The communication port connected and the light came on. As soon as it connected, Mikhail asked.
"Did you receive the magic stone well?"
Then Max's voice was heard from beyond the communication port.
"Yes. He said he was glad that it turned out well since there were already many places to use it on the magic tower."
Mikhail moved all the magic stones in the mine to the basement of the magic tower.
"Good. Tell them to use as much as they need."
Mikhail chuckled. Max said he understood and got to the main point.
"I have some information regarding the warlocks."
Mikhail recalled that he had separately ordered an investigation into the black magicians associated with the escapees.
"What is it?"
"Some of them stopped by a mine in the south today."
"... A mine located in the south?"
Mikhail's tone of voice, which had been answering in a light voice, changed.
"Are you talking about the copper mine owned by Lamberda?"
"Yes, that's right."
"..."
Mikhail's expression hardened.
"Are those black magicians related to that guy named Revels?"
"We were too far away to hear the conversation. But it definitely seemed like there was some kind of connection. It's possible that they already knew that there were magic stones in this mine."
"..."
Mikhail felt extremely uncomfortable.
"Investigate in detail if there is any connection to the guy named Revals. If there is even the slightest connection, report it immediately."
Mikhail ordered in a subdued voice.
"All right."
Even after the connection to the magic communication device was cut off, Mikhail's expression did not brighten.
***
"Are you okay now?"
"..."
"Are you feeling calmer now?"
"..."
"Does anything hurt anywhere?"
"..."
Karina shut her eyes tightly as Jeremiah continued to ask questions.
'Because of that damn dream!'
Karina cried loudly in Jeremiah's arms.
Karina couldn't even understand why she did that.
'That guy is crazy. He's obviously crazy.'
She was so embarrassed and ashamed of herself for showing such a disgrace in front of Jeremiah..
'Why of all people... Why of all people in front of Jeremiah!'
The fact that she did that in front of the person she hated more than anyone else made her want to hide in a hole. Karina placed one hand on her forehead.
'Let's get a divorce quickly. Divorce is the only answer!'
Karina rehearsed her plan to calm her mind.
'If I just go to the capital and attend the New Year's festival, then everything will go according to plan!'
Karina chewed her lower lip nervously. Then, Jeremiah, who had come closer at some point, lifted Karina's chin and gently pressed her lower lip with his thumb.
"Don't do that. It'll hurt."
"...!"
Karina's face crumpled. Karina slapped Jeremiah's hand away and asked coldly.
"Why did you come to my room?"
"It's just...it's getting close to lunchtime."
Jeremiah, who had been silent for a moment, gave a trivial answer.
'You didn't even come in the morning!!'
Karina's expression did not soften.
"I have something to say."
"What is that?"
"Revals Lamberda has been caught."
"Yes?"
Karina's distorted expression suddenly cleared.
"He's currently imprisoned in the dungeon."
"Revals... was imprisoned in the dungeon?"
Karina looked incredulous.
"The evil deeds committed by Revals Lamberda were numerous. Some of them were so outrageous that they were almost impossible to count."
Karina was embarrassed because she didn't know it.
'I saw you running wild in the mine until this morning, and now you've been caught?'
As the mine collapsed and the kidnapped children escaped, Karina wondered if something else had exploded along with it. But as of now, she couldn't tell.
"Is it true?"
"It's true."
Even after asking again to confirm, the answer was yes. It was hard to believe, but it was true that Revals had been caught and was being held in the dungeon of the Grand Duke's house. The first thing she thought was that it was fortunate. Moreover, if it was a dungeon and not a regular prison, it was a place to confine those who had committed particularly serious crimes.
"Did you find any evidence that Lord Genon and the maid were killed?"
Jeremiah nodded.
"He had Croana poison. He even confessed to what he did."
Karina was shocked by the word confession. However, she was able to breathe a sigh of relief when she heard that Revals had been revealed to be the real culprit.
"It's good that things are resolved before we leave for the capital. Now all I have to do is prepare to go there."
Karina said in a feminine tone. But Jeremiah looked at Karina with a very serious expression.
"Has he ever directly harmed you?"
Jeremiah asked with a serious expression. Karina looked at him.
'What. As if you know something...'
But to tell the truth about Revals, she would have to confess everything, from the time she created an information agency to investigate them, to the time she secretly went to the mine. Karina shook her head.
"No."
"... Is it really not there?"
Now that Revals had been caught and was going to pay for his crimes, she figured there was no need to tell him those facts.
"I told you there isn't any. If you've said everything you wanted to say, then leave quickly."
Karina made an excuse that she was tired and kicked Jeremiah out of the room.
***
Karina, who had gathered her emotions, called Jen and Charlotte. In any case, since Revals had been caught and the case was over, she planned to tell them the results and wrap things up. If she went to the capital, she would never have to return to the north again.
"They say the real culprit has been caught. It's Revals Lamberda. They say he confessed everything."
