Episode 124
As soon as Pie emerged from the drawing, Azaid let out a sigh.
Pie wasn’t an ordinary cat—it was a half-blooded beast and a familiar contracted with Nocturne. Their bond, sealed with blood, allowed Pie to travel using Nocturne’s mana traces, as he had done today.
It seemed that Pie had been unable to cross over due to Serena absorbing magic. Since Nocturne wasn’t aware of Serena’s unique magic, he had unknowingly made that mistake.
Fortunately, Pie even had the bell Ophelia carried, which meant he had left Greenwood Castle entirely.
“Finally caught you, you little rascal.”
Azaid snatched Pie from Serina and lifted him up, staring him down with a warning look. In response, Pie scrunched his face in displeasure and let out a low growl.
Grrr—.
It was as if he was saying, I came here on my own, you know? The situation was almost laughable. Azaid had wanted to bring Pie back for a while, but the cat had been stuck to Ophelia like glue, making it impossible.
Finding the bell and bringing Pie had been a struggle. Leonard, who had been planning to infiltrate Greenwood Castle soon, murmured with a hollow expression.
“There was no need to send Lydia Vincent after all.”
“Huh? Why are you bringing up Lydia now?”
“Well, Lydia Vincent is currently locked up in the underground prison here.”
Serena turned to Azaid in shock as Leonard answered awkwardly.
“His Majesty imprisoned Lydia?”
“She might have told the duke about your secret if we left her alone.”
Azaid scowled as if even mentioning her name was distasteful. He wasn’t even addressing Lydia as a lady anymore, showing just how much he resented her.
Serena felt a warmth in her chest. She was grateful that Azaid was getting angry on her behalf.
With everything that had happened, she hadn’t had time to think about Lydia. Knowing that Azaid had taken care of it behind the scenes made her feel touched.
“Thank you. Honestly, I had completely forgotten about Lydia.”
“It’s best if you handle it yourself. Everyone already thinks she disappeared because she couldn’t pay off her debts, so there won’t be any loose ends.”
That was as good as saying Serena could kill Lydia here, and no one would ever know.
“Don’t you think you’re being a little too romantic about burying someone alive?”
Serena chuckled incredulously, and Azaid simply shrugged.
“Trash that can’t be recycled should just be thrown away. Just say the word. I’ll take care of the cleanup.”
His merciless response made Serina laugh out loud. Truthfully, she wanted to send Lydia straight to the underworld.
But seeing Azaid react so fiercely made her wonder if she was being too harsh, which oddly put her at ease. After finally stopping her laughter, she asked,
“Then what did you mean about sending Lydia?”
“Oh, that. Pie had been staying with Lady Greenwood all this time.”
“What? Pie was?”
“Yeah. That’s why we were planning to use Lydia Vincent, who could freely enter the duke’s house, to bring it back.”
He said “use,” but keeping her locked up and forcing her cooperation was basically the same as blackmail.
Lydia must have had a rough time.
Serena didn’t particularly sympathize with her. Lydia needed to suffer a bit to truly understand the world.
“Then all that’s left is to find Nocturne.”
“Right. Now that Pie is back with the bell, Lily won’t be hindered anymore.”
“Speaking of which, where is Count Lowell? He’s usually here.”
Serena looked around, and Leonard answered.
“She had another task besides searching for Nocturne. It requires intense focus, so she stepped away for a while…”
Just then, as if summoned, Lily Lowell burst into the room.
“Your Majesty!”
Her urgent voice made everyone turn toward her. She opened her mouth as if to speak but hesitated when she saw Serina. Then, her eyes widened upon noticing Pie in Azaid’s hands.
“Oh?! You found the cat?”
“No. It came back on his own. It seems Nocturne arranged for him to return when the time was right.”
Azaid tapped the note with his finger as he explained, and Lily’s lips parted in surprise. Leonard spoke up.
“So, what’s the rush?”
“Well…”
Lily hesitated, glancing at Serena. She wasn’t sure if she should say it in front of her.
Azaid reassured her.
“It’s fine. You can speak. Serena is on our side.”
“…We found out who cast the magic.”
“That’s good news. So who was it?”
“It’s someone both unexpected and obvious at the same time.”
