Chapter 29

“What? How did that happen?”

Sally said a while ago that he died after being hit by an arrow. However, it was preposterous that there was no trace of any arrow on his body. Grace asked for an explanation, Sally replied with a wry smile.

“At that time, the knights who escorted the former Duke said that something flew quickly towards the former Duke, who was running on a horse. He then suddenly grabbed his chest and collapsed. Naturally, the Knights assumed that the former Duke was hit by an arrow… but they said there were no scars of any arrow left on his chest.”

“….And then?”

“So the knights immediately sent the Emperor a seal. I surmise the former Duke was attacked by some sort of ‘magic’.”

“…Did someone use magic to kill the former Duke Felix?”

Grace frowned and asked back. Sally shook her head and said.

“I don’t know that either.”

“Why? Didn’t you hear about that?”

“No.”

“Is that so?”

“No one can tell the cause.”

“…What?”

Somehow, the more she heard, the more complicated her mind became. Grace asked again, asking for a clear explanation.

“At that time, the knights and the deacon of the castle claimed that someone cursed the former Duke, or they made transparent arrows through magic to injure the Duke, and asked the current Duke to search and punish those involved. So His Majesty sent the Duke of Alberton here to get to the bottom of it.”

Sally replied with a shady face.

“Father?”

Grace was surprised and asked back. It was more astontonising because she never expected that her father, Duke Alberton, would be involved in this. Sally continued, looking at Grace.

“…Yes. As you know, the only one who has the strongest magical power in this empire is the Duke of Alberton. The Duke of Alberton came to Felix Castle, under the order of His Majesty, to find out the cause of the Duke’s death and culprit, while also searching for the cause of death of the eldest wife.”

“My father investigated Duchess Aileen’s death too?”

“Yes. His Majesty was unable to admit that his only sister had died after a painful birth. Even though she had frequent minor illness, he was nervous until she gave birth to Duke Arthur and was pregnant with Prince Leon. He said it might be someone’s conspiracy that she died suddenly, even though she was healthier than before.”

“….So, how did my father announce the results of the investigation?”

At that time, what did her father see and discover? When Grace asked in a voice mixed with curiosity and a little fear, Sally replied helplessly.

“….He said he didn’t find anything. So, he said that the magic that killed the former Duke and the identity of the criminal were not known by his current ability. The eldest madam also said that she had just died of difficulty and acidity.”

[*T/N: I don’t know which eldest madam is talked about here.(￣ヘ￣;)]

“….He didn’t find anything? He really said that?”

“Yes. However, he said that there was one thing, ‘a powerful magical power of unknown identity’ that seemed to have been involved.”

“He found out that it was a powerful magical power, but he couldn’t find the owner of the magical power? Was everyone else convinced of this theory?”

Grace asked Sally with an incomprehensible expression. Behind the powerful “magic” is a strong chant. The magical force can be tracked down and the testifier can be tracked naturally. It was common sense that even Grace, who was born with no magical powers and barely learned basic theories, knew.

In addition, crucially, her father, Duke Alberton, was a man of expertise in the field.

The Duke of Alberton, who was appointed as an imperial wizard after taking the lead in preventing the curse that extends to the immediate imperial family and punishing the progenitor, was unable to find any clue. Grace was simply not convinced.

Sally seemed to feel the same way, and echoed Grace’s words in a sympathizing voice.

“…Well, I don’t know what the imperialists were like, but none of the Felix Castle people were convinced of the explanation. However, it couldn’t be helped. How could we detect a source of power that the Duke of Alberton, who has the strongest magical power in this empire, could not find?”

“So you had no choice but to accept it without saying anything?”

“……We were frustrated, so we went to the Duke of Alberton ourselves and asked for a more detailed explanation of what he had investigated, but he said, ‘Sorry, I can’t tell you anymore’.”

“….He couldn’t say anymore?”

“Yes. I’m telling you how frustrated and angry I was.”

“…I understand.”

Sally shouted angrily. As Grace lowered her gaze and nodded her head slightly, Sally, who still couldn’t calm herself, continued in a passionate tone.

