The intense proposal ended, and a tense silence filled the air. While a cold air mainly emanated from Lacius, Angelica seemed to be oblivious to it, smiling radiantly. I sighed, touching my forehead.
“Hey, I am a person without prejudice.”
“Yeah, so with me—”
“But I don’t like you.”
I nailed it on the head. It was to prevent them from thinking about something else.
“Why? Why don’t you like me? Then? Will you marry brother Nas instead?”
“I hate it more.”
“Iikkk, then just accept both of us as concubines!”
A concubine. Is there a concept of a concubine in this world? Or is it only in the Kingdom of Edmund? Either way, I couldn’t say anything. Kids are scary these days, and I couldn’t for the life of me figure out what was going on in this young princess’s head.
“That’s enough.”
Lacius stepped forward as if he couldn’t take any more.
“That won’t do.”
And in the blink of an eye, he pushed Angelica’s forehead away from me. I opened my mouth to speak again as she struggled to stay on her feet.
“This older sister likes a man who is handsome and has a good body to the extent that she gasps.”
“… … !”
“Or if it’s a woman, she should be like Her Highness the Princess of Terran.”
I laid out my preferences quite frankly. If it’s a man, I don’t see anyone below Lacius as a romantic interest, and if it’s a woman, my heart doesn’t flutter unless it’s princess-unnie.
Since I’m pretty and outstanding, I have high standards, it’s only natural.
Edmund’s kids were nowhere near my taste. Angelica still looked unconvinced, but Prince Nas glanced at the icy face of Lacius and bowed his head deeply.
‘He’s someone he can’t defeat.’
The words, no matter how childish and thoughtlessly spoken, are unpleasant, and a deep frown creases Lacius’s brow. I rest my head on his broad chest to soothe him.
“Lashin, shouldn’t we wake them up now?”
“… … okay.”
“Let’s ask them some questions. See if they know anything about Fata-Morgana?”
It wasn’t about finding and annihilating them right away. However, there was a chance to learn about a potential threat, and it would be stupid to let that opportunity slip by. Besides, there is a high probability that Shay was also trapped there before I transmigrated.
Seeing that these wizards didn’t recognize me, I’m guessing that even if I was from Edmund’s kingdom, I wasn’t a noble. Someone with my striking appearance would be hard to forget once they saw me.
I tapped Lasius on the arm while trying to figure out something about the character ‘Shay’. As soon as I did, he picked up the glass jug on the table and poured the cold water over the head of the man who was supposed to be the head of Edmund’s kingdom. All of it.
“Oof, oof, it’s cold!”
It worked quite well, and the wizard woke up quickly. Then he shook his head like a wet dog, and then, as if he had come to his senses, he immediately screamed.
“How dare you treat a wizard like this!”
Anger shone in his eyes. But even so, he didn’t dare to move easily. If he was a person of influence, he would understand the global power dynamics and be cautious in the presence of the Archduke of Terran. Typically, a wizard from a small country wouldn’t dare to speak out easily in front of a powerful figure.
I crouched down in front of the wizard, my eyes twinkling evilly.
“Of course, you, as a wizard, could easily break this rope with your magic, but I don’t think you’ll do that.”
“Are you threatening me now?”
“No, I wouldn’t.”
Resting my elbows on my knees and my chin in my hands, I smirked and blurted out a question.
“Do you know what paradise is?”
“Paradise, what kind of nonsense is that—”
The wizard blurted out as if he didn’t know. I cut him off mid-sentence and went straight to the next question.
“What kind of deal are you making with Fata-Morgana?”
“… … !”
“We’ve gotten a tip that you’ve been selling Painting Wizards to them and taking unfair advantage of them.”
Wriggle. The most authoritative wizard’s eyebrows twitched like earthworms. I didn’t miss it and smirked.
“We’re very interested in painting wizards in Terran, so it would be better to be on this side than to be on Fata-Morgana.”
“… … Keugh.”
“Think about it well.”
At the same time as I said that, Lacius summoned Apollineus. A huge sword appears in his hand with a bright light. It was a threat stronger than a thousand words.
‘Really amazing.’
I couldn’t help but find it adorable, when did he learn such impeccable timing?
I looked at the unnamed wizard with a grin. How can I be so good at giving leading questions? I don’t know how powerful he was, but as a politician, he’s a zero. His facial expressions were so telling that I had already gotten what I wanted without hearing his answer.
You’re handing painting wizards over to Fata-Morgana. But why?
‘They’re abusing the princess. That means the wizards just want to push out the painting wizards. Since it’s a power that continues with blood, the royal family must have been painting wizards for generations. So, to summarize… .’
Ordinary wizards were intentionally trying to get rid of painting wizards.
They’re handing them to Fata-Morgana using the nonsense of ‘protecting’ them.
‘Fata-Morgana is not stupid, and they said they communicate through birds, so they probably don’t know Fata-Morgana’s base exact location.’
So it’s useless to ask. Rolling my head incessantly, I threw the next question.
“Do you know about the lifespan of the princess?”
“… … I know.”
“Okay, then. Is it ten years for each one?”
One by one, the awakening wizards looked anxiously toward Lacius. He simply drew his sword and stood there holding it with both hands. Even though there were no words or movements, the sense of dread was palpable.
“… Yes.”
“Hmm, I see. 10 years.”
After lightly releasing the tension with a light question, I went back to the main topic.
“When is your next meeting with Fata-Morgana?”
“That is highly confidential, and I cannot disclose such information.”
“Terran is curious, can’t you tell me?”
“Whether it’s Terran or the royal family, I cannot disclose it!”
“But that has already been reported. Was it on the day that Lakurum ends?”
Of course, no such report ever came. I calmly made up words and looked at the wizard’s complexion. Seeing the signs of relief passing by, seems like I missed.
“No, I think it said that you were supposed to meet during Lakurum?”
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