“Ah, I'm tired”
As dawn approached, Lillian threw herself into her room, exhausted.
It was very tiring with so many details to take into account, unlike the times she was controlling the abilities of the villain or others.
Dreams are an intangible substance, and they cannot be presented as physical evidence, right?
'But those traces must still be stuck in the Duke's body.'
I confirmed this by checking the link that was sending the nightmares.
'I have learned the Duke's location.'
It was on the outskirts of the capital, in a very remote place.
Since it was a place that had nothing to do with the main Balthazar family property, it seemed that the family members themselves did not notice its absence.
“The rest...the shadows will take care of it...”
Although I do all this for a quiet life, I live too actively.
But because sleep had dried her eyelids, Lillian went out into the garden.
You passed the hut designated for the laboratory, reaching another area.
All the lights were off.
This is normal, since the owner of those rooms is absent.
‘…Did Elias say that the villain has been in the Imperial Palace since last night?’
Suddenly, Lillian remembered Elias' words: 'The Duke has tried to assassinate His Highness the Prince several times in the past.'
The First Empress would leave visible tattoos every time a villain felt a desire for destruction.
And the Duke hates this villain.
'There are relationships that are destined to never work out'
All I hope for is minimal sacrifices, a safe withdrawal, and lasting peace.
“…ah”
While she was lost in her thoughts, she accidentally kicked over an ornament at the edge of the garden.
It was a small tower made of stone.
“Wow”
I hope they don't ask me for compensation for this damage. I need to get it back to how it was quickly before I'm found out.
At that moment, the small stones on the ground shook.
Hmm?
-...Finally we can talk.
Have I started hearing hallucinations caused by lack of sleep?
But it's the first time I've heard a hallucination with such a hoarse voice.
-I will take you to my master.
Suddenly, the vision before Lillian's eyes was dyed black.
* * *
She felt something hard and cold touching her head as she lay on the ground.
Whatever place she was found in, she felt that life was too harsh for her.
If someone kidnaps me, one of the simplest rules of etiquette in Vernis is to at least put a pillow on me.
But where am I?
“…Huh!”
Lillian quickly got up from the floor.
But as soon as she raised her upper body, she held her breath to see the shadow owner lurking behind her.
A monster curled around Lillian, tilting its head and watching her curiously.
-I'm so sorry for bringing you here so suddenly.
“Oh…?”
Does the monster talk?
'No, if he can speak, then he is a magic servant!'
Monsters lack intelligence and kill humans randomly.
But on very rare occasions, beings appear so superior that they are able to hold a master-servant relationship with a possessor of power.
Even the temple allows such beings to exist, because they see them as useful as long as the possessor of the power can control them.
“Wouldn’t it have been better if you asked me nicely with that tongue of yours instead of kidnapping me?”
-My patience is not so great that I can convince humans to accompany me.
What an eloquent tongue.
- Let's go, sir, I'm waiting for you.
Its tail of rocks and gravel was already blocking Lillian's retreat path.
What etiquette; He invites me to go with him while taking away my right to choose.
She eventually followed him.
It was also because she realized that the person who had summoned her was the one she had intended to meet anyway.
He's the grandfather.
“May your shelter be in the protection of the Ruler of Genesis.”
“…….”
“Your Excellency Duke Balthazar”
But the man didn't look like Lillian, he looked like a villain.
In a dark reception room, the man who had his back to Lillian slowly turned around.
He was a large man with sharp features and thick black hair.
He exuded the majesty of a black hawk, or perhaps he resembled a bandit leader with majestic dignity.
“You have never seen me before, yet you know my identity.”
“The one who controls the rock dragon, and can move targets anywhere there is soil.”
“…….”
“Who but His Eminence the Duke, among the Balthasar Lords of Earth, possesses this ability?”
The Duke stared at Lilian intently.
Lillian's eyes widened as she looked at the Duke's temple.
'This is it!'
A strangely prominent blue vein!
That was the trail that Marquis Somnes left behind when he sent out the Nightmare.
‘If I can remove that trace, I will have the evidence in my own hands…!’
Ah, Lillian didn't mean to rip out a human's veins, she's not that barbaric.
The Duke frowned quietly and said, “I see you are thinking about something else.”
“Never, Your Excellency. It is a great honor to meet you.”
What an observant man, I just thought about it for a moment.
Since he was under the influence of the nightmare, she had to beware of any sudden attack that might come from him.
“It seems your abilities have awakened late.”
“Yes, that's true”
“And what is your relationship with my grandson?”
“I am currently His Highness’s controller, and we will be announcing our engagement soon.”
“Break up with him...if you are in your right mind.”
“…….”
Oh, my God.
Was I kidnapped to be the heroine of a morning drama?
But in the morning drama that Lillian witnessed in her previous life, there was a huge sum of money being offered in exchange for a breakup.
Not a magic servant writhing from rocks and pebbles.
“Hmm. Based on your reaction, it seems that you were not captivated by the prince’s face...”
It seems that she was kidnapped just so that the Duke could test how superficial her standards of beauty were.
“If it weren't for that, there would be no reason to stay by his side.”
She didn't dare say that the other party had her seal unilaterally placed on him.
“I would say we have a common goal.”
“Since you didn’t tell the Tillard family about your awakening, the purpose is crystal clear.”
“…….”
“Do you intend to take bloody revenge on the Pavel and Tillard families?”
“I don't use such terrifying words, but... the meaning is similar, Your Excellency the Duke.”
Lillian blinked her eyes quickly.
'He seems calmer than I feared?'
When a person falls under the influence of a nightmare, he becomes completely irrational.
A nightmare displays the most painful moments of a person's life over and over again in his or her dreams.
'As expected of a high-ranking ability... he possesses amazing mental strength.'
So, wouldn't he agree to Lillian's plan?
But in one second, that hope had completely evaporated.
“Give it up”
“May I ask why? I thought your ladyship did not have much affection for these two families.”
“I admit that the Pavel and Tillard families contributed to my daughter’s removal.”
The Duke laughed sarcastically and continued: “But the ones who killed my daughter in the end were the Tarandians.”
This was an interesting piece of information.
'I have often heard that the First Empress loved the Emperor more than he loved her.'
But the Tarandians?
“It seems that the prince did not tell you? What did he do with that ability?”
Never heard of that. That story wasn't even in the original novel.
“When he was five years old, in front of my daughter’s eyes, he vanished a rabbit that she cherished so much.”
“…….”
“It was clearly a deliberate act. The prince was laughing at the time, while my daughter fell unconscious.”
...Oh my God.
She didn't intend to defend him on his behalf, and even if she wanted to, defending in this situation was impossible.