IDED | Chapter 102

Episode 102

— Sebastian is dead?

— Yes. It seems a spell was already cast on him before we captured him.

— Oh, my goodness…

Serena let out a shallow sigh as she recalled what Azaid had told her. With Sebastian’s sudden death, she had lost the one person she could question about the mysteries surrounding her.

There were so many things she wanted to ask. She suspected that in her previous life, Sebastian might have been the witness who revealed Yungsa’s crimes. Given his position, it seemed entirely possible.

But now, with his death, there was no one left to interrogate about the mana supplements or the perfume and their intended purposes.

The only piece of evidence they had—the perfume—had been tested, but the results showed no harmful substances. The case had fallen into a deadlock once again.

‘Surely, he wouldn’t have tried to kill me over some harmless perfume.’

Sebastian must have thought the item was important enough to go to great lengths to seize it. But Serena couldn’t even begin to guess what it could be.

Now that the one person who could have provided answers was gone, she had no choice but to uncover the truth herself. At that moment, Lucy spoke up.

“Well, you were appointed as Head of the Imperial physician to gain the authority to investigate this case, weren’t you?”

“That’s right. There might still be others among the imperial physician who are colluding with him.”

The “him” they referred to was Duke Greenwood. Serena trembled as she thought about his deeds.

She had always known Duke Greenwood was a terrifying man, but she had never imagined he would curse his own subordinates.

Azaid had reportedly summoned Lily to identify the awakened individual responsible for casting the curse. Although the founding festival was still some time away, they had unofficially called her to the capital in advance. That showed just how complex and urgent the situation was.

“Miss Serena, His Majesty has tied you to him tightly now. You’re not going anywhere.”

Lucy joked with a teasing smile. Serena still couldn’t quite believe Azaid had appointed her as the Head of the Imperial physician.

Such a meteoric promotion was unheard of. Unsurprisingly, the attitudes of those around Serena had long since become markedly respectful.

“Well, since you’re already tied to him, why not produce a few children while you’re at it, Miss Serena?”

Detecting Lucy’s sly insinuation, Serena drew a clear line.

“No matter how many children I have, I won’t let you carve thier faces.”

“Why not?”

“I think I should be the one asking why you’d even suggest such a thing.”

Serena’s firm tone left Lucy muttering dejectedly.

“Tsk. You’re so cold, both of you. It’s not like I’m suggesting anything bad.”

Serena already knew all about Lucy’s peculiar hobby.

Having to fend off her constant requests to make masks modeled after Serena’s face was a task in itself. If Serena had children, the situation would only worsen. A moment later, Lucy slyly added another comment.

“But you didn’t say you wouldn’t have children.”

“That’s…”

When Serena’s words faltered, and her cheeks turned red, Lucy hummed teasingly.

“Well, you two are already so passionate before marriage. Who knows how much more once you’re wed? You might have a baby right away.”

“Miss Lucy.”

“Let’s just hope it doesn’t happen before the wedding. I trust you’re being careful.”

Lucy’s brazen remark was met with no reaction from Serena, who merely smiled and shifted the topic.

“Miss Lucy, this isn’t why we met today, is it?”

“Haha, you’re embarrassed.”

Lucy, narrowing her eyes in a mischievous smile, finally moved to the main subject. She realized that pushing too far might make Serena refuse to meet her again.

“There’s no point in infiltrating the Association anymore. Colin’s whereabouts have become unclear.”

“Did he run away out of fear after hearing about Sebastian?”

“Yes, but Marco is still in the capital. If we track him, we might find Colin as well.”

“All right. I’ll keep an eye on the Association just in case Colin tries to contact them.”

Serena had only recently joined the Association. Initially, she had planned to join through Sebastian’s recommendation, but with his death, she had to undergo the formal interview process.

Of course, having already become the Head of the Imperial physician, the process was a breeze for Serena.

Still, with Duke Greenwood as the Association’s main patron, it was unclear whether the organization would be friendly to her. So far, she hadn’t noticed any overt moves from the Duke.

“That’s fine. By the way, have you received an invitation to Marco Yong’s wedding? It’s coming up soon.”

At Lucy’s question, Serena gave a slight nod. Not long ago, she had received an invitation from Lady Lydia’s mother. It asked her to attend her sister’s wedding and offer her congratulations.

“I didn’t think they’d send one, but they did.”

“Shameless people usually have no idea how inappropriate their actions are.”

