“Episode 29”
“…That’s inevitable. No matter how hard I worked on the defense barrier. How could I have known the heroine would appear so early? Of all times—.”
“First, we must pull that woman out.”
Upon hearing Reith’s report, Evan clicked his tongue in annoyance. He was angered by the appearance of the mysterious intruder in the emblematic Emerald Lake. Moreover, his wife’s nerves were also on edge. Tapping anxiously on Yuliana’s trembling arm, Evan said irritably to the soldiers,
“The dispelling of defensive magic isn’t something nearby mages would typically handle. Attack and defense magic are usually dealt with by those who specialize in daily magic. If possible, we should call upon palace mages for assistance, but it’s not ideal to have such things floating around our family’s lake.”
Knowing what Evan was likely to do, Yuliana said urgently,
“Let’s just leave it to the palace mages to investigate. There’s no need for you to exert yourself…”
“Yuliana. Although I’m not skilled in many types of magic, I’m proficient in this kind. If you want to rest comfortably back at the mansion, it’s better to pull that woman out and lock her in the underground prison. You seem anxious…”
“…No, it’s nothing.”
Yuliana shook her head. Blushing at Evan’s words, which seemed to imply that she was anxious because she was tempted or had confessed something, she thought, ‘But my feelings are genuine.’ So, Evan couldn’t let her near the protagonist woman. He never wanted to meet her if possible. The desire to possess her boiled painfully in his heart. Yuliana had never fully cherished anything she had. She always let things slip through her fingers. It prevented her from getting hurt. But this time, Evan’s feelings were different. Once he had it in his hands, he had to protect it, whether he got hurt or not. Holding Yuliana’s desperate arm, which somehow made a vulnerable part of his heart feel fulfilled, Evan calmly said,
“Don’t worry. It’s nothing. In battle, I’ve had to break through tougher defenses.”
“Are you saying that to ease my guilt? Because I told you to go there?”
Yuliana laughed awkwardly. Evan denied with a gentle kiss on her cheek, which made a soft sound.
“No. You know I do foolish things to catch your eye in any way I can. I went there because I was confident I wouldn’t die.”
“Even if you tell me to go now, I won’t. Even if I disgrace you in that way—.”
“I won’t ask you to.”
Evan said affectionately. Then, before Yuliana could grab him, he quickly walked forward. Without bothering to take off his pants, he plunged into the water near the lake. The water, tinged with a light shade of emerald like a jewel, splashed as Evan moved, creating ripples.
“Evan!”
Yuliana hurriedly approached, but her body trembled. She had expended too much magical power, so she couldn’t even dispel the magic she had cast. When she tried to get closer, Reith and Anna held her back.
“Milady!”
“It’s dangerous!”
Eventually, with their support, Yuliana stepped back. However, her persistent gaze followed her husband’s back through the gaps in the light.
Anxious.
Don’t meet her. She’s your heroine. Don’t even look. I’m here.
I… am here…
—Crack!
When Evan’s palm touched, a huge wave of power surged around him.
It was truly remarkable. Yuliana’s meticulously crafted defensive magic was shattering into pieces under his powerful magic. The round barrier surrounding the lake cracked and, with a crashing sound and a roar, it shattered.
“Evan!”
The soldiers retreated in awe. The surrounding trees swayed heavily from the shockwaves of magic.
Even in that tumultuous moment, Yuliana watched with wide-open eyes as the woman, who had been bound tightly in the defense barrier, fell into the water with a splash. And Evan approached her, reaching out his hand.
To his heroine…
Strange things happened in the peaceful duchy. A stranger appeared at Emerald Lake. The soldiers guarding the duchy had to undergo rigorous training and intense interrogation from dawn that day.
Of course, no one knew why the stranger had appeared at the lake. She seemed to have appeared out of nowhere, as if falling from the sky or rising from the ground. Moreover, her presence couldn’t be concealed due to the white light that appeared when she materialized.
As predicted by the butler, Reith, soon journalists from the palace, who were keen on sniffing out stories, began to appear around the duchy.
These palace journalists, known for their stiff image, didn’t always write boring articles. Instead, they poured out articles full of interest about the mysterious woman from the Hwanggu Palace who appeared in the Heilchen family. And in this situation, Evan Heilchen, the owner of the duchy and the head of the palace knights, looked upon it with displeasure.
