The palace safely sent me back to the mansion after that incident. Even after several days, the palace was still busy trying to find the real culprit.
‘But why should I care?’
Even though I knew the princess was the culprit, it was awkward to intervene without evidence. There was a real risk of being thrown back into prison for insulting royalty.
There was something more urgent at hand. I grabbed the hem of my skirt and ran up the stairs.
“Miss Ariadeline! You’ll fall if you run like that!”
“I’m fine!”
Ignoring the worried maid behind me, I burst open the door to Carlothian’s office.
Inside the office, Carlothian was sitting at the largest desk. I could see his aides, buried under piles of documents, standing on either side of him.
Ignoring the pitiful sight, I immediately spoke up.
“Carlothian, I need to talk to you!”
“What is it?”
“It’s something that needs to be discussed privately!”
Carlothian raised one eyebrow, then stepped out of the room and walked down the hallway with me.
“What brings you here so rudely?”
“I think it’s time we talked in more detail about the dark magic we possess.”
Yes. The madness and the voice. The regression wouldn’t happen as long as I didn’t die, so those two things were what I needed to address urgently.
Upon hearing “dark magic,” Carlothian brought his index finger to his lips.
He must be suggesting we lower our voices. I nodded, closed my lips, and looked around.
Fortunately, there were no servants in sight nearby. We left the office and headed to Carlothian’s bedroom, quickly closing the door.
“So, what’s the sudden reason for bringing this up?”
“First of all—”
“First of all?”
“I’ve concluded that my voice improves the more I come into contact with you.”
“What?”
“It’s a temporary measure, but it seems to have a definite effect.”
Seeing him with arms crossed and looking down at me, I plopped onto the bed and started swinging my feet.
“I understand for now.”
“Now, let’s talk about something else.”
I pointed a finger at him.
“Have you tried anything to get rid of your madness?”
“Something I’ve tried?”
“You wouldn’t want me in your bed every night, would you?”
“…”
Carlothian frowned as if annoyed, then continued speaking. What’s bothering him?
“Now that I think about it…”
My eyes sparkled. But what came out of his mouth was unexpected.
“Holy relic.”
“Holy relic?”
Why is he suddenly talking about a relic in the middle of a discussion about dark magic?
“Yes.”
He spoke these words as he walked over to where I was sitting on the bed. Then he gently lifted me up and laid me completely down on the bed. Then he lay down beside me.
What’s this? Since contact is supposed to be good for my voice, is he helping with that?
He’s surprisingly gentle.
Thinking about it, it was also around the time that night was approaching. It was still a bit early, though.
“It refers to objects imbued with powerful divine energy.”
His whispering voice was close. I rubbed my ear, which had grown warm, and looked at him.
What is a holy relic?
It is a very sacred object found in nature, containing a massive amount of divine energy. Most are carefully stored in temples, but the origin of the first relic, the “Divine Stone,” is unknown.
Seven thousand years ago, a war broke out between the Empire and the Kingdom over the relic, the Divine Stone.
The war lasted for ten long years.
The people grew increasingly exhausted and impoverished, and with droughts compounding the situation, many perished.
Unable to endure it, the then-High Priest, “Frederick Elon,” secretly took the holy relic and disappeared.
He headed to the mountain village of Anrize, located on the border between the Empire and the Kingdom.
Later, when the Empire’s forces learned of the relic’s disappearance, they pursued him, but they found only his corpse, which had died by suicide. The relic could not be recovered.
“It’s said that divine energy was so abundant throughout the mountains of Anrize that it was impossible to find. I also felt my madness diminish when I visited the mountains.”
“That means!”
“If we obtain the relic, it might prevent the madness from manifesting.”
“Exactly!”
I stretched out my arms with joy and hugged his neck, smiling brightly.
“If we find it, it might solve everything!”
As I smiled and made eye contact with him, he grabbed my waist and pulled me close.
“But we couldn’t find it.”
Carlothian let out a short sigh.
“In fact, we mobilized all the knights to search for the holy relic. We also received help from the priest.”
So they still couldn’t find it. I leaned my head on his shoulder and groaned.
“Still, I want to try.”
Isn’t there something like a possessed person’s buff?
I looked at him intently, running my mind through meaningless happy circuits.
Carlothian quietly looked down at me and sighed over my nape. Ah, that gave me chills.
And despite the sigh, he answered very simply.
“Alright.”
“Wow, really?”
“However—”
“However?”
