WAV 35

chapter 35

The man was holding the candleholder I had put out.

It looked as if someone had deliberately flashed a light from below to startle someone.

Through the crack of the door, I could only see half of his face.

Eyes darker than pitch, almost lifeless and cold.

“…Found you.”

“Ahhhhhh—!”

Crash!

I screamed reflexively, backing away as if I had seen a ghost.

But that was short-lived.

“…Ugh!”

A large hand clamped tightly over my mouth.

“Shhh…”

“…”

“If you make too much noise, the search party will come. You don’t want to be dragged to the underground interrogation room, do you? Right?”

“…!”

His words snapped me back to my senses.

With trembling eyes, I looked at him and slowly nodded.

He removed his hand from my mouth.

Then he swung the wardrobe door wide open and stepped aside.

“Come out.”

I couldn’t refuse.

Reluctantly, I clumsily stepped out of the wardrobe, while Male Lead 4 watched me with narrowed eyes.

For some reason, it felt humiliating.

Once I finally stood on my own two feet, he tilted his head slightly.

“What were you doing in here?”

“…”

“Edith Blake.”

“…”

“You’re the princess, right?”

My heart skipped a beat at the way Male Lead 4 addressed me by name.

Even if I tried to deny it, he didn’t look like he would believe me.

So, resigned, I mumbled in a small voice:

“…I came looking for Ruelin.”

“Why?”

Because he might suspect me.

Or… because the damn novel’s plot was starting to go off-track…!

“I… had something to say.”

“Hmm… then why were you hiding in the wardrobe like a little mouse?”

His blunt question made my face burn with embarrassment.

Just imagining how ridiculous I must have looked hiding in that wardrobe made my head spin.

“…Damn it.”

Holding back tears, I gave a half-hearted explanation:

“…I got scared when I saw what was happening in the room. I was about to leave when I heard someone coming this way, so I just…”

“Oh. So that’s when people normally hide in wardrobes.”

He bared his teeth in a mocking grin.

His teasing tone made me want to cry.

“If someone sees me, it could lead to unnecessary suspicion.”

I couldn’t help but snap at him without thinking.

Then, realizing my slip, I quickly lowered my head.

“Ah… anyway, sorry for the trouble. Well then.”

It was best not to get involved with this crazy guy any more than necessary.

95%

His violent temperament aside, the aura of raw power above his head felt extremely threatening.

I tried to brush past Male Lead 4 as if fleeing.

But…

“Hey, where do you think you’re going?”

“…!”

He blocked my path, squinting one eye and muttering lowly:

“I still have business with the princess, you know?”

“W-what…?”

“I was already looking for you since you weren’t in the banquet hall… and yet here you were, hiding.”

So it wasn’t a mistake that our eyes had met earlier!

I glared at Serje with caution and took a step back.

“Why are you looking for me?”

“You should know that better than anyone.”

“I… don’t.”

“Didn’t the Duke tell you I suspected the princess of being involved in the disappearance of the purifier?”

He did.

“Coincidentally, I found you hiding in the purifier’s room. I guess my instincts are incredible. Finally catching the culprit, don’t you think?”

“…Damn it.”

I was out of words.

Earlier, he seemed like a thug acting on impulse, but now he spoke logically.

Biting my lower lip, I replied immediately:

“As you can see, I’m not.”

“That’s something I can’t be sure of.”

Serje smirked and shrugged.

“Maybe you came back to destroy evidence. There’s a saying that the culprit always returns to the scene, isn’t there?”

“If someone hired people to kidnap the purifier, they wouldn’t destroy evidence themselves.”

My legs trembled with fear, but I met his gaze and calmly countered.

“And they wouldn’t leave such a messy trail either.”

“Well… given your record, I’m not sure I can believe that.”

“Then don’t.”

I lifted my chin proudly, trying to act dignified.

“It’ll all be revealed once investigated anyway.”

The more I acted confident, the less chance I had of being dominated by him.

“Hmm…”

That was when it happened.

He stroked his chin, pretending to ponder, then suddenly bared his teeth in a villainous grin.

“Then can I arrest you, princess?”

“On what grounds?”

“Breaking into an empty room secretly could be a crime, too.”

It was a stretch, but it could be believable coming from him.

Gritting my teeth, I fired back:

“The same could be said about the Duke, right?”

“I entered to investigate the disappearance of the purifier with permission, openly.”

“But you didn’t seem to get permission from the Emperor or the Crown Prince. So… whose permission did you get?”

“Oh, you’re not just hiding like a mouse, you’re also pretty good at eavesdropping.”

He made a short exclamation at my words, but only for a moment.

“No more wordplay.”

His smile vanished, replaced by a cold glare.

“I’m in a hurry, princess. Where is the purifier?”

“I already told you I don’t know.”

“If you keep that up, I’ll be disappointed. I thought I already showed you what kind of person I am at the banquet…”

“…”

“Was that not enough?”

It was more than enough.

‘But what am I supposed to do if I really don’t know!’

I was panicking.

But as the only princess of this empire, no duke, no matter how powerful, could treat me recklessly.

‘What can he do? I’m the princess. I’m the daughter of Duke Blake…’

I forced myself to stay calm and hide my fear.

“Duke, are you threatening me right now?”

“Threatening? Haha.”

He chuckled lightly, as if I had made a joke.

“The Crown Prince, the princess… pampered nobles are always a problem. They never understand the first time you speak nicely, do they?”

“…”

“If you don’t want to talk, don’t. There are plenty of ways to find out without asking.”

“What… huh!”

At that moment, my breath was suddenly blocked.

It felt like someone was strangling my neck. I reached up to feel, but touched nothing.

“Princess. From now on, blink once for yes, twice for no.”

He watched me struggle to breathe, casually observing.

I could barely get a breath through a pinhole, my neck still tightly constrained.

‘That bastard…!’

I realized then that he was using his powers.

Telekinesis. He was squeezing my neck with his mind!

“If you lie, I may make it harder to breathe. I hope you cooperate before you suffocate.”

“…!”

“Really, not listening… Blink once for yes.”

I blinked frantically.

Air finally trickled back in.

He seemed pleased, smiling slightly.

“Good, princess.”

“Ugh….”

“You know that after the Tollen Gate incident, the purifier suddenly vanished, right?”

Blink.

I blinked once hurriedly, afraid he would tighten his grip again.

“Did you know the purifier wasn’t gone, but in a coma?”

Blink, blink.

He nodded at my answer.

“Right, you couldn’t have known. The Emperor hid it so well, I only just found out myself.”

“…”

“Then, princess. When the Gate opened in Tollen, did you kidnap the purifier intending to kill them?”

There was no time to weigh options when I might suffocate at any moment.

Blink, blink.

I answered truthfully.

From what I experienced, Edith never intended to kill the heroine.

Although she had grown reckless and spoiled, she wasn’t ruthless enough to commit murder.

‘If anything, she had an unexpectedly gentle side.’

The way the butler, Nancy, and the staff treated me, the relationships I witnessed in dreams with Dylan—all confirmed this.

‘And if she had truly intended murder, she wouldn’t have been so careless.’

She wouldn’t have followed the heroine directly to the Gate site.

So, I simply denied it truthfully…

“Gah!”

As if my previous compliance had been just a demonstration, immense pressure began to crush my neck.

‘Why! Why now—!’

Blink, blink, blink, blink.

I blinked urgently in confusion.

He tilted his head, muttering quietly:

“Hmm… that doesn’t match what I found in my investigation.”