But Adrian's face, as he approached, was shadowed, unlike usual.
'Hmm?'
Kavala was already anxious about not being able to find the intruder in the glasshouse, but seeing Adrian's expression like that made her feel even more depressed.
Adrian is an important player.
And the same goes for Cordelia, who will be with Adrian.
If Cordelia had won the support of the nobles, they would have naturally made her the Crown Princess, but due to various problems, they decided to give up on that method.
Within a month, the ancient demon's seal will be broken, and the continent will fall into chaos.
When the ancient monster invades the capital, Cordelia and Adrian are manipulated into thinking they successfully defend the capital, and their achievements are praised, so the two can quickly get married and Cordelia can become the Crown Princess.
It was a bit of a tedious process, but it had to be done.
The conditions for the 'key' that interlocks with the entrance to liberation were strict, but the conditions for 'him' to appear were also strict.
Humans were brutally betrayed and left in despair.
So, Empress Giselle had been brainwashing Adrian with advanced black magic without revealing to him that she was a black magician.
She deliberately used black magic from a young age to raise Adrian to the level of a sword master.
So, today she decided to reveal all the facts and make him her puppet.
But why is his face like that?
Brainwashing a non-warlock target is a very delicate task, so if you don't know the target's mind well before starting, their mind will break, and if you make a mistake, their life will be in danger.
Just like her two sons died that way.
Empress Giselle was very annoyed, but she asked patiently.
“What happened, Adrian?”
“...No, Mother.”
Adrian shook his head sullenly. She asked again, patiently.
“What is it? Tell me quickly.”
“Actually, I’ve been feeling a bit down since the birthday party. I’m sorry, Mother.”
“Depressed? Why is our Crown Prince depressed?”
Empress Giselle focused on Adrian's changes.
Adrian is a child who was deliberately focused on being the 'Crown Prince' from a young age and whose personality was delicately manipulated with black magic to make him grow up to be a bright and cheerful person.
So that it can serve as a ‘key to liberation’ in the future.
But why does Adrian feel depressed like that?
Empress Giselle pressed Adrian, who was hesitating and hesitating to answer, in an unusually impatient manner.
“What happened at the birthday party?”
“What happened?”
Adrian was overcome with emotion.
"Don't you know, Mother! Brother Felix kidnapped Princess Argenthoz, who was supposed to be my partner, in front of everyone. It was a ridiculous sight."
It was an answer full of injustice.
Empress Giselle consoled him with a dry sigh, without even blinking.
"Adrian. The nobles don't care at all these days anyway. Banquet partners keep changing. Indeed, you've repeatedly rejected Princess Argenthoze's heart, so there's no need to feel wronged. And you have Princess Cordelia Mare."
She told him her name, deliberately trying to get him to pay attention to Cordelia again, but Adrian was strangely adamant.
“But, Mother! I am truly disappointed.”
"Adrian. What the hell are you doing? Are you really belatedly interested in the rose you threw away with your own hands?"
Empress Giselle frowned and showed her displeasure at Adrian's rebellious behavior.
In fact, the only one who could raise his voice to her like this was Crown Prince Adrian.
On the surface, he's Empress Giselle's beloved adopted son. In reality, Adrian is an important "pawn" of Empress Giselle's, so she's just tolerating him.
Adrian, not knowing this, was impressed that only his adoptive mother, Empress Giselle, understood his frustration and decided to pour out his heart.
His pride was hurt by what the Duke of Iels had said last time, so he didn't try to ask for help, but the only person he could rely on was his adoptive mother, Empress Giselle.
"Actually, during the banquet, I chased after Brother Felix. I was so angry that I wanted to confront him!"
"...so?"
"But Duke Iels personally followed me to the Palace of the Deep Sea and insulted me. He had been showing interest in Princess Argenthoz, but his attitude toward me was extremely rude!"
“Ahem? Is that so?”
Empress Giselle stroked her chin, remembering the Duke of Iels whom she had seen at the banquet.
