IDEFYEM - Chapter 47
Black Man, I'll Do Everything For You Except Marriage!
Sarah's old teacher is staying at the Wintersoar House.
While I was blinking because I didn't understand the cause-and-effect relationship, Sarah continued to explain.
"I think he joined hands with the Duke and took over what the Young Lady was doing. He uses much more vicious methods."
"..."
"It's not easy to find a wizard who usually takes care of nobles' affairs. He's a warlock. He would do anything for money."
When Enrica's magic power ran out, the Duke decided to sell his daughter to the Grand Duke and set out to find a successor.
I thought they would bring in some idiot to take my place, but he is a skilled, if mean-spirited, warlock.
I felt slightly embarrassed by this unexpected move.
"So Sarah, what did you plan on doing on your own after leaving here?"
"I was planning to somehow solve it on my own. It can't cause any harm."
"It's too dangerous, Sarah. It's not that your skills are lacking, but... But he was once your teacher."
To lighten the mood, she playfully pouted his lips and spoke.
"I'm a little disappointed that you didn't trust me that much."
"I don't want you to be in danger or get your hands dirty because of me."
But Sarah answered seriously.
Seeing that, I also slowly shook my head and answered Sarah, who had a calm expression.
"It may actually be a good thing that the Duke family intervened in this matter. Because I also have a reason to participate in your revenge."
"..."
"Sarah, I intend to take down the dukedom."
"Yes?"
Sarah's question sounded loud as if she was a little embarrassed. She seemed confused for a moment as to whether he meant it as a joke, but then he met my serious expression and his mouth tightened.
"I also have a problem that I can't resolve, but I never thought I would say it like this."
Like Sarah before, I took a deep breath and opened my mouth. She was the first to open up about her heavy past.
I was afraid that Sarah would continue to feel indebted to me if I didn't explain my situation.
Over a long period of time, I revealed the story of my mother's death and the secrets surrounding Martha's birth.
Sarah had a similar yet different reaction to me. She was constantly shocked and muttered swear words, but eventually hugged me tightly.
"And crucially, there is something I must find in the Duke's house."
The magic tool that can lift Kael's curse was roughly explained as follows. Although I stopped at that point, it seemed like my will had already reached Sarah.
"If you raise your arm to catch a bug, you might catch one or two bugs."
Sarah, who gave me a hearty pat, said with a bright smile. It felt like she had finally relieved herself of the guilt and returned to her usual self.
"Let's do our best. No, we'll do just fine, My Lady."
"Well, actually, we're like colleagues now, so it's okay to be friends."
I took her outstretched hand and offered slightly shyly. Sarah looked very surprised and happy but immediately shook her head.
"Because I'm still a maid."
"Ugh, there's nothing I can do if you don't like it."
"It's not that I don't like it! If things go well, I may quit my job as a maid, so let's talk again then."
I felt like the sadness that wasn't there before was disappearing as I watched her speak in a panic.
We looked at each other for a moment and laughed, then continued talking about the Duke family.
It was roughly through this process that Enrica was exploited by the Duke.
Using magic to unfairly check and hinder the competitive power of the business run by the Duke.
Magic crystals made from forcefully extracted magic power are sold back on the black market.
"But now it seemed like he was dabbling in even worse things. I haven't been able to find any solid evidence yet, so it's just a suspicion...."
It's even worse. It may have been an opportunity for me to get closer to revenge, but I felt complicated when I thought about the victims that would inevitably arise in the process. Sarah also seemed to have similar thoughts and added in a mixed voice.
"Another problem is that the Duke and the first Prince meet frequently."
"My father was famous among the nobles for actively supporting the first Prince."
"If it were such a public fact, it would have been okay to meet in an official setting, but the two always met in private, as if they were conscious of people's attention."
The sound became quiet, almost like a whisper.
"Last week, the First Prince's forces attended the black market together with the Duke."
"No way, Sarah."
"I think the First Prince may also be involved in the Duke's evil deeds."
A quiet, low-pitched voice echoed throughout the room.
I froze for a moment and then tried to gauge the credibility of that statement. Even if it were real, it would be too dangerous to touch it.
As I thought about it, I remembered that Kael supported the second Prince.
