Who is your dad?

“Thank goodness you’ve come to your senses.”

The voice that sounded vivid and clear in my ears was completely different from the hallucinations I had felt in my dream. This was a real person speaking to me in my own voice. Slowly, I turned my head towards the direction of the sound.

“At least you woke up faster this time, Karl.”

Karl Albrecht, the Grand Duke. I blinked a few times, wondering if I was seeing things, but Karl in front of me didn’t disappear. He was dressed more casually than usual in a white shirt and vest that looked comfortable.

“Is this a dream?”

“It’s real.”

If this wasn’t a dream, why was Karl in my bedroom? And I was lying down with Karl sitting right next to the bed.

I tried to assess the situation by moving my head, but a dizzying headache made me close my eyes again.

“Why? Is your head hurting again?”

“Just lower your voice a bit… my head is pounding.”

Karl nodded, closing his mouth. I had managed to open my eyes, but it seemed like my body hadn’t fully recovered yet.

Come to think of it, the feeling was quite similar to when I woke up disoriented on the train last time. Was I under some kind of spell again?

“I didn’t even eat pie this time.”

I heard Karl chuckle. Why was he laughing? I was being serious. As I opened my eyes and looked at him, he smoothed his expression and met my gaze.

“I didn’t eat pie, but I did meet the one who offered it.”

“Why do things feel so vivid? This can’t be a dream, right?”

“It’s not a dream, Celly.”

As Karl spoke, he raised his hand to show me something tightly held in it. What’s that? As I stared, I realized it was my hand.

“Mom!”

Startled, I tried to sit up abruptly. Or rather, I tried to sit up. The world was spinning so terrifyingly that I had to lie back down as if collapsing onto the bed.

“Don’t get up so quickly. Thanks to the recovery spell, you regained consciousness quickly, but your body is still recovering.”

“Why are we holding hands?”

Karl smiled mischievously. Was he always this good at smiling?

“Well, you were holding my hand mumbling in your sleep. You even said not to leave. Quite firmly.”

“I? No way.” She quietly withdrew her hand from his. As Celeste’s father faded away in her dream, she reached out to grab him, but it turned out she was holding Karl’s hand instead. Oh, embarrassing. Her face flushed.

“By the way, what are you doing here?”

If it weren’t a dream but reality, that would have been the first question to ask him. Why are you suddenly here at our house?

“The count’s aide contacted Clovis urgently. The count has collapsed.”

“Was it Hannah who contacted? How?”

“Louisette’s transceiver.”

“Oh… Well, how did you get their contact information?”

“I didn’t, but Hannah and Clovis have been in touch since the train incident.”

“Why?”

“Because of what happened on the train. It seemed more than just a simple stomach upset, like dark magic.”

“You’ve been in touch continuously since then?”

“Not frequently, but whenever there were clues about that incident or new information from Urentum, we exchanged messages once or twice.”

“I had no idea.”

“I told the Count not to worry.”

“Why?”

“I thought he might get anxious if he knew we were investigating.”

As Karl spoke, he smiled again.

His relaxed attire, different from usual, and the smile constantly appearing on his usually stern face, even as if wearing a stiff mask, made her confused. He seemed like a different person from the Karl she had known so far.

“So, did you come here after receiving the message?”

“Yes.”

“There have been quite a few carriages coming to the mansion today. What number guest are you?”

“Well, since you asked. I heard Franz came by; what happened?”

The smile was lost. Whenever talks related to Franz came up, Karl’s face always stiffened. It was an excessive reaction to simply see it as a rivalry, resentment, or a relationship of that level. Although it did not appear in the original work, it seemed like there was a deeper story between the two.

Would it be okay to talk to Karl about the contract made between the Count and Marina? It was difficult to bring up the subject, as it was unsure how much he knew about the secret between the Lousiette family and the Toskur Duke.

“I really don’t know well either. I was extremely angry and came to clearly address the master-servant relationship. I think I might have said something like that.”

“It seems to be because of the contract made between Franz’s mother and the previous Count.”

“Do you know about the contract?”

“To some extent. How could Franz, who shows no pretense, continue such a wealthy lifestyle? His expenses are limited by the state budget. The luxurious life he is enjoying now cannot be sustained within that budget. Perhaps Franz has assets from various places besides the Count’s family. Thinking he won’t be able to do that made me angry.”

Karl knew much more about Franz than expected.

“We should hurry.”

“What do you mean by hurry?”

“Our marriage, I mean.”

“What?”

Why is the conversation suddenly going this way?

“I just can’t feel relaxed. I think I should keep you away from Franz. I feel even more at ease having you by my side.”

“By the way, what was that talk earlier? ‘You didn’t eat the pie, but you met the one who gave the pie.’ Could that be about Franz? So, you want to keep Franz away?”

Karl nodded.

“Linke, the head of the Magical Department, was here a little while ago.”

“The Linke from the Magical Department?”

That is. In the moment of consideration, Karl quickly continued his explanation.

“I called him to check if the curse of black magic harming your body is true. And I received a definite answer that black magic is indeed involved.”

“So, you’re saying I’ve been cursed? That this pain is because of that?”

“It’s more like a trap than a curse.”

“If it’s a trap…”

“The one who cast the black magic set a trap for you. They may have intentions to control your body as they wish, manipulating your thoughts and will.”

To think something like that exists. It sent shivers down my spine.

“I asked the aide if there were any unusual events with you today. It was reported that two unexpected guests came by: the aide sent by your aunt and Franz. These two people. Since it’s unlikely that the aide sent by your aunt would cast black magic on you, the only one left is Franz. In fact, you lost consciousness while talking to him, didn’t you?”

Yes, that’s right. I remembered suddenly feeling suffocated as I glared at Franz, who couldn’t bear being alone.

“Yes. The Duke of Toskur suddenly got angry… and since then, I’ve had difficulty breathing.”

“If Franz is the one behind the black magic, the deterioration of your condition could be explained by his emotions and thoughts.”

“Then… is there no way to break free from this black magic?”

“Though it’s a bit challenging, there is a way. Generally, when the caster of the magic retrieves the spell on their own, it will be undone. However, since black magic involves harming someone while offering sacrifices, once cast, it’s irreversible.”

“Then how…”

“If the caster of the black magic disappears, it is possible.”

“You mean they have to die?”

I gasped in shock.

“We can’t just kill them, can we?”

“Right. So, first, you need to distance yourself from the caster. Magic can only influence within its jurisdiction. If it’s outside their reach, their influence won’t affect you, as per Lord Linke’s explanation.”

So he said I have to stay away from Franz. But I was still worried. Temporarily distancing myself from him might work as a stopgap measure, but I can’t keep running forever. If we keep running away like this, isn’t there a chance that the same thing could happen again one day?

“I called for the commandant of the capital’s army to protect the Duke under my orders. No matter how noble he may be, he must not enter this place without my permission.”