"Are you blaming me now?"
The Emperor, who had stubbornly released the new demon despite the man's dissuasion, glared at him in a disapproving manner. Then he soon complained.
"Huh! I thought it would be usable since they made a pretty good one, but it turned out to be defective."
".."
"Since they took the Crown Prince to the Cursed Forest, I thought they would at least cut off one of his limbs! What a big mistake."
The Emperor snorted and sneered. The long-haired man with an expressionless face opened his mouth again.
"It wasn't the control I gave you to use it that way in the first place."
That's right. What the man gave the Emperor was the control to use the monsters as he wished. Of course, the degree and frequency of use varied, but it was a tool that allowed even those with no magic power like the Emperor to issue orders and use the monsters as he wished. And the Emperor used that control to send David to the middle of the cursed forest.
"A new monster has appeared in the capital, so there will be those who feel threatened by the monster and begin to prepare for it."
"Do I even need to worry about those rascals? Okay, this time, give me control of a different monster instead of a new one. A wild beast that can tear a person apart in one go."
The Emperor seemed not to care about such things and just said what he wanted to say.
"Your Majesty. It's not good at all to use monsters like this. The more often a monster is exposed, the more likely it is that the plans you're preparing will be disrupted."
The man's words were valid, but the Emperor showed his displeasure and rebuked him fiercely.
"If that's what I'm going to do, then so be it. Do you dare to go against the Emperor's will?"
"..."
"I think you've already forgotten who made the plan you're preparing possible."
"..."
At the Emperor's comment, the long-haired man stared at the Emperor through the mirror and said.
"Yes, I'll do whatever you want."
The Emperor, having heard the answer he wanted, raised his head as if it were his duty to do so.
"Don't disappoint me."
With those words, the Emperor left the mirror. When the Emperor's image disappeared, the mirror returned to its original appearance. The long-haired man on the other side of the mirror laughed in front of the mirror who had lost communication.
"The old fox-like man starts to climb without knowing the subject."
He was a cowardly man who was always looking for an opportunity to kill anyone who threatened the throne, and his arrogance was sky-high.
"But let's just leave it alone for a while... It's easier for people like this to take advantage of us."
The man's smile deepened.
***
David returned to the guest room assigned to him, guided by the butler.
"Servants are living in the next room, so please call them whenever you need anything. Then, you can rest comfortably."
The butler bowed his head politely and said.
'Are you telling me not to come out of the room because you're guarding it in the next room?'
David smiled and replied gently.
"Yes."
Closing the door and entering the room, he took out the communication artifact he had received from Levy instead of lying down on the bed. It rang a few times and then connected.
"I was waiting to hear from you."
A thick male voice was heard from beyond.
"I see."
"I'm glad you're safe."
"There is no reason why it wouldn't be safe."
David looked languid.
"Is everything okay over there?"
"Yes."
"I have a lot of work to do. I'm going to be busy from now on."
David spoke, recalling the herb garden and the presence of the wizard he had seen in the Cursed Forest.
"Just give the order, Lord Perso."
The man who had answered loyally added as if he had just remembered something.
"Oh, by the way, the Grand Duchess came to see you right before you two were kidnapped by the monster."
David's eyes lit up when Karina's story came up.
"What is the Grand Duchess doing there?"
"She said she would like to ask for additional work."
"What is the request?"
"She asked me to get her some fertility pills."
"Fertility pills...?"
David tilted his head at the unexpected content.
"And she asked me to produce a certificate of infertility. She said she wanted a document that would be credible enough to be accepted by the palace."
"It's an infertility certificate..."
David was lost in thought, recalling the conversation he had had with Karina.
'I don't know what it is, but it seems. like you're definitely thinking about divorce.'
The corners of his mouth turned upward in a curve. David recalled the wedding day of the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess of Colesberg.
***
"It's boring."
"Your Highness, if you say something so bluntly..."
Levy looked around with a very troubled expression to see if anyone had heard him.
"Isn't that true? If it weren't for the wedding of the Grand Duke of Colesberg, I wouldn't have come..."
David showed his annoyance without hiding it.
"The bride is the daughter of the Marquis of Millainer, right?"
"You're right."
"To marry the daughter of that sycophant who sticks to the Emperor like a leech and spouts out empty words."
David, who was laughing out loud, secretly expressed his anticipation.
"It's a fun spectacle after a long time, so I can't miss it. I hope you enjoy it."
He waited for the ceremony to start as quickly as possible. Then, when he saw the bride he had been waiting for, he was surprised and unexpected.
"Hmm? She is definitely the daughter of the Marquis of Millainer..."
