As soon as I regained consciousness, the first thing I noticed was the musty, basement-like stench. I'd been gagged by a man, and I'd lost consciousness in an instant.
Judging by the peculiar smell, the chill, and the humming of even the smallest sounds, I felt like I was trapped in a confined space, like a basement. The hard feel of the back of the metal chair felt against my back.
I lifted my eyelids with difficulty and saw a man with golden hair in front of my blurry vision.
“Are you awake?”
A deep, subdued voice wafted past me, accompanied by a lingering scent of cigars and a strong woody aroma. I blinked a few times to focus, and the man facing me came into sharp focus.
The man's turquoise eyes darted around as I sat on the chair.
I feel a weight on my wrist, and there's a clanking sound. I've done nothing wrong, yet I'm handcuffed like a criminal. It feels unfair.
The man asked me.
“Aren’t you curious about what will become of you?”
I don't care about that. I just want to wash, so please let me go. I wish Noah would come rescue me, but this world is real to me, so I feel the pressure to do it myself.
A fantastic coincidence and luck satisfied me with meeting a man like Noah. Anyway, asking him to let me go wouldn't do anything.
I quietly examined the man's appearance. I couldn't tell where he was from. He certainly wasn't Medea, and his appearance felt like a strange mix of Frogen and Belford.
Judging by his arrogant demeanor, luxurious clothes, and relaxed gaze, he must possess some kind of power. The man felt my keen gaze observing him and chuckled.
I opened my mouth and asked a deliberate question to gauge his intentions.
“How much is it?”
The man stopped laughing and stared at me when I asked him a question that had no meaning, such as how much he received or how much he would sell me for.
“What do you mean?”
"Me. If you were going to kill me, you would have killed me a long time ago. But seeing as you left me like this, isn't it because of the money? If it's money, I'll pay you several times over."
"I know you don't have any money. Your fiancé, the Duke, ran away, abandoning everything, including his property."
Why do you know everything so annoyingly? "I'll pay you later when I earn it" was a statement that made no sense, even after thinking about it myself, so I coughed and spoke differently.
“But if you promise my safety, I’ll pay you several times more.”
“It’s tempting, but I’ll decline.”
The man lit a cigar, took a drag, exhaled deeply, and continued speaking.
"I thought he was completely broke, but I guess he wasn't. It seems he has hidden assets or has an assistant from the Duke."
I bit my lip and then released it repeatedly. Strange, the conversation seemed to revolve around Noah, not me. And he kept calling him "Duke."
He doesn't look like a typical Frogen, but he could be someone sent by the Frogen Empire to kill or capture Noah. Maybe it's just my imagination, but that man's characteristic, slanted, sharp eyes seem like a Frogen.
"I don't know. I'm sure he'll try to save me, even if it means going into debt. It's much more profitable than selling me off to someone else."
“There will be no one to buy you.”
When I glared at him with my new eyes, the man laughed openly and continued speaking.
"Well, as befitting a Media doll, you are attractive, but Medea dolls themselves cannot be traded. They are doubly protected, not only by the state but also by international law."
“If it’s not for the money...”
"Even if you die here, Duke Rotsilt will search the earth to find whoever planned this and bring it to a close. He's like a mad dog; once he bites, he won't let go. I don't want to get tired."
“So, if you don’t sell or kill me, what do you want?”
The man smiled kindly, as if he had finally had a chance to get to the point.
“Duke Noah Rotsilt returns to the Empire.”
I opened my eyes wide and looked at the man. What the hell was he talking about?
"If he were to ask the Emperor of the Frogen Empire for forgiveness, His Majesty would surely forgive him mercifully and return his title and all his wealth. Because of you alone, the Empire has lost a crucial talent."
The man's face instantly darkened into an eerie smirk. A bad feeling gripped me, and I pulled back my upper body.
“What are you talking about? When will he be driven out as a traitor?”
"The Emperor is not good at expressing affection. He deliberately threatened the Duke because he cherishes him like a parent."
“Aren’t you someone hired by Princess Erita?”
"On the contrary. To be precise, I was the one who enticed Princess Erita into doing this. I needed to meet you first."
I raised my handcuffed hand and rubbed my cheek nervously. I wondered if he was trying to use me to blackmail Noah into returning to Frogen.
You're such a fool. What the hell have you been up to as the heir to the throne? No matter how much of an alliance you are, international diplomacy can be turned upside down, like turning the palm of your hand.
Frogen, with its strong imperialist ideology, has committed inhumane massacres in the past and is displaying an unbridled ambition to seize world hegemony.
We all know that their next opponent is Medea, a colonial empire with vast colonies and a united kingdom. The Frogen side's intentions for reintroducing the traitor are clear. For whatever reason, Noah must have become so necessary.
After a moment of reflection, I looked calmly into the man's turquoise eyes and opened my mouth.
“You should have used me a long time ago. It wouldn’t have been this difficult.”
Elsa's face turned pale as she was dragged into the room by her hair. For the first time in her life, she felt such a profound sense of death and murderous intent that she couldn't even raise her head.
