12. Morning drama?
The Duke let out a bitter, sarcastic laugh.
“My daughter has committed a mistake worthy of the title ‘Balthasar the Deceived’.”
“…….”
“She believed that her love was so special that she could change a flawed man.”
“…….”
“It was all a waste of time and pure foolishness.”
I really wanted to back him up and say he's absolutely right.
Saving others with love? It is better to advise him to make money and go to counseling sessions.
But Lillian kept staring at the Duke silently.
That blue vein spreading on his temple... was pulsing with increasing intensity.
'The nightmare finally materializes'
The writhing blue race finally began to take the shape of a spider.
All I have to do is pull it with the force of control.
And…
'I have informed the shadows of the Duke's location.'
Based on the information I gleaned from Marquis Somnes.
The time difference between their departure and my kidnapping here was not great.
'If I can buy as much time as possible here'
Someone will come to save me.
But in the meantime...
The Duke's gaze towards Lillian began to grow darker.
“Yes, for the Tarandians, everything is a waste of time...”
“…….”
Lillian clasped her hands slowly, as if praying.
Control is at its best when touched directly, but if this is not possible, an alternative is necessary.
The Duke took a step towards her and muttered: “I have no intention of seriously injuring you.”
He seems to have a knack for making unreliable statements just like his grandson.
“Did the prince put the seal on you?”
“No”
She answered quickly; It is precisely for this reason that the Furnesses avoid placing the seal more than once.
“Then, we can do a test.”
“Do you really intend to harm His Highness?”
“The only reason His Highness has controlled himself so far is because he has no controller.”
The focus completely disappeared from the Duke's eyes: "Now, he can move forward without fear of going berserk. Isn't it quite clear what disaster will happen?"
“It may change, we don’t know the future.”
“For the sake of the future of the empire, it was better for him to die...”
Let's focus, focus is the most important thing.
While she was answering him, she tried to summon her strength through imagined images of butterflies, but...
“If you hadn’t been there, the rest of the sons would have been able to get rid of him...”
“……?”
Lillian, who was trying hard to buy time, stopped in shock.
Does it make sense?
“...Did you order them to do something like that? The Shadows, Sir Elias, and Lady Jean.”
She felt a strange sickness in her stomach.
“You ordered them, in the worst case... to kill the prince?”
“Yes”
The Duke made an expression on his face as if he saw nothing wrong with it at all.
“But in this case, they might all die…”
“So, it's inevitable.”
“…….”
“Even if everyone has to die together, the prince must be killed.”
“…….”
It wasn't a surprising way of thinking, even with the nightmare effect.
In Vernis, it was natural to think this way.
It was a place where the head of the family had the right to decide the life or death of its members alone...
However, she felt a pain in her lower abdomen like a spasm when she remembered those who filled the castle with posters of articles about Mariposa.
The Duke nodded towards Lillian, who remained silent: “Barkan, arrest her.”
-Your order, sir.
At the moment when the rock dragon quickly charged, Lillian took out her deadly weapon from her bag.
Boom!
A massive explosion rang out in an instant, and the magic servant's eye area was charred.
Due to the shock, the servant's tail hit the wall hard.
- ……!
“Barkan!?”
The Duke shouted in terror.
Lillian was holding in her hand...that magic torch with a comfortable handle and 1,600 degrees of heat that she had received from the evil one.
For your information, the explosive characteristic of this torch was stronger than the previous one.
While the magic servant was floundering in shock...
A faintly glowing pink butterfly finally appeared. As soon as the butterfly touched the Duke's temple, he let out a pained moan.
“Aghhh…!”
- my lord-!
“You are... annoying!”
Once the master was affected, the rock dragon completely stopped moving.
The Duke approached with difficulty.
The shape of a blue spider under the skin of his temple became more noticeable.
Judging by his writhing movement, he seemed to be in an unbearable state of agony.
“Eric’s granddaughter...it seems I underestimated you.”
The Duke held his temple and smiled weakly: “Why? Are you now trying to save Prince Evren, just like my daughter did before?”
“Duke, I have no intention of doing that!”
"Huh! Such nonsense-"
“I believe that if a person is born with arms, legs, and a healthy body, then he must save his life himself...!”
Lillian said that with complete sincerity.
Life is a personal effort, and so is survival.
“Me too, I don’t know whether Prince Evren will become a good emperor or not.”
Because I don't intend to stay around him until I see that.
Lilian wanted to stress repeatedly: I am just an ordinary citizen. I was self-employed and did my taxes regularly.
As long as I can avoid the war that man will start, and withdraw safely...
Honestly, I don't care about anything else.
“But, Your Eminence, death is not something that others decide rashly.”
“…….”
“Especially if they are family...!”
Death comes to everyone.
But the path that leads to it is authentic personal freedom.
No one has the right to destroy the freedom of others.
Not to mention doing it because of things that haven't happened yet.
At that moment, another butterfly touched the Duke's temple properly.
While the butterfly faded into sparkling pink particles, the blue spider couldn't stand it and extended its thin legs out of the skin.
At the same time, the Duke knelt down and fell. Lillian ran towards him eagerly.
'I have to catch that thing!'
In the old days, when they were locked in the cellar, there were a lot of spiders.
So she hated spiders very much.
But her body, accustomed to bearing what he hated, moved automatically.
Lillian opened her bag wide and began to pull it out quietly.
'If I lock him in here-!'
The damned spider has almost completely entered, almost...!
“He entered...!”
But her joy did not last long, as she suddenly raised her head in shock.
The ceiling was collapsing on top of them.
* * *
When he brought Lillian to the castle, Evren placed magical barriers everywhere.
And whether he likes it or not, Lillian is his leash for a year.
Even the ornamental stones in the garden, they are all engraved with charms.
So if any of them go wrong, an immediate signal reaches Ephren.
But this woman completely disappeared from inside the castle.
Evren stood frozen in the corner of the garden where the last signal had been issued.
“…Miss”
A red spider web pattern spread densely under his left eye.
“Lillian”
The smell of lily still lingers.
The magic servant had left, but left behind a small crack the size of a single hair in the void…
Evren grabbed the crack with his hands.
In an instant, his palms were stained with blood.
He had no time to worry about whether or not to touch such a thing with bare hands.
He started tearing the edges of the crack randomly, as if he was tearing up a piece of paper, then he stormed in.