A young Duke with a bright future ahead of him, handsome and upright.
Unlike the created Sword Master Adrian, the real Sword Master, Duke Rudnine Iels, had a distinct presence.
She was the first to suspect Duke Iels of being capable of invading the glasshouse.
But in conclusion, it wasn't.
First of all, he hadn't been to the capital, let alone the Palace of Peace, in the past two years. He had an alibi: he was definitely out at the Northern Gate, subduing demons.
Of course, she didn't like the idea of deploying the Knights of the Iels family to the Palace of the Deep Sea to protect Prince Felix, so she definitely planned to kill them later.
'Then who the hell is 'that guy'?'
Adrian continued to talk to Empress Giselle, who was once again troubled by the intruder.
“I was so angry when I remembered Duke Iels’s words after he left the Palace of the Deep Sea that I went to confront him.”
Going to ask questions.
She yawned at Adrian's pitiful appearance.
"But then the Duke and Princess Argenthoz left the palace in a friendly manner. They were so close together! I was speechless!"
Empress Giselle, who had been resting her chin on her hand as if bored, put down her hand and straightened up.
Her eyes shone fiercely.
“Explain it to me, Adrian, in detail.”
Adrian was delighted that Empress Giselle was finally paying attention to his story.
"Yes! So, Duke Iels carried the Princess like this? How dare he act so boldly in my mother's palace? They're both crazy!"
Adrian gritted his teeth as he recalled Rudnine running towards Yvonne, holding her in his arms.
“Hold on and go?”
"Perhaps they knew it was embarrassing, or something? They ran so stealthily and quickly? Perhaps no one else saw them. As a fellow Sword Master, I happened to catch a glimpse of Duke Iels's movements... Well, anyway, the two of them climbed over the wall! Isn't that truly absurd?!"
Adrian gets very excited and runs wild for a long time, saying that this is an undignified act.
Empress Giselle, who had been silently watching her adopted son, opened her mouth after a while.
“Adrian? Do you remember when that was?”
Her voice trembled slightly, but Adrian didn't notice.
“Yeah. Well, I guess...”
Adrian answered, searching his memory, and Empress Giselle's hand tightened as she heard the answer.
The corners of her red lips turned up.
Found it.
"Well done, my son Adrian. Thanks to you, we finally caught that rat's tail."
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Empress Giselle smiled pleasantly at the bewildered Adrian.
It was a smile he hadn't seen in a long time.
She got up from her seat and shouted cheerfully.
"Very well, Adrian! As you wish, I will bring that despicable Duke of Iels to his knees and give you all he has. As much as your heart is broken, use him as your plaything!"
“Mother? I, I...”
Adrian also knew that Empress Giselle was gentle.
She left the room without saying goodbye, leaving Adrian stiff in shock at her harsh words.
Empress Giselle entered another room and called her black limbs back.
“I’m sorry.”
“Please forgive me!”
The warlocks, still convinced that they would be punished by Empress Giselle for their lack of results, trembled.
She looked at them coldly and then smiled.
“Find Princess Yvonne Argenthoz immediately and bring her to me.”
Princess Argenthoz.
Somehow, the sudden recollection of the dead Duchess of Argenthoz wasn't just a sense of foreboding.
The dark magicians were startled by the Empress's dazzling gaze, but they quickly grasped the situation and straightened their waists.
“I obey your command.”
"I will painfully kill the Princess who has been hiding her identity so shamefully with my own hands. Bring her back alive!"
"Yes!"
"This time, use your familiar to capture her. Since the target is set, your familiar will be useful."
Empress Giselle's eyes, which were busy with this, shone dangerously.
Fortunately, it was a misunderstanding.
Rudnine left the palace of the deep sea only in the morning when the sun had risen.
In his hand, he held a note written by Prince Felix asserting his innocence.
"I have no interest in Princess Yvonne Argenthoz, and I have absolutely no intention of taking her as my companion.