David muttered as he looked at Karina's red hair. When he had introduced her as the daughter of the Marquis at the Imperial New Year's Festival last year, she had seemed ordinary. If you take away the red hair, she seemed a bit timid and weak to be the daughter of 'that' Marquis Milliner. She seemed to be timid about everything, and her actions and attitudes were strangely reserved. It was strange that she acted blindly at the wedding as if she didn't see anyone else but Jeremiah.
'Interesting.'
David rested his chin on his hand and stared at Karina. She blushed as if she was in front of someone she really liked, and she couldn't even make eye contact with Jeremiah. It was like seeing a shy girl. An immature girl who was desperate to get close to someone she liked, but couldn't bring herself to talk to them. Seeing that, he realized.
'Ah, that woman is truly in love with the Grand Duke of Colesberg.'
David laughed with an amused expression. But that was all. There was no way that the daughter of Margrave Millainer, a central figure in the Imperial faction, could be loved in return by the Grand Duke of Colesberg.
'To harbor unrequited love in your heart!'
David could not understand the woman's foolish behavior. Looking at the expression on the Grand Duke's face, not only was there no favor, but also distrust, discontent, and wariness. It seemed absolutely impossible for anyone to see Jeremiah loving Karina.
"Poor thing."
David muttered absentmindedly.
"Yes?"
Levy, who was standing next to him, heard his monologue and asked back.
"What is it?"
"That woman. Is she naive or stupid?"
Levy asked again, his face filled with questions as he watched David nod at Karina.
"Why is the Grand Duchess pitiful?"
"If you have eyes, look at that expression. Isn't she acting like she's really in love?"
David furrowed his brows as if he was frustrated.
"Why is that...?"
David began to kindly explain to Levy, who did not quite understand what he meant.
"She's acting like a moth that flies Into the flames, chasing the light, burning your own body. That kind of devoted love that's willing to sacrifice everything is an illusion. It never exists in reality."
David said in a firm voice. Then he looked at Karina with eyes that were a mixture of pity and pity.
"That woman needs to realize that fact soon."
David clicked his tongue.
"..."
Levy already knew why David was saying that, so he rolled his eyes and chose his words carefully.
"It is very rare, but such devoted love certainly exists in the world, Your Highness."
It was a word I said out of a somewhat regretful feeling.
“?”
David's eyes widened at Levy's answer. He straightened his upper body and leaned against the back of his chair as he asked.
"Levy, you're not being serious, are you?"
"..."
Levy bowed his head slightly with an awkward expression.
"Ha."
David laughed in disbelief. After a while, he opened his mouth with a confident expression, saying that he had a good idea.
"Then let's do this. Make a bet with me"
"Huh? You bet?"
"Yes."
David raised his finger and pointed at Karina.
"If that woman continues to love the Duke of Colesberg to the end, you win. But if not, I win."
"Uh..."
Levy felt that it was a completely unfair bet, but he had something to say, so it was hard to refuse the bet.
"Why? Are you not confident?"
David spoke provocatively, watching Levy hesitate.
"If I lose, I will buy a five-story villa in your name in the Moldiana estate."
"Is that true...!"
David, who knew exactly what Levy wanted, made Levy an offer he couldn't refuse. Levy's eyes lit up at the mention of a five-story villa in the resort paradise of Moldiana Estate. It was an opportunity where his usual dreams could become reality in an instant. But...
"Instead, if I win, I will not attend the Imperial New Year's party next year."
Of course, there was a risk. Levy hesitated for a moment. If the Crown Prince did not attend the Imperial New Year's party, it would be difficult to handle the aftermath. As David's close associate, it was quite a headache for him to have to work overnight all week. However, the luxurious five-story mansion in Moldiana was worth the trouble. Levy resolutely agreed to the bet, thinking that he had nothing to lose.
"Great!"
So the bet between the two was successful. After that, the Grand Duke and his wife went north, so David had no news and completely forgot about them. Then one day, Karina came to see him. Even though he was not the Crown Prince, but 'Perso'.
He was curious about how she knew 'Perso'. So he started investigating her. The activities he found out about in the north were quite interesting.
She seemed timid, but was I mistaken?
After a month of getting married and quietly hiding, he could believe that she had changed because she kept a new behavior.
'Unusually, she brought in outside wizards as escorts, and at charity events, he exposed and punished the corruption of nobles and Princesses. He rescued the hostages while being held hostage by escaped criminals in the middle of the city, and even found the real culprit of an assassination.'
She even seemed to have created her own separate information platform. All of this happened in just one short month.
'Is this really the same person?'
David's interest was piqued.
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