096. The Engagement (3)

Thanks to those words, the banquet hall descended into chaos.

Some screamed, while others trembled in fear.

In an era of peace without war, black magic was fear incarnate.

“Please proceed with the engagement ceremony quickly.”

Amid the confusion, Bella raised her voice.

“Duke Verdun, hurry!”

At her urging, Owen looked at Bella with suspicion before standing up.

He pulled Lucia into his arms and headed straight for the head table.

“Skip the formalities. Just exchange rings and make the vows,” he instructed Logan, who nodded quickly and began the ceremony.

“Ah, so the maid wasn’t that important to you? Well, I suppose Duke Owen Verdun is far more valuable than a maid.”

Edward, who had taken on Marie’s form, muttered darkly as the hurried proceedings unfolded.

Then, he picked up a knife from the table.

“Perhaps this will change things.”

Gripping the meat knife, he slashed Marie’s wrist shallowly, causing blood to flow.

“That bastard,” Kyle cursed, his blue magic surging.

The vivid blue magic materialized into ropes, binding Marie’s wrists.

“I warned you to leave quietly,” he said.

The turbulent magic radiated fiercely, revealing the wrath of a transcendent being.

“Shall I force you out? Do you wish for your sanity to shatter that badly?”

Kyle refrained from expelling Edward for one reason only: severing the marionette connection by force would harm not only Edward but also Marie’s mind.

“Do you think you can manage that?” Edward sneered, as if aware of the situation, a sinister smile curling on his lips.

“This maid’s mind will crumble far more easily than mine. She’s not even trained in black magic.”

“I am here.”

At his taunting laugh, Bella stepped forward.

“You should know that I can heal any wounds caused by external forces.”

“…Your Grace,” Edward’s eyes narrowed at Bella’s warning.

It was a daring challenge, considering their shared alliance.

Of course, that alliance was—

“I cannot stand by and let someone die.”

—Bella’s promise and bargain, not hers.

“Though I can’t speak for her,” she murmured softly, her words barely audible to those nearby.

Only two people—Owen and Kyle—grasped the full meaning.

And that was enough.

“You truly are a Saint. A real one,” Kyle muttered under his breath, visibly relieved as he bound Marie’s ankles as well.

“If things worsen, I will sever the connection for real. Please ensure the safety of this maid.”

“Of course,” Bella nodded firmly, her resolute expression showing her sincerity.

“So it was Bella,” Owen murmured quietly, urging Logan to proceed.

Logan signaled a servant to bring the rings.

The servant returned with a box containing the engagement rings.

When the blue velvet box was opened, a pair of rings adorned with small black pearls were revealed.

Owen picked up the smaller ring and slid it onto Lucia’s left ring finger.

Lucia did the same, placing the remaining ring on Owen’s left ring finger.

Despite Edward’s yelling and commotion from behind Marie’s form, the engagement ceremony continued.

“Do you swear to each other as your one and only?”

“I swear.”

“I swear.”

“By this declaration, I announce the engagement of Duke Verdun and Lady Edelte.”

With the vows completed, the signing of the engagement documents followed.

The magically sealed documents were impervious to tampering.

“Consider it an honor.”

As the ceremony concluded, Owen turned, walking steadily until he stood before Marie.

“To have witnessed Lucia’s engagement personally is your final privilege. Now, all that awaits you is ruin.”

His dark gaze bore into Edward with terrifying intensity.

It wasn’t just Owen. Kyle, restraining Edward, Bella, briefly regaining her body, and even Lucia’s furious family all glared at him with murderous eyes.

“Edward.”

And finally, Lucia spoke.

“If I recall correctly, I warned you before. If you dared to harm my people, you better have a reason.”

She smiled, more dazzling than ever, but laced with unmistakable venom.

“You’ll pay. The price for hurting my people and threatening me will be anything but light.”

“…I have nothing left,” Edward declared defiantly, his voice dripping with malice, even under the weight of so many warnings.

“Since I’ve lost everything, I don’t care what I do.”

“You will regret this.”

“Regret is a feeling that comes too late. I’ll do what I must.”

Edward, laughing maniacally as if broken, brought his bound hands toward Marie’s neck.

