'You've been acting so shameless from the beginning as if you had no interest in the Grand Duchess but you're saying there was a reason for that?'
It was very annoying to think that all of Jeremiah's actions in front of him up until now were intentional.
'That fucking little brat.'
She felt disgusted at the thought of being fooled by such a bloody bastard.
'So I guess I'll have to give back several times more than that.'
The Emperor laughed bitterly. Now that he knew how to use Karina, he planned to use her to his advantage. He had been suspicious of her since last time, so he had made a plan in advance.
'I didn't know it would actually be useful.'
The more precious the Grand Duchess was to Jeremiah, the more fun it would be to ruin him. He was already looking forward to seeing that. But before that, there was something he had to take care of first. The Emperor turned his gaze to the Marquis of Millainer in front of him.
"It's clear that he went to the Magic Tower and conspired with the Magic Tower Lord!"
The Marquis, who had been listening to the palace doctor's report from the side, was fuming in anger.
"Otherwise, why would you have believed in me and acted so arrogantly towards me? Now that you have something to believe in, that's what happens."
"Is the corner that guy believes in Magic Tower?"
"Yes!"
Marquis Millainer clenched his fist and shook it with confidence.
"It's the magic tower..."
The Emperor rested his chin on his hand as if lost in thought, tapping the armrests of the throne with his fingers.
"Right. Since he went to the Magic Tower for treatment or something. he must have made contact with the Magic Tower Lord."
"The fact that the Grand Duke of the Empire met with the Magic Tower Master is not something that can be taken lightly, regardless of the reason."
The palace doctor intervened. At the two people's agreement, Marquis Millainer continued speaking, delighted as a fish in water.
"We can't just sit still like this. We have to nip it in the bud so it can't come back again!"
The Emperor, who had been staring blankly at the Marquis who was making a fuss, spoke indifferently with his chin tilted slightly.
"Marquis. I think it would be better for you to prove your loyalty to me first."
"Yes? What do you mean?"
The Marquis jumped, startled by the words that suddenly questioned his loyalty.
"My loyalty is always single-mindedly devoted to Your Majesty the Emperor!"
Despite the Marquis' assertion, the Emperor showed a lukewarm reaction.
"Well, but haven't you been disappointing me so much lately?"
"Yes...?"
"What's going on with all the plans you asked me to trust you with?"
"...!"
The Marquis flinched as he understood what he meant. He was clearly talking about his plans to deal with Jeremiah and hand over the North. The Marquis's momentum faltered.
"There is still time left..."
"No."
The Emperor firmly cut off the Marquis' excuses.
"The important thing is not that there is time left. Or are you just wasting time by lying and saying you will give me the North?"
"Absolutely not, Your Majesty!"
The Marquis denied it strongly, waving his hands anxiously.
"Trust me! And if you just wait a little longer, I'll be back soon..."
"I'm tired of plans that are just empty
words."
"...!"
"I'm not sure if I can continue to trust you."
The Marquis kept his mouth shut like a bamboo groan. He was in a heavy silence, and he was embarrassed, and he was sweating profusely. The Emperor pretended to be expressionless, but he was looking down at the Marquis with satisfaction. And after a while. This time, he slightly opened his breathing room, which had been very tight.
"But you've been following me for so long, so it doesn't make sense for me to throw you away so easily. Doesn't it?"
"... Your Majesty!"
The Marquis raised his head and looked impressed as if he had grabbed a lifeline.
"Yeah. If you do as I say, I think I can trust you again. What do you think?"
"Just say the word! Whatever it is, I will do anything for Your Majesty."
The Marquis took the bait.
"Is it about your family?"
"Yes? My family?"
"Yes. For example, if it's about your only daughter, would you still do as I say?"
The Marquis hesitated a bit at the word family, but the answer quickly came out when he heard that the person was Karina.
"Of course. My daughter would rather be honored if it could be used for Your Majesty's sake."
"That's right."
The Emperor's eyes flashed wickedly. And he began to briefly tell the Marquis some of the plans he had laid out. A moment of hesitation and concern crossed the Marquis' face as he listened to the Emperor. But...
"Can you do it?"
The Marquis answered the Emperor's question coolly.
"If that proves my loyalty, then of course I should do it. Just trust me!"
The expression on the Marquis' face as he spoke was almost tragic.
"Yes. I'll trust you for the last time."
The Emperor smiled with the corners of his mouth wide. The palace maid, who had been quietly listening to their conversation from the side, chimed in with a meaningful expression.
"Your Majesty, please hold a grand banquet at the palace."
"Banquet?"
The Emperor looked taken aback by the sudden suggestion.
"Regardless of what deal the Grand Duke of Colesburg made with the Magic Tower, shouldn't all the people of the Empire know that the sun of the Empire is still alive and well?"
He nodded after hearing the explanation added later. Although he said that he was an imperial citizen, in reality, it meant to show off and show off the status of the empire to the Magic Tower and Magic Tower Lord, and the surrounding countries. It could have been a suitable warning and threat that he would not stay still if he interfered with the affairs of the empire. And the 'they' he had called were also scheduled to arrive in the capital soon.
"That's a pretty good idea."
The Emperor, after thinking about it, smiled leisurely, saying that he liked it.
