VNC 19

Chapter 19

Esselian rose to his feet.

His condition was at its peak.

Since the onset of his madness, there had never been a time when he could maintain such a clear mind for so long.

Just a hand, that’s all.

He looked down at his own hand. He had never intended to accept the princess’s trifling proposal.

And yet, all this time, he had been following the duchess’s words.

Esselian planned to take the remedy the moment he obtained it.

It was a right he rightfully deserved.

Yet he did not do so.

The princess, who had trembled while proposing a deal and then fallen into a defenseless sleep before a man who had nearly stripped her bare, was ridiculous.

But that was not reason enough to refrain from taking her.

He was merely waiting for the right moment. He was curious to see how the unexpectedly bright and resolute duchess would act.

The duchess completely shattered his expectations.

He had thought her a naïve greenhouse princess, incapable of doing anything on her own…

I want to make a deal.

I’ll tell you who tried to kidnap me.

If you refuse this contract, then I won’t cooperate either.

The North was boring. Nothing could be more tedious than beating monsters to death in the North.

He wanted something—anything—interesting.

The princess’s words and proposals, so far outside his expectations, were annoying, but nonetheless piqued his interest.

This was also why Esselian had accepted the deal despite already knowing who was behind it.

So he intended to wait until the princess exhausted herself.

And besides…

“Your Highness, you seem to be in a good mood.”

Just from holding hands, the voices and hallucinations that had relentlessly tormented him receded, if only temporarily.

Two weeks since arriving in the North.

Today as well, he had met the duchess and returned after being purified.

At first, upon hearing the duchess’s words, he had thought spending his time on her would be a waste.

But somehow, as he kept indulging her, that time turned out to be rather tolerable.

He even found her admirable for fulfilling the role of a remedy so well.

If only I knew what the trigger word was, things would be a little easier.

But she clearly had no intention of telling him, so for now, the only option was to listen to the duchess.

Esselian glanced at the subordinate who had appeared at some point. Though the man hid his presence like a shadow, Esselian had sensed him from the start.

“Good. Very much so.”

Esselian nodded as if affirming it while entering the study. Once the door closed and he turned around, the subordinate began his report as though he had been waiting.

“Sir Merchelli has returned to Seiger. We attempted to capture the mercenaries he bribed and extract evidence, but the injured one committed suicide, and the other escaped.”

Perched against the desk, Esselian wore a look that suggested he had expected as much.

As he looked at the subordinate waiting for his command, he pressed a button hidden beneath the desk.

With a heavy clank, a second door appeared.

The subordinate instinctively turned around.

An iron door had sealed off the exit.

“Escaped, you say. Then what was the one guarding him doing, and where?”

The Emperor had formed a special task force to handle the princess’s kidnapping case.

But the Emperor was too slow.

The rats had hidden themselves well and fled.

It was Esselian’s men who pursued them.

The ones who had tried to slip out of the imperial palace were captured and locked away in Leuen, the guild under Esselian’s control.

“Leuen shouldn’t be that lax.”

The guild members were elite, carefully selected by him.

So for someone to escape, that person must either be exceptionally skilled—or…

“At the time, security at Leuen was lax. A fire suddenly broke out at a merchant company, and it’s assumed he used the chaos to escape.”

“Any witnesses?”

“None so far.”

Which meant there was another rat.

Esselian smiled smoothly.

Seeing his crescent-shaped eyes, the subordinate immediately sensed it.

Things were taking a very unfavorable turn.

“Shion.”

The door opened.

At the sound, the subordinate turned—but they did not emerge from there.

Instead, the bookshelf lining the wall diagonally opposite slid open, and at that moment, the subordinate felt despair.

“Nggh…! Mm! Mm!”

A mercenary, his mouth gagged with cloth and the veins in his eyes burst, writhed violently the moment he saw the subordinate—

As if he had found a savior.

Esselian stepped toward the subordinate standing rigid.

The sound of his shoes was swallowed by the soft carpet.

“So the one who escaped is right here?”

A long finger pointed at the kneeling kidnapper.

Having grasped the situation instantly, the subordinate dropped to his knees and spoke in hurried defense.

“No—no, Your Highness. I am merely your loyal confidant.”

“Did anyone accuse you?”

“…I do not know that man. Please, withdraw your suspicion.”

“Oh dear. What shall we do.”

Esselian turned his head. The one who had brought back not only the runaway mercenary but also the evidence was none other than Shion.

