Chapter 196
“Uh, Mom, I…”
…How did I end up at the Marquis’ residence?
I couldn’t bring myself to finish the sentence.
I just wanted to share the good news and see Lucio’s face in person.
The terrifying events that had unfolded in an instant when Lucio suddenly rushed towards me flashed before my eyes.
Without realizing it, I squeezed my eyes shut, and a soft voice was heard.
“You’ve grown up, my daughter.”
Feeling a twinge of guilt, I opened my eyes, and even in the dim light, I could vaguely see my mom smiling.
‘It must be Lucio who brought me to the Marquis’ residence!’
I wanted to believe he must have handled things well, but considering how sensitive my family is about such matters, there’s no way they didn’t notice something between us.
‘Though they might not know exactly what happened…’
The thought that they might soon start asking me pressing questions made me tense up.
Unexpectedly, my mom stood up and spoke.
“Go back to sleep. We’ll talk when the day breaks. I have… a lot to say to you. But, I think it’s better to wait until tomorrow.”
A lot to say?
‘Is it about Lucio?’
My heart raced like I had been caught doing something wrong.
Then, as my mom turned towards the door, her face was illuminated by the moonlight.
“Mom?!”
I was startled when I saw her pale cheeks and bloodshot eyes, and the moment I called out to her, the incident with Clara flashed through my mind.
“Did the Countess come to visit?”
Since Clara had caused trouble, she must have been up to no good at the Marquis’ residence as well.
Was I right? My mom hesitated.
“…Let’s talk tomorrow.”
Her voice sounded so tired that I could only nod in response.
When the door closed, I let out a sigh.
I immediately curled up on the bed.
“Ugh.”
Actually, I had pretended to be fine in front of my mom, but since I woke up, I hadn’t been feeling well.
The magical energy and demonic force that had been forcibly suppressed in the palace were now raging inside me.
‘I expected some pain, but…’
I never imagined it would be this agonizing, like my heart was being burned alive even after I fainted.
‘If Raizel knew, he’d probably have jumped up, saying there’s no such foolish person.’
Absorbing mana that wasn’t mine was generally impossible.
But since demons and I shared the same mana, I was the exception…
When I had planned to absorb all the mana from the demon artifact and destroy it, I was thankful for that fact for the first time.
Suddenly, a violent coughing fit struck, and a dark red clot of blood shot out of my mouth.
Then, a pain like my insides were being twisted surged through me.
‘It’s burning!’
My whole body felt like it had been dipped in boiling lava.
At the same time, negative emotions like anger, resentment, and sorrow flooded me.
It seemed to be the result of years of accumulated demonic force.
As my emotions wavered, my control over the mana slipped.
Feeling the impending danger of losing control, I quickly summoned the glass dome I had left on the desk.
As I brought the snowflake closer, the mana seemed to calm down, and the unbearable pain that felt like a branding iron on my chest also eased slightly.
But I feared that if I fell asleep like this, I’d have another nightmare, so I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to focus on something else.
Fortunately, it wasn’t that difficult. The face I had seen just before I fainted came to mind.
‘…Lucio, he must’ve been really shocked.’
I thought of my family, but Lucio must’ve been truly stunned to see me faint right in front of him.
But just as I was briefly concerned about him, the embarrassment of fainting in the middle of our first kiss made me slap the blanket.
‘Why did it have to happen when I was in such bad condition?!’
Of course, I understood that Lucio’s actions, overwhelmed by the joy of being freed from the demon artifact, weren’t difficult to comprehend.
Though it was a sudden kiss, it was as thrilling as tasting chocolate for the first time, and… above all, my heart was bursting with excitement at the unexpected confession of love.
But even so, my embarrassment didn’t fade.
‘I should’ve stopped before I lost consciousness.’
The moment I saw the transparent tear drops clinging to the corner of Lucio’s eyes, my heart throbbed painfully.
At the same time, I felt a strange sense of exhilaration, as if I were the only one who knew that the man who had always built cold, hard walls around him was actually hiding such a vulnerable side.
In a mix of complicated emotions, I could only do one thing.
Close my eyes.
Perhaps it was because the memory of the blissful moment that followed resurfaced.
The spot where Lucio’s lips had touched burned as if it had been branded.
The heat, which was clearly different from the agony that plagued me, caused me to shiver slightly, and I spent the night tossing and turning in pain. But I never regretted that day.
***
Meanwhile…
A man, leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed, slowly opened them.
Earlier that day, he had noticed that the artifact in the palace had suddenly lost its power and vanished.
