Episode 127
“A-Alright!”
Lydia quickly pulled a chair over and sat down.
Serena let out a short laugh—Lydia only understood when she was threatened.
She should have just crushed her from the start instead of wasting time arguing.
At that moment, Azaid looked at Serena with satisfaction.
Lydia’s backtalk was annoying, but Serena was handling it well without backing down.
He had been worried that Serena might go easy on Lydia again, but it seemed his concern was unnecessary.
Serena was pressing Lydia without hesitation. And that was—
‘Cool.’
Azaid’s lips curled up.
To him, completely blinded by affection, even Serena’s ruthless threats sounded like brilliant lines.
Lydia, watching them, was horrified.
‘This couple is insane.’
They had imprisoned her, and now they were threatening her—while smiling about it.
Lydia trembled with fear.
She had no idea what they intended to do, but she wished they would just say it already.
Finally, Serena spoke.
“Have you done any reflecting?”
“…If I say I have, will you let me go?”
“Depends on how you behave.”
Serena smiled leisurely and tapped on the iron bars.
The eerie sound made Lydia bite the inside of her cheek.
“I’ll give you a chance to earn forgiveness. Of course, refusing is not an option.”
At Serena’s merciless tone, Lydia’s voice shook.
“A-A chance?”
“Go back to the Duke’s estate. Act as if nothing happened, assist Lady Greenwood, and keep the Duke in good spirits.”
“B-But with my family’s debt, loan sharks might already be after me—”
“You don’t need to worry about Tyler. I’ll bring him to you, safe and sound. Along with all the money he stole.”
“Ah.”
“If you say you captured Tyler, the Duke won’t suspect you. Isn’t this a generous opportunity for you?”
Serena had already recovered all the money Colin had hidden long ago.
If Lydia, who had been missing, returned to the Duke’s estate too suddenly, it would raise suspicions.
So, the plan was to make it seem like she had gone to capture Tyler and use that to deceive the Duke.
As long as Tyler returned the stolen money, he might get scolded by his parents, but he wouldn’t be disowned.
Lydia didn’t fully understand Serena’s motives, but the idea of having her debt resolved made her brighten.
“You’re going to erase my debt?”
“No. I’m lending you the money. Didn’t I tell you to take good care of your brother?”
“…What if I refuse?”
Lydia, putting on a defiant face, challenged her.
Serena simply shrugged.
Then, before Lydia could even reject the offer, Serena grabbed her by the collar and yanked her forward.
“Kyah!”
“I told you, refusal is not an option.”
“L-Let go of me!”
“If you really want to refuse…”
As the Violet Izring turned red again, Lydia panicked and screamed.
“I-I-I’ll do it! I will!”
“Good.”
Serena grinned and released her grip.
Lydia clutched her throat, groaning in pain—only for Serina to hand her something.
It was a delicate gold ring adorned with a beautiful ruby.
“Put it on.”
“W-What is this?”
Lydia’s eyes widened at the sight of the gemstone ring.
Somehow, she was still drawn to wealth, even now.
“Do you think I’d just let you go without insurance? This is a safety measure.”
Serena gestured for her to put it on without delay.
With a face on the verge of tears, Lydia reluctantly slipped the ring onto her finger.
The moment she put it on, the ring tightened to fit perfectly.
When she tried to take it off, it wouldn’t budge.
Only then did Lydia realize she had walked into a trap.
“W-Why won’t it come off?”
“It’s a magic artifact with an embedded eavesdropping device. Unless you cut off your finger, it won’t come off—so don’t waste your energy.”
“Y-You!”
Lydia’s face twisted in outrage at being deceived.
But Serena’s next words made her swallow hard.
“If you try anything foolish, you’ll be nothing but a pile of ashes before you even realize it.”
“……”
“You can do this, right?”
Serena smiled sweetly.
Lydia wanted to burst into tears.
In the end, Lydia was only released from the prison after writing a contract.
The promissory note for her “loan” was a bonus.
***
Ophelia was unsettled by Dorothy’s sudden disappearance.
She searched the gardens and hallways Dorothy often visited but found no trace of the gray-furred creature.
“Did it go back?”
Dorothy was so free-spirited that it wouldn’t be surprising if it vanished without warning.