Elsa, thrown to the floor, couldn't even scream, just lay there frozen, her eyes fixed on Noah's feet.
“If you scream or do anything stupid, you die.”
Noah whispered gently in Elsa's ear. The mere sound of his voice was enough to choke her throat.
Elsa's brown eyes darted around in confusion. Next to the man's sleek leather shoes, a long, dark metallic object appeared.
Elsa, realizing what it was, tried to suppress a scream and covered her mouth. In one hand, he held a rifle with a long barrel.
The clanking sound of the reloading gun sent a chill down her spine, and sweat poured down her body like rain. A soft yet murderous voice continued to strangle Elsa's throat.
“Raise your head.”
Elsa couldn't even breathe freely. She barely managed to raise her face, crushed by the heavy air current, to meet his eyes.
The man still smiled beautifully. His white teeth, barely visible, looked menacing, as if they might bite the back of her neck at any moment. She clutched her trembling body, as if gripped by fear, and clenched her teeth.
If you pretend not to know, you'll end up in a bad situation. No, it's not just a bad situation; you might even be brutally murdered.
“What should I do now?”
He asked, already knowing the answer. Elsa lay face down, head down, trying to suppress the trembling of her teeth.
“Princess... Princess Erita called me before...”
“Let me get to the point.”
“I really don’t know why Diana, no, Miss Diana disappeared...”
Bang-.
A bullet grazed Elsa's face, shattering the console behind her. Elsa stared blankly at the horribly shattered pieces.
Noah's mouth curved lazily as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.
“Next time, your hair will look like this.”
"My, my original plan was... to use a child from the slums to lure the Prince, and then, when the mercenaries threatened him, I would take my bodyguards and rescue him. To win his favor..."
"That's a unique idea. But what does that have to do with Diana's disappearance?"
"I really don't know. I'm confused, too. I just wanted to win the Duke's heart, so I followed the Princess's instructions."
Noah lowered his gun and rubbed his mouth with one hand.
“You don’t mention that you later tried to frame Diana, Admiral Belford’s daughter.”
Elsa's face turned red with embarrassment at the words that hit the nail on the head.
“So that’s why you did that when you were with Diana.”
It was no use hiding it. Here she was again, face down on the floor, bowing her head and begging.
"I thought the Duke was interested in her... so I tried to incur his displeasure. I had absolutely no intention of causing harm. Please forgive me."
“Ah. So there’s a way like that. I like that.”
Noah, who was laughing softly, leaned over and asked with one hand on the rifle he had placed on the floor.
“So the conclusion is that it was all Erita’s doing?”
"Yes, yes. It was wrong to agree, but I was also very shocked to hear the news of her disappearance."
"Wake up."
At Noah's command, Elsa staggered a few times and barely managed to get up.
"I've summoned the Duke of Hessen. You can say the same thing to him. Easy, right?"
"Yes?"
“You’re telling him exactly what you told me. If you say even one word differently, I’ll shoot you dead on the spot.”
“How could that be... Ugh...”
Elsa's face twisted in sorrow at the dire prospect of having to reveal not only the truth and the Princess's revenge, but also her own twisted, hidden feelings. Feeling despair, she covered her face with her hands and began to sob.
Noah aimed his gun at Elsa's head again with a nervous look in his eyes.
"I hate women who cry. No, all the women I've ever hated have cried in front of me."
“Sorry, sorry... sob.”
Elsa's face turned pale, almost bluish, at the harsh warning. Her body trembled as she swallowed back tears.
“Of course, Diana is an exception. Because she’s the woman I like.”
Noah smiled refreshingly as he added. It felt as if the frozen atmosphere had instantly melted away.
To have tamed and even engaged such a dangerous man, Diana must have been no ordinary woman. Indeed, her innate, seemingly indifferent, contemptuous gaze was not ordinary.
Noah hummed and ran the barrel of his rifle up and down.
“Then, shall we go now? To confess to the Duke of Hessen.”
"It's not a confession, it's a declaration." Elsa's heart sank again at his muttered words.
If it had been the old Elsa, she would have hated having her true feelings exposed more than dying, but now that she was facing the threat of death, she had no choice but to follow his words.
It felt like she was being manipulated by this man's orders. Elsa took a step forward, feeling regretful.
Noah Rotsilt, who was called the Mad Duke, should not be touched.
It was wrong to have been so greedy and ambitious to want to marry the Duke of Hessen in the first place. Feeling a sense of guilt, Elsa followed Noah with a pale face, like a condemned man on his way to execution.
As she walked down a long corridor that felt like my last journey, she entered a room and saw the Duke of Hessen standing silently, and the Queen sitting next to him, resting her chin on her hand.
A line of maids lined up in luxurious white knightly uniforms with gold buttons. Unlike ordinary maids, these are the Queen's special knight maids, chosen only for their exceptional abilities.
Why is the Queen here? Elsa suddenly realized something.
Tempshire Palace prohibits the carrying of firearms by civilians other than military personnel or knights. Noah is currently holding a rifle openly in one hand.
