from gambling and alcohol.

The sadness over her dead lover also faded naturally.

Later, after she had paid off all her debts, she found out that Kieren was the master of the underworld and that the gambling den was also his property, she was so angry that she trembled.

She had borrowed money from Kieren and repaid it to him again.

“You son of a bitch!” She grabbed the back of her neck in betrayal and shouted, but it was no use.

Kieren just smiled slyly and asked back, “But if I hadn’t done that, wouldn’t Master have continued to gamble?”

“…….”

That was true.

Even Kieren returned all the money Serea had paid off in the meantime, with a smile that turned her stomach.

“If you want to gamble again, please tell me anytime.”

“…If I gamble again, I’m your dog, a dog.”

Anyway, if it hadn’t been for Kieren, Serea, the Evroyel ducal family, would have gone bankrupt.

The ducal residence with a long history would have been dismantled and sold piece by piece, from furniture to paintings.

***

Serea, who was reminiscing about the past, muttered briefly, “You sly bastard.”

She was grateful for his help, but he was a very sly bastard.

But still…….

It was truly reassuring to have someone who would give unconditional support and help, no matter what difficulties she faced.

In fact, all those so-called ‘friends’ had turned away from Serea at that time.

“I have to help my disciple too.”

It was when she shook her head, pushing her memories to the back of her mind along with her mutterings, that golden magic appeared in the office.

Serea got up from her seat with a delighted expression.

“Isuel!”

“Master.”

The boy’s bright smile was just like his father’s.

Serea blinked as she looked at the beaming Isuel.

“…You seem to be in a good mood?” She hadn’t seen him smile since her adopted youngest brother went missing.

When she asked in disbelief, Isuel smiled even more brightly and said, “I’m going to give Father a taste of his own medicine. Please help me.”