But to disappear so suddenly—
Feeling empty, Ophelia wandered the desolate corridors and suddenly ran into the Duke.
“You’re back?”
She greeted him, but the Duke ignored her and tried to walk past.
Slightly irritated, Ophelia spoke up.
“Lydia has returned. She says she was away searching for the young viscount.”
Not long ago, Lydia had returned with a bright face, as if she had never been gone.
— I’m sorry for disappearing without notice. I was too busy looking for my brother.
— If you think being a Bridemaid is a joke, you don’t need to come back.
— N-No! I promise I won’t leave without permission again! Please don’t kick me out, Lady Ophelia!
Lydia had been unusually submissive.
Ophelia had given her a light punishment before accepting her back.
After all, Lydia had been taken in by the Duke himself—Ophelia had no authority to expel her.
But judging by the Duke’s expression, perhaps she should have.
The Duke spoke indifferently.
“You stopped me just to say that?”
“I thought Your Grace would be interested. Since you’ve been ignoring Lydia, she must have suffered greatly.”
“Ophelia.”
The Duke frowned at Ophelia’s reproachful tone, but she didn’t stop speaking.
“She managed to find her brother on her own and restore her household’s standing, so she’s not entirely a fool. Now, I understand a little better why Your Grace kept her by your side.”
“She’s paid off all her debts?”
“Yes, that’s what she claims. Isn’t that quite impressive?”
Ophelia smiled, as if masking her expression. The Duke, now slightly more interested, lightly stroked his chin.
Having said what she needed to, Ophelia lifted the hem of her dress in a polite curtsy.
“Then I won’t take up any more of your time.”
“Wait a moment.”
“???”
“Where is she now?”
“I sent her on an errand. She should be back soon. Why do you ask?”
“Tell her to come to my study as soon as she arrives.”
With that, the Duke left first, as if he refused to let Ophelia be the one to walk away first.
Ophelia gazed at him with cold eyes. She could clearly feel now—his affection had always been conditional.
Even though she had deliberately addressed him as Your Grace, the Duke hadn’t so much as flinched. If he had even a shred of interest in her as a father, he should have reacted to that subtle change.
‘This is better, actually.’
Turning away from the Duke’s retreating figure, Ophelia walked in the opposite direction. Normally, she would have waited until his back disappeared from sight, but not anymore.
After her falling-out with the Duke, she no longer cared to walk on eggshells around him. There was nothing more pathetic than a cast-off child groveling for their parent’s love.
‘Let’s see how long you can keep that back straight.’
With piercing eyes, Ophelia strode elegantly down the corridor.
***
Serena felt a wave of relief after confirming that Lydia had returned safely to the Duke’s estate.
Thanks to her firm threats, Lydia had obediently followed orders.
Serena replayed the audio recorded from Lydia’s ring.
– How did you find Tyler Vincent?
– I hired a detective agency I knew. Fortunately, we caught him before he could flee the country.
– Did he have any accomplices?
– Not at all. He acted alone. He was probably planning to make a fortune with some overseas gambling scheme.
Lydia had kept Colin and Tyler’s connection a secret from the Duke. If the Duke found out they were linked, it would cause trouble for everyone.
Tyler, too, was too embarrassed about being conned by Colin to speak up, so there was no risk of exposure.
Serena examined the results of the analysis conducted on the potion obtained by her spy.
The composition matched that of perfume, a mana supplement, and other known substances.
As expected, only the quantities of the ingredients varied—the types of additives remained the same.
— I’m merely a piece of His Grace’s plan. Yes, I did manufacture poison, but I had no idea how or where it was meant to be used.
— If you don’t want to be beaten within an inch of your life, you’d better spill everything you know.
— I-I swear, that’s all I know! Just that something was supposed to happen during the Founding Festival!
Serena pondered over the interrogation Jack had conducted on Colin.
It seemed certain now—the Duke was planning something for the Founding Festival.
Since the potion had only recently been completed, he might be planning to test its effects there.
At least, thanks to Colin’s confession, they had pinpointed the locations of all the remaining research labs.
Just as their operation against the Duke was progressing smoothly, a reply from Nocturne arrived.
• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •By Esraa• ❁ • ❁ • ❁ •
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