Chapter translated by Loulou.
‘Why am I like this?’
Etisha quickly pulled her hand away as her feet touched the floor. She somehow felt like she had committed a crime.
‘No. Let’s not entertain strange things. The Duke has expectations of me.’
Although she let go of the hand she was holding, Etisha couldn’t hide her expression. Her cheeks were subtly flushed, as if they had been touched by the hot summer sun.
“Is that a wrap gate ahead?”
Etisha deliberately brought up a different topic, just to distract herself. It was just a random remark to shift her thoughts, but it actually worked.
‘How fascinating. It looks like a fountain. Except instead of water, it seems to be spouting jewels.’
It was Etisha’s first time seeing a warp. She had never ridden a magic gate used for long-distance travel when attending parties.
“It’s my first time using one. I didn’t know it was this beautiful,” Etisha confesses as she approached the magic circle and took a closer look with a look of admiration.
On the ground lay a large circular pedestal, from which multiple streams of magic emanated. The magical energy sparkled in various colors like jewels, dazzlingly beautiful to the point of being enchanting.
“It’s so amazing. If I step on this, will the magic activate and send me to the north?”
“That’s right. It leads to the Windell territory,” Kaiyen answered.
There was a total of four warp gates installed throughout the Empire, each respectively connected to the Northern, Southern, Western, and Eastern regions.
“In my imagination, I thought it would look scarier and more bizarre. You see, Larienne, my sister, always described them as dreadful and frightening.”
“Oh?”
“I heard it feels like your limbs are being torn apart, like you’re being crushed to death by a giant… Is that not true?”
“It’s completely different. Rather, gravity disappears and your body feels like it is flying in the sky. If it’s your first time experiencing it, you’ll probably enjoy the experience quite a bit.”
“Ah…..”
Etisha looked up at teleportation gate with a bittersweet smile.
Larienne always tried to confine her. She had been continuously deceiving Etisha, brainwashing her with lies, in fear that she might escape through a magic gate one day.
“I was ignorant. Lari, my sister, has been invited to many noble estates and traveled everywhere. I only heard stories about the outside world from her…. I guess I was fooled.”
“… … .”
“Well, I’m glad I know the truth now.”
Kaiyen quietly listened to Etisha’s words before speaking in a polite tone.
“Don’t blame yourself, Lady Etisha. It’s not because you were ignorant. It’s because someone purposely deceived you.”
“Duke…”
“You expressed a desire for change. What matters is that determination. You’ll learn as you go.”
Etisha had no time to think about herself in the Heinz family. She didn’t even know what she truly wanted, whether it to just leave or seek revenge.
“That’s right. From now on, it’s about discovering.”
Now that she had completely left the Heinz family behind, there was no one left to deceive her, and the time she had left belonged entirely to her.
And by her side was Kaiyen.
“One step at a time, by the Duke’s side…”
At that moment, Advisor Valdeframe approached silently and bowed his head.
“Duke, the gate is ready. Shall we prepare to depart?”
It seemed it was finally time to board the warp gate.
“We will leave first then.”
“Very well. We’ll meet up in the north,” Kaiyen replied.
However, it turned out that they were not all riding the same gate.
Kaiyen and Etisha, whose status was higher, seemed to be riding noble-exclusive magic gate, while Advisor Valdeframe, maid Marin, and Dite seemed to be using a cargo-type magic gate.
‘So, there are different types of wrap gate,’ Etisha thought.
Come to think of it, it made sense that arrogant nobles and commoners wouldn’t use the same magical platform. Just like train compartments were divided into different sections… Moreover, warp gates were incredibly expensive means of transportation. It was undeniable that most users were nobles, so it was only natural that conveniences were provided for them.
Advisor Valdeframe, Marin, and Yudite climbed onto the fountain-like magical platform, and a few minutes later, with a flash of light, everyone disappeared. It was truly instantaneous. It was intense and brief, like a lightning strike.
As Etisha was standing there amazed, Kaiyen carefully guided her.
“We are going this way, Lady Etisha.”
“Oh, yes Duke.”
The two of them walked towards the noble-only one, their footsteps echoing on the white marble floor.
“Lady Etisha.”
Until suddenly, Kaiyen called her name again
His tone was slightly lower than before, and his gaze was as deep as the night sea. As Etisha looked up at him, Kaiyen glanced around with his pitch-black eyes before muttering softly.
“Before we leave, there is something I want to tell you.”
“Yes?”
“It would take a long time to truly explain everything since it’s kind of a long story. But since we don’t have much time, so I’ll keep it brief.”
Etisha blinked her blue eyes. She had no idea what Kaiyen was about to say, but she had a feeling that the content wouldn’t be ordinary.
‘What on earth is going on with the Duke?’
“Yes, please tell me. What is it?” Etisha replied, her voice filled with tension.
“It’s about… Yudite.”
“….?”
“I couldn’t clearly explain my relationship with Yudite while on the carriage, as there were listening ears. At least one more person can know about this, so it wasn’t appropriate to discuss in the presence of a maid.”
“Yes, of course… I understand.”
