CH 34

‘Why did I put laxatives on Evie’s cookie?’

Powdered drugs mixed with the sugar powder takes an instant effect. Because the cheap cookies sold to commoners had a bitter taste, no one realized they contained laxatives. Evie ate the cookie and spent the entire night going in and out of the bathroom. 

Of course, it was a lie when Edna said to the head maid that Evie wanted her to go in her stead. Even if Evie complained after a month or so, Edna would only receive light punishments.

In addition, it was Evie’s fault that she had diarrhea on that day, so Edna’s lie would have been reasonable. But…

‘If I get caught, I’m done!’

The man had asked Edna to act as a spy at the Duke of Cardian’s mansion. He also stated that he would not assign Edna any difficult tasks, but Edna was terrified.

She was well aware of how Duke Cardian dealt with spies. She wasn’t implying that she had witnessed the process firsthand. She heard it through the servants because she was close to them.

The end result was being dragged to a dungeon, tortured, and then dumped at a crossroads as a dead body.

‘I can’t die like that!’

He warned her that if she did not obey the man’s orders, he would accuse her of working undercover for the Duke and breaking the Emperor’s orders by entering the capital. Either side could give harsh consequences. Edna didn’t have a choice but to follow the man’s orders.

“There’s not much I can do.”

That was what Edna said. The man then laughed at Edna and told her to stick to her abilities. Seduce Leonis’ aide.

If Edna asked him a question first, the aide would be suspicious of her, so the man advised her to match the conversation and encourage her to keep talking. Then, if she found something, she should come to him and tell him about it.

‘Is it that easy?’

In addition, he inquired about the condition of the Duchess and the Duke. Edna confided in what she knew. The answer that the Duke and Duchess had a good relationship was not much different from what he already knew.

‘Has the curse become weaker over the generations?’

The previous Duke of Cardian was so obsessed with the previous Duchess that she was terrified of him, but Leonis, the current Duke of Cardian, was not to that extent.

After that, the man let Edna go because she didn’t know anything else. On the one hand, she should seduce Leonis’ aides while simultaneously keeping an eye on the Duchess’ privacy.

She hasn’t yet begun seduction, but she was already keeping an eye on the Duchess’ privacy. It will be easier for her to break the Duke and Duchess of Cardian’s relationship once she learns Celia’s weaknesses.

She was enraged when the man ordered her to seduce the Duke’s aide, but in retrospect, she appeared to be capable of doing so. At the very least, they’re aristocrats, so she doesn’t expect much in return.

✦ ✦ ✦

She expected a reaction from the Marquis of Montague because she had taken so many old books. Marquis Montague would not be able to move on his own, but she thought he would at least write a letter and argue about it.

‘You haven’t figured it out yet?’

Given the entanglement of the Marquis of Montague and the origins of this book, she thought that it might be more fortunate that the book disappeared. But it doesn’t disappear as she thought. 

The fact that Celia took this book indicated that she was interested in Duke Cardian’s curse, which posed a threat to the Emperor.

‘Will my father be on the side of the Emperor?’

The Marquis of Montague’s demeanor has been to avoid the Imperial Family thus far. He didn’t like the Emperor nor the three princes. His memories of his childhood, when he first witnessed the curse’s reality, were still vivid. 

‘My father has always been a bystander.’

He handled Celia’s marriage in the same way. He caved in under the Emperor’s pressure and tried to blame Celia for her unwanted marriage. She assumed he would be apathetic once more this time.

He wouldn’t be able to inform the Emperor because he was afraid of being caught up in the process. He must be irritated with Celia while being anxious.

Maybe he wanted to act as if he didn’t know or that he didn’t know about the secret library in the reading room. She hasn’t heard from him yet because he hasn’t reached out to her.

‘If not…Is he still eager to find Lily?’

He turned a blind eye to Lily when she was growing up, but when she ran away, he went in search of her. Celia thought it was too much.

‘Well that’s alright. Lily is a smart kid, she won’t get caught.’

Celia is now preoccupied with Saintess Agnes. She planned to go to the Temple of the Heavenly Spirit in search of her traces.

However, the Emperor had invited Celia to a banquet. For the sake of the future, Celia had to become acquainted with the princes and princesses there.

The destruction of this continent comes when the princes, who have gone crazy because of the curse, then kill each other and the curse extends to the princess. The princess will destroy the continent by activating certain items in her Imperial Palace’s treasury.

‘What was that?’