"Even at the hunting banquet, Kael and I were caught up in an assassination attempt on the First Prince. It's still too early to tell, but...."
"Well, what? Where are you injured?"
Sarah got up and felt every inch of my body as if she was examining it.
"I'm okay. It seems like things are getting too big, but if you don't object, I'll slip this information to Kael and ask him."
As soon as I mentioned Kael's name, I felt like her expression darkened a little. I wondered if it was my imagination, but I felt like it was bothering me for some reason.
But it was late, so we promised tomorrow and parted ways.
***
Sarah stood in the hallway and looked at Enrica's back as she walked away.
She really liked that little girl.
A person who came into her head because she was so filled with revenge that she didn't even have time to look around. A person who makes her feel like she has returned to the happy past.
At first, Sarah just liked her because she resembled Lili. Now, as Enrica said, she truly feels like family.
However, since her goal was to find her teacher and take revenge, she couldn't abandon it and settle for now.
She was grateful to Enrica who first reached out to her and asked her to take revenge with her.
A feeling of gratitude and affection that cannot be explained in words. The guilt of deceiving her grew as much as that feeling.
At that time, a low voice suddenly emerged from the darkness.
"Are you done?"
"...When did you come here?"
"Just now."
It was Grand Duke Raphael Kronhardt.
He was dressed in armor and his hair was disheveled, as if he had just arrived on horseback. It appeared that he had caught up with the carriage Enrica was riding and chased it all the way here.
Sarah asked with a tired expression.
"Where did you steal it from?"
"..."
"You all heard."
Sarah knew that the Grand Duke had a habit of answering with silence. The silence just now is the same as saying that.
"I received great help in finding my teacher's whereabouts, but....Wasn't it you who said you would do anything to help me get revenge?"
The first day she arrived at the Grand Duke's House.
"This marriage fraudster."
The Grand Duke made Sarah, who was growling, an offer she couldn't refuse.
"You say you're re looking for someone, let me help you with that."
"What?"
"The condition is that you keep my identity secret from Enri. It's better if you and me."
Sarah was startled to think that something she had longed for might be easily resolved.
While Sarah was blinking, the Grand Duke had a strange expression on his face and muttered.
"It's quite an interesting coincidence, but I also have a bad relationship with that warlock."
"... Uh, how?"
"I was raised by him until I was 10 years old. I know the approximate location."
Although the number of warlocks is small, there are many people who fall victim to them. Sarah knew how her teacher used children as test subjects.
They shared the same pain to some extent, and as a result, the information provided by the Grand Duke was of great help. However, the fact that that success was achieved by almost selling out the Young Lady always struck Sarah as uneasy.
"The Lady is now attending the banquet. Interact with people and make friends."
"..."
"It won't be strange if I get caught at any time."
As Sarah spoke, the Grand Duke muttered in a dry voice.
"Yes, you will find out soon enough when it happens."
It seemed like he had some kind of plan in his head. As he left, he spoke to Sarah one last time.
"Until then, keep your mouth shut."
The moment when she found out the identity of 'that thing' came surprisingly quickly.
The next day, the Grand Duke visited Enrica's room.
***
"Enri, it's been a while since I've seen you."
"Wasn't it true that we were away for about a day?"
"It was that long for me."
When I returned home, Kael had turned into a snake again.
"I don't know about that, but the hunting banquet was a really long one."
"It was a lot of hard work. In the end, we both returned safely."
I didn't see him during breakfast, so I thought he might have been late returning.
On a quiet afternoon, he came to my room with snacks, as if imitating a butler. I asked as I saw him smiling as if he was waiting for something.
"If you have something to say, should I ask Sarah to leave?"
"It's okay. You may need the maid's opinion as well."
"What's going on?"
"I'm talking about preparing for our wedding, Enri."
At best, I almost spit out the very first sip of tea I had just started to drink. That's right, now that I think about it, this person was the person I was going to marry!
A fact I had almost forgotten was revealed to me, too close to home.
"I came here because I wanted to hear in advance if you have any special wishes, such as the design of the dress or the decoration of the ceremony hall."
"Ah, well... When are we getting married?"
The scene of asking about my wedding date continued as if I were asking about the date of someone else's wedding.
Kael seemed to find that a little amusing and smiled before answering.
"In a month."
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