“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Simone said as she looked at Grand Duke Illeston, who had turned his attention to the book again.
“I came here to lift the curse.”
“...”
“At least you can’t hide the cursed thing from me.”
“Simone, I can’t stand listening to you any longer.”
When Grand Duke Illeston said nothing, butler Kelle frowned and stepped forward.
“What you said is wrong. My master does not have a son yet.”
At the words of the butler, Simone looked at Grand Duke Illeston.
"Is it so?"
Grand Duke Illeston still had his eyes on the book and did not reply, but this time too, Kelle spoke instead.
“You are stating the obvious.”
Having stayed at the mansion for a while, she should have figured it out right away.
The Grand Duchy has no children.
Many people thought that it would be difficult to see a successor due to the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess Florier's poor health.
If there is no successor to the family, it means that the family is cut off.
It was a sensitive issue, so no one was quick to bring it up.
To bring it out by creating a child without Simone.
'Anyway, there is no such thing as a disaster.'
Kelle was very displeased with Simone, who knew no manners befitting her status as a necromancer.
“So stop talking nonsense and do as you say-”
“Kelle.”
When Grand Duke Illeston looked at Kelle, Kelle's mouth was tightly shut. Kelle could no longer open his mouth.
This was because Grand Duke Illeston's complexion was twice as bad as usual.
'Why are you doing that?'
Grand Duke Illeston closed the book.
“No need to worry. Kelle, you should leave for a moment.”
“...All right."
“She is our collaborator. Make sure she is treated accordingly, regardless of her status.”
“I will follow your words, Master.”
Simone slowly raised her teacup while listening to their conversation.
Following Grand Duke Illeston's order, Kelle took his gaze away from Simone, filled his empty teacup with tea, and left the study.
The study, where Grand Duke Illeston and Simone were left alone, was once again engulfed in silence.
Grand Duke Illeston got up from his seat and sat down on the sofa across from Simone.
Then, as soon as Simone put down the teacup, he urgently opened his mouth.
“How do you know Jace?”
How could Simone know about the existence of that forgotten child?
Simone grinned at Grand Duke Illeston's question.
“I am the one who came to lift the curse of the Illeston family. Could it be that I jumped in to lift the curse after hearing only rumors and not knowing anything?”
Of course, Simone just remembered what she saw in the book.
Grand Duke Illeston's eyes changed.
“You.”
Unlike before, when he seemed completely uninterested, Grand Duke Ilestone desperately asked in this place where no one was there except Simone.
“Can you lift the curse on these two people?”
Grand Duke Illeston doesn't care what Simone's identity is.
Whether she was a necromancer, a ghost, or Simone herself was another curse, it seemed like he could do anything she wanted as long as she lifted the curse.
Simone responded one time later after seeing Grand Duke Illeston.
“I’m not sure right now.”
Simone just tries to break the curse as much as possible based on the information she reads in the book.
If the Saint's desires did not work as expected, another method had to be found.
“But we still have to solve it.”
Simone said calmly.
Even if Jace's curse is not lifted due to the Saint's Desire, how can it not be done when a person's life is at stake?
It must be released unconditionally.
“...Yes. I have to solve it.”
Grand Duke Illeston was relieved at Simone's firm words. He didn't know how he could trust such irresponsible words, but he felt that Simone would do whatever it took to lift the curse.
No, for now, he had to trust her.
Because Simone is the only hope for this mansion.
“Will you find the Saint’s Desire?”
“I understand. I’ll ask the adventurer’s guild.”
“According to rumors, it is a dangerous magic stone and should not be sent to just anyone.”
“It will take care of itself even if you don’t say anything.”
Simone nodded and stood up.
“Then we’ll meet again when someone from the Adventurer’s Guild comes.”
Although they were under a contract and lived under the same roof, surprisingly, Grand Duke Illeston and Simone rarely met in this mansion.
Grand Duke Illeston watched Simone and received regular reports from her, but did not pay attention to anything else.
The moment Simone was about to leave the study, Grand Duke Illeston asked.
“Simone.”
It was the first time he called Simone's name. Simone turned to look at him. Grand Duke Illeston had very anxious eyes.
“Will that child survive?”
"I do not know. I don't even know where your son is. I can only find out by looking at the condition.”
You say it's been nearly 10 years since the curse began?
Jace's condition has never been described in the book, so even Simone cannot estimate it.
In the novel, Grand Duke Illeston's plan failed, so Jace and Florier probably died as well.
The fact that he stayed still and then suddenly kidnapped her to lift the curse probably means that the condition of the two people was quite critical.
“I will meet the two after you find the Saint’s Desire.”
The Grand Duke answered without realizing it.
“I will find it at any cost.”
No matter how absurd the legend was, he had to hold on to even a glimmer of hope.
***
“Please contact the Adventurer’s Guild. We’ll need at least five skilled adventurers.”
"ll right. Is it okay if we don’t recruit wizards?”
“I’m done with being a wizard. According to legend, those who use mana are more likely to be deceived.”