Charlotte and Jen were surprised by Karina's words. Jen seemed surprised by the unexpected identity of the culprit and the fact that he confessed. On the other hand, Charlotte seemed more surprised because she knew that Revals had a deep relationship with Caroline. Karina simply told the inside story, condensing only the necessary parts.
"This is the first time I've heard of such a poison."
Charlotte couldn't hide her surprised expression.
"Oh my God..."
Jen looked pained at the thought that her friend had been lied to right up until the moment of her death.
"Anyway, I'm glad things worked out."
Jen agreed with Karina and expressed her gratitude.
"It was thanks to the Grand Duchess's interest until the very end. Thanks to you, my friend's unjust death was revealed. I am truly grateful."
Jen held the real letter from the dead maid that Karina had given her in her hand and her eyes filled with tears.
"What did I do? His Highness the Grand Duke caught him."
Karina said indifferently.
"It may be funny for me to say this now, but I can't tell you how fortunate I am to have Lady Karina as the mistress of our Grand Duke's house."
Charlotte said something out of the blue.
"Yes?"
Karina was taken aback by her words.
"I've been watching her since Caroline was little. I've seen her do bad things behind His Highness's back more than once."
Jen chimed in with Charlotte's words.
"That's right. It's really mean! And then the way she pretends in front of us that it's not like that really gives me the creeps."
Jen frowned and shook her head, her expression almost tearful.
"But because the former Grand Duke and Grand Duchess passed away too early in an accident, there was no one to fix it properly."
Charlotte made a bitter expression.
"His Highness the Grand Duke was very young at the time, and he was suddenly made the head of the Grand Duke's family, so he had a hard time dealing with it."
"Oh, really?"
Karina reacted very indifferently.
"At that time, there was talk among the servants that it would be better for Lady Caroline, who was a little older, to take the position of head, even if only temporarily, rather than the young Grand Duke. Looking back now, I think it was fortunate that the Grand Duke took it."
"Oh my, it's a blessing that Jeremiah is taking over the Grand Duke's family."
Jen frowned as if the mere thought of Caroline becoming the head of the Grand Duke's household was horrifying.
"His Highness the Grand Duke may seem cold on the outside, but he is not a bad person at all."
"..."
Karina made no reply to Charlotte's words.
"He is the type of person who rarely shows his emotions on the outside, but he is always willing to take risks and take the lead in eliminating monsters. He is working very hard for the North."
"Oh, I heard from the knights that His Highness the Grand Duke is very kind to those he considers his own."
Jen added from the side. But Karina's expression didn't change at all despite those words. She just thought that she would never fit into the scope of what Jeremiah thought of as "his person." If only she had known in advance that it was absolutely impossible to cross that one line.
'If that were the case, I wouldn't have loved him in the first place...'
A faint sneer appeared at the corner of Karina's mouth and then disappeared. It was a completely meaningless assumption now.
"Let's stop talking. Now I want you to help me prepare to go to the capital."
Karina changed the subject. She didn't want to hear any more about Jeremiah.
"Yes, I understand. Just tell me what you need."
Charlotte answered immediately.
"I... Your Highness the Grand Duchess."
At that moment, Jen hesitated slightly and called Karina. When Karina looked at Jen as if to tell her to speak, Jen spoke cautiously.
"If it's okay with you, I would like to become the Grand Duchess's maid."
"My maid?"
Karina was planning to leave soon anyway.
"Is it really necessary to do that?"
"Of course! How convenient it would be to have a maid in charge!"
Jen began to talk passionately about how useful it would be to have a maid nearby to help her out. Karina didn't really hear what she was saying. But it was true that she would definitely need a few people to help her out when she went to the capital. She couldn't bring in new maids or servants, and she had to use the servants of the Grand Duke's house that she had been working for, even if she didn't feel like it.
'It wouldn't matter as long as I attended the New Year's party.'
When Jen came back north, it seemed like there would be no problem if she told Charlotte to make sure she was well-placed so she wouldn't get hurt.
"Yes. Let's do that."
Karina gave permission. Jen nodded repeatedly, expressing her gratitude with a moved expression.
"Then first, please pack some luggage to take to the capital."
"Yes! Your Highness!"
Charlotte looked at Jen with envious eyes.
***
"You said you were going to have the dress you'll wear at the New Year's ceremony tailored in the capital?"
Jen asked.
"Yeah. I already ordered it from the capital salon."
After Caroline was placed on probation and stripped of all her powers, Karina was given back all the rights she was entitled to, including her dowry and living expenses.
'I don't know about anything else, but the dowry and living expenses are money that I have to spend, so l should spend them however I want.'
Even if the dowry was left behind, it would be returned to the Grand Duke after a divorce, and the living expenses would also return to the Grand Duke's family's property.
It was money whose use was recorded so thoroughly that it was difficult to embezzle it.
'Then I should use when I can. Who would benefit from leaving it behind?'
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