"Are you done talking now?"
Mikhail's forehead, which was making a face of bewilderment, had a red and swollen vein. It was obvious that he was barely holding back the swear words that were rising to the tip of his tongue. It seemed that he was holding it in because he had to hear about Karina's whereabouts. But David didn't care at all.
"I just said the obvious, but you seem really hurt? This is... This is embarrassing."
He spoke with a look that did not seem at all awkward. In fact, just as Mikhail had figured out David's identity, David had also figured out Mikhail's identity. Mikhail Oelich. A young wizard with fine silver hair and blood-red eyes, who was of good looks.
'His appearance description matches that of the person.'
When David investigated the Grand Duchess, he also finished investigating the man who was in charge of her escort. The day Karina first came to see him. When David saw him accompanying her as her escort, he didn't really feel his presence. But now that he looked at him, he thought he knew.
At that time, he was deliberately trying not to reveal himself. Now that he had no intention of hiding himself from her, his presence was so distinct that David couldn't ignore it. And when he confirmed that Karina had returned from the Magic Tower and was once again by her side as her escort knight, it became even more certain. He is currently the beloved disciple of the Magic Tower's owner, who protects and cares for him, and he is considered the next Magic Tower Master. David heard that when the Magic Tower Master, who saw his magical potential when he was an orphan wandering the streets, immediately took him to the Magic Tower and personally taught him.
'Didn't Magic Tower even give him the last name 'Oelich' and adopt him as his son?'
But such details did not bring about much change in David's attitude at present. He was very upset at the fact that Karina had been taken away by Jeremiah in the blink of an eye. To be honest, he was taking his anger out on Mikhail.
"Where is Karina?"
Mikhail asked again, testing his patience.
"..."
When David remained silent without answering, Mikhail snorted and said,
"You went out with Karina, and you don't know anything about her whereabouts?"
He was openly sarcastic.
"I don't know where you left her and why you're here all alone."
The words he blurted out in a sarcastic tone slightly touched David's pride.
"The Grand Duke came and took the Grand Duchess away himself."
David immediately and stiffly retorted as if to say that what Mikhail said was wrong.
"You speak really quickly."
As if he had been waiting for something, Mikhail snapped at him and quickly disappeared as if he had nothing more to do. Watching him disappear, David swallowed his irritation and smiled bitterly.
Honestly, he doesn't like any of the guys around the Grand Duchess.
The other guys he was talking to thought the same thing.
***
'If the Grand Duke had taken her, she would have returned to the Grand Duke's mansion.'
Mikhail, who had thought so, was heading back to the Grand Duke's residence. On his way back, he spotted a familiar face among the people gathered in the alley far away.
'Isn't that Aiden?"
Aiden was with a group of children he had never seen before.
'Are you playing with the children of the capital?'
But the atmosphere was not good enough to make it seem that way.
"Say it again!"
An excited Aiden rushed forward, grabbing the child in front of him by the collar.
"Hmm?"
Mikhail, who was watching the situation, was a little embarrassed.
"Let go of it, you punk!"
"Say it again!"
"I told you to fall!"
The kids got tangled up with each other and a dogfight broke out. To be exact, several kids from the capital rushed at Aiden and started beating him up. Aiden was getting hit here and there, but he kept biting the kid he had targeted first. As the situation got worse, Mikhail couldn't just watch.
"Stop!"
Mikhail quickly got in between them and separated all the children.
"These guys! What are they doing!"
The children of the capital city hesitated and watched the adults' appearance. Mikhail asked the children and Aiden with a stern expression.
"What on earth are you fighting about?"
More precisely, he wanted to hear Aiden's story. Aiden wasn't the kind of guy who would do something like this for no reason. As expected.
"Those kids are going around talking nonsense!"
Aiden shouted excitedly.
"Nonsense?"
As Mikhail made a puzzled expression, the other children objected one by one.
"When did we ever talk nonsense?"
"You are the one who came here to cause trouble and cause trouble!"
"That's right!"
After hearing the children's words, Mikhail asked Aiden.
"Tell me more."
"Those guys are spreading false rumors about the Grand Duchess!"
"What?"
When the topic of Karina came up, Mikhail's mood changed. He felt he had to know why Karina's story was being told here.
"What kind of rumor is that?"
But before Aiden could speak, the children's mouths began to spout off more and more gossip.
"What are we!"
"The old man next door really said that the Grand Duchess brings all kinds of misfortune?"
"What?"
Mikhail's face was crumpled into a grim expression.
"Tell me everything you know."
"...!"
When he urged the children with an ominous air, the answers came more easily.