“Enough with the suspense. Who is it?”
Pressed by Leonard, Lily finally exhaled and revealed the name.
“The Duke of Greenwood.”
“…What?”
Azaid froze, and Leonard stammered in disbelief.
“W-Wait, Lily. The Duke of Greenwood has the same magic attribute as Nocturne. I’ve never heard of anyone wielding two unique magics.”
Leonard was right. Officially, the Duke of Greenwood’s magic was elemental-based.
Even the late emperor had believed that. But now, they were saying he had another magic?
Throughout history, awakened individuals had always wielded only one unique magic. This revelation was absurd.
Leonard’s face remained skeptical, prompting Lily to clarify.
“That’s not what I meant. We’ve been deceived. The duke never had elemental magic to begin with.”
A heavy silence filled the room at her shocking statement. Azaid rubbed his forehead.
“Explain in detail.”
“Our search traced the flow of cursed mana directly to the duke.”
“You’re certain?”
“Yes, absolutely. The duke must have been pretending to use elemental magic through artifacts. Since elemental magic can be substituted with magical tools, he pulled off the deception.”
Lily explained grimly, and Azaid clicked his tongue in irritation.
Elemental magic was considered the weakest among unique magics because it could be replicated with artifacts.
That was why, in the past, Nocturne had reacted uncomfortably when Serena praised his magic.
He used the fact that no one else knows a person’s unique magic to fool everyone.
Serena felt a chill run down her spine. The duke’s meticulous deception was terrifying.
What was he planning, hiding his true magic for so long?
What was he trying to do with that potion?
Why was he even making such a potion in the first place?
Lily’s unexpected revelation left everyone at a loss for words. Then she added,
“I don’t know exactly what his unique magic is, but one thing is certain—it’s dangerous.”
“Dangerous, huh?”
“Nocturne might already know what it is.”
“What do you mean all of a sudden? Are you suspecting Nocturne?”
“No. I’m worried about him. You know how Nocturne tends to act recklessly when it comes to the duke’s affairs.”
“…….”
“What if the duke has been blackmailing Nocturne all this time? Isn’t it strange that he willingly went to the duke this time?”
At Lily’s suggestion, Azaid bit his lower lip. Indeed, there were many odd aspects to Nocturne’s recent actions.
He had vanished after leaving only traces behind, without any news since. Nocturne had been trained as the duke’s heir from a young age.
What if the duke had secretly cast a spell on Nocturne, just as he had done with Colin? And what if Nocturne was aware of it?
As Azaid recalled how Nocturne seemed unable to resist the duke’s orders, his fists clenched involuntarily.
— Why don’t you finally step out of Greenwood’s shadow? You’ve already left the family.
— Don’t worry. I won’t do anything that would harm you.”l
— That’s not what I meant…
— Only a bird locked in a cage can break free from it.
— …….
— I appreciate your concern, but I’ll decline. Azaid.
Remembering Nocturne’s playful response from the past left a bitter taste in Azaid’s mouth.
Nocturne had never actually harmed Azaid on the duke’s orders. It was clear there had been a long-standing struggle between them.
But how much longer could Nocturne hold out? And how much longer would the duke leave him alone?
If the duke were to order Nocturne to kill Azaid, Nocturne would refuse without hesitation—even if it meant stopping his own heart.
That was the kind of person Nocturne was, at least as far as Azaid knew.
“Damn it!”
The thought sent Azaid springing into action. He couldn’t just sit around and wait anymore.
“Lily, can you locate Nocturne right now?”
“I was about to report his location. If I had known Pie was here, I could’ve found out sooner.”
“So where is he?”
“At a villa owned by the Duke of Greenwood. It’s not too far from the capital.”
Upon hearing Lily’s report, Azaid’s expression hardened with determination.
“Good. We’re going there immediately.”
“Wait, Your Majesty. Even if we go now, meeting Nocturne without the duke noticing won’t be easy. The villa is heavily guarded.”
“That’s right, Your Majesty. If we recklessly provoke the duke, Nocturne could end up in even greater danger.”
Lily and Leonard both tried to stop him. Azaid ruffled his hair in frustration, unable to find a solution.
Just then, Serina quietly raised her hand.
“Um, I just thought of a way…”
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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