“Actually, I saw it! As the Duke of Alberton saw their bodies, he made a meaningful look and recorded something with a pen in a small book!”

“…What?!”

The moment she heard that, Grace felt her heart pounding. The action of the Duke of Alberton described by Sally. It was very similar to when her father, the Duke of Alberton, was in the study alone and discovered something through magic research.

‘…..There’s definitely something.’

If the action was as she had guessed, it was clear that the book held by Duke Alberton was the Duke’s research notebook.

If so, Duke Alberton had some knowledge of the cause of the death of the Duke and Duchess of Felix and that’s why he wrote it down in his notebook.

With a very high probability, the Duke of Alberton would still have the note that recorded the ‘work’. Grace was lost in deep thoughts with a cool look on her face.

“If the Duke of Alberton had clarified everything that time, the Duke and Prince Leon would never have been so viciously stigmatized. Just thinking about it makes my heart burst to death. I don’t know what curse is intertwined between the poor two! Unfortunately, it was not just the wife who died from childbirth.”

“That was what happened to the rest too! I don’t think it’s entirely the Duke’s fault that the Duke’s brides and fiancees died or went crazy. I think the incompetent wizards are all responsible! Whenever something unfortunate happens to them, we investigate them repeatedly. The Duke of Alberton, the sorcerers under his command came to investigate, but nothing has been revealed so far……”

“….Wait a minute, Sally.”

“Yes?”

Whether Grace was listening or not, Sally continued to express her frustration with a very resentful tone.

Grace, who was deep in thoughts, raised her head at one of the words that stuck in her ear.

Grace suddenly questioned Sally, who got embarrassed by the appearance of asking her suddenly with a serious look.

“What did you just say?”

“…What’s wrong? Are you upset that I said something bad about the Duke of Alberton… ”

“No. It doesn’t matter. Didn’t you say that the Duke of Alberton repeatedly came here to investigate whenever something unfortunate happened to the Duke’s fiancée and bride?”

“….What? Oh, yes. That’s right.”

“Really? Did my father, the Duke of Alberton, really came and investigated the Duke’s bride and fiancée whenever they die or go crazy?”

Grace asked Sally, feeling an unexpected uneasy hunch spreading in her mind. Then Sally hesitated and replied.

“……Yes. Whenever unfortunate things happened to them, Duke Alberton always visited, saying he would reveal the cause of the ‘curse’. He would come with the wizards under his command who covered themselves with long lobes covering their bodies from head to toe…… They looked just like lions of fame, so our maids were afraid just to hear the news that they were coming.”

“At that time, was my father recording something in his notebook?”

“…I don’t know…maybe? When those things were repeated, I was busy running away when they came to the castle… ”

“Is that so?”

“Though, one thing was certain: the Duke of Alberton had a small book in his hand every time I saw him.”

“……!”

The moment Grace heard that, her heart was pounding again. A while ago, it was just a vague guess, but now, she felt somewhat certain with what she said.

Her father, Duke Alberton, knows something about the ‘curse’ of Arthur and Leon and their parents, the former Duke and Duchess Felix. She doesn’t know what the purpose is, but she is sure he records something about it. When she got convinced, Grace suddenly felt anxious.

‘How far does my father know?’

How far did Duke Alberton grasp the situation and reason for this terrible curse?

If he knows everything and is playing a part in it, how far did he intervene and cooperated with the main culprit?

She doesn’t want to think that way, but what if the Duke of Alberton planned and executed this ‘curse’? What if he knew all about the cause and background of the curse and sent himself here?

The thought of it almost brought Grace to tears.

‘Was my father thinking of killing me again? If my father is the sole cause of Arthur and Leon’s misfortune, then what shame would I have to bear for him?’

She felt agitated and felt immense anxiety and despair which was unbearable to her.

‘No, it can’t be.’

Although her father was the one who drove her to death once, he would not be vicious and foolish enough to participate in the royal family’s death and curse.

It is unforgivable for even the ‘Emperor’ who inherited the same ‘sacred blood’, to kill a royal family.

Grace thought so and tried to ignore the anxiety in her heart. However, the suspicion and anxiety toward her father which once bloomed did not subside very easily.

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