There was only one person in the world who could do such a thing.
Despite thinking it was a foolish act as usual, he secretly felt anticipation.
How much pain and torment would she experience today?
But, contrary to his expectations, he didn’t feel any cracks in her soul.
Why was that? It should’ve been painful.
It was an item given to humans long before the founding of the empire.
Its ownership had changed countless times, more blood had been spilled over it than one could count, and it was steeped in indescribable resentment. Surely, it harbored a level of demonic energy that no human could withstand.
“But even now…”
That meant her soul now had the strength to endure it.
Or… perhaps she had grown even stronger while she was away from my side.
As the man, wearing a strange expression, lightly tapped the table, a knock sounded at the door.
With permission granted, Rophie, an executive of the guild, entered and bowed.
“Master, she has arrived.”
And before the words had even fully left his mouth, a woman in a black robe stepped briskly into the room.
“Are you the one who sent me this?”
She barked at him while brandishing the invitation in her hand, but stopped short without realizing it herself.
Jet-black hair, crimson eyes resembling blood, and pale skin devoid of warmth.
The man before her had an otherworldly beauty, as though he wasn’t of this world, and exuded an inexplicable sense of pressure.
Just then, the man cast a brief indifferent glance at her and slowly rose, walking toward the head of the table.
In that moment, the invitation in the woman’s hand burst into flames and vanished.
“…A magician?”
“Sit.”
As the man nodded toward the seat across from him, the woman, stunned, snapped.
“How dare a mere guild dog speak so insolently!”
“If you have no intention of hiding your identity, take off that robe and speak properly. I don’t do business with uncivilized nobodies.”
Flinching at his blunt retort, the woman clenched her fists as though she might storm out at any second.
But soon enough, she roughly threw off her robe and sat down in the chair.
Her hair was a blazing red—the mark of royalty.
Serphin glared at the man before her, fuming.
A few days prior, after causing a drunken rampage until dawn, she had finally awoken in the early evening.
Grabbing her throbbing head from the hangover, she reached for water near her bedside table, only to feel something strange in her hand.
It was an invitation.
⟨Y-Your Highness, I swear, no one entered your chambers!⟩
⟨Ha! No one entered? Then how do you explain this?!⟩
It was maddening.
The maids of the princess’s palace were always careful not to incur her wrath, yet never dared to leave her unattended, out of fear they’d miss a summons. That day had been no different.
But armed with clear evidence, Serphin tortured the maids on duty until they were on the brink of death, and still the answer remained the same.
Her rage then turned toward the imperial knights responsible for the palace’s security.
How could a mysterious intruder have come and gone from the princess’s very chambers without anyone noticing?
The knights had failed in their duty and were forced to pay the price.
Serphin silenced everyone who knew of the shameful breach.
A bloody storm swept through the princess’s palace, and Serphin, believing her actions justified, showed no remorse. She did, however, correct one misconception.
The one who had entered her chambers and left the invitation had not been an unknown intruder.
Shockingly, the culprit had identified themselves: the information guild, Terencium.
Serphin had heard of them.
A continent-spanning information guild boasting unmatched intelligence-gathering skills and an unrivaled record of successful commissions.
Like the rumors that claimed they were everywhere and nowhere, no one knew where Terencium’s headquarters were located. From commoners’ idle gossip to nobles’ fatal secrets, they had it all.
Their operations were closed and mysterious, with different agents available depending on a request’s classified rank.
While the emperor of Raksten held dominion over the continent in name, many said Terencium truly controlled it behind the scenes—so naturally, Serphin, a princess of the empire, had no fondness for them.
Serphin asked sharply,
“So, why did you leave something like that in my chambers?”
Even asking the question wounded her pride.
She had thought the rumors were exaggerated, spread to inflate their worth.
But having breached the palace walls and left an invitation in her bedroom, she had no choice but to acknowledge their uncanny capabilities.
At the same time, she couldn’t help but wonder.
Why had they contacted her?
No—more precisely, she was curious about the contents of that invitation…
“To place in your hands exactly what you desire.”
The man answered dryly.
Yet the words hit her as if he had read her thoughts, and Serphin paused, eyeing him warily.
“Hah! You’re full of yourself. How could you possibly know what I want?”
She managed to spit out.
But then the man’s eerie red eyes narrowed.
His lips moved slowly.
“Whatever it may be.”
It was a short reply, but seductive—as if whispered by a devil.
سيد نقابة تيرينسيوم غامض اكثر من الحياة نفسها و شكرا على الترجمة💞🎀
هو كذلك ، و على الرحب صديقتى