"I agree. That's a really good idea!"
The Marquis clapped his hands to please the Emperor. For a while, the seemingly harmonious atmosphere continued.
***
After meeting with the Emperor, the palace doctor returned to the treatment room in the palace. As soon as he entered the treatment room, he checked that there was no one around and locked the door. He took off the thick glasses he was wearing and stood in front of the mirror in the corner of the treatment room. The mirror was large enough to reflect his entire body and was spotless.
"Master."
A completely different voice flowed out of his mouth than before. If someone had heard it, they would have been shocked and opened their eyes wide. Although it was a thin voice compared to his body, the tone that was clearly a man's voice had completely changed to that of a young woman. The surprising situation did not end there. The mirror that reflected his standing figure rippled like a ripple on the water, and soon it reflected someone else's figure, not the palace doctor.
"Are you back?"
The person appearing in the mirror spoke leisurely.
"Yes. As the Master said, the dragon's energy remained strong in the Grand Duke's house."
The palace doctor who went to the Grand Duke's residence under his orders and checked the situation answered. Originally, she wanted to see the Grand Duke and Grand Duchess to get a more definite understanding, but unfortunately, they were both absent, so she couldn't meet them. But it was enough. She was sure just by the traces of their stay. The Grand Duke and Grand Duchess. One of the two would be the sacrifice they were looking for. And her master said it would be the Grand Duchess. Even without confirming who it was, his words would be right. He was the one who found the sacrifice that the organization had been searching for for hundreds of years.
"How did you know?"
To be honest, when she saw the Grand Duchess before, she didn't feel any related energy at all. She didn't understand why the Master was interested in her. However, when the situation became like this, she couldn't help but praise him even more, saying that the eyes of the eyes are different. Her loyalty became even stronger.
The man in the mirror, smiling with a relaxed expression, asked another question instead of answering her question.
"How are things going?"
"As expected. The Emperor has acted as we expected. It seems that the plan will be brought forward."
She reported faithfully.
"This is going to be fun. We can start moving soon."
The man in the mirror smiled contentedly. And then emphasized again.
"We must secure the Grand Duchess unconditionally. Don't forget."
"Don't worry. I'll make sure that things don't go wrong."
Her master's words were absolute to her.
***
Meanwhile, Mikhail headed downtown to find Karina.
"The red-haired woman? Oh, you mean those people?"
"Those two people who stood out?"
"I saw her walking over there with a blonde guy..."
"They were going to see the circus."
Mikhail asked around and arrived at the front of the circus. The area around the circus was extremely noisy. The tent above was half-collapsed, and the entrance was chaotic with people pouring in like a flood.
"What's going on here?"
Mikhail quickly grabbed the people around him and asked them to figure out the situation.
"During a circus performance, a lion rushed into the audience."
"...!"
"People were so surprised that they ran away, and it seemed like the pillars of the concert hall collapsed and the ceiling collapsed."
His expression hardened. He had clearly come all the way here to find Karina, but what a mess. Mikhail pushed his way through the crowd coming out of the theater and entering.
"Karina!"
His voice was impatient as he searched for her. But as he looked inside to find her, he soon realized.
'But I wonder if there were any casualties?'
Looking closely, he saw a wide-open defensive barrier blocking the steel frame and tent from collapsing. He followed the magical energy that supported and maintained the defensive barrier. Then, he discovered a blond man unfolding a defensive barrier on one side of the audience.
'Hmm? That guy back then...'
Mikhail remembered how he had approached Karina during the New Year's celebration at the Imperial Palace.
'He's a sinister-looking guy.'
That was Michael's first impression of David.
'That guy is the Crown Prince!'
Mikhail could tell right away. A blond man who could attend the imperial banquet and was interested in Karina. Furthermore, before coming here, he heard from the Grand Duke that Karina went out with the Crown Prince, so it was certain. Mikhail looked at him with an unpleasant look. David sensed the gaze on him and turned around to where Mikhail was. Their eyes met in midair.
"...!"
'Oh, my. I guess he's not really a half-assed guy.'
Mikhail raised an eyebrow and snickered, but quickly retracted the thought.
'No. I couldn't handle this situation right away while I was with Karina, so I'm a loser.'
So Mikhail revised his evaluation of the Crown Prince down again. Even though he was said to be with Karina, he was now alone.
'Where did you leave Karina?'
It seemed that he was unable to move from his spot because he was maintaining the barrier. Instead, those who were supporting him were sending people out. Mikhail did not hide his discontented expression and quickly approached him, avoiding the crowd. And then he asked him out of the blue.
"Where is Karina?"
David looked at Mikhail with a wary gaze.
"Who are you and are you looking for the Grand Duchess?"
"I am Karina's escort."
Mikhail answered confidently.
"Yes."
As expected, David was not particularly surprised and reacted indifferently. However...
"Why are you asking me about the Grand Duchess's whereabouts?"
"...!?"
The answer Mikhail got back wasn't very nice.
"If you're the escort of the Grand Duchess, shouldn't you know where she goes?"
"..."
"Not knowing that means..."
A faint sneer appeared on David's lips as if he was mocking Mikhail, who was making a blank expression.
"You are disqualified from escorting."
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