* * *
Dana’s POV
After Ignis was imprisoned, I enjoyed a brief period of peace.
It’s done. Now, all I have to do is wait.
News had arrived that the Emperor was returning to the capital, having verified the authenticity of the scripture. He would likely arrive within three weeks. By then, I could proceed with the annulment of my engagement with Raios.
Not only that, but Carl’s matters were also progressing smoothly. Carl has outright bought the entire Kaltusa territory. He was even receiving investments from many nobles.
The Retillan mine was a hot issue, and the Windsor railway was planned to run through the Kaltusa territory where the mine was located. As a result, many capitalists showed interest and invested in the project. Thanks to this, Carl’s reputation, which had plummeted due to the moonlight flower incident, not only recovered but soared even higher.
Yes, rise higher and higher, Carl Windsor. The higher he rose, the steeper his fall would be.
All I had to do now was wait…
But how did Ignis escape?
Ignis had escaped. I had heard his ankles were completely shattered, so how did he manage to escape on his own?
I heard he was supposed to have a permanent disability. And yet, he had recovered quickly enough to knock down the guards and escape by himself?
The bribed guard had described Ignis as a monster.
A monster… No matter how I thought about it, it was an incomprehensible phenomenon.
And that wasn’t all. The message Ignis sent through the guard was even more absurd.
I’ll come to propose again, so wait for me…
I was certain of it. Ignis wouldn’t let me live.
This anxiety was unbearable. I decided to send this young sculptor away. “I had a great time today, but I’m sorry, I’m busy. We’ll have to meet another time.”
Bazellan Caravaggio, a sculptor I had met at a previous banquet. Today, he had requested the meeting first. It was me who made a fuss of inviting him first, so I let him in…
Does he like me so much?
Caravaggio had been unable to take his eyes off my face. He even made a proposal.
“Um, may I draw or sculpt you as a model, Lady?”
“No, there are plenty of excellent models other than me.” Of course, I flatly refused.
“Ah... If you change your mind, please let me know.” Though Caravaggio seemed deeply disappointed, he gracefully accepted my decision and left.
It was when I was on my way back after seeing off Bazellan Caravaggio.
“Dana.”
“Kya!” I was startled when Carl Windsor suddenly appeared. “Uncle?”
“Haha, what a coincidence to run into you.”
“Why do you have leaves in your hair?”
I reached out to remove the leaves from Carl’s hair. He hesitated for a moment before bending down to let me pick them off.
“By the way, who was that man? Do you have a new lover?”
How long has he been watching? Though I was taken aback, I responded smoothly. “Not a lover. He’s a famous sculptor. We’re just acquaintances.”
“Ah, I see. If you find someone you like, tell me first. A man should be judged by another man. Got it?” His smiling face seemed genuinely concerned.
Pretending as if nothing’s wrong. He was on edge, worried I might get a boyfriend. Because he feared that if I got married, he would lose his place in the inheritance line… Ah, wait.
Carl Windsor is very sensitive about my relationships with men. Didn’t he kill Huan when he found out Huan was trying to feed me a love potion? If I could use this to my advantage, I might solve a troublesome problem.
“Uncle.”
“Hmm?”
“I have something I want to confess.”
Carl looked at me intently. “What is it?” His face showed a bit of tension.
“You’ll keep it a secret, right?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
“That, actually…”
“Yes, yes.”
“I liked Lord Ignis.”
“…”
Ignis de Windsor. Perhaps Carl would take care of the bomb named Ignis that’s coming to kill me, right?
“In fact, I planned to run away with Lord Ignis.” I sighed, fully immersing myself in my act. “Lord Ignis and I liked each other, but there were too many practical obstacles.”
“…”
“But in the end, I got scared and changed my mind… And then Lord Ignis tried to take me away by force.”
Tears came easily. It was an act that had deceived Ignis perfectly.
“What should I do? I already miss Lord Ignis, Uncle.”
“…”
What is it? Why so silent? Glancing up cautiously, Carl was staring blankly at me as if struck dumb. Well, it was a shocking statement intended to surprise him. Regardless, I continued.
“Uncle, if I meet him again, maybe, by then, I might want to run away with him.”
Those are such naive and thoughtless words.
“Could you help me then?”
Words that were probably nothing short of a nightmare for Carl.
“Could you? Please, Uncle.”
Now, Carl’s face was devoid of any expression. I looked at his completely pale face as I shed tears.
“I miss Lord Ignis so much… I regret not running away with him at that time.”
The stage was set. Ignis would likely be eliminated by Carl soon, just as Huan had been. No matter how the guard described Ignis as a monster… From what I’ve seen, Carl seemed like a monster too. Hadn’t I already witnessed this man two-faced?
I couldn’t imagine Carl Windsor losing to anyone. At the very least, he would prevent Ignis from approaching me.
“You’re not responding… Was it too much to ask?” I gently grasped Carl’s hand. “I’m sorry. I got carried away with my emotions and spoke nonsense. Please pretend you didn’t hear it.” Pretending to touch his hand, I felt the deputy head’s ring.
Carl grasped my fingers in return and muttered. “You’re mistaken.”
“Pardon?”
“You’ve mistaken your feelings. Dana, you’re naive. Too naive… that you fell for that guy’s tricks.” His voice sounded convincing, as if trying to persuade me and himself. “Ignis didn’t love you. If he truly loved you, he wouldn’t have treated you so carelessly.”
“…Do you think so?”
“Yes. You were deceived.” Carl’s face was more serious than ever. “Dana, you don’t know men at all. You don’t know how beastly men can be. You really don’t know anything, Dana.”
“…”
“That guy was definitely after your body and your wealth. So you need to be smart. Don’t fall for it, Dana. Understand?”
His passionate speech was truly something. It sounds like you’re describing yourself, Uncle. I swallowed those words and smiled sorrowfully.
“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”
That’s when it happened.
“Milady!”
A servant rushed over, his face pale as death.
“Milady, the imperial police have come.”
“Huh? For me?”
“Yes, they’re urgently looking for you…”
I tilted my head in confusion. Why would the imperial police suddenly be looking for me?
* * *
“Lady Danae, please cooperate with us.”
Shortly after, the police officer presented a document. It was a request for cooperation as a reference person.
“Please cooperate with the investigation as a reference person for a case.”
Before I could even reach out, someone snatched the cooperation request. It was Carl. He ripped open the envelope and read the request, furrowing his brows.
“A reference person? For what case have you called Dana as a reference person?”
Why did this guy follow me all the way here?
I belatedly took the summons from Carl’s hand and read it. Then, I saw a familiar name on the document.
“Are you aware of the recent case where military cadets were murdered?”
Justin Lancaster.
“After Cadet Justin Lancaster was murdered, three more cadets have been killed recently.”
“…Three more?”
Come to think of it, I had seen such an article before. Since none of them, except Justin, were related to me, I hadn’t paid much attention…
“Then why am I being called as a reference person?”
“A commonality was discovered among the murdered cadets, which is…” The police officer hesitated before speaking cautiously. “All of them were found in possession of nude paintings of Lady Danae.”
“What?!”
That shocked me!
The shock was first expressed by Carl. Bulging his eyes, he grabbed the officer’s shoulder and shook him mercilessly. “Da-Danae’s nude paintings exist?! Where?!”
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