“If journalists come again, splash water on them or something to drive them away.”
“No! Next time, sprinkle salt on them!”
Anna interjected ominously.
Even the youngest maid, who was diligently cleaning the floor, dared to interrupt the duke’s words. Rayat, who was flustered by the situation and didn’t know what to do, said with a dismal expression,
“I apologize, Your Grace. Such incidents occur when you and the duchess are absent… If only that woman could regain consciousness, we could investigate, but she’s still unconscious, so…”.
“Is an investigation really necessary?”
Evan said indifferently.
Rayat couldn’t hide his confusion at the duke’s response and answered,
“Your Grace is the head of the Hwanggu Knights and a pillar of the empire. The woman might be planted here by the Ayhart tribe to attempt assassination.”
“Would those attempting assassination boldly make an assassin float on the lake? Strange. The Ayhart tribe may be foolish, but they’re not that foolish.”
“Nevertheless, an investigation is necessary.”
Rayat insisted.
Evan raised his head from reading the newspapers, which were flooded with sensational articles about the Heilchen family.
Then, he showed a page of the newspaper to his loyal butler.
“Only you take this matter seriously, Rayat. Look at this article. ‘The Mysterious Woman of the Heilchen Duchy,’ ‘She of Emerald Lake.’ It’s practically like a romance novel. I didn’t know palace journalists were so good at writing fiction.”
“We should proceed with a lawsuit in the tribunal immediately. For such a serious matter—.”
“They’re just representing the imperial views. Hmm, those who don’t see this matter seriously and just want to handle it as entertainment must be Her Majesty’s favorites.”
“Hmph. Would Her Majesty allow such a thing… Ridiculing the noble Heilchen family would benefit the empire in what way!”
Rayat said angrily without looking around.
Evan, who was looking at him, put the newspaper down on the table casually. He took off the glasses he only wore when reading newspapers or documents.
“I’m glad it’s just the two of us here, Rayat. Oh, there’s that diligent youngest maid too, right? Well, she seems uninterested anyway… Anyway, to put it bluntly, Lucien Buhl Ariaque is in quite a predicament.”
As Evan spoke, wiping his somewhat tired face, Rayat sighed and said,
“The Ayhart tribe, which threatened the empire’s borders, has been defeated, and the market has stabilized. Trade caravans can pass through the northern route safely, and the empire is overflowing with gratitude to the noble families…”.
“That’s right. Lucien is highly esteemed for that. ―Do you know why, Rayat?”
“Yes?”
“The current emperor’s magic and memories have been deteriorating since the ancestors. If he was in that deteriorated state, he would naturally have been trying to transfer his magic to one of the countless children he had. That’s the only way ‘succession to the throne’ would go smoothly. Some of the children might have died insane, or many members of the imperial family might have died from power surges.”
Evan groped for memories as he spoke.
“So, if it was the usual imperial family. However, Lucien Buhl Ariaque has no children now. Why do you think that is?”
“……”
Rayat pursed his lips, refraining from voicing the common thought.
The ‘Sun’ of the empire.
In other words, it was common for imperial children to die like experimental rats in order for the emperor to ascend the throne.
But it couldn’t be helped. The people of the empire were descendants of the nomadic people from beyond the continent, and if they weren’t the strongest, they wouldn’t have served as idols.
An emperor like the Sun, eternally immortal.
It was truly bewildering that the emperor, who held everyone’s lives in his hands with his powerful magic, was, in fact, the only surviving child among the imperial children who had died like experimental rats.
As Rayat contemplated, Evan spoke firmly,
“Don’t worry, Rayat. There’s only one reason why Lucien couldn’t have a child. Love.”
As the duke finished speaking, he gestured to the youngest maid, who was staring at them with her mouth agape.
“Anna.”
“Yes, yes?!”
The duke spoke affectionately to the girl who was sulking, but to Anna, he just seemed like a devilishly handsome man who looked dangerous.
“Well, you accidentally heard a secret conversation.”
“I-I won’t say anything! Your Grace! I’ll bury it deep in the Heilchen family!”
