Could there be any personal animosity between Ian and Theo?
“I don’t know the reason, but it seems like you have negative feelings towards Theo. He is someone very precious to me, just as Rosetin is to you…”
“That precious, huh?”
The twisted corners of his mouth formed a mean smile. In the unsettling atmosphere, I felt a deep sense of confusion.
With eyes filled with anger, he provocatively asked again.
“Is he really that precious to you, Lethenia?”
A hint of hostility flickered in his eyes. Moreover, his tone carried a strange sense of disdain.
I was engulfed in discomfort by his sudden aggressive reaction. Despite knowing I should restrain myself, anger and resentment surged uncontrollably from within me.
Mixed with Lethenia’s fluttering emotions, sharp words burst out.
“Yes, he is so precious. Precious enough for me to want to run away with him, so that you won’t torment us anymore. Are you satisfied now?”
“Sounds like a declaration of love.”
“It wouldn’t be impossible.”
Suddenly, Ian came closer, causing my heart to skip a beat. The intensifying gaze in his eyes made my breath tighten.
Instinctively, I stepped back, but he deliberately moved closer. It was a warning sign. The uncomfortable narrow distance made my head spin.
My gaze was fixed on his feet. The rising tension and anger temporarily overshadowed the discomfort.
As I tried to create more distance, he furrowed his brows slightly and grabbed my waist, pulling me towards him. The moment his hand touched my waist, my whole body stiffened.
Our proximity was so close that only a fist could barely fit between us. Unconsciously, I raised my head to look at his face. I had a momentary illusion that the emotionless eyes were suddenly filled with sparks, reminiscent of a frigid ocean.
‘This situation is just like back then…’
On the first day of possession, when I looked into his eyes from such a close distance, strange emotions began to whirl inside me. It was several times more stimulating than usual. My heart raced madly, and a surge of anger overwhelmed me.
Inside me, things that didn’t belong to me stirred up a chaotic uproar. Resentment, anger, hatred… and the biggest of them all, sadness, brought tears to my eyes just as they did then.
Once again, it was something beyond my control.
In an instant, the cruel acts Ian had committed against Lethenia in the original story unfolded like a video. He doesn’t love Lethenia. That’s why he left her, his wife, alone in the empress’ palace to spend the night with Rosetin.
Every day, he called that woman to the Imperial Palace, turning the Empress into a mere scarecrow. Despite that, people gossiped about her, accusing her of being jealous.
I forcefully pushed his hand away and shoved him with all my might. It was impossible for fragile Lethenia to push him away with her feeble strength. Forgetting any thoughts of stopping my emotional actions, I glared at him with eyes filled with moisture.
Deep within my heart, Lethenia wanted to cry. His expression was calm like a tranquil lake, yet there was an indescribable intense emotion shining in his eyes.
That only made me angrier.
“Now, don’t interfere with me like you’re something.”
I sent him a sharp warning, releasing the suppressed resentment. He stared at me silently for a while. His lips slightly curved upwards, but his gaze was fierce.
His grip tightened around my waist. In a voice overflowing with coldness, he spoke.
“There was nothing like what you were thinking.”
“…….”
“Nothing happened between Rosetin and me.”
“I never even wondered about that.”
“So, I hope there won’t be any more incidents of you freely leaving the palace.”
“What the…”
“Don’t test my patience. I’m barely holding back the urge to lock you up right now.”
He whispered in a low voice. I retorted with a mocking tone.
“How funny. Isn’t that something you’ve always done to me? Have you ever shown any consideration until now?”
“So be careful, Lethenia.”
He delivered those words with merciless eyes and an icy tone. It seemed like he had completely forgotten to hide his true feelings, and he was seething with anger. He loosened his grip on my waist and silently left the place.
Even in this situation, his retreating figure only fueled a sense of resentment. The tears that had momentarily stopped welled up in my eyes again.
***
“I was surprised because it was a lot more than I thought. They act so noble on the front but behind them they do despicable things.”
Stella shook her head as she flipped through the documents she’d brought with her. The information detailed the private lives of the nobles investigated by her organization.
“In particular, Baron Plato is famous for being loyal to his wife. But he has secretly fathered as many as six children. It’s impressive that he hasn’t been caught until now.”
Most of the stories revolved around lower-ranking nobles from weak regional areas, while prestigious families with tight security had relatively fewer scandals.