Butler Kelle lowered his head at his words, but his face was full of worry.
“Master, may this old man ask me a question?”
“Say it.”
Grand Duke Illeston reopened the book he had closed. He thought he knew what Kelle was going to say.
“Removing the curse on the mansion is welcome, but we are worried that you may be too swayed by the necromancer’s words.”
“That doesn’t happen.”
"mtaster."
Kelle called to Grand Duke Illeston in a low voice. He is the eldest son of the previous head of the family and is the Grand Duke of Illestone, whom Kelle has personally served as a minor Master since he was young.
Even though he did not show his emotions, Kelle could tell that Grand Duke Illeston was different from usual just by his minor actions.
He felt this even before the necromancer lived in this mansion.
It had been about seven years since the newlywed Grand Duke Illeston and his wife had been living in separate rooms.
From one day on, Florier stopped leaving her room, and under the orders of Grand Duke Illeston, no one went around her room.
None of the employees knew that Florier was suffering from mental problems.
Florier, who happened to come out of her room, was always pale and gave off a terrible odor.
And there was always an unknown sound coming from her room as if Florier was talking to someone.
Nevertheless, Grand Duke Illeston, who unwaveringly carried out his duties and managed the territory, suddenly became obsessed with breaking the curse six months ago, after Grand Duke Illeston had a conversation with Florier who came out of his room.
“Is there something I don’t know about?”
Is there something he is hiding even from his closest confidant, Kelle?
Kelle recalled Simone’s words.
“To lift the curse of Grand Duchess Florier and Jace Carl Illestone, the eldest son of the Ileston family.”
Jace Carl Illestone was a name he had never heard of.
He scolded Simone, asking her what kind of nonsense she was talking about, but from then on, Grand Duke Illeston's expression changed significantly and an order to congratulate the guests was issued.
And back in the study, Grand Duke Illeston told him to recruit adventurers to find the saint's desire.
This means that the necromancer is controlling his master or that the master is hiding something from him.
However, since Grand Duke Illeston is not a person to be swayed by anyone, it is probably the latter.
It wasn't that he was dissatisfied with hiding it from him. He was worried that his owner might not be able to speak and was suffering alone.
However, Grand Duke Illeston shook his head.
"It is nothing. You don’t understand.”
"Yes?"
“When everything is settled, then you will know. I hope the memories of that day come back.”
"What... Are you saying...”
“Enough with that story, did you find out?”
In response to Grand Duke Illeston's question, Kelle paused and lowered his head.
“Yes, Master. Are you talking about researching necromancers? I just received a report from an informant today.”
Kelle presented the informant's report to Grand Duke Illeston.
“I reviewed it in advance, but... The child appears to have grown up in an absurd environment.”
Illeston's expression gradually hardened as he scanned the informant's report. Kelle spoke calmly as if he had expected this.
“When I gave money to a worker at the orphanage where the child was staying, he easily opened his mouth.”
"Orphanage?"
“Yes, they said the director took in a newborn baby who was abandoned on the side of the road. Necromancers will be known from the moment they are born, so I think her parents couldn’t handle it and abandoned her.”
Among the contents of the report, there was a word that caught Grand Duke Illeston's attention.
Occult Society.
Grand Duke Illeston read out the text that copied the worker's words verbatim.
['But who would adopt that girl? She was seventeen this year? She's older, with dirty black hair. I don’t know much because I’m the type of person who only carries luggage. I heard she got beaten a lot too. Ah! Did she try to take her own life before she ran away?
'That's right. It wasn't even a fuss back then! We all spread out blankets together to protect her from jumping from a high place! I heard she did it because she didn't want to be sold out to an occult society. Actually, even if it were me, I would have thought it would be better to fall to my death than to be sold there.'
‘She did well to run away before she died.’]
The occult society was famous for purchasing various test subjects and attempting cruel experiments and witchcraft.
If what the workers said was true, the girl had nowhere to go.
Even if she tried to run away, the black-haired woman would only be dragged away and executed.
“It means she came here to live.”
"That's right. At least it doesn’t seem like she came to steal money.”
Everyone in the Ruan Empire knows the tenacity of the Occult Society.
They must have known that there was a necromancer in the Ruan Empire, so they would be looking for Simone who ran away by now.
She probably thought it would be better to lift the curse of this mansion and receive the protection of the Illeston family.
“Kelle, is the orphanage that child was in within my territory?”
“Yes, the address on the document given by the informant was within the territory.”
Grand Duke Illeston threw the document on the desk.
“There is no need to maintain a place like this. Get rid of it.”
“Yes, then...”
Knock knock-
Kelle's voice was interrupted by the sound of someone knocking on the study door.
Someone who would come visit him late in the evening.
Grand Duke Illeston's eyes sank deeply.
Sigh-
Even before the Grand Duke's permission was given, the bloody and terrible odor flowed in through the door that opened.
“...”
Nevertheless, Grand Duke Illeston quietly greeted her with a kind smile that contained bitterness.
“...Welcome, Florier.”
Support Novellate!
Comments
Post a Comment