Chapter 76 – Upheaval (2)

[Translator – Peptobismol]

Chapter 76 – Upheaval (2)

The Duke of Winfred, Velzer Winfred, headed towards the Winfred mansion.

“Damn it...!”

As he passed through the shadowy entrance and entered the mansion, the Duke walked briskly to his office.

When he thrust the torch in his right hand forward, the cracks etched into the stone walls glimmered mysteriously.

“...”

Kyle Winfred was dead.

Of course, his death was not a significant issue.

He was merely an illegitimate son, not even the heir to the family.

Even though the Empress and the Princess had discovered that he was a member of the Royal Family, that too wasn’t a big problem.

Attacking Winfred to reclaim an unheard-of royal branch would be a considerable burden for them as well.

Thus, his death was a boon.

Winfred’s disgrace had taken his own life, so it was naturally advantageous.

However, he had never anticipated this situation.

“Luna Winfred...”

The family’s eldest daughter had caused trouble.

Not only had she been imprisoned by the Papal See for attempting to assassinate the Saintess, but now she had even drawn her sword against the Princess.

And this occurred while the Royal Family was already closely watching Winfred due to the concealment of Kyle’s birth.

“...This is no ordinary problem.”

Luna Winfred was missing, and all the blame fell on the Winfred family.

Too many calamities had struck at once.

This wasn’t something that could be brushed off as mere ill fate.

— Winfred has crossed the line.

The Princess warned in a cold voice.

— Insulting royalty, and treason.

— There are talks of exterminating the Winfred family.

— Do not think you can cover this up with Luna Winfred’s execution.

She then elegantly laughed while speaking of exterminating the Winfred family.

It was infuriating.

— A solution, you say...

— Who knows? If you bring something that tempts me, the story might change.

— Although, I doubt Winfred possesses such an item.

What the Royal Family desired.

Simple wealth wouldn’t satisfy them.

There was only one option.

“The Holy Blood...”

The Holy Blood.

The blood containing divine power.

The Royal Family didn’t know about the existence of the true Holy Blood.

To be precise, they didn’t know that what they had was genuine.

The Duke family had conducted a deception long ago, creating a counterfeit, and the Royal Family had turned a blind eye.

It was an age-old secret between the Royal Family and the Duke house.

However, the Holy Blood currently kept by the Duke house was genuine.

They couldn’t possibly imagine.

That Winfred had preserved the original Holy Blood lost thousands of years ago.

Therefore, he would use the Holy Blood as a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Royal Family.

Doing so would grant immunity from the Princess’s accusations.

“...”

The Duke gritted his teeth.

His anger at his predicament boiled like molten lava.

He exhaled deeply, cooling his head.

Then, with a clenched fist, he touched the crack in the wall...

Thud—

The wall trembled with a faint vibration.

After a moment, the wall slid to the side with a rumbling sound.

The Duke walked in without hesitation.

Passing through the pitch-black darkness, he saw the knights guarding the door.

“Open it.”

At the Duke’s low command, the knights stepped aside and opened the door.

We were running out of ingredients, and I couldn’t always rely on Diana for everything.

That was enough reason for an outing.

“Let’s head to Arokan.”

Arokan was a restaurant on the outskirts of the village, though it was more like a tavern.

After mentally listing what I needed, I set out alone.

I passed through the busy crowds and slipped into a quiet alley.

‘Is this it?’

When I opened the door and walked in, a savory aroma greeted me.

As I navigated past the rowdy men enjoying their food and drinks, a woman who had been glancing at me approached.

“Oh my, Mr. Birken!”

“Shizuki?”

“Yes! You remember my name?”

Shizuki was the woman who had guided me to the village chief’s house where Diana stayed.

She blushed and asked shyly.

“Did you come here on behalf of Miss Minette?”

When I nodded slowly, she led me to a secluded spot.

In a cheerful voice, she said,

“Would you mind sitting and waiting for a bit?”

“Take your time.”

She smiled brightly.

After a short absence, she returned with a tray of food and drinks.

“Please, feel free to enjoy!”

Shizuki mentioned it might take a while and then hurried back to the kitchen.

I stared blankly at her retreating figure before turning my gaze away.

The inn was bustling with people continuously arriving.

Men sitting at tables laughed and chatted as they enjoyed their drinks.

As I watched absentmindedly, the door opened, and a woman covered in a robe walked in.

Click, click.

Her lively footsteps added to the noisy atmosphere.

I sat quietly and watched.

More precisely, I watched the golden hair peeking out from the robe.

The woman looked around, then pulled out a chair next to me and sat down heavily.

Then, our eyes met as she turned her head.

Golden hair flowing smoothly, blue eyes like sapphires.

“Oh?”

She gasped.

Her innocent, cheerful voice filled the air.

But I couldn’t utter a word.

“Kyle Winfred?”

A dream?

No, everything before me was too vivid for that.

A hallucination? Or had I gone mad?

My lips moved several times without sound, and the woman frowned.

Her familiar cold gaze swept over me, and she asked again.

“Why are you here?”

Her voice was mixed with a sigh.

Her fierce, upward-slanting eyes.

Too familiar.

No, they had to be.

What was this? What was going on?

The Papal See’s arrival in Asven was still... a week away...

Ah, maybe it’s just someone who looks similar?

No, that couldn’t be.

The woman in front of me...

Was undoubtedly...

“Could it be... did you chase me down all the way here?”

Isabel Yustia.

Without a doubt, it was Isabel Yustia.

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[Translator – Peptobismol]