Mikhail supported Karina’s body halfway up.
Jeremiah’s eyes sparkled at Mikhail’s action of holding Karina in his arms, even though it was for treatment. His expression of dissatisfaction was clearly blooming.
“...”
Jeremiah was very reluctant, but he held it in because Karina’s treatment was more urgent.
Mikhail opened the cap of the potion bottle and carefully poured the liquid inside into Karina’s mouth.
Then as if her breathing had cleared up, he heard her take a deep breath.
Karina’s pale complexion gradually returned.
Mikhail, who had fed Karina all the elixir, wrapped his palm around her neck.
“What are you doing?”
Jeremiah asked with a menacing tone.
“I’m going to use healing magic directly on Karina’s wounds.”
Since Karina’s wound was on her neck, he meant to wrap her neck and use healing magic.
Jeremiah gritted his teeth in displeasure at the fact that Mikhail was touching Karina’s neck.
“...Finish it as quickly as possible.”
That was the best Jeremiah could say.
Mikhail glared at Jeremiah with hostile eyes before returning to focusing on Karina’s treatment. A bright halo appeared on his palm that was wrapped around Karina’s neck.
The halo slowly wrapped around Karina’s wound and seeped into it.
Little by little, the deep stab wound on Karina’s neck began to heal.
In addition, Karina’s breathing gradually became easier.
Mikhail, who had been pouring healing magic on Karina for a long time, stopped the magic once her wound had healed to some extent.
“Whew.”
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
The doctor who had been watching the healing magic from the beginning to the end kept saying it was a miracle with shining eyes.
“Is the treatment finished now?”
Jeremiah asked Mikhail.
"She's gotten through the crisis. We’ve done everything we could, so now we just have to wait for her to recover.”
Mikhail carefully laid Karina back on the bed.
“I see.”
Bam!
As soon as Jeremiah finished speaking, he threw a punch at Mikhail.
“Huh!”
Mikhail fell backward at the sudden punch.
It felt like his internal organs had burst because of the hard blow.
“Keuk!”
Mikhail fell forward and spat out the blood that was welling up inside him.
“Since you failed to protect the Grand Duchess, you are no longer qualified to be her escort. From this moment on, I will revoke your qualifications as her escort.”
Jeremiah spoke coldly with a bright light in his eyes.
However, Mikhail did not back down easily.
Mikhail wiped the bleeding corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
He got up and met Jeremiah’s gaze with a sharp gaze.
“I am employed by the Grand Duchess. There’s no need to listen to you.”
“I don’t need an incompetent guy who couldn’t even protect his master as an escort. Don’t ever show up in front of the Grand Duchess again.”
Mikhail bit his lower lip as Jeremiah poked at his sore spot.
But he still didn’t give up.
“I clearly told you that it was Lady Karina who hired me. I’ll do whatever Lady Karina wants.”
“Lady Karina?”
Jeremiah’s expression crumpled fiercely.
He didn’t like the fact that Mikhail kept calling Karina by her name.
“How presumptuous of you to call the Grand Duchess by her name so carelessly.”
“It was with Lady Karina’s permission.”
There was a tense atmosphere between the two.
It was a tense atmosphere as if they would rush at each other at any moment.
In the midst of all this, the doctor was the only one fidgeting.
“Um... Um...The patient absolutely needs rest. If you fight here... It’s going to be... It’s going to be difficult...”
The doctor’s words that Karina needed rest immediately caused the two people who had been fighting fiercely to calm down.
However, the fight wasn’t over.
“If you want to continue to be the Grand Duchess’s escort, I can’t just leave you alone.”
Jeremiah opened the door and ordered the knights standing outside the room.
“Put that guy in prison right now. As an escort, he left the Grand Duchess in danger, so his crime is not light.”
“...!”
And so Mikhail was imprisoned again. The sun had set and it was late evening.
Ron and the knights, who had roughly finished sorting out the situation, returned to the Grand Duke’s residence.
Ron heard that Jeremiah was in Karina’s room and headed there.
When he arrived at the room, he was about to knock, but Jeremiah opened the door first.
Bam!
“Ah...!”
Ron was startled.