“You might have to, even if you don’t want to.”
“W-what?!”
Anna whimpered. With tearful eyes, the youngest maid who was sulking sadly received the duke’s words.
“Anyway, I don’t know what’s going on with the matter.”
“T-the matter?”
“Report to me.”
“!”
Anna rolled her eyes, thinking.
‘Ah, there was nothing happening, though? W-what could I report to the Duke…’
Watching the gloomy maid, Evan finally flicked his finger.
Tap!
“Wha-what?!”
Then, Anna, holding the mop, floated in the air.
Even though she hadn’t taken a breath, Anna was about to scream like a chicken flying through the air. From her apron pocket, the ‘bribe’ she received from the Duke before floated out.
It twirled and twirled before obediently settling into the Duke’s hand. Anna gracefully descended to the ground, still holding the mop.
“……Wh-what?”
Tunk!
The black pebble-shaped object suddenly brightened in the Duke’s hand and began to illuminate the walls of the study.
And in that light, the Duchess and Anna were visible. Anna, who was startled, froze in place.
In the light, the Duchess, who had awakened from her sickbed at some point, was seen walking around Emerald Lake with her. It was just an ordinary day.
“Why…?”
Anna tilted her head in wonder. It was a strange magical tool. But why could she see it?
The Duke stared intently at it, then eventually handed the stopped magical tool back to Anna.
“It shows the concerns of the person being monitored by the caster.”
“…This was for monitoring?”
“It looks ordinary, so it would be good to slip it to the enemy. Of course, I didn’t expect it to be used on Yuliana. Anyway, why was she worried about Emerald Lake?”
Ignoring Anna’s unease, Evan asked casually.
But even Anna couldn’t understand. The Duchess was unusually quiet that day, but her complexion wasn’t bad.
She even wore a parasol and walked for a long time because the sun started to shine. Thinking back, maybe she was looking at the lake’s area…
But the Duchess wasn’t a surveyor. Anna shook her head helplessly. She was too inadequate as a monitor.
“I, I don’t really know.”
“Hmm.”
Evan maintained silence as if he didn’t expect an answer in the first place. Tick-tock… Only the sound of the clock pendulum filled the study.
Before the heavier silence and clock pendulum subsided, he spoke.
“If anything dangerous happens when you’re accompanying your mistress, just hold it in and call me. Then, you’ll be able to go anywhere.”
“Will, will anything dangerous happen?”
“There shouldn’t be. But…”.
Evan frowned.
Then he put on the glasses he had taken off due to tired eyes. He sighed heavily, running his hand through the black hair that had fallen to his eyes.
“Is Yuliana awake?”
“Yes, yes! I’ll go check!”
Anna had only summoned her to the study under the pretext of cleaning. She hastily left the study to see if the Duchess had awakened.
Watching her leave, Rayat, who had been silent, spoke to his troubled master.
“Duke…”.
“Strange things have been happening lately. My wife demanded a divorce as soon as I returned, then later she begged me to participate in the fencing tournament to save me. She said she doesn’t want me to get hurt. After that, she said she loves me very much and is worried sick… Yuliana’s love for me is genuine. There’s no doubt about that. I know because I love Yuliana like that.”
Evan murmured without expecting an answer.
There was definitely something missing. Suddenly, fearing and wavering, she crumpled up like a prisoner captured on the battlefield.
What could be the root of her profound fear? Evan felt tortured, as if he were the interrogator torturing her. Why did she seem happy when captured? His wife couldn’t grasp the standards and just wandered around lonely.
In the end, unable to bear it any longer, he got up before Anna came and hurriedly left the study.
“Your Grace!”
As he walked away, Rayat hurriedly followed and said,
“What should we do about that woman? If she doesn’t wake up—.”
“Kill her.”
“…What?”
“Kill her whether she wakes up or not. ―Ah, no. As the butler said, it would be good to investigate once she wakes up. After all, she’s the woman who appeared in the Heilchen Duchy. It would be good to know her intentions. Well, even if we don’t, it wouldn’t be bad to slit her throat under the pretext of being Ayhart’s accomplice.”
Evan said lazily.
And then, leaving Rayat unable to catch up, he quickly left the study.
