Chapter 44

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Chapter 44

‘What did I do to stop the war!’

Even now, when I think of the video stone that will be enshrined in Declan’s safe, my backbone is still pulling.

“Your safety is more important to me.”

I was at a loss for words for a moment.

At this point, it was impossible not to know that he saw me as ‘Erica.’ not as a doll that replaced Chloe. Meaning that he must have valued ​​my existence more than the doll body.

“Don’t worry. I’ll be back safely.”

So, I didn’t back out any further. I want to protect him like that.

“…I have no intention of giving up.”

Declan sighed as he shook his head.

“Of course. It is to protect His Majesty.”

As I laughed, he sighed again.

“Your Majesty, Miss Erica is nowhere to be seen, so she will be safe. Even if she is lost, your Majesty will be able to find her, right?”

Mason calmly persuaded Declan.

“Erica.”

He then pondered for a moment and then called out.

“Do not get out from the imperial capital. Come back before the sun goes down.”

“Yes.”

When Declan’s permission was granted, Mason sighed in relief. He didn’t forget to add another word.

“If you don’t come back by then, I’ll go find you.”

“I’ll be back before that.”

Although it was my confident answer, Declan had an unwilling face.

“Mason, go now, pay Gerald the reward, and make an appointment in three days.”

“All right.”

“You put on the shadows, and check out Gerald’s carriage going out by yourself.”

“I will.”

“Wait outside for a moment. I have something to talk to you about Erica.”

As Mason left, Declan faced me.

“Erica, don’t forget. Your safety is more important to me than finding out who is behind him.”

Seeing the green eyes shining more seriously than ever before, my heart pounded again.

“The place where I will be is next to His Majesty. I will be back. Please wait for me.”

There was a small ripple in his eyes.

That… somehow made me happy.

I followed Mason into Gerald’s carriage.

An ordinary carriage without any pattern escaped through the northern gate of the Imperial Palace, avoiding the public eye.

“Whew.”

As he exited the Palace, Gerald breathed in relief.

‘Did you dare touch Declan?”

I clenched my fist at him.

“Hehe. How much is this all?”

Gerald pulled out the purse Mason had given him and looked down in amazement.

“Will I get paid again when I go back? Uhhuh. I’ve been very lucky this year.”

‘It didn’t happen because you were lucky, you were lucky enough to die.’

I prayed for him in advance.

“Sword master, crazy, the Emperor isn’t a big deal. He’s crying like a child.”

Saying so, Gerald giggled and ran the gold coin in his hand.

“The Emperor moves according to the Princess, and the Princess moves according to my will, so am I not going to rule the Empire?

At his words, I clicked my tongue as I watched Gerald count his eggs before it hatched. Meanwhile, he got off the carriage and rented a public carriage downtown.

‘Was he going to find the background now?’

I followed him, imagining who would be among the candidates I selected.

Gerald got off at a remote place and walked with light steps. The place he entered was a small one-story house.

“Oh dear, were you waiting?”

“I think you will come around by this time.”

The man with glasses, leaning on his chair, gave off a stern atmosphere.

‘I’ve never seen you before, have I?’

It was a person I had never seen before, neither at the banquet nor at the Imperial Palace.

“Ahh, I’ll be in touch with you…”

“The result?”

The man lightly cut off his words. It must be embarrassing, though Gerald replied with a smile as if he was familiar with it.

“It’s a success. Perfectly.”

“Isn’t the Emperor suspicious?”

“He just looked at the Princess and bawled.”

‘Hey, he only shed one tear?!’

In an instant, I shouted at Gerald, who turned Declan into a crybaby.

“Crying. He’s crazy about his younger sister.”

Seeing the sarcastic man made me quite uncomfortable.

“Are there no mistakes?”

“He didn’t even know I used this powder. How funny it was, him with his mouth open.”

As Gerald opened the leather pouch he had pulled out of his arms, blue powder flew into the air.

He cast the spell as before, and Chloe reappeared.

“Hmm, I feel it every time I see it, but it’s really the same.”

“Isn’t that right? Despite the fact that I made it just by looking at the portrait, I think it’s a masterpiece.”

Muttering so, Gerald rubbed his hands as if to acknowledge his hard work.

‘I wondered how he knew Chloe, it turns out it was like that.’

To get a portrait of a princess who died early without receiving the emperor’s attention, they must be a high-ranking aristocrat.

“If it was successful, the Emperor would have called again. Did he make an appointment for the next one?”