“Your Highness, this time there is a...”
“Shh! Quiet. There is a patient inside.”
Jeremiah warned Ron, glanced in Karina’s direction, and asked.
“What is it?”
“This is a report on the escapees who committed the hostage crisis this time...”
Ron began speaking in a noticeably quieter voice than before.
“...”
Jeremiah’s expression crumpled after receiving the report.
“So the Grand Duchess’ escort who showed up later killed all the escapees, so there are none left alive?”
“Yes...”
“So it has become difficult to investigate the situation?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ron lowered his head with an apologetic expression.
“And this time, we found traces of magic. It seems like the force that was looking after the escapees, but it seems like there was some internal conflict.”
“...”
“Anyway, I think Your Highness should go back and check the scene.”
“I see.”
Even as he said that Jeremiah didn’t seem to have any intention of moving.
“Your Highness...?”
“I’ll go after seeing the Grand Duchess wake up.”
“Yes...?”
Just before he came here, Ron heard that Karina had been treated by her magician escort and her condition had stabilized.
Judging from her condition, it seemed like she hadn’t woken up yet, but he thought that she had passed the critical moment.
“Is the Grand Duchess still in critical condition?”
“...”
Jeremiah didn’t answer.
In the meantime, the doctor came back with some medicine he had made.
“Your Highness, I’ve made some medicine.”
“Come in.”
Jeremiah immediately brought the doctor in.
“Hurry up and give the Grand Duchess the medicine.”
Jeremiah prioritized Karina’s treatment over the investigation of the case.
“...”
Ron was quite flustered and dumbfounded at the first encounter.
The servants who had been following orders and doing chores outside were the same. Jeremiah, who had been practically living in the office, they were surprised when he didn’t come out and stayed by Karina’s side.
“How did that go?”
Revals asked the adjutant.
"Lord Genon is dead, and the maid was taken care of perfectly.”
“Good job.”
“But...”
“...?”
The adjutant, who usually rarely added words, raised one of Revals’ eyebrows diagonally.
“Did something happen?”
The adjutant answered Revals, who asked coldly.
“No. There won’t be any evidence. The follow-up was perfect without any mistakes, but the Grand Duchess keeps asking for a reinvestigation and is suspicious of the maid’s death.”
“The Grand Duchess?”
Revals didn’t understand.
“If she keeps quiet, Caroline will be given a heavier punishment, including murder, so I don’t know why she's making things worse.”
Revals knew to some extent what Karina had been through at the hands of Caroline every day.
If he were Karina, he would have kept his mouth shut even if it seemed wrong.
‘So that’s why Caroline hated the Grand Duchess even more.’
Revals smirked.
“But I guess we’re lucky. The escapees staged a hostage crisis in the town north of town, and the Grand Duchess happened to be there when they took her hostage.”
“The hostage crisis by the escapees?”
“Yes.”
Revals made an interesting expression.
“So what’s happening to the Grand Duchess now?”
“They say she was badly injured when she was taken hostage and hasn’t woken up yet. I haven’t heard more details yet, but I think this will cover up the maid’s death.”
“It’s good that everyone’s paying attention to her. The timing is perfect.”
Revels's lips turned up.
"So when do you think Caroline's disposal will be decided?"
"I think it will be decided within this month."
"Haa."
Revals sighed deeply.
"What a shame. I put in more effort than I thought, but it ended up being useless like this."
"If I had known this would happen, I would have asked him."
Revals did not agree with the adjutant.
“We can’t bother him. There are plenty of alternatives to Caroline. It’s a shame that she’s the only Princess of the Grand Duke’s family, but if she’s not worth it, there’s no point in keeping her.”
“Your Highness, you’re right.”
The adjutant agreed with Revals.
“By the way, is mining going well?”
“Yes, we only brought in orphans who have no parents or relatives, so there won’t be any trouble later.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Revals tried to dig up the broken tunnel again and let the miners in, but it was impossible.
As soon as he dug through the piles of dirt and rocks to clear the blocked passage, the wall collapsed again.
In the end, Revals had to find another way. He temporarily supported the passage wall using thick wooden beams and sent small children into the narrowed tunnel to do the work.
