I Think I’m a Horror Game Villain - Chapter 137

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Chapter 137

Rose had been chasing Tommy relentlessly when a blinding light suddenly engulfed her.

“Eek!”

She squeezed her eyes shut, and when she opened them again, she found herself in a completely different world.

“Where…?”

The crisp air was thick with the scent of salt. A large ship dominated the harbor, bustling with noise as people scurried, carrying cargo and boarding vessels.

“I’ve been here before.”

The Liverton county, Rose’s family estate, was primarily involved in trade. Her father, Ian Liverton, had often brought her to this very harbor, regaling her with tales of the family business she was expected to inherit one day. Of course, every time he did…

“Ugh, this place! It’s filthy and smells awful!”

She’d whine, desperate to escape the grime and stench, the metallic tang of the sea clinging to the air. Back then, she hadn’t grasped the importance of carrying on the family legacy.

Rose Liverton was the much-longed-for, late-in-life child of the Count and Countess of Liverton. In a society where women married and had children by twenty, the Count and Countess had welcomed Rose into their lives at the ripe age of forty. They cherished their hard-won daughter, showering her with affection and indulging her every whim. If Rose wanted something, she only had to ask. If she didn’t want to do something, she only had to throw a tantrum. Consequently, even as she reached adulthood, her education in the family business remained woefully incomplete.

Initially, her father had tried coaxing and cajoling her into joining him at the harbor. However, Rose’s staunch refusal eventually forced him to give up.

“Alright, Rose. I can’t force my princess if she doesn’t want to learn. I’ll wait until you’re ready.”

Who could have predicted that his waiting would stretch on, even now, with Rose fully grown?

“But what can I do? I hate it here.” Rose wrinkled her nose at the sight of the laborers shouting and hauling cargo. “They’re all so utterly uncouth.”

Rose took immense pride in her name, Liverton. Liverton, the empire’s foremost trading house. Priceless jewels coveted by the wealthiest, indispensable medicinal herbs, luxurious fabrics at the height of fashion—all passed through the hands of the Liverton family. It was no exaggeration to say the livelihoods of every merchant in the empire rested within their grasp. Because of this, no one dared to disrespect her. Even members of marquis and ducal families treated her with deference. Her life was one of constant adulation, of looking down on others. The thought of mingling with common merchants in such a place was utterly abhorrent to her.

“I’m Rose Liverton. I don’t belong with these…lowly people.”

Nobles are noble by birth. Commoners and nobles are different. Commoners are crude and uncultured. Surrounded by friends who echoed these sentiments, Rose had cultivated a distorted worldview.

“But isn’t this Tommy’s dream?” Rose scanned her surroundings. No matter how she looked at it, this was the same trading port she had visited with her father.

“Tommy said he was a commoner… which means…” Could Tommy be the son of a merchant?

Before she could ponder further, a booming shout ripped through the air.

“Where do you think you’re putting your filthy hands?! Get out of here!”

The roar made her ears ring, and Rose clapped her hands over them. But the torrent of vulgar insults continued unabated.

“Even a stray dog knows its place. You’re nothing but a leech, trying to climb where you don’t belong.”

Raucous laughter followed the cruel words.

“What’s going on?” Curious, Rose moved towards the commotion.

“Wait… is that… Tommy?”

A group of men, adorned in fine clothes and jewelry, stood over a blue-haired man. He knelt at their feet, head bowed like a criminal.

“No. He looks a lot like him, but it’s not Tommy.”

The spiky hair, the thick eyebrows—the face was undeniably Tommy’s. But this man appeared older than the Tommy she knew. Though not particularly perceptive, Rose knew instantly. This man was family.

“He’s too old to be a brother. Could he be his father?”

As Rose considered the connection between the man and Tommy, the insults continued.

“Who knows what kind of swindler you are? Why should I trust you with my goods?”

“Just because we’re in the same business doesn’t mean we’re all lowlifes like you.”

“Why don’t you go back to farming where you belong?”

The men surrounding the blue-haired man sneered and mocked him. Yet, he showed no sign of offense. Instead…

“I apologize if I’ve been disrespectful. As you can see, I’m just a lowly, uneducated man. I’m grateful for any guidance you can offer.” He bowed his head subserviently, a disarming smile on his face.

The power dynamic was stark.

A piggish man, dripping with gold necklaces, bracelets, and rings, let out a guttural laugh.