TVDWL - Chapter 45 < I Won't Leave You Alone >

Jeremiah caught Karina heading to the kitchen.

"Where are you going next?"

"I should go to the kitchen. If Lord Genon was murdered, the culprit couldn't be a maid. I need to know who's behind it. It could be the same person who tried to put me in trouble."

"Go back to your room for now."

Jeremiah blocked Karina's path.

"You want me to stay in my room and just wait? I can't do that. I'll go and investigate on my own, so continue the investigation. I said I have to catch him before he runs away."

Karina didn't listen to him obediently.

"Why don't you listen to what people say? What can you do if you go there? Are you trying to catch the culprit by yourself?"

"..."

Karina was furious at Jeremiah's words telling her to stay in her room instead of wandering around when she had nothing to do.

“Why are you trying to exclude me when it’s not my fault!”

Karina was about to argue, but the sentry guarding the main gate of the Grand Duke’s residence came running and reported. 

“Your Highness! I’ve received a report that a maid working in the kitchen was found dead. She was the maid who was in charge of serving food to Lord Genon.”

“...!”

“Dead? As if she had been waiting for this?”

Karina was greatly flustered by the sudden situation.

“Could it be that they killed the maid right after Lord Genon died? Then they've already destroyed all the evidence.” 

She had no idea what to do because of the things that kept happening one after another as if they had been meticulously planned.

She thought that this could be a bigger problem than she had thought. As her thoughts became complicated, her head started to hurt.

Suddenly, something warm flowed from her nose.

When Karina wiped her nose with a bewildered expression, blood came out.

“Ah...”

Her head suddenly started to spin and she felt dizzy as if she had exceeded the standard.

“Grand Duchess!”

As Karina stumbled, Jeremiah quickly came over and supported her.

“Are you okay? I told you to stay in your room.”

“But... the maid died...”

A sense of anxiety came over her that she had to catch him quickly.

When Karina refused to go to her room, Jeremiah asked firmly.

“What are you going to do if you go yourself? If you go, will the culprit come out on his own?”

“That’s...”

When he was asked that question, she had nothing to say.

She thought she couldn’t just sit there and wait.

Jeremiah, who had been staring at Karina, sighed deeply and said,

“I’ll let you know when the investigation is over. I promise I’ll catch the culprit. So for now, go back to your room.”

Karina had a hard time believing his words.

‘Even now, you’re trying to dodge me.’

However, it was true that her health was getting worse and it was difficult for her to do anything in her current state.

‘I have to go to Mikhail.’

Karina thought of Mikhail.

She thought that if she asked Mikhail to find out about this, he would do as she wanted.

"...I understand.”

Karina was about to leave, but Jeremiah was holding onto her hand.

“Let go.”

“...”

However, despite Karina’s words, Jeremiah just looked at her with an incomprehensible gaze and did not let go easily.

‘You don’t trust me.’

Karina clicked her tongue inwardly.

Karina firmly pushed his hand away and lied.

“I’ll go back to my room, so don’t worry.”

However, Karina’s words that she would go back alone were not accepted.

“Ron. Make sure the Grand Duchess is safely escorted to her room.”

In the end, Jeremiah attached the knight.

“I refuse.”

When Karina frowned and looked at him, Jeremiah changed his words again.

“Yes. Then I’ll take you there myself.”

As he said that, Jeremiah hugged Karina tightly.

“...!”

Karina flinched in surprise.

“What are you doing...?”

Even as her eyes were spinning, she felt Jeremiah lifting her up.

However, she was not feeling well, so she could not properly fight back.

All she could do was hold her aching head and breathe hard.

In the end, Karina had to return to her room in Jeremiah’s arms.

Jeremiah laid Karina down on the bed.

“Don’t think about anything and just go to sleep.”

‘How can I do that now!?’

She protested internally, but she didn’t have the energy to get angry.

Karina caught her breath.

‘Let’s calm down. Let’s sort out the situation one by one and think about it...’

She tried to cool her throbbing head, but it was in vain.

Karina had fallen into a deep sleep without realizing it.

***

“Karina.”

Karina woke up to a gentle voice calling her.

‘What is it... Who is it... ?’

As she lifted her heavy eyelids, a dim light came in.

And she saw a face before her eyes.

However, her vision was blurry, so she couldn’t see exactly who it was.

As she was about to ask who it was, she felt a hand placed on her forehead.

At the same time, she felt the tingling sensation that had filled her head slowly disappear.

‘Ah, it feels good.’

At the same time, her body felt relaxed as if she had been immersed in warm water.

Karina fell back into sleep, feeling comfortable and relaxed.

Mikhail stared at Karina who was asleep.

“I came because I couldn’t leave you alone.”

Mikhail called Karina’s name in a place where no one could hear.

He felt satisfied calling her name.