“Be very careful not to let anyone know.”
“Understood.”
“Since it’s for him, we must make sure the mining volume is right. It can never be lacking.”
“Don’t worry.”
Revals made a satisfied expression.
While Karina lay unconscious, the people of the estate were talking about her.
“Did you hear that there was a hostage crisis in Navilo?”
“They’re the escapees who escaped from prison last time. They were even armed!”
“One of the hostages was the Grand Duchess.”
“The Grand Duchess risked her life to release the hostages!”
“She acted boldly even when the escapees threatened her with a knife!”
“That wonderful person is our Grand Duchess of the North!”
“You’re not lying? How could the Grand Duchess be taken hostage in the city? She must have been guarded tightly by the Grand Duchess’ knights.”
“No. It’s true. Someone I know was caught up in that hostage crisis, and it really was the Grand Duchess.”
“That’s right. So, His Highness the Grand Duke himself ran into the building where the hostages were being held.”
“Oh my!”
Among them, the Grand Duchess became a great example of a noble who would not yield to any threat to protect the northern people.
In the hearts of the people, she was firmly established as the mistress of the Grand Duke of Colesberg, the master of the north.
And at the same time, public opinion sympathized with her.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that the Grand Duchess almost had something strange happen at the Grand Duke's banquet held a while ago?”
“That was a big deal for a while too. Why do such bad things only happen to such a person?”
Jeremiah’s eyes sparkled at Mikhail’s action of holding Karina in his arms, even though it was for treatment. His expression of dissatisfaction was clearly blooming.
“...”
Jeremiah was very reluctant, but he held it in because Karina’s treatment was more urgent.
Mikhail opened the cap of the potion bottle and carefully poured the liquid inside into Karina’s mouth.
Then as if her breathing had cleared up, he heard her take a deep breath.
Karina’s pale complexion gradually returned.
Mikhail, who had fed Karina all the elixir, wrapped his palm around her neck.
“What are you doing?”
Jeremiah asked with a menacing tone.
“I’m going to use healing magic directly on Karina’s wounds.”
Since Karina’s wound was on her neck, he meant to wrap her neck and use healing magic.
Jeremiah gritted his teeth in displeasure at the fact that Mikhail was touching Karina’s neck.
“...Finish it as quickly as possible.”
That was the best Jeremiah could say.
Mikhail glared at Jeremiah with hostile eyes before returning to focusing on Karina’s treatment. A bright halo appeared on his palm that was wrapped around Karina’s neck.
The halo slowly wrapped around Karina’s wound and seeped into it.
Little by little, the deep stab wound on Karina’s neck began to heal.
In addition, Karina’s breathing gradually became easier.
Mikhail, who had been pouring healing magic on Karina for a long time, stopped the magic once her wound had healed to some extent.
“Whew.”
Cold sweat formed on his forehead.
The doctor who had been watching the healing magic from the beginning to the end kept saying it was a miracle with shining eyes.
“Is the treatment finished now?”
Jeremiah asked Mikhail.
"She's gotten through the crisis. We’ve done everything we could, so now we just have to wait for her to recover.”
Mikhail carefully laid Karina back on the bed.
“I see.”
Bam!
As soon as Jeremiah finished speaking, he threw a punch at Mikhail.
“Huh!”
Mikhail fell backward at the sudden punch.
It felt like his internal organs had burst because of the hard blow.
“Keuk!”
Mikhail fell forward and spat out the blood that was welling up inside him.
“Since you failed to protect the Grand Duchess, you are no longer qualified to be her escort. From this moment on, I will revoke your qualifications as her escort.”
Jeremiah spoke coldly with a bright light in his eyes.
However, Mikhail did not back down easily.
Mikhail wiped the bleeding corner of his mouth with the back of his hand.
He got up and met Jeremiah’s gaze with a sharp gaze.
“I am employed by the Grand Duchess. There’s no need to listen to you.”
“I don’t need an incompetent guy who couldn’t even protect his master as an escort. Don’t ever show up in front of the Grand Duchess again.”
Mikhail bit his lower lip as Jeremiah poked at his sore spot.
