THJDM 20

chapter 20

It had been that way since childhood.

Elyon had always declared firmly that he had no intention of marrying or starting a family.

Christopher’s heart ached, because he knew very well the reason behind Elyon’s resolve.

That was precisely why he wanted, all the more, to put his heart into arranging his younger brother’s marriage.

The late Emperor and Empress had done nothing but give birth to Elyon—they never raised him.

It was Elyon’s maternal grandparents who brought him up.

Although the noble status of a prince constantly drew people’s attention, he never received even a shred of affection from his parents.

The child who grew up without the solid fence of family seemed to become one with loneliness itself.

He refused not only romance with the opposite sex but also noble society gatherings.

As a member of the Imperial Family, he barely fulfilled the minimum duties expected of him.

The irony was striking: Elyon, who hated people’s attention more than anyone, was revered as a war hero, showered with the Empire’s respect and love.

Christopher let out a shallow sigh and spoke.

“Very well. I’ll summon Elyon soon. It would be best, at least, to pretend we are asking for his opinion first.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. That’s wise.”

Miranda smiled with satisfaction as she poured more tea into Christopher’s cup.

She already knew.

There was no way Elyon would ever agree to Christopher’s plans.

Before dawn, after finishing her morning prayers, Saintess Florentia stepped into her office.

Moments later, after a knock, a short middle-aged noblewoman entered.

“Welcome, devotee.”
“I greet you, Saintess.”

The lady bowed politely and sat before Florentia’s desk.

“I’ve brought the report.”
“Go on.”

It was Marco Rusin, the information broker, transformed with various magic stones.

“The Grand Duke Klitzmann’s health has indeed improved. His physician, who prescribed medicine daily for the past year, has stopped giving him those prescriptions as of a few days ago.”
“So his headaches and fevers have truly vanished?”
“Yes, that’s correct. And as for Lady Payson—she was saved by the Grand Duke when she was nearly attacked by a monster. He brought her to his residence and even treated her. This was also mentioned in the gossip papers.”
“……”
“Furthermore, two days later, Lady Payson visited the Grand Duke’s estate again. After a brief conversation with him, she returned.”
“What was the purpose of her visit? Did anyone hear what they talked about?”

Florentia’s voice grew sharp.

The broker shook his head.

“No one heard the conversation. He dismissed all his servants.”
“……”

Florentia clenched her trembling hand into a fist.

What sort of talk required sending away every servant?

What kind of secret conversation was it?

Her mind boiled over with endless questions.

“Did the Grand Duke and Lady Payson know each other beforehand?”

It was unlikely, but she asked anyway.

The broker shook his head.

“No. It seems the two first met about half a month ago at the Imperial Palace banquet.”
“The banquet?”
“Yes. Lady Payson collapsed, coughing blood, and the Grand Duke, who was beside her, caught her as she fell.”
“…I see.”

So that was it.

‘That woman… she stirred Elyon’s compassion.’

Whether intentional or not.

Florentia’s golden eyes burned fiercely, gleaming like those of a predator.

“Is Lady Payson also unwell?”
“Yes. After collapsing at the palace, Count Payson sought out famous doctors and healers, but no one could determine the exact cause of her illness.”
“And now? Is she still in poor health?”
“It seems so. However, there have been no further incidents of her collapsing while coughing blood.”

Florentia frowned deeply.

A bad premonition gnawed at her.

‘Could Elyon’s recovery have something to do with that woman?’

The timing of Elyon’s stabilized mana coincided too perfectly with his meeting her.

But even Florentia, with her own healing powers, had been unable to cure him.

So how could a woman with no healing ability—and who was herself unwell—possibly have cured Elyon?

Her thoughts faltered. She froze and swallowed.

‘It should be impossible… right?’

Yet in this world, things that defied reason and logic did occur.

Nothing was certain.

“I’ve heard enough. Continue watching everything between the Grand Duke and that woman. Don’t miss a single detail.”
“Understood, Saintess.”

After the broker left, Florentia slammed her fist onto the desk.

Her boiling emotions turned to tears that dampened the corners of her eyes.

She was indignant, resentful.

Her situation felt unbearably pitiful.

“I… I’ve yearned for so long, yet I cannot be by Elyon’s side… but that woman… that woman who hardly even knows him…”

That woman could be with him whenever she wanted.

The world was unbearably unfair.

It made her furious.

‘I will never stand by and watch that woman grow close to Elyon.’

Florentia’s golden eyes flared with a dangerous light.

“Young Lady, here’s the map.”
“Thank you, Sophie.”

Rubiana smiled brightly as she accepted the map.

“But… what do you need a map of the capital for?”
“Oh, just to look around. Staying at home all the time gets boring.”
“Ah, I see… Shall I also bring you some dessert?”
“Of course, that would be lovely. Thank you.”

As soon as Sophie left, Rubiana spread the map wide open.

It was a large sheet, carefully detailing the geography of the capital.

Her eyes sharpened as she examined it closely.

“Now… slightly to the right of the city center… a river runs nearby… and… the passage that connects Sandiford Market Street to the Greer District… ah, here it is!”

It was a secluded passage with no notable buildings around it.

There was only one reason Rubiana focused on this otherwise ordinary path.

Because here lay a magic circle designed to disrupt the capital’s barrier.

The exact locations of the barrier’s enchantments were a state secret, known only to the Emperor, the Chancellor, the High Priest, and the barrier wardens.

Naturally so, since the Empire’s security depended on it.

Thus, the conspirators could not tamper with those precise points. They didn’t even know where they were.

But what they had discovered, through costly intelligence, was that there existed one place where several layers of the barrier overlapped—three, even four layers at once.

This caused mana to gather there in a strange way.

‘And that place is this very passage.’

Even the wardens hadn’t realized it.

Thanks to this, the conspirators easily avoided detection and planted their disruption device here.

In the original story, the heroine stumbled upon this device while subjugating monsters with the Royal Knight Division’s spirit unit.

‘But right now, I’m not a spirit mage of the Royal Knights… so I’ll have to use a reincarnator’s secret shortcut.’

A sly grin curled on Rubiana’s lips.

She reached for her quill to mark the spot on the map, but hesitated.

“No… it’s a secret operation. I can’t leave obvious marks.”

Her careless nature had nearly caused disaster again.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Rubiana returned her gaze to the map.

“This needs to be dealt with quickly…”

If the barrier weakened, monsters would appear more frequently, and the innocent citizens would ultimately suffer.

For now, the Royal Knights and the Capital Patrols were managing, but that wouldn’t last forever.

“How can I naturally arrange to meet Elyon outside and end up passing through here together?”

Her plan was to act as though they had stumbled upon the strange device by chance.

“My mother and I are scheduled to visit a dress shop in Sandiford Market… if I happen to meet the Grand Duke there, we could head toward the Greer District together…”

But what was in the Greer District?

What reason could she use to go there?

Rubiana tapped her finger on the Greer District on the map, deep in thought.