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Chapter 94
Johan!
October 25, 2022
Johan still wore that same mask-like smile.
There wasn’t the slightest flicker of emotion on his face.
Leandro narrowed his eyes slightly.
Did he already know?
Impossible.
Even I only found out about this by accident, while investigating the Marquisate of Felsis.
No matter how far the Duke of Blanchet’s influence reached across the Empire, there was no way he could’ve known such a secret.
“I think I get the gist of what you’re saying,” Johan said, nodding lazily.
“So, what exactly is it you’re trying to say?”
“That I’m the only one who can save Estelle right now.”
“You sound awfully confident.”
“I’m just stating a fact. You, as an outsider, can’t do anything.”
Outsider.
Johan’s eyes turned sharp.
“So it wasn’t confidence—it was foolishness. And my tolerance for foolishness has its limits.”
The sudden shift in Johan’s aura made Leandro tense, his fists clenching instinctively. Johan stepped forward leisurely and warned him,
“What exactly is this fate of my wife you claim to know?”
“T-that’s…”
Leandro swallowed hard.
[A document to be passed down to the next head of House Felsis.]
It had been hidden deep within the underground vault reserved for the family head.
Inside, Leandro had found a strange record—written by his own father.
[I have found the sacrifice. Fortunately, it appears she remembers nothing. The curse seems to have worked particularly well.]
[For smoother handling, the Duke of Libertan’s family has agreed to adopt the sacrifice.]
[The protection surrounding the sacrifice is stronger than expected. Ordinary methods cannot harm her soul.]
Leandro had realized instinctively that “the sacrifice” referred to Estelle.
[The situation has changed. For the honor of the Felsis Marquisate, all matters will be swiftly concluded.]
[We are waiting for an opportunity to sever ties with the Libertan family—one that will provide a justifiable reason.]
Leandro had wanted to learn more about the curse and the truth behind it, but that was all he could find.
Still, even from that much, he could deduce the obvious.
The Marquisate of Felsis and the Duchy of Libertan had joined hands to make Estelle a sacrifice.
As a knight who had lived his entire life by the sword, Leandro knew little of curses and offerings—but he knew enough to understand how monstrous an act it was.
And yet I called her a wicked woman…
He felt as though he had stepped into a truth far too heavy to bear.
But Leandro had resolved to save Estelle—and to atone.
He couldn’t run from it as he had before.
“I can’t tell you,” he finally said. “Only that it’s a wound deeper than you can imagine.”
“Interesting.”
Johan’s energy suddenly surged like a storm.
“You think I’d just let that pass with some vague words? If the Marquisate of Felsis and the Duchy of Libertan conspired in something that vile—”
Just then, the bracelet beneath Johan’s black suit gave a sharp jolt of electricity.
— Johan! Johan!
It was Estelle’s urgent voice.
Meanwhile, Crown Prince Carlos unsheathed his sword and shouted,
“Protect the Duchess from the attackers!”
Behind him, several knights on horseback charged forward.
The ambushers flinched, caught off guard by the unexpected reinforcements.
“Damn it! The reinforcements are already here!”
“It seems this plan is—”
One of the assailants barked in determination,
“Don’t panic just because there are more of them! We don’t need to win—our goal is only to capture the target!”
But Carlos had already reached the battlefield.
His sword, swung with the momentum of his galloping horse, clashed fiercely against the enemy’s blade.
The prince’s skill—famed throughout the Empire—was clearly not exaggerated. The attackers could barely withstand his strikes.
He doesn’t look like he knows them, Estelle thought.
The way their swords met was too fierce for them to be acquaintances.
There have even been casualties already…
As the attackers fell one by one to the prince’s sword, panic spread among them.
“Only target the Duchess! Focus on her!”
But the tide had already turned.
“Do not worry, my lady,” one of her escort knights said firmly. “Breaking through might have been difficult, but defending you is not.”
True to his words, the knights formed a tight defense around her. Estelle turned to one of them and asked cautiously,
“Do you have any idea who these attackers might be?”
All wore black masks, their voices plain and unrecognizable—nothing gave away who they were.
“I’m sorry, my lady. I have no clue at all.”
“That’s understandable,” she replied softly.
She had called for Johan, but it seemed this might be resolved without his help.
Glancing at the faintly glowing magic device, she searched for any sign of him.
Is Johan not coming?
“This operation has failed! Retreat!”
The remaining attackers quickly chose to flee.
“Knights! Pursue those wretches!”
After giving the order, Carlos steadied his breath and approached Estelle. One of her guards bowed first.
“Your Highness, thank you for your assistance.”
“So then, Duchess Blanchet,” Carlos said, his golden eyes fixed intently on her—eyes filled with a strange anticipation.
“Ahem. Are you hurt anywhere?”
“Thanks to Your Highness’s timely rescue, I am unharmed.”
Estelle lifted her skirts slightly in a polite gesture of gratitude.
Carlos’s lips twitched upward in satisfaction.
“No need to thank me. As the Empire’s Crown Prince, I only did what was expected.”
“How can I call that ‘expected’ when Your Highness risked himself to save me?”
“Well, when you put it like that, I suppose you’re not wrong. Without my help, things could’ve gone quite badly. Judging by your guards, I doubt they could have handled it.”
Carlos’s arrogant gaze swept over her escort knights, who lowered their heads, ashamed.
I don’t like this.
Even if this was all some performance, the fact remained that she’d been saved by him.
Yet his disdain toward those who had risked their lives to protect her irritated her deeply.
It takes real talent to help someone and still make them feel offended.
Come to think of it, Carlos had always been like this.
