🔊 TTS Settings
Chapter 30
I Became the Young Villain’s Sister-in-Law
“Um… you must be the Grand Duke of Indigentia, right?”
Kalib, clutching a lemon honey candy stick like a real child, had one end in his mouth as he looked up at the merchant.
Ah, adorable.
The merchant seemed to think Kalib was adorable too, because he gave a warm smile.
“Out for a little outing, are you?”
It was quite a trivial thing to say.
Not the kind of words you’d expect from someone who had just overcome the fear of daring to speak to a great noble.
“You—what on earth are you saying…?”
The man beside him was flustered and glanced at the merchant.
The merchant clearly had a fondness for children.
The way he looked at Kalib was sweeter than the honey glazed over the candy stick.
Kalib only sent him a questioning glance, and the man quickly tried to smooth things over.
“Forgive him. He can’t help himself when it comes to children.”
“Ah, I see.”
The man said,
“This here is Alonzo. I’m Jodan.”
“Ah, yes. I’m Ellia.”
“Oh! Lady Ellia…!”
In an instant, Jodan’s eyes lit up.
Does he know me?
“You’re the one marrying Lord Cedric—the one under that curse! Isn’t that right?”
“Ah, that rumor! Oh yes, yes indeed!”
At Jodan’s words, Alonzo clapped his hands as if it all made sense.
I was a little taken aback, but thinking about it, it wasn’t strange at all.
Cedric had made sure to publicize our marriage far and wide.
‘We need to nail it down so firmly that no vassal can overturn it.’
Just as Cedric said, the more the rumors spread, the more the expressions of those like Renald—who opposed our union—curdled and soured.
‘And maybe, your relatives will come forward.’
I had claimed I lost my memories, that I didn’t know if I had family, or why I’d been living alone in that remote hut.
It seemed Cedric wanted to find my kin for me no matter what.
Well, even if it was a contract marriage, an empty bride’s side of the guest seats at the wedding would indeed look unsightly.
But Cedric’s wish would never come true.
Because Ellia was a lonely fairy—without relatives, without even friends.
Alonzo’s eyes sparkled as he spoke.
“Are you out for a little excursion before your marriage?”
“No, not exactly an outing…”
“But the timing isn’t so good.”
As I fumbled for words, Jodan frowned regretfully, gesturing toward a notice board in the park.
“Lady Marinest has gone missing, hasn’t she? The capital is in an uproar right now.”
“Yes. Posters are up everywhere, and the Imperial Knights, as well as private soldiers of noble families, are bustling all around.”
Alonzo added, glancing at armed knights clanking past in the distance.
“Did you know she was actually kidnapped?”
Alonzo seemed to be quite a simple, straightforward fellow.
Despite knowing Kalib was a great noble, the Grand Duke’s heir, he spoke without hesitation.
“Oh, yes, that…”
Wait a moment.
How does a commoner know Daphne was kidnapped?
The posters only said she was “missing.”
The Marinest family was one of the three houses supporting the Empire.
And hadn’t Daphne even defended the prince with her Mirror Shield magic?
If they admitted she’d been kidnapped, the prestige of House Marinest would be damaged.
That’s why, even in such urgent times, they stuck to the story of her being “missing.”
Only those with independent intelligence networks should know the truth.
So how on earth did this commoner, Alonzo, know?
Suspicion sprouted in the back of my mind.
But Alonzo, as if it were nothing, said:
“Actually, when I was selling candy earlier at Elphinium Square, I happened to overhear a customer talking.”
“A customer?”
“Yes. That customer claimed to have seen it.”
Alonzo leaned closer toward me, lowering his voice.
“What exactly did he see?”
Just then, Cedric—who had gone to gather information nearby—returned.
Alonzo seemed to recognize him instantly, but instead of acknowledging it, he simply answered his question.
“He said he saw the Marinest family carriage coming out of the Imperial Castle… suddenly being pulled into a teleportation spell by some people!”
“What!”
I gasped before I could stop myself.
“And apparently, they were wearing masks and dressed suspiciously.”
Masks!
“The customer thought about reporting it, but since it was a duke’s carriage, he assumed it wasn’t a kidnapping.”
“Right. Maybe they were just moving discreetly, or maybe, since the area’s under construction, they were moving the carriage for safety.”
“Exactly. The posters never said ‘kidnapping,’ only ‘missing.’”
“Which is why that customer wasn’t sure. But he said, the more he thought about it, the more convinced he was it was a kidnapping.”
Alonzo and Jodan went on, but I was too stunned to take in their words.
A witness?
Well, thinking about it, of course there would be.