Because I was so shocked that Lily had died and Leonis had committed suicide, I couldn’t recall much what was on the book. Despite the fact that it was an unexpected turn of events!

There was just over a week until the imperial ball. 

Celia let out a long sigh and finished the letter. Next to her was another letter. On the outside of the envelope, she wrote the recipient’s name. Both letters were addressed to the Marquis of Montague, but one was addressed to Phoebe, her maid, and the other to the Marchioness, her mother.

Celia walked out of the desk, instructing the maid to attach the letters.

‘About Saintess Agnes… How should I investigate it?’

Leonis must have conducted his own investigation because he is aware of her existence. He was the one who tried so hard to break his curse in the first place.

‘Should I tell Leonis about what I’ve discovered?’

The Duke of Cardian was known to be cursed. The Duke of Cardian was known to be insane as a result of the curse and to seek blood on occasion from time to time.

What Leonis didn’t tell Celia was that she had the ability to suppress the madness of the curse. She was aware of it and slept with Leonis as well, but he doesn’t know that Celia already knows about it.

‘With each other… Perhaps we can be a little more honest to each other.’

Celia’s heart was pounding as she awaited Leonis’ return from his work. She was looking forward to it, but she was also worried that Leonis would not tell her the truth.

I’m afraid you still don’t have trust in me.

She would be disappointed, but that wouldn’t turn her against Leonis. Just a little bit… No, she would just be disappointed a lot.

✦ ✦ ✦

There was no reply to the second invitation.

Phil Hermos clenched his teeth and threw the glass away. The shards of broken glass splattered all over the place, injuring the servants, but Phil was completely unconcerned.

‘I didn’t give up on that girl so easily!’

Celia was a young girl whom Phil had been watching for a long time. He didn’t even touch Marquis Montague to sway him, but he didn’t expect him to lose to Cardian in that way.

“He is a monster….”

Leonis had already finished negotiations with the Emperor next to him when he heard the news. Without hearing anything definitive from Leonis, Phil had to be mobilized to persuade Marquis of Montague.

The Emperor was always afraid that the Duke of Cardian would pass away without leaving any heirs. As if mocking such an Emperor, Leonis sped through the dangerous battlefield, annihilating the monster and slaughtering bandits.

He was a strong man, even dealing with swordsmen from other continents who challenged him to a duel, which he won with one hand. It was the reason why the Emperor was always worried.

As a result of the Emperor’s worries, Phil lost Celia, whom he had been paying attention to.

Phil already had a wife and Celia had a fiancée, but he didn’t think that would be a problem. The previous Emperor had a mistress as well. Furthermore, Fabian was not a man with such a rigid personality.

‘Emperor…… Who could be more deserving of the title of Emperor than me!’

The previous Empress could not conceive children. It wasn’t supposed to be that way from the start. She was said to have been poisoned when she conceived her first child.

She was deposed after that, but the Emperor did not appoint another Empress. Instead, he seemed to enjoy watching the children of several different women fight each other.

The Imperial Family’s power was passed down to only three of the Emperor’s children. The third prince and the princess, as well as himself. 

That girl was the daughter of a concubine who didn’t deserve to be mentioned. Her mother died shortly after the princess was born, and her abilities were of little use, so it was pointless.

The remaining competitor is Kiel.

Kiel’s power was… Yes, the level was an issue, even if it was beneficial because it demanded a lot of attention. Even if a palm-sized piece of land could be transformed into fertile soil, it would be useless if the person who would become Emperor fell ill for a day after wielding the power.

By comparison, what was Phil’s power?

He possessed healing abilities. The ability to heal someone who had no other abilities! He was not as capable as his father, the Emperor, but he was confident that he was not bad.

‘Compared to Michael who has no powers, Phil is better than him!’

Aside from them, there was another prince, but Phil thought he was useless. He had to inherit the Imperial Family’s mystical powers in order to inherit the throne. Michael didn’t have that power. The Emperor seems to expect him to show his power even if it is late, but Phil hoped that such a day would not come.

‘At what age did His Majesty say his power manifested…?’

He had heard that the power manifested when the Emperor was in his late 30s. Michael was only in his mid-20s now. The Emperor appeared to be waiting for Michael to reach that age because he appeared to be in good health.

‘He actually believes Michael is the Crown Prince! That’s why he’s wasting his time by not expressing which prince he supports!’

He gave up Celia, whom he should have had, but didn’t. He had already taken Marquis Montague under his wing so his daughter should be his.