Chapter 21

TL: Jaemicy

Chapter 21

Given the circumstances, she’s probably the only woman whom he gave his heart to.

I waited nervously for Cardan’s answer. Cardan opened his mouth slowly.

“Yes.”

That word almost made me feel dizzy as all the tension was relieved at once.

Cardan threw the portrait randomly on the bed.

“Well, what’s the point of questioning this now?”

Cardan stood up as if he had no regrets.

“Get some rest.”

And then he left the room.

Only then did I collapse to bed exhausted.

Her heart was still beating fast, and her vision, which had been cleared for a while, was blurred again.

I ended up closing my eyes again.

After leaving the room, Cardan forced his fist to loosen, which he had clenched so tightly that blood wouldn’t pass.

“Lover.”

I laughed in vain.

“My mother.”

As expected, the Duke of Baloa is somewhat strange.

Uncharacteristically, she should have recognized Sir Ethan from the time she saved his life.

How was it after that?

It was not enough that she helped the baron, she also failed to dispose of Sir Ethan, who tried to kill her, and gave up the room in the inn instead of punishing the knights.

It was all soft, stupidly nice Erina from a long time ago.

As if she’s lost her memory.

“No, I’m sure.”

Cardan muttered as he moved.

If she didn’t remember Eleanor, she must have lost her memory. For example, the specifics of the contract.

This might be the last chance.

Last chance to kill Duke Baloa without losing Eleanor.

“I’ll have to keep her alive for now.”

If the Duke dies here, he loses Eleanor without any time to save her.

Once they’re back in the palace, it’s as easy as stealing candy from a child to learn Eleanor’s location from the Duke of Baloa, who has lost her memory.

Cardan had a fishy smile.

When that day comes.

‘I can finally take care of it’

***

A little sob woke me up.

When I opened my eyes slowly, I saw the count, who was huddling from the bedside and wiping away tears hard, and Cardan, who was looking at me senselessly.

“Why don’t you be quiet?”

Cardan was wearing a hood again to hide his identity, but at his voice the count closed his mouth with his fist without saying a word.

Although the crying didn’t decrease much.

“Ugh.”

When I tried to get up, my whole body hurt as if it had been burned.

“Ah, duke!”

The count rushed to help me.

“You’re awake! I’m so glad.”

The count burst into tears again.

It was not the scenery I wanted to see as soon as I woke up, when the elderly man shook his rich mustache.

“I was so worried when the doctor told me that the duke wouldn’t wake up like this.”

The count howled, clinging to me.

I was overcome with a strange feeling when I heard the news.

I really almost died.

Indeed, it was amazing that she was alive considering the amount of blood she vomited at that time. Although my whole body hurt like I was beaten.

I’m sure it’s all thanks to the Duke of Baloa’s immunization method.

I was astonished at the thoroughness of the duke.

“Thanks to your concern, I’m fine.”

I gently pushed out the still-crying count, pretending to console him. He sobbed so much that the blanket was wet and uncomfortable.

“Oh my god!”

However, the count clung to me, boiling to his knees, as to how he interpreted the pushing gesture.

“D, Duke of Baloa. Huk, I swear it’s not me!”

I wanted to console the count, who was praying with his hands together, but I didn’t have the strength to do so.

“I know.”

It was hard to add a syllable of “yo,” so I gave up my honorifics.

The count looked up at me in disbelief.

“Well, really?”

“You’re not a stupid person.”

As soon as I said this, it was the count who’s with a stupid look on his face as if he didn’t know what to say, but I tried to ignore it.

“If I die in the castle of the frontier, only the Count will be executed, and there is nothing to gain.”

On the contrary, if the count and the enemy were the criminals, it would not be known that the count himself openly poisoned me was nothing short of suicide.

“Do you know who touched the wine?”

The count nodded hastily.

“I’ve locked everyone in the basement.”

“Oh.”

I grabbed my head.

“Don’t worry, Duke. I’ll find the criminal by breaking their bones myself. We’re still getting people to interrogate them.”

“Oh, my.”

I got my face all over my hands.

“What, is there a problem?”

The count asked in a trembling voice. Then he scrambled to his feet.

“I-I’ll tell them to increase the intensity of the torture right now!”

“No.”

My head was spinning when I moved in a hurry to stir my hand.

“No, just leave it.”

“What?”

I guess the count is stupid. I sighed and told the conclusion first.

