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Chapter 42
Who Killed the Queen?
“Erne, are you safe?”
Noma hadn’t even thought to fix her disheveled hair.
After hearing the news, her heart pounding, she rushed over in the middle of her mission.
Unlike her, who was visibly agitated, her twin sister Rivera remained calm — and that infuriated Noma.
“Are you insane? Do you seriously have time to sit there leisurely writing with your pen?!”
Only then did Rivera, who had been slightly twitching her eyebrows, toss down her pen and reply with an irritated voice.
“Why are you even here? Shouldn’t you be out on assignment?”
“The capital is in chaos right now — you think I can leisurely go searching for a girl who disappeared eight years ago?”
“We already got paid in advance.”
“I’m going to continue after I make sure Erne is safe. God! Can you stop with the nagging for once?”
Once again caught in Rivera’s wordplay, Noma gritted her teeth and ruffled her hair in frustration, glaring.
Rivera, knowing from experience that Noma would explode if she kept messing around, wisely decided to stop there.
Enough of the introduction… Rivera shrugged.
“Still, you came at the right time. Erne’s whereabouts are unknown, so I sent the crows to look for her.”
“What do you mean?”
“She’s not even in Vanessa. Marquis Damian brought her to the capital, but when he was arrested, Erne wasn’t with him.”
Noma’s face went pale. If something had happened to Erne…
No! She began trembling, her voice shaking.
Erne, sharp and clever as she was — if she had no other choice, this would be the one place she’d run to.
But she wasn’t in Vanessa. Noma had visited just a few days ago and confirmed with her own eyes that Erne was fine.
“…Did she run away because things got dangerous? Did Marquis Damian do something to her?”
Noma bit her nails anxiously.
Rivera, as always the rational one, stayed composed.
“It would be a relief if she ran. Once she enters the royal castle controlled by Babylon, someone will definitely threaten her. We won’t be able to protect her then. And it’s not the dead queen we’re talking about — you know Marquis Damian would never harm Erne. He adored her.”
“That’s…”
“Every time Erne talked about the Marquis, she would blush and smile shyly. She looked truly happy. Do you think she faked all of that? The Marquis was genuinely good to her.”
“…You’re right.”
Noma was quickly swayed by Rivera’s reasoning. Then all that remained was to send more crows and find Erne — fast.
“We need to find where Erne is. As soon as possible.”
“Yeah.”
Even Rivera, calm as she was, couldn’t help but feel worried about Erne.
She was just about to mention that she had already sent additional crows when a dull thud came from the closed window behind her.
Naturally, both Noma and Rivera turned toward the sound.
Flap. Thud. Thud. Tap. Caw!
“A crow?”
“That’s Coco! Oh my God!”
Noma immediately recognized it.
Unable to come through the closed window, Coco kept bumping against it to alert them of its presence. Noma hurriedly opened the window.
Only then did Coco fold its flapping wings and waddle inside, opening its beak in sync with its cawing.
[Erne — caw — currently, caw-gah — is safe — caw — at the Duke of Douglas’ residence. Request contact — caw-caw — as soon as possible — caw.]
“Noma, I think I misheard that.”
Rivera froze at the message Coco delivered.
It was good to know Erne was safe, but the location left much to be desired.
“Erne. That girl. So clever! She’s already… involved with the Duke of Douglas?”
Turning around to look at her twin, Rivera saw Noma squirming and blushing, clearly getting ahead of herself with wild thoughts.
Expecting anything from Noma was a mistake. Rivera shook her head, her face twisted in distaste.
Then, clenching both fists, she sank into thought.
A selfish man who cared only about money. A ruthless figure said to be bloodless, tearless, merciless — the shadow ruler of Nesheld. Why his estate, of all places?
Rivera couldn’t shake the growing unease. Could he be using Erne as leverage to start a rebellion? Was Babylon merely a puppet — and Douglas the real mastermind?
Driven by an instinctual dread, Rivera abruptly stood up.
“This won’t do. We have to go check on her ourselves.”