"That's... It was because of the Grand Duchess that the demons appeared in the capital, and it was also because of the Grand Duchess that His Highness the Crown Prince was taken to the Cursed Forest."
"They said that the reason there were so many bad things happening in the North was because of the Grand Duchess..."
"The Grand Duchess came to the capital and brought misfortune to the capital..."
Mikhail gritted his teeth.
"Who says something like that?"
The frightened children hesitated and looked at each other, but eventually confessed obediently.
"Adults."
Malicious, distorted rumors about Karina were quickly spreading through the streets.
***
Karina stood in front of the ossuary, frozen in place.
'Why did you come here all of a sudden?'
It was unclear. As she stopped in her carriage, Jeremiah seemed to think that Karina was unable to move because of her injured leg. Suddenly, he picked her up and carried her into the charnel house with a familiar gesture.
"...!"
Karina realized that she was struggling in his arms without realizing it. Jeremiah's footsteps were steady without any sign of hesitation as he went somewhere.
'Whose grave have you come to visit?'
First of all, Jeremiah's parents were absolutely not. In the ossuary in the capital, many people were buried, from high-ranking nobles to respected figures of the time and artists with famous achievements.
However, northerners living far north from the capital were buried in separate tombs in the north for generations. Jeremiah's parents were no different.
'There's no way there'd be anyone related to him in the columbarium in the capital...'
Since there was no one who could guess, no one came to mind easily. However, the answer came quickly. It was a private and cozy place located quite far inside the ossuary. Even ordinary people could not enter without permission, and even those of high status had to ask permission to enter, so they entered a quiet space. Karina was embarrassed. It was a place that she knew very well and felt familiar and familiar.
'Here...!'
In the middle of a spacious space where light poured in through transparent windows, a large, smooth marble tombstone was erected. Surrounding it were pure white lilies that were always neatly maintained, giving off a gentle feeling. This was the place where her mother, Diana Milliner, was laid to rest.
'How did Jeremiah know about this place?'
She was in a state of great confusion. Meanwhile, Jeremiah carefully placed Karina on a chair opposite the tombstone, in front of a low shelf with a small candle holder.
"Why did you come here?"
Karina asked, her confusion subsiding. Jeremiah answered in a serious voice.
"I told you. I'll prove it."
"Prove it?"
She looked utterly unconvinced. But...
"Karina."
He called her name softly, pretending to be affectionate. Then he knelt down on one knee in front of her and looked her in the eye earnestly.
"I truly care about you."
"...!?"
Karina's eyes widened in surprise. His gaze was focused solely on her, and his pitch-black pupils were filled with her. When he met her gaze, a strange feeling came from a corner of her heart. Karina was momentarily captivated by his gaze. As the distance grew closer, she could see his tall and handsome appearance and his skin as smooth as porcelain even better. Thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, a high nose, moderately plump and attractive red lips, and even a sharp jawline. He was still the handsome man she remembered.
"Trust me. From the moment I first saw you until now, you are the only one for me. I swear it here."
"..."
Karina was speechless. If he had come
here and sworn, it meant that he would swear on the deceased who was buried here. And Jeremiah was not the kind of person to play around with or fool around with things like this. She knew that all too well, and her mind became even more confused.
'This person goes this far...?'
So that he can prove his sincerity.
'You brought me here and swear...'
Faced with an unexpected situation, Karina felt complicated. The emotions that started in her heart gradually grew bigger and bigger, adding to her confusion. He was too unfamiliar. It was a passionate gaze and confession that she had never experienced before. At some point, her heart began to tremble. It became increasingly difficult to meet his gaze. As she blinked more often, her breathing became faster and her heart pounded faintly. His flawless appearance and handsome face that was enough to make her lose herself in them had a longing expression, which had the effect of capturing her gaze. It was secretly stimulating for some unknown reason.
"Karina."
A sweet voice called her name again. He rose and came closer to her.
"...!"
Karina instinctively tried to step back, but the back of the chair prevented her from doing so. Jeremiah slowly reached out his hand to the back of her hand. He stroked the back of her hand with very delicate and careful hands as if he were touching something small and delicate. The tip of Karina's ear turned red at the tickling sensation.
"Karina."
Again. He called her in a mournful voice. As if telling her not to reject him. His shadow covered her body. His hand, which had been caressing the back of her hand, dug into the inside of her palm. His long, straight fingers entangled her fingers, tightly locking them.
Then he placed his other arm on the back of the chair she was sitting on. This trapped her in his arms. Karina looked up at him as if possessed. Their eyes were deeply intertwined at a distance close enough that their noses touched.
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