If there are people who plan such a thing, I will cut off their balls as soon as I have the power.
-Felix Delk Verbent"
It was a simple oath that felt light for a memorandum, but Felix was sincere.
For the first time, a real memorandum was stamped with the Prince's seal!
Felix forcefully placed the heartbreaking memorandum, stained with tears, into Rudnine's hands.
But even after receiving the Prince's memorandum, Rudnine headed straight to the Argenthoz mansion.
It was because what Yvonne had said yesterday lingered in his mind like a stain, and he was still anxious.
Just as Prince Felix had jumped up and said no, she hoped he would say no too.
It's okay to be angry...
'Yvonne must look pretty even when she's angry.'
As he entered the Argenthoz mansion in a slightly dazed state, he realized that he had not dressed up properly when he came to meet Yvonne, and he regretted it.
So he quickly fixed his cuffs, jacket collar, and hair. He wasn't happy with it, though.
But regret was useless.
Because the woman he always wanted to look good for was not in the mansion.
“What do you mean, the Princess isn’t at home?”
Rudnine, stiff with embarrassment, ended up stuttering.
According to the words of the little Duke Barden standing before him, Yvonne had left early in the morning to go shopping and go somewhere far away.
Shopping? Yvonne clearly told me she doesn't shop anymore.
If there's something you want, just tell me. I'd run to the ends of the earth to get it for you right now and give it to you!
“Yes. Yvonne left earlier, didn’t she?”
When Barden answered again, Rudnine's eyes shook with shock.
She left the capital?
Yvonne eventually left him without saying a word!
'Ah...!'
Instead of going to the Palace of the Deep Sea, he should have come to the Argenthoz Mansion first.
Rudnine, touching his throbbing temple, opened his mouth again urgently and asked Barden.
“Do you know where the Princess went?”
"I don't know, do you? My sister, as you know, is a remarkably skilled magician. She can go anywhere she pleases."
“...Ah, yes.”
In this situation, Rudnine was frustrated with Barden, who was proud of Yvonne and smiling brightly.
'Hmm?'
Kavala was already anxious about not being able to find the intruder in the glasshouse, but seeing Adrian's expression like that made her feel even more depressed.
Adrian is an important player.
And the same goes for Cordelia, who will be with Adrian.
If Cordelia had won the support of the nobles, they would have naturally made her the Crown Princess, but due to various problems, they decided to give up on that method.
Within a month, the ancient demon's seal will be broken, and the continent will fall into chaos.
When the ancient monster invades the capital, Cordelia and Adrian are manipulated into thinking they successfully defend the capital, and their achievements are praised, so the two can quickly get married and Cordelia can become the Crown Princess.
It was a bit of a tedious process, but it had to be done.
The conditions for the 'key' that interlocks with the entrance to liberation were strict, but the conditions for 'him' to appear were also strict.
Humans were brutally betrayed and left in despair.
So, Empress Giselle had been brainwashing Adrian with advanced black magic without revealing to him that she was a black magician.
She deliberately used black magic from a young age to raise Adrian to the level of a sword master.
So, today she decided to reveal all the facts and make him her puppet.
But why is his face like that?
Brainwashing a non-warlock target is a very delicate task, so if you don't know the target's mind well before starting, their mind will break, and if you make a mistake, their life will be in danger.
Just like her two sons died that way.
Empress Giselle was very annoyed, but she asked patiently.
“What happened, Adrian?”
“...No, Mother.”
Adrian shook his head sullenly. She asked again, patiently.
“What is it? Tell me quickly.”
“Actually, I’ve been feeling a bit down since the birthday party. I’m sorry, Mother.”
“Depressed? Why is our Crown Prince depressed?”
Empress Giselle focused on Adrian's changes.
Adrian is a child who was deliberately focused on being the 'Crown Prince' from a young age and whose personality was delicately manipulated with black magic to make him grow up to be a bright and cheerful person.
So that it can serve as a ‘key to liberation’ in the future.