But he still didn’t give up.
“I clearly told you that it was Lady Karina who hired me. I’ll do whatever Lady Karina wants.”
“Lady Karina?”
Jeremiah’s expression crumpled fiercely.
He didn’t like the fact that Mikhail kept calling Karina by her name.
“How presumptuous of you to call the Grand Duchess by her name so carelessly.”
“It was with Lady Karina’s permission.”
There was a tense atmosphere between the two.
It was a tense atmosphere as if they would rush at each other at any moment.
In the midst of all this, the doctor was the only one fidgeting.
“Um... Um...The patient absolutely needs rest. If you fight here... It’s going to be... It’s going to be difficult...”
The doctor’s words that Karina needed rest immediately caused the two people who had been fighting fiercely to calm down.
However, the fight wasn’t over.
“If you want to continue to be the Grand Duchess’s escort, I can’t just leave you alone.”
Jeremiah opened the door and ordered the knights standing outside the room.
“Put that guy in prison right now. As an escort, he left the Grand Duchess in danger, so his crime is not light.”
“...!”
And so Mikhail was imprisoned again. The sun had set and it was late evening.
Ron and the knights, who had roughly finished sorting out the situation, returned to the Grand Duke’s residence.
Ron heard that Jeremiah was in Karina’s room and headed there.
When he arrived at the room, he was about to knock, but Jeremiah opened the door first.
Bam!
“Ah...!”
Ron was startled.
“Your Highness, this time there is a...”
“Shh! Quiet. There is a patient inside.”
Jeremiah warned Ron, glanced in Karina’s direction, and asked.
“What is it?”
“This is a report on the escapees who committed the hostage crisis this time...”
Ron began speaking in a noticeably quieter voice than before.
“...”
Jeremiah’s expression crumpled after receiving the report.
“So the Grand Duchess’ escort who showed up later killed all the escapees, so there are none left alive?”
“Yes...”
“So it has become difficult to investigate the situation?”
“I’m sorry.”
Ron lowered his head with an apologetic expression.
“And this time, we found traces of magic. It seems like the force that was looking after the escapees, but it seems like there was some internal conflict.”
“...”
“Anyway, I think Your Highness should go back and check the scene.”
“I see.”
Even as he said that Jeremiah didn’t seem to have any intention of moving.
“Your Highness...?”
“I’ll go after seeing the Grand Duchess wake up.”
“Yes...?”
Just before he came here, Ron heard that Karina had been treated by her magician escort and her condition had stabilized.
Judging from her condition, it seemed like she hadn’t woken up yet, but he thought that she had passed the critical moment.
“Is the Grand Duchess still in critical condition?”
“...”
Jeremiah didn’t answer.
In the meantime, the doctor came back with some medicine he had made.
“Your Highness, I’ve made some medicine.”
“Come in.”
Jeremiah immediately brought the doctor in.
“Hurry up and give the Grand Duchess the medicine.”
Jeremiah prioritized Karina’s treatment over the investigation of the case.
“...”
Ron was quite flustered and dumbfounded at the first encounter.
The servants who had been following orders and doing chores outside were the same. Jeremiah, who had been practically living in the office, they were surprised when he didn’t come out and stayed by Karina’s side.
***
“How did that go?”
Revals asked the adjutant.
"Lord Genon is dead, and the maid was taken care of perfectly.”
“Good job.”
“But...”
“...?”
The adjutant, who usually rarely added words, raised one of Revals’ eyebrows diagonally.
“Did something happen?”
The adjutant answered Revals, who asked coldly.
“No. There won’t be any evidence. The follow-up was perfect without any mistakes, but the Grand Duchess keeps asking for a reinvestigation and is suspicious of the maid’s death.”
“The Grand Duchess?”
Revals didn’t understand.
“If she keeps quiet, Caroline will be given a heavier punishment, including murder, so I don’t know why she's making things worse.”
Revals knew to some extent what Karina had been through at the hands of Caroline every day.
If he were Karina, he would have kept his mouth shut even if it seemed wrong.
‘So that’s why Caroline hated the Grand Duchess even more.’
Revals smirked.