“Lucia. I’ll leave you with an eternal scar, so you’ll never forget me.”

He tightened his grip around Marie’s throat, as if intending to strangle her.

Kyle gritted his teeth and channeled his magic into Marie’s body.

“You insane bastard.”

With a curse, Kyle forcibly severed the marionette connection.

The moment the link broke, Marie’s body collapsed, limp.

Kyle unraveled the magic binding her and gently lifted her into his arms, carrying her toward ‘Bella.’

‘Bella’ adeptly summoned divine power, directing it into Marie’s body.

The aftermath of the black magic was severe, and ‘Bella’ had to expend a significant amount of her divine energy.

Only after a long while did she withdraw her power, signaling the end of the process. Even then, Marie remained unconscious.

“She’ll need some time to recover, but she’ll wake up completely fine. Don’t worry,” ‘Bella’ said calmly, standing up.

Kyle passed Marie to a nearby knight, deliberately choosing a female knight for caution’s sake.

The knight carried Marie out, likely to a resting area. It seemed they planned to return her to Lucia once everything was resolved.

“The evidence is irrefutable now,” Duke Edelte remarked as the situation settled.

“With so many witnesses here.”

The banquet hall had been filled with dozens of nobles, including Crown Prince Richard.

“With such a large-scale incident, the evidence against Marquis Celid’s heir is undeniable,” the duke continued.

Owen nodded. “At the very least, he’ll lose his noble status. Black magic is a grave crime.”

“That won’t be enough,” Lucia interjected.

“It would be better to banish him from the empire entirely.”

Owen agreed with her. Someone who had committed such an atrocity shouldn’t be allowed to step foot on their land again. Only that would prevent future incidents.

“We could also ensure he never uses black magic again,” Kyle suggested.

“It would involve damaging his body’s structure to make it incapable of channeling magic.”

Though black magic and conventional magic differed in nature, both relied on magical energy. If his body could no longer accept mana, he’d be unable to use any magic.

“Though it would render him impervious to magic as well, it’s far safer this way.”

Everyone nodded in agreement. The path forward seemed clear.

One by one, the nobles left the hall, eager to escape the lingering fear of black magic.

With Crown Prince Richard handling the formal report, the rest only needed to prepare the documents.

As the hall emptied, the Edelte family, Kyle, and even ‘Bella’ departed.

Lucia, the last to remain, eventually had to leave as well. Owen watched until Marie and Lucia were safely escorted out before returning to the banquet hall.

Standing alone, Owen let his gaze wander across the once opulent, now barren room.

As the staff cleaned away the remnants of the evening, he reflected on the events of the day.

And then, a thought struck him.

“Bella returned today. How?”

The Bella he encountered earlier had been the Bella from the original story.

The body’s occupant was determined by the stronger will and desire, and it had always been Bella.

Her obsession and ambition toward Owen were overwhelming.

“…Could it be that she returned to save someone?”

Owen’s musings led him to the answer.

If Bella had known about today’s incident, and if she had heard of it while ‘Bella’ was still active, she would have burned with the determination to save a life.

Because that’s the kind of person she was.

Though Owen felt no personal affection for ‘Bella,’ he couldn’t deny her goodness.

‘Bella was a good person.’

“Your Grace.”

A servant entered the now-empty hall, handing him a note.

“This was left for you.”

“Who sent it?”

“The Saintess,” the servant replied briefly before leaving.

Owen opened the note, curiosity tugging at him. The handwriting was neat but unfamiliar, clearly not Bella’s.

[Your Grace, Duke Verdun,

I must apologize for reaching out like this.

Though I’ve regained control of my body temporarily, it isn’t a complete recovery. That’s why I need your help.

The one occupying my body believes she can still meet the original owner of your body and thinks she can claim you through this incident.

If you make your intentions clear, it might make her give up. She’s always longed to meet the original owner of your body.

Please, grant her this meeting just once. Once she realizes things won’t go as she wishes, she’ll have no choice but to abandon her plans.

That’s all I ask.]

Owen folded the letter, his thoughts growing heavier.

Though he didn’t fully understand the request, one thing was clear: he needed to act decisively. Bella, or perhaps ‘Bella,’ was counting on him to put an end to this dangerous game.

 

 

 

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