Etisha understood Kaien’s words perfectly. He had been trying to conceal his affair from the beginning, so it was natural for him to want to hide his relationship with Yudite as well.
‘The Duke is quite something. He doesn’t need to mention such things.’
From the moment she saw Yudite take the seat next to Kaien, she understood everything. There was no need for Kaien to explain further. So, as they stopped in front of warp gate, Etisha smiled sweetly.
“Actually, I was fully aware of it even without the Duke saying anything.”
“You were?”
“Isn’t Yudite the very reason the Duke wants to marry me?”
To leave behind a fake duchess and share true love with his mistress.
Wasn’t that exactly why Kaiyen decided to marry her?
“Miss Etisha might think that way, however, there are still some things you don’t know about.”
“Things that I don’t know about?”
“That’s right. However, if I am to tell you the truth, you will have to keep it a secret as well.”
“….”
“Because Judite is Windell’s shame and someone who must be hidden.”
Windell’s shame… …?
Someone who must stay hidden… …?
While Etisha understood Kaiyen’s desire to hide his mistress from the world, his words sounded quite extreme.
It seemed that just like Kaiyen said, there was something else she didn’t know about.
‘What could he be talking about? Could it be that Yudite gave birth to the Duke’s illegitimate child?’
But if Yudite gave birth to Kaiyen’s child, where is that child now? Up north, perhaps?
Etisha quietly observed Kaiyen. It was the same face she had looking at moments ago, yet it felt like she was seeing it for the first time.
Kaiyen frowned and opened his mouth again.
“Yudite is my… ….” he said in a voice devoid of emotion.
But then, at that very moment, Etisha’s suddenly felt tight, as if she was suffocating.
Her hands and feet felt numb, while her my body started to heat up by the second. Then, out of nowhere, her heart started to pound violently.
“… … !”
Something surged up from within her body like lava. Unidentifiable in form, it fluctuated, and twisted within her, alternating between hot and cold as it engulfed her.
Overflowing from her heart, it threatened to burst out through her mouth.
Making Etisha quickly cover her mouth with her hand.
“Ugh, ugh……!”
It was mana overload.
A condition where mana builds up in the body and eventually exploded … . And Etisha’s first symptoms had finally appeared.
The hot and cold sensation came from the magic power accumulated in Etisha’s body. And the energy that had accumulated over a long period of time was eager to be released itself from Etisha’s body.
“Ughh, ughhhhh… …!”
Trying to get rid of it, Etisha retched continuously, but despite feeling nauseous, nothing came out of her mouth.
“Lady Etisha!”
Kaiyen quickly supported the distressed Etisha. Hugging her waist, he pulled her into his embrace, and gently rubbed her back. Etisha coughed a few more times in his arms before she was finally able to catch her breath.
“Your Grace…I’m fine now. I’m okay, really.”
“What are you talking about? There’s no way you are fine after this.”
“No, I really am fine. They say the first attack passes quickly. It does get worse as the disease reaches the final stage, but it’s bearable for now… ….”
“I already know everything about the disease. Even if it’s bearable, it doesn’t you are okay, that’s what I meant. It would be best for you to rest and take care of yourself for now.”
After those words, Kaiyen led Etisha down the magic device, and Etisha obediently followed him, coughing softly.
“Lady Etisha, look at me. Let me take a look at your complexion.”
“Your Grace….”
“Please, look at me”
Kaiyen calmly examined Etisha’s face, staring directly into her eyes as if dissecting every detail, from the subtle trembling of her eyes to the little wrinkles and color of her lips
Although Etisha still appeared somewhat in shock, she no longer seemed to be in pain, and the agitated mana within her seemed to have subsided.
“So, this is the first symptom?” Kaiyen asked.
“Yes, that’s right. I’ve never experienced anything like this before,” Etesha replied.
“In that case, we should have a fair amount of time before the next wave appears,” Kaiyen observed.
“I suppose. They said it’s like the contractions felt by expectant mothers, where the intervals between the pains start off longer but gradually become shorter towards the end. So, until then, I should be able to continue with my daily life,” Etisha explained.
“Huu…” Kaiyen let out a soft sigh.
Etisha’s already pale face looked even whiter, as he was not accustomed to seeing her under the sun. While there was still time before the next wave of pain, he knew it didn’t mean she was fine.
“It would be best for you to rest today. Let’s schedule the trip to the North for tomorrow. We don’t know how the warp gate might affect your mana if we board right away.”
“What? … But everyone else is already gone. We are the only ones left,” Etisha protested.
“I am well aware of that. It’s actually better this way. If there were any prying eyes, things would have become more complicated.”
“That… you are right.”
As Etisha listened to the Duke’s words, his decision to stay started to make sense.
It wouldn’t be appropriate for others to know that Etisha had deadly disease. It might have been different if she had already been married to Kaiyen, but they hadn’t held their wedding ceremony yet, so it was way too early for the truth to be revealed.
‘But if we are to leave tomorrow…’
That meant spending time alone with the Duke in Laksen city until then.
‘A…alone?’
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