“But I guess we’re lucky. The escapees staged a hostage crisis in the town north of town, and the Grand Duchess happened to be there when they took her hostage.”
“The hostage crisis by the escapees?”
“Yes.”
Revals made an interesting expression.
“So what’s happening to the Grand Duchess now?”
“They say she was badly injured when she was taken hostage and hasn’t woken up yet. I haven’t heard more details yet, but I think this will cover up the maid’s death.”
“It’s good that everyone’s paying attention to her. The timing is perfect.”
Revels's lips turned up.
"So when do you think Caroline's disposal will be decided?"
"I think it will be decided within this month."
"Haa."
Revals sighed deeply.
"What a shame. I put in more effort than I thought, but it ended up being useless like this."
"If I had known this would happen, I would have asked him."
Revals did not agree with the adjutant.
“We can’t bother him. There are plenty of alternatives to Caroline. It’s a shame that she’s the only Princess of the Grand Duke’s family, but if she’s not worth it, there’s no point in keeping her.”
“Your Highness, you’re right.”
The adjutant agreed with Revals.
“By the way, is mining going well?”
“Yes, we only brought in orphans who have no parents or relatives, so there won’t be any trouble later.”
“That’s fortunate.”
Revals tried to dig up the broken tunnel again and let the miners in, but it was impossible.
As soon as he dug through the piles of dirt and rocks to clear the blocked passage, the wall collapsed again.
In the end, Revals had to find another way. He temporarily supported the passage wall using thick wooden beams and sent small children into the narrowed tunnel to do the work.
“Be very careful not to let anyone know.”
“Understood.”
“Since it’s for him, we must make sure the mining volume is right. It can never be lacking.”
“Don’t worry.”
Revals made a satisfied expression.
***
While Karina lay unconscious, the people of the estate were talking about her.
“Did you hear that there was a hostage crisis in Navilo?”
“They’re the escapees who escaped from prison last time. They were even armed!”
“One of the hostages was the Grand Duchess.”
“The Grand Duchess risked her life to release the hostages!”
“She acted boldly even when the escapees threatened her with a knife!”
“That wonderful person is our Grand Duchess of the North!”
“You’re not lying? How could the Grand Duchess be taken hostage in the city? She must have been guarded tightly by the Grand Duchess’ knights.”
“No. It’s true. Someone I know was caught up in that hostage crisis, and it really was the Grand Duchess.”
“That’s right. So, His Highness the Grand Duke himself ran into the building where the hostages were being held.”
“Oh my!”
Among them, the Grand Duchess became a great example of a noble who would not yield to any threat to protect the northern people.
In the hearts of the people, she was firmly established as the mistress of the Grand Duke of Colesberg, the master of the north.
And at the same time, public opinion sympathized with her.
“Come to think of it, didn’t you say that the Grand Duchess almost had something strange happen at the Grand Duke's banquet held a while ago?”
“That was a big deal for a while too. Why do such bad things only happen to such a person?”
Not only the people but also the nobles were very interested in Karina.
“It’s surprising that the Grand Duchess went that far for the northern people.”
“That’s amazing. Where did such a strong will come from?”
“It’s really fortunate that someone like that came to be the mistress of the north.”
The nobles who viewed Karina favorably also felt the same.
“She didn’t seem like that at all, that’s surprising. That’s why they say you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“In any case, there’s no denying that the Grand Duchess has gained a great deal of popularity among the people of the territory.”
“It’s surprising that the Grand Duchess went that far for the northern people.”
“That’s amazing. Where did such a strong will come from?”
“It’s really fortunate that someone like that came to be the mistress of the north.”
The nobles who viewed Karina favorably also felt the same.
“She didn’t seem like that at all, that’s surprising. That’s why they say you can’t judge a book by its cover.”
“In any case, there’s no denying that the Grand Duchess has gained a great deal of popularity among the people of the territory.”
“Wouldn’t it be better to give in to the Grand Duchess now?”
It was the same for all the nobles who disliked Karina, and even the nobles who were watching their reactions. However, the overwhelming public opinion was in favor of Karina. If Karina had known, she would have complained and said it was unnecessary.
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