“Of course. I decided to come back in three days.”

“At that time, make sure you hold onto the Emperor’s heart. So that he won’t come to his senses by this.”

“I don’t know if it’s possible. What you promised…”

Licking his lips, Gerald stared at the man who pulled a purse from his pocket and placed it on the table.

“Oh my, thank you.”

He quickly grabbed the bag.

“If you can play with the Emperor like a puppet, I’ll give you ten times that.”

“Yes, yes?”

At that, Gerald’s mouth widened.

“So, do it right until the end.”

“Oh my, thank you! You are my benefactor.”

‘Benefactor? He is the grim reaper who will guide you to the underworld…’

It was like he was blinded by money without knowing what kind of situation he was in right now.

I looked at him pathetically and followed the man who got up from his seat. Glasses, stern expressions, cheeky attitude…

‘Bingo!’

The cheap, no, unlucky appearance just reminded me of the man’s true identity.

Salihan, an aide to the Duke of Otien… Other than Count Nolan, there was a loyal and mad dog that could not be followed. In the original story, he was the one who did all the dirty work of Duke Otien.

‘He was a complete moralist.’

However, he had no feelings for killing people.

‘The fact that Salihan is here means that Duke Otien is behind it.’

Are you sure you’re confident enough to dispel your trust?

As expected, since Count Nolan has gone away, Salihan has no choice but to step out.

Unsurprisingly, he changed his carriage a few times and went round and round to the Duke of Otienne.

‘Is this the Duke’s residence? It cost a lot of money.”

I couldn’t help but marvel at the endless gardens and splendid mansions. Salihan stopped the sound of footsteps and went to the Duke.

“Your Excellency, this is Salihan.”

When I entered the room that looked like the office, I saw Duke Otien sitting at a large desk.

“Did the shaman come out alive?”

‘It’s not about success, it’s whether he was alive.’

He had no one else of value but himself.

“He came back fine.”

“Really?”

At that moment, the duke raised his head as if it was interesting.

“The Emperor spared him. It seems that the prediction was correct.”

“He cried when he saw the Princess.”

“Ha, what kind of Emperor is such a weak bastard?” Duke Ortien said, clicking his tongue in displeasure.

“I think we will be able to move as we wish soon.”

“What was the shaman’s name?”

“It is Gerald.”

“Is this the one you picked? He’s a good guy.”

At his compliment, Salihan made a proud expression. The invisible tail behind him seemed to sway wildly.

‘He’s really loyal.’

How can you like it so much when that is nothing to be called a compliment?

“By the way, did you entrust the last work to him?”

I moved closer to them with anxiety.

“He’s a pretty useful guy, so why did it fail?”

Despite Duke Otien’s mention of failure, Salihan didn’t seem too nervous.

“That’s a question for me, too. Your Excellency didn’t recognize it, so the Emperor wouldn’t have noticed either.”

I barely managed to calm my pounding chest, remembering that I had not had a headache recently.

“Is there no effect for a Sword Master?”

“It’s probably not. Isn’t the efficacy strengthened by deliberately preparing according to the Emperor?”

‘…Duke Otien is the culprit!’

In the meantime, Mason has expanded the scope to the continent to investigate poison, but to no avail. As a result, catching the culprit was unknown.

“He’s a monster, so I don’t know. His lifeline is very tough.”

“Yes, though if he ate even a little, something must have gone wrong.”

Salihan seemed resentful that he didn’t succeed.

‘Thinking about it for a hundred days. Can you guess why?’

It was refreshing to know that they couldn’t find the answer.

“Well, seeing the emperor who would have been sword dancing stood still, he doesn’t seem to have figured out the culprit, so it’s good.”

“Your Excellency, why don’t you try again this time?”

“The thing that has already failed?”

Duke Otien frowned.

“Gerald said he was going to meet the Emperor in three days. Since the Emperor is possessed by the fake princess, wouldn’t the probability of success be high?”

“Hmm, it’s good to make a puppet, but I’m sure it’s better to kill it altogether.”

Duke Otien raised the corners of his mouth sullenly.

‘Are you going to use poison again?’

It seemed that it was a good idea that I followed today. After all, the more we prepare in advance, the better.

“Is that servant still there?”

“Yeah, I tried to get rid of it right away, but the Emperor was quiet, so I let it go.”

“Okay, the servant will take care of this as soon as this is over.”

“All right.”

“I’m looking forward to it this time.”

When Duke Otien made a satisfied face, Salihan also smiled.

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