WRG 23

chapter 23

Uriella returned to the duke’s residence as soon as morning broke.

“Madam, it seems His Grace hasn’t returned yet.”

“Is that so? Then I suppose I’ll just have to wait.”

She had come back to speak with Duke Baraota.
But perhaps because of yesterday’s incident, the duke still hadn’t returned from the imperial palace.

“There isn’t some new problem, is there? Maybe the crown prince said something strange, or perhaps—like before—with Erica Medina…”

Her worries piled one after another until they filled her entire mind.

“Ah, Madam. Soren asked me to give this to you.”

Madel handed her a bracelet decorated with flowers.

“Soren asked you to give this to me? But he shouldn’t have had anything on him.”

Though there was no one else in the room, Madel glanced around furtively before answering.

“He said it’s a magical tool.”

Her voice dropped to the lowest whisper, as though afraid someone might overhear.

“He said if you keep this with you, it will let you move to wherever you want.”

It was exactly the kind of gift Uriella needed right now.
As the saying goes, “a long tail is bound to be stepped on”—she couldn’t keep slipping away from her escort knights forever.

“It sounded absurd to me, but his expression was so serious that I just took it.”

“You think it’s absurd?”

“Of course. How could a little bracelet like this move a person?”

It was the utterly ordinary reaction of someone who had never once in her life seen magic.

“I didn’t believe it either until I saw Soren’s magic with my own eyes. I had never seen anything like it before.”

“But… is it really okay? He seems deeply connected to that sorcerer.”

“Madel, do you really think all sorcerers must be evil?”

“…Pardon?”

Madel’s bewilderment was plain on her face.

“Think about it. We’ve all lived our whole lives without even seeing one, yet we just assume they’re alien, dangerous beings.”

Uriella gave her maid a gentle smile to soften her confusion.

“It was just a thought I had.”

“Of course Madel feels that way. From birth she’s been indoctrinated—brainwashed, really—to believe magic is wicked.”

“But soon… all of that may change.”

If the sorcerer who had sent her back in time really was the emperor’s son, then everything might indeed change.

“If the child of the lover he still can’t forget turned out to be a sorcerer, the emperor couldn’t possibly keep the same attitude as before.”

Knock, knock.

At the sound of the door, Madel jumped with a squeal, trembling like a child caught misbehaving.

“Madam, His Grace has returned.”

It was Victor.

“I’ll come right out.”

Uriella rose and walked quickly toward the duke’s office.

“Riel.”

Duke Baraota spotted her rushing and called out to stop her.

“Rey, how did things go?”

“Not here. Let’s talk somewhere else.”

“Yes.”

Looking at the weariness on his face, Uriella grew anxious.

“There wasn’t some problem, was there?”

She wished he would give her some hint, but he said nothing until they reached his chambers.

“There isn’t some trouble, is there?”

“No, nothing like that, so don’t worry. It’s just… the crown prince insisted on taking charge of this case.”

The duke watched closely for her reaction.

“His Highness the Crown Prince?”

“Yes.”

“But why would His Highness…?”

“I don’t know the reason either.”

Uriella bit her lip hard.

“The crown prince wants to take charge? Why?”

Seeing her anxious face left the duke feeling irritated.

“You don’t have any guess as to why?”

Uriella silently shook her head, and he did not press further.

“Then… what will happen to those people now?”

“Those behind this scheme will be stripped of their titles and exiled from the empire. As for Bliss Longo’s ex-husband, his punishment has been delayed.”

“What? Why?”

“They say since he didn’t willingly take the drug, it’s difficult to determine an appropriate sentence. But don’t worry too much.”

“How can I not worry? To say it’s difficult to punish him…”

Uriella’s voice quavered with anger.

“Things are always hardest the first time. If he gets off lightly now, he’ll think he can always get away with it. He’ll believe he can drug people, harm my family, and then claim ignorance to escape punishment.”

To calm her, the duke held her briefly in his arms.

“You must have been badly shaken. Don’t worry—if the punishment is too light, I’ll have the case handed over to the Baraota house.”

“Handed over?”

When she seemed calmer, he carefully let her go.

“Yes. Once it’s in my hands, I’ll handle it. You needn’t worry, Riel.”

Relief washed over her at his words.

“That was our contract, after all.”

The moment he said it, Uriella’s heart sank again.

“…Yes. That was the contract. I act the role of Duchess Baraota, and Rey ensures the safety of me and my family.”

“Exactly. So rest assured. I will keep the contract without fail. But, Riel, there is something else you must do as Duchess.”

“What is it?”

He drew her close again.

“Erica Medina seems to be spreading strange rumors.”

At once Uriella understood what was being asked of her.

“That happened before too… though I thought it was supposed to occur later.”

“So we’ll need to quash those rumors. Where should I go?”

“I’ll leave it to you to choose a suitable place.”

“Understood. I’ll take care of it. For now, please rest—you look exhausted.”

With that, she slipped out of his embrace and left the room. She leaned against the door outside, steadying her breath.

“It’ll be fine. Everything will be fine.”

But no matter how often she told herself that, her heart pounded harder than ever—because things kept veering from the events she remembered, and because of Erica Medina, the crown prince, and so many other reasons.

“Greetings, I’m Zeno, aide to the Duchess Baraota. I look forward to working with you.”

Soren gave an awkward bow.

“If you have any questions about your work, just come to me. And—you haven’t seen the second floor yet, have you?”

“No.”

“The second floor is laid out like an ordinary home, so you can live there. It’s already tidied up for someone to stay in, but if you need anything else, just say so.”

“Thank you. I’ll work very hard. And please thank the duchess on my behalf as well.”

Zeno nodded lightly.

“And about your duties—you’ve been told already?”

“Yes.”

“Good. We’ll need to publish a gossip paper within the week. It’s going to be frantic. Are you prepared?”

“Of course.”

Though Zeno’s tone was playful, Soren’s was utterly serious.

“What should I start with?”

Zeno pulled an invitation from his pocket and handed it over.

“Attend this party.”

“What? A party? I can’t.”

Soren waved his hands frantically. He had thought he could do anything for the person who had helped him and even given him a job—but a party was impossible for him.

“Didn’t the duchess explain about your identity?”

“If you mean that the ones I’ll work with are sorcerers, yes, she did.”

“Then you understand—I can’t possibly go to a party. You should go, not me.”

“Of course, I’ll be going with you.”

“No, I mean you should go without me!”

“I’d like to, but that won’t work.”

Frustrated, Soren thumped his own chest with a fist while Zeno just smiled.

“Something might happen if I go with you.”

“To me? Who would dare cause trouble at a party?”

Zeno’s calmness drained the last of Soren’s resistance. He shook his head, defeated.

“Then it’s settled—we’ll go together. And really, what’s there to worry about with the duchess behind us? Aside from royalty, no one would dare cross her. Plus, I’ll be right at your side. We’re only going for appearances anyway.”

“Appearances?”

“To show that I’ve started a business. And as of now, your identity is that of the illegitimate son of Viscount Taylor. I know you may dislike the ‘illegitimate’ part, but it’s better than calling you a commoner, so bear with it.”

The word illegitimate didn’t offend Soren at all.
If commoners had ranks, sorcerers would be the very lowest. Compared to that, the identity of a viscount’s illegitimate child was more than he could hope for.

“And there’s information we need to gather there as well. So first things first—let’s get you some proper clothes.”