The wedding was just a day away. Hands busily worked on grooming her, starting with a manicure and moving on to massages from head to toe. A swarm of attendants surrounded her, tending to her every need.
Unlike her usual self, she did not throw a tantrum over minor mistakes. Instead, she calmly let the maids serve her and waited for time to pass.
Milena went to bed early in preparation for the next day but woke up at midnight. Lexion, who had been leaning against the door, began walking alongside her.
The operation was now in motion. Within a few hours, they would step into the memorial hall where the wedding was to be held. There, she asked Lexion for the item she had entrusted to him.
“Lexion, give me the Sovereign’s Staff.”
As commanded, he retrieved a heavy rod from his spatial pocket and handed it to her. What exactly was she planning to do with it?
It was imbued with powerful magic, strong enough to at least turn the wedding hall into chaos. Though, realistically, how much damage could that even cause to the Grand Duke’s wealth? Was this her form of revenge?
Lexion followed her without question, not bothering to ask about her plan. He had already decided that if things went awry, he would act according to his own judgment. It was better not to expect too much from her.
“Lexion, what does the Grand Duke cherish the most?”
“That would be the Grand Duchess, of course.”
“Exactly. So, I’m going to destroy the Grand Duchess’s coffin.”
What?
He had been absentmindedly following her down the lavish red carpet adorned with flowers, but now, he came to an abrupt halt.
“The best plan you could come up with is destroying your sister’s coffin?”
Even if the Grand Duke treasured the Grand Duchess’s coffin, there were lines that simply should not be crossed. Disappointment was evident in his expression. As his face hardened, Milena casually rested the heavy staff on her shoulder and turned to look at him.
“If there were really a corpse inside, then I wouldn’t do such a thing.”
“What do you mean…?”
She strode towards the platform where the wedding was to take place, stopping before her sister’s well-preserved coffin.
“This is an empty coffin.”
Lexion stood there in stunned silence. Seeing his bewilderment, Milena patiently explained.
“The Grand Duke cast an anti-theft spell on it, but beneath that, there’s an illusion spell. It creates a realistic illusion, making it seem like something is there when it isn’t. The weight, the texture—it all feels real.”
“So, you’re saying the coffin is empty?”
“Yes. And…”
Her deep green eyes met his gaze sharply from beneath her long lashes.
“My sister is alive.”
The shocking revelation hit Lexion like a blow to the head. Then, as he replayed her past actions in his mind, a shiver ran down his spine.
He had underestimated her. A sheltered count’s daughter who had spent the past five years confined to the Grand Duke’s castle—how elaborate could her plans possibly be? He had carelessly dismissed her, only to now realize how foolish that had been.
If her words were true, the information she possessed was invaluable beyond measure.
Lexion smirked as he rubbed his mouth, suppressing a laugh.
“Ha, Milena.”
As the leader of an intelligence guild, he had to admit—she was a brilliant asset.
“You are extraordinary.”
His crimson eyes gleamed like a predator eyeing its prey, his tone dripping with admiration.
Whatever thoughts he harbored, she ignored him, focusing on the task at hand. Raising the heavy staff high, she swung it down toward the coffin.
The Grand Duke’s anti-theft spell was strong enough to electrocute anyone who merely touched the coffin. Though invisible to the naked eye, a powerful current ran through the transparent barrier surrounding it. Even to her, it looked like an ordinary coffin.
Those who had been captivated by Lariatte’s beauty while she lay inside had met gruesome fates upon touching it.
Fortunately, she had learned how to counter the spell from the Tower Master. Whatever his intentions had been, she intended to use every advantage she had.
The Sovereign’s Staff contained enough power to break the Grand Duke’s magic. If she could destroy the coffin, it would be no different from any ordinary one…
“Hup!”
But something was off.
“Why is this…”
The coffin remained completely intact.
“Why isn’t it breaking?”
Not a single scratch appeared on the transparent lid, and the staff merely bounced off.
Swinging the heavy staff repeatedly exhausted her frail body, making her arms tremble. Breathing heavily, she took a deep breath to steady herself.
“Let’s see who wins, you or me.”
Seeing Lariatte’s sleeping figure only made her more nauseous. Once the illusion was lifted, the Grand Duke would surely panic.
‘When he realizes she’s gone, Calion will go mad. He won’t even have time to think about killing me.’
Her sister had her own reasons for faking her death, but Milena didn’t care. She had grown sick of her sister’s selfish actions.
‘This will throw both of them into chaos.’
She tried again, but the impact rebounded, causing her to lose balance. Before she could crash to the ground, a familiar scent enveloped her.
“Milena.”
She shut her eyes tightly, bracing for impact, but instead felt a firm grip supporting her waist.
“Darling.”
Lexion caught her effortlessly, his hand wrapping around hers as he grasped the Sovereign’s Staff with her.
“You should leave this kind of work to me. What else is a husband for?”
His overly familiar tone, which she had surprisingly grown used to, made her exhale in relief. If she had fallen backward, she could have been seriously injured.
“Thank you, Lexion.”
“This isn’t how you use it.”
His crimson eyes gleamed as he infused magic into the staff. With a light tap, a sharp shattering sound echoed through the hall.
It wasn’t the coffin’s glass that had broken—it was the intricate layers of magic that Calion had placed on it.
Lexion’s eyes gleamed as he watched the magic shatter into pieces.
Magic was a special force generated within the human body, and only a rare few could wield it. Most people lived their entire lives without even knowing it existed.
And the person who had cast the illusion on Lariatte’s coffin was someone at the pinnacle of magical prowess.
“Hah, look at that.”
As the coffin lid opened under the force of his magic, Lexion’s lips curled into a smirk.
“This was incredibly well-crafted.”
Hearing Lexion’s respectful tone, Milena cleared her mind and focused on the task ahead.
“You can use the Sovereign’s Staff to dispel the illusion as well. It’s fortunate that you can control magic.”
If he hadn’t joined her plan, things would have been much more difficult. She had assumed that brute force alone would be enough—she had been wrong.
The staff was more than just a bejeweled ornament; it was a powerful weapon capable of dispelling even the Tower Master’s magic. It made her wonder why the Tower Master had revealed such an artifact to her in the first place, but she pushed the thought aside.
Lexion observed her with a mixture of curiosity and excitement. Her knowledge was staggering, and her ability to plan was thrilling.
Moreover, her scheme had the potential to completely unnerve Calion.
His grin widened.
“I have an even better idea…”
How about it, darling?
His whispered suggestion sent a shiver down her spine. Their gazes locked, thoughts racing between them.
And then, as if ensnared by the devil himself, she nodded.
It was a thrilling proposal.
On the day of the wedding, the memorial hall had been hastily transformed into a wedding venue. The ceremony, rushed and unceremonious, was unbefitting of a Grand Duke’s wedding.
The guests, however, dared not voice their thoughts.
Then, as the doors opened for the bride’s entrance, the hall fell into stunned silence.
Someone gasped aloud.
“What… is that?”