Shion activated a projection orb.

An image of Leuen appeared in midair.

The subordinate’s face twisted in despair.

Clearly shown was the face of the person who had set fire to the merchant company, knocked out his comrades, and aided the mercenary’s escape.

“There’s evidence.”

Tears welled in the man’s eyes as he sensed death.

He clutched at the hem of the reaper’s trousers, begging for his life so frantically he barely knew what he was saying.

Pathetic pleas poured out.

Esselian tilted his head, narrowing his eyes as though looking at filth.

“How many years have I watched you?”

He did not even know the tear-soaked subordinate’s name.

The people he remembered were those who had earned that worth.

Which meant this man was worth remembering even less.

Ordering such a man to dig into his cousin’s background had been nothing more than a diversion.

“F–five… five years!”

Esselian pried the man’s hand from his trouser leg.

Seizing the moment, the subordinate grabbed at Esselian’s hand as it pulled away, clinging desperately with both hands.

“Then five.”

“…Pardon?”

“I won’t kill you. I’m more merciful than you think.”

The subordinate’s face drained of color.

His hands slipped limply downward.

Esselian tossed aside the glove the man had touched and lightly kicked the floor once.

“Begin.”

The knights advanced.

A scream rang out.

Esselian watched in silence, a faint smile curving his lips.

“Send an invitation to Merchelli.”

The princess was his “remedy.” He was not merciful enough to let those who coveted what was his go unpunished.

The ripping screams and sobs never once leaked beyond the study.

***

Unaware of any of this, Shuwen was steeling her resolve.

I can do this. I’ve raised dogs before—how different can a person be?

For the two weeks since arriving in the North, Shuwen had lived safely.

Her contract with Esselian served as a sturdy shield.

But there was no guarantee it would last forever.

She still had six months left.

And Esselian was far gentler than she had expected.

Honestly, I never even thought about a honeymoon.

She had assumed he would drag her straight to the North, seasickness be damned.

Yet unexpectedly, he had been considerate, allowing her to enjoy the journey.

That alone had a considerable impact on her.

Without realizing it, the descriptor she used for Esselian in her heart had already changed—

From crazy male lead to crazy but somewhat gentle male lead.

Shuwen believed she could change Esselian.

She chose not to worry excessively.

After all, worrying would only be bad for her mental health.

I can’t drag this out.

So far, Esselian had obediently followed her words.

But she couldn’t relax.

Someday, Esselian would break their deal and exploit her ability alone.

Which makes it worse, since I don’t even have any real ability.

To avoid that future, she had to move quickly.

“Sophie, help me look for some books.”

“What kind of books?”

“Hmm… How to Perfectly Train a Dog? Or maybe How to Tame a Wild Beast? Something like that.”

Thankfully, there was no need to visit a bookstore. The castle was vast.

And inside the castle, there was nothing it lacked. The library easily rivaled the imperial palace’s.

“Ah, found it!”

Of course, the book Shuwen was looking for existed.

“Sophie! I found it!”

By then, Shuwen and Sophie were far apart.

The library was so large that finding books took considerable time.

Rather than searching the same area, they had divided the space to search separately.

Shuwen’s voice echoed through the vast hall.

But no reply came.

“Sophie! Where are you?!”

Shuwen gripped the ladder with both hands and lifted her upper body.

She looked around, but she was alone.

Did Sophie go deeper inside?

Shuwen carefully climbed down.

Letting the librarian rest after asking only for directions was something she now slightly regretted.

If I’d known it was this high, I would’ve stayed put.

She hadn’t realized how high she had climbed until after she found the book.

She had called Sophie intending to ask her to hold the ladder.

“What are you doing up here?”

The sudden voice, appearing without a trace, startled Shuwen.

At that moment, the ladder wobbled.

Her body pitched forward.

“Ah—!”

She stepped wrong!

Shuwen squeezed her eyes shut instinctively.

She tightened her grip on the training manual—but the pain she expected never came.

“…Your Grace.”

It was thanks to Esselian, who had caught her mid-fall and lifted her up with ease.

Opening her eyes cautiously, Shuwen met Esselian’s gaze—he wasn’t cradling her, but holding her up with both hands like a child.

“I was wondering what you were searching for so earnestly…”

His gaze fell on the book clutched tightly to her chest.

Esselian read the title aloud, puzzled.

“The Laws of Training…?”

Shuwen subtly hid the book behind her back.