The feeling of the sound sticking to his lips, the feeling of tapping the roof of his mouth every time he said it, came to mind. Karina smiled brightly and told him to talk comfortably when they were alone.

It felt even better because she seemed to make him feel closer to her than before.

Mikhail also wanted to call Karina’s name and have a much deeper relationship than they had now.

However, he held himself back.

He felt like he wouldn’t be able to control it once he started.

He felt like he wanted to take Karina to the magic tower right away.

He couldn’t do that yet.

“Just hold on for a little longer.”

Mikhail carefully stroked Karina’s hair.

The red hair was gently wrapped around Mikhail’s hand.

He enjoyed the feeling and examined Karina’s condition more closely.

“Your complexion is so pale.”

Mikhail's hand touched Karina's cheek.

He moved gently along the line of her face.

Mikhail, who had parted ways with Karina and returned to his room, realized that there was a commotion outside and went back outside.

Then he heard what had happened from the servants.

He didn't feel anything because it had nothing to do with whether Genon died or not.

He thought it was a good thing that Genon had died since he had tried to frame Karina and put her in trouble.

However, he didn't want to see the bad guys who had conspired with Genon and targeted Karina run away with their tails cut off.

Mikhail, who had gone to the prison to find out the situation, witnessed Jeremiah carrying Karina to her room.

"Ha."

He felt his stomach turn when he recalled that scene again.

'He didn't trust Karina and treated her coldly.'

Mikhail almost snatched Karina away from him and yelled at him not to touch her.

Mikhail clenched his fists.

He couldn’t leave Karina alone and miserable with that kind of guy.

“I’m different. I won’t let you be alone.”

The words that no one could hear echoed in the air.

But it didn’t matter.

“Karina. Don’t get sick.”

Mikhail lowered his head and whispered quietly, his forehead touching Karina’s.

“I don’t want you to get hurt or sick.”

She felt warmth from their foreheads touching.

Mikhail used magic to help Karina sleep comfortably.

Even as the night grew deeper, Mikhail stayed by Karina’s side for a long time.

***

The next day.

Karina opened her eyes feeling refreshed.

‘I ended up sleeping.’

She felt a sense of guilt. Despite her feelings, her body was fine.

‘It seems like a lie that I suddenly got sick yesterday.’

Karina sat up.

‘I think someone was there...’

But she couldn’t remember clearly as if it were a dream.

‘That can’t be true.’

Karina, who thought it was a mistake, washed up and came to her senses.

Then she went straight to Jeremiah.

Jeremiah was already up and working. He looked like he had stayed up all night, but he didn't look the slightest bit disheveled.

“Are the results of the investigation out?”

Karina asked as soon as she saw him.

“Are you feeling okay?”

“Yes.”

“Sit down for now.”

“No. I’m fine.”

Karina answered sharply as if she wanted him to answer quickly.

“...”

Jeremiah pressed his fingers between his eyes, got up from his seat, and approached Karina.

“Isn’t this a story we shouldn’t be listening to standing up like this?”

Jeremiah nodded at the sofa next to him as if telling her to sit down.

“...Okay.”

After listening, it occurred to her that the story could be long.

As Karina sat down, Ron, who was working at the assistant desk, brought out some warm tea.

Jeremiah sat across from Karina with a few documents in his hand.

“Ron.”

Jeremiah called Ron and had him report the results of the investigation.

“First of all, the cause of Lord Genon’s death was poisoning from the rationed food.”

“...”

“And last night, the maid who worked in the kitchen of the Grand Duke’s house and was in charge of serving food to Lord Genon went out of the Grand Duke’s house without permission. And five hours later, she was found hanging from a tree.”

That was about an hour before the Grand Duke’s house was contacted.

“The reason why this fact was able to spread quickly to the Grand Duke’s house was because the will the maid was carrying was found.”

It was a will in which she confessed to having poisoned Lord Genon’s food under Caroline’s pressure, and that she felt so guilty about killing a person that she would atone for her sins with death.

“After searching the maid’s room, we found a vial hidden under the bed that was believed to contain the same ingredients as the poison that Lord Genon had consumed.”

Jeremiah held out the document he was holding so that Karina could see it.

The contents of the document were not much different from what Ron had just said.

There was a convincing motive for Caroline being behind it and a vague suspicion that it was related to her. There was also clear circumstantial evidence and a will.

Everything fit together perfectly.

But even so, Karina felt uneasy for some reason.

'I suspected that the culprit was Caroline or Revals, but.'

She couldn't shake the feeling that this situation was extremely artificial.

'This was done only by Caroline? She was so blatant about killing someone?'

It was ridiculous.

'Caroline, who hates getting her hands dirty, would resort to such a shallow and obvious trick?'

Karina's mind became cold and calm.

'This seems like they're blaming everything on Caroline.'

It was so suspicious.

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