CH 86

D, Duchess found me, kuheuk! You don’t know how relieved I was! Duchess, you’re my savior!”

“Ah, yes. Calm down and talk.”

“Heuk. I’ve been hiding for a few days………… How much, kehuep! I was so scared……!”

I pretended not to see Felix’s tear-stained face with cloudy eyes.

Originally he had a cool, intelligent image…….now he was a bit pathetic.

‘He wasn’t like this.’

What happened to this person to become so broken?

Felix was on the verge of giving up his liver and gallbladder*.

(t/n: it means he’s on the verge of giving his all/his everything to Roselina)

‘I didn’t even have to bring Violet up to Plan B.’

In fact, I found Felix as soon as I headed out to find him.

What happened was………….

First, let’s go back to the time when I was at the carriage we rode in when we came to the palace.

“The missing former crown prince was in the Imperial Palace.”

When I brought this up, the atmosphere became serious.

“Prince Felix, who is missing, is at the palace?”

“Yeah. It’s not a normal situation no matter how much I think about it, isn’t it?”

Violet nodded wildly.

She was quick-witted and didn’t ask me how I found out about the former crown prince.

‘The more I spend time with her, the more satisfied I become.’

She was sneaky yet she never crossed the line.

‘Even if she asked, I wouldn’t have told her.’

I used the location tracking item to find out where Felix is.

I immediately sent a letter to Blake’s mansion after thinking I should contact Felix.

But the servant who was sent to Blake’s mansion told me that there was no one in the mansion.

According to what people say, Blake’s mansion has been empty for a while.

Next, I looked for the Master.

“It’s strange. As of this day, there were no signs of life in the mansion. No one saw the former crown prince.”

“Really?”

“Yes. No one has been in or out of Blake’s mansion, and it’s been a while since the lights didn’t turn on at night.”

I asked the Master to find Felix, but the result was not positive.

‘There must be something going on.’

Felix, the former crown prince, is a convenient prey to use here and there, so I had a hunch that an incident had happened.

Eventually, I used the location tracking item to find out his whereabouts.

I don’t know why, but I’m a bit reluctant to use the location tracker without the consent of the person concerned.

However, on second thought, my request to Master was without Felix’s consent either.

I used the location tracking item then without hesitation

【Do you want to use 〈Location Tracker Summoned from the Unknown World〉?】

【Are you sure you want to specify the designation for 〈Location Tracker Summoned from the Unknown World〉?】

‘I’ll choose Felix Blake.’

【The target of the location tracker that was summoned from the unknown world will be designated】

【The target: Felix Blake】

【You can check the location of the designated target.】

I was surprised to see the map floating in the air.

“This is the Imperial Palace, right?”

The Imperial Palace was drawn on the map, and soon a navy dot appeared.

It was Felix.

‘The more I think about it, the more suspicious it is.’

Felix was one of the most famous people in the empire.

Felix was walking around the palace, and no one saw him?

‘Then he must be somewhere in the palace not seen by people.’

Of course, there were many people in the palace.

There is the imperial family, as well as maids, knights, servants, and nobles who go to and from the Imperial Palace.

It’s not difficult to imagine how many people are there are just by thinking about it.

‘If someone saw him, a word would have come out.’

But there were no rumors about Felix.

In other words, he was in the palace without being seen by anyone.

‘Then there’s the answer.’

My face stiffened without realizing it.

‘It’s either Felix infiltrated the palace to plot treason or he was kidnapped and imprisoned in the palace.’

Felix did not have power at the moment.

‘He wasn’t the type to rebel when he was powerless.’

Under the circumstances, it was highly likely the latter.

So I called Violet.

I’ve been thinking about asking the Master for help, but………………

Master was a man of deep-rooted animosity towards the empire and the imperial family.

I couldn’t tell him to try to find the former crown prince.

Instead, I asked for clothes worn by royal court maids through the master.

Violet readily accepted the maid suit when I offered it.

“You are really good at getting clothes from a variety of places!”

“Don’t you like it?”

“No. Can I sell these clothes if this job turns out well? Things like this sell at a high price.”

“Yes, you may do as you please.”

“Good!”

She clapped saying she liked it saying it’s an additional income.

The Imperial Palace was getting closer.

I used the item again while Violet was looking away.

【Do you want to use the 〈Location Tracker Summoned from the Unknown World〉?】

【Are you sure you want to target the 〈Location Tracker Summoned from the Unknown World〉?】

Felix Blake

【The target of the location tracker summoned from the unknown world will be designated】

【The target: Felix Blake】

【You can check the location of the designated target.】

Again, the place on the map was the Imperial Palace.

Felix’s dot appeared somewhere in the palace.

‘It’s next to the Empress’ Palace.’

I told Violet this fact right away.

“Violet. First of all, please wait for me to enter the grand hall then sneak out again.”

“Yes, I understand.”

The map was only visible to me, so I had to move myself.

‘I left the announcement with the Master of the Magic Tower, so it’s fine. I just have to greet people at the start then leave.’

After making all the plans, we arrived at the palace.

“What’s your status?……… The Duchess of Palesdon has arrived!”

When I entered the palace, the procedure was tricky, but even that was a free pass.

Since she is both the Princess of Brighton and the Duchess of Palesdon.

‘Roselina was hot-tempered and she’d been here a couple of times.’

How notorious must Roselina have been to even make a fuss at the Empress’ Palace?

In any case, I entered the palace with a free pass and parted with Violet.

Violet naturally blended in as if she had been a maid in the Imperial Palace since birth.

It was such a remarkable ability.

‘I gave her a telecommunication mirror, so I don’t have to worry about her much.’

I entered the grand hall.

“The Duchess of Palesdon is entering!”

Naturally, a lot of eyes were on me.

But today, it seemed to be worse than usual.

‘What is it?’

They weren’t just glancing at me.

My skin tingled as if it contained malice.

‘What the hell’s wrong?’

Then, someone recognized me from afar and approached me.

“Lady Roselina!”

“Countess Maria, you’re here. I was afraid you wouldn’t be able to come.”

“I’ve been recuperating steadily, and I’ve gotten really better these days. This is nothing.”

Countess Maria looked much brighter, perhaps because she was able to go out.

“Lady Roselina’s rose harmony and perfume cure the curse of roses. I’m a living witness. So don’t be swayed by others’ words.”

Countess Maria whispered to me anxiously.

“Other’s words?”

“I can’t believe it. There’s a rumor that Lady Roselina put the curse of roses on people.”

The news from Countess Maria was shocking.

‘No. How did they know?’

They were quite close to the truth.

Of course, I didn’t put the curse of roses on the people.

People who liked me were cursed by roses, so it wasn’t the same.

‘But why did they say that?’

My question was soon answered by Countess Maria.

“It’s just a coincidence that the curse of roses manifested on the Godfather of Palesdon. In the first place, the curse of roses manifested regardless of status, age, or gender.”

Then the rumor that I put the curse of roses on Lady Catalina seems to have circulated.

“What nonsense is that!”

Suddenly, a loud roar came from somewhere.

“Oh, that’s……….!”

“Isn’t that the Godfather of Palesdon?”

“I heard that she stopped attending social circles after she became the acting head of Palesdon!”

A shock swept through the Grand Hall with Catalina’s appearance.