But why does Adrian feel depressed like that?
Empress Giselle pressed Adrian, who was hesitating and hesitating to answer, in an unusually impatient manner.
“What happened at the birthday party?”
“What happened?”
Adrian was overcome with emotion.
"Don't you know, Mother! Brother Felix kidnapped Princess Argenthoz, who was supposed to be my partner, in front of everyone. It was a ridiculous sight."
It was an answer full of injustice.
Empress Giselle consoled him with a dry sigh, without even blinking.
"Adrian. The nobles don't care at all these days anyway. Banquet partners keep changing. Indeed, you've repeatedly rejected Princess Argenthoze's heart, so there's no need to feel wronged. And you have Princess Cordelia Mare."
She told him her name, deliberately trying to get him to pay attention to Cordelia again, but Adrian was strangely adamant.
“But, Mother! I am truly disappointed.”
"Adrian. What the hell are you doing? Are you really belatedly interested in the rose you threw away with your own hands?"
Empress Giselle frowned and showed her displeasure at Adrian's rebellious behavior.
In fact, the only one who could raise his voice to her like this was Crown Prince Adrian.
On the surface, he's Empress Giselle's beloved adopted son. In reality, Adrian is an important "pawn" of Empress Giselle's, so she's just tolerating him.
Adrian, not knowing this, was impressed that only his adoptive mother, Empress Giselle, understood his frustration and decided to pour out his heart.
His pride was hurt by what the Duke of Iels had said last time, so he didn't try to ask for help, but the only person he could rely on was his adoptive mother, Empress Giselle.
"Actually, during the banquet, I chased after Brother Felix. I was so angry that I wanted to confront him!"
"...so?"
"But Duke Iels personally followed me to the Palace of the Deep Sea and insulted me. He had been showing interest in Princess Argenthoz, but his attitude toward me was extremely rude!"
“Ahem? Is that so?”
Empress Giselle stroked her chin, remembering the Duke of Iels whom she had seen at the banquet.
A young Duke with a bright future ahead of him, handsome and upright.
Unlike the created Sword Master Adrian, the real Sword Master, Duke Rudnine Iels, had a distinct presence.
She was the first to suspect Duke Iels of being capable of invading the glasshouse.
But in conclusion, it wasn't.
First of all, he hadn't been to the capital, let alone the Palace of Peace, in the past two years. He had an alibi: he was definitely out at the Northern Gate, subduing demons.
Of course, she didn't like the idea of deploying the Knights of the Iels family to the Palace of the Deep Sea to protect Prince Felix, so she definitely planned to kill them later.
'Then who the hell is 'that guy'?'
Adrian continued to talk to Empress Giselle, who was once again troubled by the intruder.
“I was so angry when I remembered Duke Iels’s words after he left the Palace of the Deep Sea that I went to confront him.”
Going to ask questions.
She yawned at Adrian's pitiful appearance.
"But then the Duke and Princess Argenthoz left the palace in a friendly manner. They were so close together! I was speechless!"
“What, stuck and went out?”
Her eyes shone fiercely.
“Explain it to me, Adrian, in detail.”
Adrian was delighted that Empress Giselle was finally paying attention to his story.
"Yes! So, Duke Iels carried the Princess like this? How dare he act so boldly in my mother's palace? They're both crazy!"
Adrian gritted his teeth as he recalled Rudnine running towards Yvonne, holding her in his arms.
“Hold on and go?”
"Perhaps they knew it was embarrassing, or something? They ran so stealthily and quickly? Perhaps no one else saw them. As a fellow Sword Master, I happened to catch a glimpse of Duke Iels's movements... Well, anyway, the two of them climbed over the wall! Isn't that truly absurd?!"
Adrian gets very excited and runs wild for a long time, saying that this is an undignified act.
Empress Giselle, who had been silently watching her adopted son, opened her mouth after a while.
“Adrian? Do you remember when that was?”
Her voice trembled slightly, but Adrian didn't notice.