He released my arm and sat up. Then he took out a beautiful golden letter from his coat.
Oh, that’s—
“We need to resolve this first.”
On the envelope, the name “Princess Yermondi Volovichya” was written.
As soon as I saw that, I couldn’t help but sit up straight. Is this an invitation from the princess? An invitation from the person who framed me!
The moment I saw the letter, I had a feeling she was plotting something. I’ll bet five hundred won on that.
“The princess’s palace extends an invitation to you and me.”
“W-why me?”
“Well, I don’t know either. Didn’t you used to be on friendly terms before you became a sinner?”
“Well, yes, but…”
You don’t know, but I’m the one who got backstabbed by her. As I scratched my cheek, Carlothian handed me the letter and said,
“Let’s go to Anrize after this. The appointment is in a week; by then, my business should be sorted out too.”
“Huh? Are you coming with me?”
Then he looked at me as if he were wondering what I was talking about.
“Isn’t that obvious?”
True, if he wasn’t there, no one would take responsibility for my madness. He might be a bit cold, but he definitely has a sense of responsibility.
I nodded. Holding the letter I had received, I returned to my room and unfolded the already partially torn letter.
“What kind of scheme is Princess Yermondi planning this time?”
I lay on the bed, shaking my feet. I feel like I should prepare for anything.
I found some stationery in the room and picked up a pen. Hmm, I wonder how this will go.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
Yermondi had completed all her preparations. She was in a good mood today. The weather was clear, and everything seemed like it would go well.
“It must proceed without any mistakes.”
Yermondi spoke to the trembling maid in front of her.
“Yes, yes…”
The maid’s complexion was dark. Yermondi, seeing this, warned her.
“Straighten up. Don’t let it show. Don’t mess things up.”
“Ah, I understand.”
“When Carlothian and Ariadeline arrive, serve the tea naturally. And…”
She smiled widely.
“All you have to do is place the poisoned cup in front of me.”
Her eyes, which were folding beautifully, were frightening. Her pink lips felt like a monster. The maid tried to hide her trembling hands.
“Then your family will be safe.”
“Th-thank you, thank you.”
Yermondi personally patted the maid’s shoulder. The maid flinched at the touch.
“What time is it?”
“It’s one o’clock in the afternoon now.”
“The appointment is at two, so we have quite a bit of time.”
Yermondi elegantly went to sit on the sofa in her room. She imagined Ariadeline’s flustered expression.
“I wish that girl would just die already.”
“It will happen as you wish.”
The princess did not smile at those words. She merely looked into the distance for a moment, lifting her chin slightly.
Currently, the social scene was buzzing with rumors that could not be confirmed. Among them, the most talked-about were:
First, the engagement rumor between Princess Yermondi and Carlothian.
Second, the rumors of Carlothian reuniting with his ex-wife and sinner, Ariadeline.
And third, the story that the villainess Ariadeline had repented of her sins and received forgiveness from the saint.
The princess smirked. Ariadeline was not truly wicked enough to deserve the label of villainess. She was merely a foolish woman who only knew how to undermine the woman who had stolen her husband’s heart.
It was Yermondi herself who had given her the name of a villainess.
“But you want to remove that label, huh?”
That won’t do. It absolutely won’t.
“You have to live with the name I gave you.”
Yermondi thought. If she were to collapse here after ingesting poison today, people would naturally suspect Ariadeline.
Everyone in high society, no, everyone in the empire knew how much she had envied Dorothea. But if she were to poison herself now, while rumors of the princess’s engagement to the duke were circulating? People would surely think that Ariadeline had once again acted out of jealousy.
She would provide the maid with a reason to say that she had been coerced into following Ariadeline’s orders due to threats of dark magic against her family.
‘Since she is trying to harm me, the princess, that maid won’t be safe either.’
She smiled.
In order to protect her family, the maid would lie and sacrifice herself.
It was a simple and easy trap for someone like Ariadeline, who had no allies.
‘No matter how powerful Duke Denaves is, he can’t overcome the confession of the true culprit.’
Yermondi exhaled slowly. It felt like hunting a small animal. She tapped the armrest of the sofa, waiting for the time to pass.
Until the little rabbit approached the trap.
As time went by, the appointment time drew near.
Yermondi got up from her seat and headed towards the tea room, while one of her maids went to meet Duke Denaves and Ariadeline.
Not long after the maid arrived at the palace’s entrance, the carriage of the Duke of Denaves stopped in front of it.
Thanks for the chapter