“What? How do you expect to break through the iron defenses of the Douglas estate?”
Noma scoffed at the absurdity, but Rivera’s eyes remained deadly serious.
“Did you forget?”
“Huh?”
“Who Erne really is. The girl we’ve known since Ranke is actually a princess. What’s the use of such a high status if we don’t use it? The Duke’s security? Don’t worry — I’ve got the perfect plan to slip past it.”
“…Huh?”
Noma could only repeat herself in dumbfounded confusion.
Rivera’s lips curled into a sly smile.
“In times like these, the fastest and most effective method — is a frontal assault.”
As Rivera spoke, Noma’s face began to twist in a bizarre way.
“You, Rivera…”
Her expression cycled through anger, tears, and utter confusion — until finally…
“You really do have a plan!”
…joyful awe.
Noma appeared genuinely moved by Rivera’s brilliant idea.
＊＊＊
“They’ve requested his release.”
“I told you, that’s not possible. According to the constitution, the prime suspect is Marquis Damian. Once the interrogation is over, he must be put on trial. Only then, if proven innocent, can he be released. That’s the legal procedure.”
Just outside the cabinet meeting room, loud voices rang through the corridor — and someone was eavesdropping.
What the hell is going on?
Belly, having taken leave to visit Marshal, hadn’t been at the palace recently and was out of the loop on the current chaos.
She had already requested the aid of a reputable intelligence guild to find her child, but a lingering unease weighed on her chest.
The curse attached to the Queen — it suddenly vanished. She must really be dead…
There was a reason she had worked so long as the Queen’s attendant — to monitor the remnants of a spell embedded in the Queen’s body. The curse rooted in her heart had a steep price. Belly had witnessed up close how the Queen withered under its grip.
So dying isn’t strange… but she wasn’t supposed to go just yet. She had at least until next year.
There were too many unanswered questions. Belly pressed her ear closer to the chamber door to listen more clearly when—
“Who are you?”
The door suddenly swung open, nearly sending her tumbling inside.
A sharp gaze pinned her down.
“Uh, I-I’m…”
She had to say something — quickly. The man asking was none other than the Duke of Douglas.
One wrong move and she could lose her life. Belly, avoiding his eyes, bowed her head and mumbled.
He probably already guessed she’d been eavesdropping. She needed a blend of truth and lie — a clever improvisation.
“I-I apologize. I’m Belly, a royal maid.”
“I see. So now I know who you are. But what were you doing here?”
His razor-sharp gaze sliced through her. Belly shivered, trying to steady her trembling voice.
Even though she tried to remain composed, the Duke’s oppressive aura made it nearly impossible to breathe.
“I… I thought today’s meeting might include updates on the Princess’s whereabouts. I happened to overhear while passing by. I swear I had no ill intent! I was just worried about the missing Princess…”
“And why would you, a mere maid, care?”
What she had managed to say clearly didn’t convince him.
Belly bit her tongue, realizing her excuse hadn’t worked.
The Duke’s words were laced with a raw, primal fury that made her tremble. Sensitive as she was to magic, Belly could barely breathe under the murderous aura he exuded.
…This level of bloodlust — is this even human?
Clenching her eyes shut, she blurted out her next line.
“I… I served the Princess when she was still at the palace. She was kind to me — truly kind. That’s why I’m so worried about her. I thought maybe the higher-ups would know where she is, so I tried to listen in. I’m really sorry.”
To avoid being recognized, she had already shed her official servant’s uniform — which allowed her to use the “former maid” excuse.
Even as she said it, Belly wasn’t sure if it would work.
She could only hope — and pray — that luck was on her side.
Had her sincerity gotten through? The Duke’s expression seemed to soften.
Her half-lie, half-truth explanation seemed to do the trick.
Relief flooded Belly’s face. She had escaped the suffocating aura, survived — that was enough.
Then, as the Duke’s cold gaze scanned her eyes, he suddenly turned and walked away.
Their encounter… marked the beginning of another storm.