“Instead, leak the information that the Duke of Baloa is dead.”

I could feel Cardan’s eyes looking at me, but I tried hard to ignore them.

“Oh, duke. You want me to say you’re dead?”

The count asked back with an absent-minded expression.

“Yeah, it’s better if you squeeze in a coffin and make it look real.”

The count still didn’t understand and just smiled.

“What are you thinking?”

Then, Cardan, who had been quiet all along, asked in a cold voice.

“If rumors spread that the Duke was dead when she had already left the palace, how would you deal with the chaos?”

It was as if he’s saying that the owner of the empire was me, not him.

Looking at the cold flashing enemy’s eyes, flattering words naturally lingered in my mouth as in the Imperial Palace.

I’ve done good by talking about the portrait, but it wasn’t safe yet.

“As expected, Your Ma…”

I bit my tongue when I was about to say Your Majesty.

The fact that Cardan was wearing a hood meant that the count didn’t know he was the emperor yet.

I changed my words quickly.

“As expected, you have an immeasurable concern for the empire.”

Cardan grinned.

Perhaps it didn’t sound very sincere because I was mumbling helplessly in bed.

I couldn’t even lift my head, but I forced myself up a little more.

“As you are concerned, I intend to appear in public before the rumor spreads. But, I really want to catch the criminal.”

Cardan nodded his head towards the changeback.

“As the count said, we can find out who was behind the scenes by questioning those who touched the wine. An experienced adviser wouldn’t accidentally kill him.”

It’s just my feeling that you’re saying you’re that skilled adviser, right?

I gulped down my saliva.

“That’s a great point. As expected, the eyes of such a nobleman….”

“Just get to the point.”

Cardan cut me off, and I sweated to pull up the drooping corners of my mouth.

However, the voice that came out of my mouth was so calm.

“The servant’s confession is not enough. The person behind it must be someone with formidable power, and if such a person is taken away, the confession of the mastermind’s servant would not be enough evidence.”

I wanted to explain my plan in full, but my eyelids started to get heavier and heavier, perhaps because I ran out of stamina.

After all, a couple of whispers was all she could do.

“I’m going to get physical evidence.”

I’ve had enough of being in danger of dying every time.

“The proof must be foolproof that even the most powerful person can’t avoid it.”

And this time I will never show mercy.

***

“Ah, I’m dying.”

I shivered on the old bed.

Perhaps because it was a servant’s room that was not used, the cold wind came in through the palm-sized window. There was not a decent fireplace or rug.

She was able to endure it because she was wearing bear fur, but she couldn’t do anything about her face.

I sniffed hard and listened to the whispers in the hallway.

“The Duke is dead. Are you serious?”

“Shh. Keep your voice down. What if someone hears it?”

“Why, the rumors are already all over the place. What’s wrong? The doctor said the same. She had more than twice the lethal dose.”

“Didn’t you hear the count say nothing? It is known to the Imperial Palace that the Duke was poisoned in our castle. We’re all dead.”

“Ugh, don’t say that. It’s bad luck.”

“So watch your mouth.”

At that time, the heavy footsteps approached, and the maids stopped talking.

I smacked my lips.

“Oh, that was the funny part. Who the hell is it?”

Soon the door of my hiding room suddenly opened and Cardan came in.

“Why? Should I go out again?”

“Oh, no!”

I jumped to my feet and staggered with dizziness. Cardan looked at me as if I was pitiful.

“Tsk, eat this.”

Cardan threw a tray in front of me.

It was an insincere gesture like giving a cow a fodder, but I wasn’t in the position to complain.

“I’m sorry to have troubled you.”

Only the count and Cardan knew I was alive. I couldn’t trust any of the soldiers I brought, or the count’s servants.

So I unintentionally stayed in Cardan’s room and received meals through Cardan.

If I complained here, Cardan might really hit me in the neck.

“To give your humble servant a big dinner by yourself. I don’t know what to do with myself, Your Majesty.”

I groveled hard and propped up the plate as if it were gold.

Cardan looked at me as if dumbfounded.

“Your Majesty won’t you eat?”

I lifted up the tray with all my might.

Strictly speaking, the food on this tray was also Cardan’s.

Since they could not prepare food separately for the dead Duke, they had no choice but to share the food given to Cardan, a terminal soldier.

But Cardan didn’t even look at my plate.

“Who eats this kind of dog food?”

Heated contempt flashed across Cardan’s face.