“Yeah. Well, I guess...”
Adrian answered, searching his memory, and Empress Giselle's hand tightened as she heard the answer.
The corners of her red lips turned up.
Found it.
"Well done, my son Adrian. Thanks to you, we finally caught that rat's tail."
“Huh? What do you mean?”
Empress Giselle smiled pleasantly at the bewildered Adrian.
It was a smile he hadn't seen in a long time.
She got up from her seat and shouted cheerfully.
"Very well, Adrian! As you wish, I will bring that despicable Duke of Iels to his knees and give you all he has. As much as your heart is broken, use him as your plaything!"
“Mother? I, I...”
Adrian also knew that Empress Giselle was gentle.
She left the room without saying goodbye, leaving Adrian stiff in shock at her harsh words.
Empress Giselle entered another room and called her black limbs back.
“I’m sorry.”
“Please forgive me!”
The warlocks, still convinced that they would be punished by Empress Giselle for their lack of results, trembled.
She looked at them coldly and then smiled.
“Find Princess Yvonne Argenthoz immediately and bring her to me.”
Princess Argenthoz.
Somehow, the sudden recollection of the dead Duchess of Argenthoz wasn't just a sense of foreboding.
The dark magicians were startled by the Empress's dazzling gaze, but they quickly grasped the situation and straightened their waists.
“I obey your command.”
"I will painfully kill the Princess who has been hiding her identity so shamefully with my own hands. Bring her back alive!"
"Yes!"
"This time, use your familiar to capture her. Since the target is set, your familiar will be useful."
Empress Giselle's eyes, which were busy with this, shone dangerously.
***
Fortunately, it was a misunderstanding.
Rudnine left the palace of the deep sea only in the morning when the sun had risen.
In his hand, he held a note written by Prince Felix asserting his innocence.
"I have no interest in Princess Yvonne Argenthoz, and I have absolutely no intention of taking her as my companion.
If there are people who plan such a thing, I will cut off their balls as soon as I have the power.
-Felix Delk Verbent"
It was a simple oath that felt light for a memorandum, but Felix was sincere.
For the first time, a real memorandum was stamped with the Prince's seal!
Felix forcefully placed the heartbreaking memorandum, stained with tears, into Rudnine's hands.
But even after receiving the Prince's memorandum, Rudnine headed straight to the Argenthoz mansion.
It was because what Yvonne had said yesterday lingered in his mind like a stain, and he was still anxious.
Just as Prince Felix had jumped up and said no, she hoped he would say no too.
It's okay to be angry...
'Yvonne must look pretty even when she's angry.'
As he entered the Argenthoz mansion in a slightly dazed state, he realized that he had not dressed up properly when he came to meet Yvonne, and he regretted it.
So he quickly fixed his cuffs, jacket collar, and hair. He wasn't happy with it, though.
But regret was useless.
Because the woman he always wanted to look good for was not in the mansion.
“What do you mean, the Princess isn’t at home?”
Rudnine, stiff with embarrassment, ended up stuttering.
According to the words of the little Duke Barden standing before him, Yvonne had left early in the morning to go shopping and go somewhere far away.
Shopping? Yvonne clearly told me she doesn't shop anymore.
If there's something you want, just tell me. I'd run to the ends of the earth to get it for you right now and give it to you!
“Yes. Yvonne left earlier, didn’t she?”
When Barden answered again, Rudnine's eyes shook with shock.
She left the capital?
Yvonne eventually left him without saying a word!
'Ah...!'
Instead of going to the Palace of the Deep Sea, he should have come to the Argenthoz Mansion first.
Rudnine, touching his throbbing temple, opened his mouth again urgently and asked Barden.
“Do you know where the Princess went?”
"I don't know, do you? My sister, as you know, is a remarkably skilled magician. She can go anywhere she pleases."
“...Ah, yes.”
In this situation, Rudnine was frustrated with Barden, who was proud of Yvonne and smiling brightly.
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