After returning from entrusting the study of dark attribute spirits to the fourth concubine, Diana donned black clothes to personally observe the First Prince Elliot, just as she had planned earlier. She tied her hair, tucked it inside her hood, covered her face completely with a mask, entrusted Bella with the room’s security, and quietly left the third prince’s palace.
“Muf.”
Hiss. Muf, irritated from being handled and stretched by the fourth concubine during the day, hissed at Diana.
With an awkward smile, Diana opened her mouth slightly. “…Should I bring you a rabbit later?”
Hiss.
“A deer?”
…
“…Three of them?”
Nyaa. Only then did Muf return to his usual self. Diana shook her head as she watched Muf rubbing his face against her leg.
You cunning spirit.
<It’s because it resembles its master.>
Don’t interfere without being called, Yuro.
<…If you keep treating me like this, I might refuse to cooperate with the research.>
Go ahead and try.
<…>
Yuro, who was about to sulk but failed, fell silent.
Soon, Diana’s body was hidden in the darkness created by Muf. Diana suppressed her presence and headed towards the first prince’s palace. As she quietly walked, she pondered over what Mizel had said.
“One group is from the third prince’s subordinates, and… the other is from the first princess’s subordinates.”
Mizel’s report and the strange confrontation Diana witnessed in the forest during the hunting tournament. She knew that saving Elliot should come first, but her thoughts kept drifting towards Rebecca and Duke Findlay.
For Duke Findlay to hide something from Rebecca… What could it be?
Rebecca is trying to uncover what he’s hiding, even at the risk of opposing him… It could only be because she judged it to be a threat to her. But considering how much effort Duke Findlay had put into making Rebecca the empress, it was hard to believe he would do such a thing, leaving her uncertain.
In the end, Diana shook her head to forcefully clear her thoughts. Right now, Elliot took priority over Rebecca.
As she quickened her pace, the first prince’s palace came into view. Staring at the palace shrouded in darkness, she felt a strange sentiment… It’s the opposite of before I regressed. In the past, she came to kill Elliot, but now she was here to save him. The difference somehow amused her.
With a self-deprecating smile, Diana avoided the guards’ eyes and stepped inside the palace. As Mizel had informed her, the first prince’s palace was as quiet as a grave. Unlike recent times when the palace was always lit, now all the lights were out.
Fleur… Is she okay?
Mizel had added that Fleur, who had been by Elliot’s side like a ghost for days, eventually fainted and was now resting in another room. Therefore, by the order of the imperial doctor, all lights in the first prince’s palace were turned off today to allow Fleur to rest fully.
Diana wanted to check on Fleur, but it would be problematic if any of the attendants noticed her presence, so she had no choice. Standing in front of Elliot’s door, Diana took a short breath and opened the door slightly. After confirming there was no one else in the room besides Elliot, Diana quickly slipped inside and closed the door.
The windows are protected by magical tools.
Diana glanced around the room and approached the bed. There lay Elliot, his face even paler than a few days ago, breathing faintly. The sight of his pallid face and weak breath pained her heart.
Hillasa. Diana quietly muttered a name under her breath. Soon, a small breeze blew, and Hillasa appeared at her feet.
Diana signaled towards the door. Hillasa rolled across the floor and slipped under the door, taking up the watch outside. Meanwhile, Diana carefully held Elliot’s hand to examine his condition more closely. But immediately, as if she had been burned, she quickly withdrew her hand.
What is this?
Diana clutched her hand with a startled expression. With a look of disbelief, she hesitantly brought her fingers back to Elliot’s hand. This time, her face hardened with certainty.
How…
First Prince Elliot was born without the ability to wield magic. This meant that he naturally had no magic within his body. But now, there was a faint flow of magic inside Elliot’s body. Something that should have been impossible. Moreover, the magic felt strangely familiar.
“Yuro.”
Diana spoke with a firm voice as she dispelled Muf’s barrier. Using Hillasa, Muf, and Yuro’s abilities simultaneously was too much of a burden.
I’m wearing a mask, so even if I encounter an assassin, they won’t recognize me.
Responding to her call, Yuro appeared behind her, moving stealthily. Yuro sniffed the air around the bed and spoke with interest.
<A human who isn’t an elementalist but smells like us… How intriguing.>
Realizing that what she felt wasn’t a mistake, Diana’s face paled as she asked, “…Are you sure it’s the aura of a dark attribute spirit? It’s not a mistake?”
<I can’t say for sure. It certainly smells astonishingly like ours, but there’s something different.> Yuro sniffed the air more intensely.
Diana’s hands began to tremble noticeably. She bit her lip and gripped the bed sheet tightly.
This is…
An aura that seemed ‘similar’ to that of a dark attribute spirit. And the dark purple bruises appeared all over his body.
It’s similar.
As these things piled up, memories of the past began to surface.
“Her Majesty the Empress has been poisoned!”
“Dark purple bruises all over her body… How deadly must the poison be!”
“There were reports that you used sinister powers! No more excuses, come with us!”
The accusation that Diana had tried to poison Rebecca. If she compared everything she saw and heard during that ordeal to the current situation, was it just a coincidence? No... It wasn’t a coincidence. A gut feeling told her it was something more.
But something doesn’t add up. In Rebecca’s case, there was no talk of her losing her life or anything similar. In fact, when she appeared in court, wasn’t she perfectly healthy and clean?
Could it be a poison created by Rebecca’s side that has an antidote? What on earth… Unable to draw a clear conclusion, her mind was in chaos. Diana closed her eyes tightly, feeling dizzy.
At that moment, Yuro, who had been sniffing around the bed, suddenly tilted its head. It poked at Elliot’s other hand with its nose.
<The scent is strongest here. Snap out of it and come here.>
Diana snapped back to reality at Yuro’s call and moved closer. She tried to regain her composure as she looked at the spot Yuro had indicated.
“A ring?”
Diana’s brows furrowed slightly. Yuro was pointing to the wedding ring on Elliot’s ring finger.
“It looks perfectly fine on the outside…”
Just as Diana murmured softly as she reached out to touch the ring. Beeeep! A sharp sound pierced her ears. Diana and Yuro, focused on the ring, turned their heads abruptly to see Hillasa desperately tugging at the hem of her clothes. The moment she saw that, it felt as if all the blood in her body had frozen. Ah. And before she could react further,
Creak—The third prince, Kayden, opened the door and appeared.
“…Brother?” As he stealthily entered the room, their eyes met.
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