Although it was a little disappointing, it seemed sufficient to create a buzz with this alone. Then, a familiar name caught their attention.
“Henry Child… I’ve seen this name somewhere.”
“He was a candidate for Her Majesty the Empress’s lovers. A fortune-teller specializing in physical contact.”
Then I remembered. A peculiar fortune-teller who made a living by providing psychological counseling through nighttime services to numerous women. As seen in his profile, the man had inappropriate relationships with quite a number of women and received substantial sponsorship in exchange for being the lover of those with unique sexual preferences. Although it was fake, the fact that such a debauched person had become a candidate for my lover made me feel uneasy. The more I read, the more promiscuous he appeared.
Still, I had an intriguing premonition that if I played my cards right, I might soon have a chance to make use of his interest. There was another name that stood out when I turned the page.
“Theo Claplin of the Marquis family?”
“I suppose there must be a lot of information related to him in this regard.”
Stella replied with an awkward smile. Indeed, the information contained a substantial amount of content related to Theo.
Stories about a certain baron’s younger sister who fell head over heels for Theo at first sight and had been waiting for him even after turning forty without getting married, the story of a foreign royal sending him various treasures, and a story about a certain lady hating her husband’s appearance after seeing Theo so she went to find a magic mask, and so on.
It was all about people who fell in love with Theo desperately. When I recalled his fatal charm, it made me realize that he was bound to become a scandalous figure against his will.
There were also contents mentioning that, Theo accustomed to such situations, would simply leave without looking back if someone confessed their love to him directly or approached him with personal motives.
It was somewhat surprising that Theo had such a ruthless side. However, those who fell in love with him seemed to find even such a relentless aspect rather attractive.
After all, he was one of the only two handsome men in the world. It couldn’t be helped.
The materials related to Theo spanned over thirty pages. As he enjoyed wandering around, there seemed to be many people and hidden stories entangled with him.
Although they were scandals caused by others and he hadn’t led a chaotic life, for some reason, those contents didn’t sit well with me. It was a matter unrelated to the protagonist, yet I felt a slight discomfort within myself, which was a bit perplexing.
I pushed unnecessary thoughts out of my mind and brought up a different topic to Stella.
“What’s a magic mask?”
“It’s a magical artifact that can change your face.”
“Is there really such a thing?”
“There are many fascinating magical artifacts. That’s why they’re traded in the black market for exorbitant prices. However, the magic mask is so rare that it’s more like a legend. I’m curious myself if anyone has actually seen it.”
Not only Theo’s magic notebook but also Ian’s Healing Stone, there seemed to be quite a few extraordinary ancient magical artifacts.
Listening to Stella’s story, I had a thought that the magic mask would come in handy when I eventually left this place.
“Stella, is there any way to find out where the mask is right now?”
“It would probably be difficult. Occasionally, we receive requests at Priados organization to find it, but we haven’t been able to find a single clue.”
“I see.”
“Moreover, even if we do find it, obtaining such a precious item would require a hefty price, and there’s no guarantee we could get our hands on it.”
“That’s a shame…”
I couldn’t hide my overwhelming disappointment and replied in a lifeless voice. Stella glanced at my face, which revealed such emotions, and spoke in a somewhat hopeful tone.
“Well, it might be difficult, but I’ll try to investigate the whereabouts of that item. It’s highly unlikely that it’s within the magic-prohibited country of Asha, so don’t get your hopes up too much.”
Then Stella pointed to a piece of paper with limited personal information and continued.
“Also, there’s a journalist named Colin Berid who might be suitable for the job. He has been consistently writing articles criticizing social issues in Asha.”
As I looked at the paper she indicated, there was a brief portrait and profile of a person named Colin Berid.
[Colin Berid
Occupation: Editor-in-Chief of the Roqueild Gazette
Age: 30 years old
Notable: Resides in Asha but holds Delurian citizenship. Active as a journalist for ten years, exposing social issues throughout Asha. Despite numerous threats and temptations, he maintains an antagonistic stance toward the privileged class. Currently, the Roqueild Gazette is facing financial difficulties.]
Then I examined his portrait closely. His vibrant red hair contrasted with aquamarine-like sky-blue eyes, conveying a vivid color palette.
The strong, angular jawline and tightly closed lips seemed to exude a stubbornness of not bowing down to anyone.
“With him, we may be able to write the articles that Her Majesty the Empress desires without worrying about the nobles’ opinions.”