“We weren’t expecting an ambush like this,” she said.
“Isn’t it the duty of escorts to be prepared for anything? At the very least, they should prevent their charge from ever feeling unsafe. Don’t you agree?”
“Yes, Your Highness,” one knight said, bowing deeply.
“It is true, my lady. We should have neutralized the threat before you even noticed. For endangering you, we deserve death.”
“That’s too extreme…”
“Don’t defend them,” Carlos interrupted. “They admit their fault, do they not?”
He tilted his chin toward her, his handsome face full of arrogant pride.
And that’s why so many noble ladies still fawn over him.
But Estelle knew better than anyone what an ugly personality hid beneath that beautiful face.
Perhaps that was why even the sight of him—this so-called ‘prince on a white horse’—made her stomach turn.
“Raise your heads,” she told the knights. “We’ll address this matter back at the Blanchet estate.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Estelle brushed back her platinum hair and turned to Carlos.
“Still, it’s fortunate that Your Highness happened to be nearby. How did you come across us?”
“I just saw you by chance while passing through,” he replied smoothly.
“Really? But shouldn’t Your Highness be by His Majesty’s side right now?”
Moments ago, the Emperor had been greeting dignitaries near the palace forest—a place where the Crown Prince should have been.
“I was,” Carlos said simply. “I was on my way back to the palace when I happened to see you.”
“What a lucky coincidence,” she said flatly.
“Well, I was worried about you. I couldn’t just stand by and watch you get hurt.”
He was addressing her informally now, and though she owed him thanks, it grated on her nerves.
What does he think all my past refusals meant?
Between Leandro and Carlos, did men just have a selective hearing curse or something?
How else could they ignore her words so completely?
Do I have to spell it out even more clearly?
With an innocent smile, she asked sweetly,
“So, Your Highness… you were stalking me?”
“…What?”
Carlos froze, clearly not expecting that.
“I only wanted to make sure you were safe,” he stammered. “Then I saw you were in danger and acted to save you.”
“So Your Highness is a benevolent stalker?”
“I’m hardly—!”
At that moment, the knights who had chased the attackers returned.
“Forgive us, Your Highness. Once we entered the forest, all traces of them vanished. We couldn’t pursue any further.”
“They vanished?”
“Yes. It seems they had prepared an escape route in advance. The moment we followed, they disappeared as if waiting for us.”
“Troublesome bastards,” Carlos muttered, then looked back at Estelle.
“The situation’s dangerous. From here on, I’ll be escorting you personally.”
Estelle blinked, thinking she must’ve misheard—but the smirk on Carlos’s lips said otherwise.
“With guards this unreliable, you could be attacked again at any time. So I’ll protect you myself.”
“Oh—so you mean you’ll accompany me back to the Blanchet estate?”
Surely he doesn’t mean…
But Carlos was even more brazen than she thought.
“Of course not. We’re going to the Imperial Palace.”
“…Why the palace?”
“Didn’t the Blanchet family agree to stay at the palace for the summer festival? You might as well go early.”
He offered his hand gallantly, clearly expecting her to take it.
“Wouldn’t you feel safer with me than with guards who can’t protect you?”
“I’m terribly sorry, Your Highness,” she said coolly, “but not in the least.”
Carlos’s golden eyes darkened, but Estelle met them head-on with a calm smile.
“I truly appreciate Your Highness saving me. I’ll make sure my husband rewards you properly. But being escorted to the palace is another matter.”
“…”
“Most importantly, I simply don’t want to. Surely Your Highness can understand that much?”
Carlos’s gaze turned cold and dangerous. With a sharp motion, he kicked one of the fallen bodies and lifted it by the collar.
“Even after seeing this?”
He pulled off the attacker’s mask—revealing a grotesquely burned, twisted face.
Horrifying…
Even without knowing who had sent them, she could feel the cruelty behind it.
Then, beneath that mutilated face, something black stirred.
Something’s moving…
A faint black light crept along the corpse’s head. Carlos shook the body roughly, scoffing.
“You still think you don’t need my protection—”
“Your Highness, wait—!”
The corpse, engulfed in blackness, suddenly turned to ash and disintegrated.
“What the hell?!”
Fwoooosh!
All around them, the other corpses also turned to ash in an instant. From the ground where they had fallen, eerie, plant-like tendrils began to sprout.
Kieeeek!
The black vines slammed into the earth, whipping wildly and devouring everything nearby.
Wherever they touched, the ground turned black and crumbled into ash. It was a nightmarish sight.
“Of all things—now some monster shows up?!”
Carlos gritted his teeth and swung his sword fiercely, but there were too many.
For every vine he cut, more burst forth from the earth.
“My lady! We must get you out of here!”
One knight tried to pull Estelle back, but the black vines grew faster, surrounding her.
“What on earth…”
The knights hesitated, unsure what to do. Estelle clenched her fists, forcing herself to stay calm.
Something’s off.
Watching the black vines twist and writhe, she suddenly got a strange feeling.
It’s like… they’re trying to talk to me.
No way. Could they be… plants?
— Hey, Trees! There’s something weird here—black vine-like plants! Do you know what they are?
— …Black vines?
— Yes. And I think they’re trying to talk to me.
One of the vines lunged toward her.
“My lady! Run!”
Estelle kept her face composed and focused inward, speaking to the “trees.”
— Hey! Can you hear me?
The vine froze midair.
Then a young man’s voice echoed faintly in her mind.
— …What is this situation…?
— That’s what I’d like to ask you!
Her heart pounded wildly.
— Are you… a fairy?
