Chapter 41

“Frisia, are you okay?”

Frisia felt goosebumps crawl up her skin at the naked man approaching her with an affectionate expression on his face. Even if his face was the same, he wasn’t Aslei.

‘It’s disgusting!’

Offended, she pressed down her revulsion and her instinct to oust him out as she saw the attendants approaching. They wrapped a gown around the fake Aslei’s shoulders.

‘Making Aslei look like that… …How dare you impersonate him!’

Frisia’s body trembled with cold rage. Considering the pain and despair that Aslei must have felt, it was not enough to tear him to death a thousand times.

“Mia… … .”

One of the knights approached after hearing Frisia’s call. Although the Duchess was kind to many, she wasn’t particularly close to her.

Even so, since she was her master’s mistress, Mia dutifully came to Frisia’s side. The maids parted and made room for Mia.

Fake Aslei was still guarding one side of Frisia. He adjusted his robe and took notice of her and searched her face.

“Frisia, everything will be alright. I’m with you.”

His hand approached her, and although she shivered she did not avoid it. Her body lost its balance and found herself leaning against the fake’s chest.

Mia approached, pointing a questioning look at Frisia.

—Closer, she beckoned and Mia took a couple of steps closer. To her left was Aslei, supporting her, and to her right was Mia.

Frisia mouthed the words silently. Jeremy, disguised as Aslei, looked down at her to see what was going on.

Finally, Mia came so close she brought her ear to Frisia’s lips and heard her licking her lips in anxiety. Jeremy’s nerves were also on high alert and looked at her mouth.

Frisia glanced at the fake with a piercing gaze and looked at Mia. She whispered in her ear and grabbed the handle of the dagger that was tucked into her thigh.

“… … that Aslei is an imposter.”

A startled Mia fell on Frisia. She noticed that the dagger stored on her thigh had been pulled out, but Frisia was already moving.

Jeremy was about to laugh awkwardly and ask her what she was talking about.

Arghh! Everyone was astonished by the sharp, high-pitched scream. The dagger dug into Jeremy’s shoulder as he reflexively retreated.

The guards seized Frisia and tried to protect the fake Aslei. Or they would have if the imitator’s hair hadn’t changed the color from light blonde to brownish-orange instantaneously.

Because of the pain, some of the transformation illusion unraveled.

Everyone in the room witnessed Aslei’s red, well-groomed face swaying like a wave, and witnessed other faces come up.

“F-fraud!”

“It’s a sorcerer!”

The hands that had held Frisia back now changed to protecting her. Frisia instructed Mia who was supporting her.

“The black wolf that escaped earlier is the Duke! Send someone to tell them not to attack Aslei! Track him, but don’t provoke him!”

Heeding her command without delay, a couple of servants ran out of the bedroom with frightened complexions. The knights drew their swords and surrounded the imitator that changed into Aslei again.

Jeremy gritted his teeth and pulled out the dagger from his shoulder. Although he could momentarily evade, he could not fly away as his shoulder was injured.

“Damn it, fucking bitch… … .”

Clink!

The dagger fell to the floor with a sharp clank. Jeremy’s body started to shrink and he became a slender leopard. He slipped through her knights and ran towards the broken window sill.

“Catch him! Don’t let him get away! He can break the Duke’s curse!”

At her sharp declaration, the knights chased after the leopard. But even though they were on the third floor Jeremy was able to glide his body off the balcony.

In the middle of transforming his arms into wings he tried to flap his arms but the pain from his wound made him falter. He fell to the ground with a thump and didn’t land properly.

Anngh! Jeremy’s howl of pain was music to her ears. Escorts rushed out of the bedroom.

The only ones left by Frisia’s side were her servants, her maid and two of her guards. She spotted the butler, Bunter, and beckoned him.

He hurriedly approached her. If the esteemed mistress hadn’t recognized that fake… … . It was too terrifying to imagine.

“Bunter, make sure he doesn’t get away! The Duke hasn’t completely lost his sanity, so we can bring him back later… … .”

“Oh, I see! I will mobilize all the knights in the castle!”

The Duke of Tintalion had a total of five orders of knights.

Among them, three of the knighthoods were dispatched to the provinces to subdue monsters, and the other two orders were stationed in Mulia, the capital of the duchy.

Frisia had no idea she could hold Jeremy inside her duke’s house. She saw earlier that he could transform into a multitude of beasts, so if he so desired he could turn into a little creature and escape… … .

“Release the hounds! Use everything at our disposal to support the search!”

With Bunter’s affirmative, he hurriedly left the bedroom. Losing her strength, she sat down in a chair near her, supported by her maids.

If her legs were fine, she would have pursued Aslei herself.