Nobles are few, commoners are the overwhelming majority.
Their eyes and ears are everywhere.
It’s just that, lacking the power to protect themselves, they keep quiet about dangerous things.
Cedric asked,
“Do you remember which direction that customer came from?”
“Yes. From the main gate of Elphinium Square. He mentioned construction—so it must’ve been the main road.”
“The main magic-supply line runs beneath that road, and it’s under expansion.”
Alonzo replied, and Jodan added,
“Yes, I recall the public notice. The area’s cordoned off due to the dangers from the construction.”
Cedric nodded slightly.
“Exactly. Which means no one has gone near there recently.”
That would make it the perfect place for a kidnapping.
Maybe even the coachman had been bribed to drive the carriage that way on purpose.
“But how did that customer happen to see it?”
“Oh, he’s a resident of that area. He’s staying in temporary housing now, but he went back briefly to fetch some belongings.”
Alonzo explained in response to my question.
Then there might be other witnesses too.
But wait—did he just say “main magic-supply line”?
That was the conduit that channeled magic from the Imperial Castle to the residential districts.
Like an electrical or communication line in modern terms.
And if there was construction, that meant the ground was dug up, exposing the conduits…
There might still be magical traces left behind.
I exchanged a quick glance with Cedric.
He seemed to have the same thought.
I asked,
“Does anyone else know of this?”
“Well, I don’t know how many people that customer told… but at least those in Elphinium Square probably heard.”
I locked eyes with Cedric again.
Then, deliberately making his voice cold and intimidating, he said:
“You’re not lying about this, are you?”
His frigid tone and expressionless face made Alonzo stiffen straight.
“N-no, sir! I didn’t see it myself, but it’s the truth! Not a shred of a lie!”
“He may be simple, but I’d stake my life on it—he’d never lie about this!”
Jodan quickly defended him.
Cedric confirmed the truth several times before finally pulling a few gold coins from his pouch and handing them over.
“You’ve been a great help.”
As expected of Cedric.
He always rewarded help properly.
“Ah…!”
Alonzo gasped, then hastily accepted the coins with both hands.
“I-I’m the one honored to be of service, my lord!”
His eyes were glued only to the glittering gold.
“Let’s go.”
“Yes.”
We teleported to the construction site of the main magic-supply line.
Even indoors, the sound of flowing water could be heard.
As befitting the head of a family known for water magic, his office contained a fountain and an artificial waterfall.
This man was none other than Calvados, head of House Marinest.
“So. The main supply line, you say.”
“Yes. A commoner living there testified, and magical traces of teleportation were also discovered nearby.”
Calvados snapped his fingers as his bowed aide gave his report.
From the basin near his desk came a sharp hum, and then the image of the square appeared.
“The main supply line.”
At his command, the scene in the basin shifted to the street.
The aide, tense, added further explanation.
“They say expansion work is being done there today.”
“Construction, is it. Then the magic stones inside the conduit must have been exposed.”
“Yes. Which makes the area highly reactive to magic, so they even ordered people to refrain from using spells nearby.”
“And yet, they performed teleportation there.”
Calvados drummed his fingers on the crystal-carved armrest of his chair.
Are they fools… or is it a trap?
Who had kidnapped his only daughter, Daphne, and for what purpose?
He thought for a moment, but not long.
Even if it was a trap, he would willingly step into it.
For his one and only precious daughter, Daphne, there was nothing he wouldn’t do.
“Prepare to depart.”
“Yes, understood.”
Calvados and his aide immediately headed for the main supply line.
Around the same time, Ellia murmured with a nod.
“As expected, traces remain.”
“Yes. Every magic has its own unique properties. Identifying them is high-level magic—but not too difficult.”
That was the kind of thing only someone like Cedric—the strongest of all—could say.
“But if magic is used near exposed magic stones like these, it’s even easier to tell apart.”
Kalib added by way of explanation.
Ellia already knew this.
The novel had mentioned that magic stones were displayed around the Imperial Castle precisely to prevent reckless spellcasting.
“So… who’s the kidnapper?”
Unconsciously, Ellia swallowed hard.
Depending on who it was, it could determine whether she truly was an “evil” fairy or not.
Whether I can really break Cedric’s curse or not will be decided now.
Ellia braced herself, waiting for Cedric’s answer.
Finally, he spoke.
“Let’s go first. Too many eyes and ears here.”
“…What?”
Ellia had expected Cedric to immediately reveal the kidnapper’s identity, and felt deflated.
But Cedric was right.
So Ellia and Kalib clasped hands again, and followed Cedric in teleportation.
Not long after, Calvados arrived at the same place.