As Lucy clicked her tongue, Serena let out a sigh. Recently, Lydia, like Serena, had seen a dramatic reversal of fortune and had become the talk of high society.

The Baron’s family, which had been on the verge of bankruptcy, was effectively absorbed by the Greenwood household. Officially, it was framed as an effort to preserve the lineage of a noble family on the brink of collapse, but the true intentions were obvious.

Even though Serena was an illegitimate child, she was still a daughter of the Vincent family. Unless she completely stripped her blood ties from the Baron, she remained a Vincent.

Now that Duke Greenwood’s plan to install Ophelia as Empress had fallen apart, he seemed to be using the Vincent family to associate Serena with Greenwood in public opinion.

The Duke’s subtle attempts to curry favor with Serena when she joined the Association were also telling. Though Serena didn’t know what he was plotting, she had no intention of playing along. Instead, she planned to exploit his outreach to her advantage.

Lucy lowered her voice as she spoke.

“Well, at least this gives us a good excuse to attend the wedding.”

“Will Colin come?”

“Probably.”

Lucy’s eyes curved meaningfully. Through the informants Jack had already unleashed, investigations were underway into Colin’s cousins, distant relatives, and even his neighbors.

Realizing this, the duke cut Colin off as if severing a tail, leaving him cornered like a trapped mouse.

Thus, it was highly likely that Colin would approach Marker and Lydia, who had grown close to the duke. As Serena had anticipated, Lucy chattered lightly as if stating the obvious.

“He’ll surely ask Marco Yung for help. Plus, the bride is Lady Vincent, isn’t she? She’s recently become quite the favorite of Duke Greenwood.”

Then, as if suddenly concerned, Lucy added with a worried tone.

“Of course, I wonder if we’re just doing something that benefits him for no reason.”

Serena knew exactly what Lucy was worried about.

Even Serena’s mere attendance at Lydia’s wedding would naturally lead many nobles to consider the alliance between Greenwood and Vincent families.

Although Azaid said it was fine, there was no way it didn’t weigh on him. Still, Serena was determined to do her best, as much as he trusted her.

Serena responded confidently, “That’s precisely what makes it important, Lucy.”

“Important? How so?”

“At times like this, we need to establish dominance.”

Serena understood the habits of the Viscount and Viscountess all too well. Sending the invitation so blatantly suggested that they had already reinterpreted their wrongdoings as some kind of fairy tale.

Even their intention in sending the invitation was transparent.

‘We’ve secured Duke Greenwood as our backer, so what can you possibly do?’

‘If you want to become empress, you’ll need external family support, so let’s forget the past and help each other.’

It was laughable. External family alliances were only necessary when the empress stood in political opposition to the emperor.

Serena had no intention of opposing Ajade. On the contrary, she only intended to support and assist him.

Of course, unlike the Baron and Baroness, Lydia might have been determined to exact revenge on Serena.

Perhaps she invited Serena to flaunt how well her life was going.

After all, Lydia, who had always been uncontrollable by the Baron couple, had now even won the duke’s favor. How invincible must she feel?

Surely, she would want to flaunt a grand and splendid wedding as a form of mental victory.

Perhaps she hoped that Serena, overwhelmed by the spectacle, would prostrate herself before Duke Greenwood.

But such a notion was absurd wishful thinking from someone who didn’t know Serena at all. When Serena merely smirked, Lucy asked,

“Establish dominance? Could you elaborate on that?”

Inside Ophelia Greenwood’s private room, Lydia was surrounded by dressmakers, trying on various gowns.

“Oh my, you look stunning, my lady!”

Beaming with joy, Lydia exaggerated her gratitude, overwhelmed by Ophelia’s kindness. On the other hand, Ophelia, barely engaged, flipped through sample pamphlets and offered perfunctory responses.

‘What on earth am I doing?’

Initially, preparing Lydia’s wedding dress using all of Ophelia’s designers was a direct order from the duke.

Attaching Lydia to her as a maid was one thing, but now, treating her like a bridesmaid reviewing wedding dresses?

Ophelia shuddered internally at the humiliation she had never experienced before. But with Serena and Azaid’s romantic relationship now widely known, she had no choice but to tread carefully to avoid displeasing the duke.

After all, she had failed to meet his expectations.

For someone like Ophelia, who had been groomed from birth to become an empress, her current situation was nothing short of despairing.

‘A daughter who isn’t the empress is meaningless to Father. That’s why he’s subjecting me to this humiliation.’