Elsa, who had been looking around, collapsed to her knees and burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, look. Count Rotsilt is holding a rifle. He illegally brought a firearm here, pointed it at me, and threatened to tell me it was the Princess's doing. Please help me."
Judging by the peculiar smell, the chill, and the humming of even the smallest sounds, I felt like I was trapped in a confined space, like a basement. The hard feel of the back of the metal chair felt against my back.
I lifted my eyelids with difficulty and saw a man with golden hair in front of my blurry vision.
“Are you awake?”
A deep, subdued voice wafted past me, accompanied by a lingering scent of cigars and a strong woody aroma. I blinked a few times to focus, and the man facing me came into sharp focus.
The man's turquoise eyes darted around as I sat on the chair.
I feel a weight on my wrist, and there's a clanking sound. I've done nothing wrong, yet I'm handcuffed like a criminal. It feels unfair.
The man asked me.
“Aren’t you curious about what will become of you?”
I don't care about that. I just want to wash, so please let me go. I wish Noah would come rescue me, but this world is real to me, so I feel the pressure to do it myself.
A fantastic coincidence and luck satisfied me with meeting a man like Noah. Anyway, asking him to let me go wouldn't do anything.
I quietly examined the man's appearance. I couldn't tell where he was from. He certainly wasn't Medea, and his appearance felt like a strange mix of Frogen and Belford.
Judging by his arrogant demeanor, luxurious clothes, and relaxed gaze, he must possess some kind of power. The man felt my keen gaze observing him and chuckled.
I opened my mouth and asked a deliberate question to gauge his intentions.
“How much is it?”
The man stopped laughing and stared at me when I asked him a question that had no meaning, such as how much he received or how much he would sell me for.
“What do you mean?”
"Me. If you were going to kill me, you would have killed me a long time ago. But seeing as you left me like this, isn't it because of the money? If it's money, I'll pay you several times over."
"I know you don't have any money. Your fiancé, the Duke, ran away, abandoning everything, including his property."
Why do you know everything so annoyingly? "I'll pay you later when I earn it" was a statement that made no sense, even after thinking about it myself, so I coughed and spoke differently.
“But if you promise my safety, I’ll pay you several times more.”
“It’s tempting, but I’ll decline.”
The man lit a cigar, took a drag, exhaled deeply, and continued speaking.
"I thought he was completely broke, but I guess he wasn't. It seems he has hidden assets or has an assistant from the Duke."
I bit my lip and then released it repeatedly. Strange, the conversation seemed to revolve around Noah, not me. And he kept calling him "Duke."
He doesn't look like a typical Frogen, but he could be someone sent by the Frogen Empire to kill or capture Noah. Maybe it's just my imagination, but that man's characteristic, slanted, sharp eyes seem like a Frogen.
"I don't know. I'm sure he'll try to save me, even if it means going into debt. It's much more profitable than selling me off to someone else."
“There will be no one to buy you.”
When I glared at him with my new eyes, the man laughed openly and continued speaking.
"Well, as befitting a Media doll, you are attractive, but Medea dolls themselves cannot be traded. They are doubly protected, not only by the state but also by international law."
“If it’s not for the money...”
"Even if you die here, Duke Rotsilt will search the earth to find whoever planned this and bring it to a close. He's like a mad dog; once he bites, he won't let go. I don't want to get tired."
“So, if you don’t sell or kill me, what do you want?”
The man smiled kindly, as if he had finally had a chance to get to the point.
“Duke Noah Rotsilt returns to the Empire.”
I opened my eyes wide and looked at the man. What the hell was he talking about?
"If he were to ask the Emperor of the Frogen Empire for forgiveness, His Majesty would surely forgive him mercifully and return his title and all his wealth. Because of you alone, the Empire has lost a crucial talent."
The man's face instantly darkened into an eerie smirk. A bad feeling gripped me, and I pulled back my upper body.
“What are you talking about? When will he be driven out as a traitor?”
"The Emperor is not good at expressing affection. He deliberately threatened the Duke because he cherishes him like a parent."
“Aren’t you someone hired by Princess Erita?”
"On the contrary. To be precise, I was the one who enticed Princess Erita into doing this. I needed to meet you first."
I raised my handcuffed hand and rubbed my cheek nervously. I wondered if he was trying to use me to blackmail Noah into returning to Frogen.
You're such a fool. What the hell have you been up to as the heir to the throne? No matter how much of an alliance you are, international diplomacy can be turned upside down, like turning the palm of your hand.
Frogen, with its strong imperialist ideology, has committed inhumane massacres in the past and is displaying an unbridled ambition to seize world hegemony.
We all know that their next opponent is Medea, a colonial empire with vast colonies and a united kingdom. The Frogen side's intentions for reintroducing the traitor are clear. For whatever reason, Noah must have become so necessary.
After a moment of reflection, I looked calmly into the man's turquoise eyes and opened my mouth.
“You should have used me a long time ago. It wouldn’t have been this difficult.”
***
Elsa's face turned pale as she was dragged into the room by her hair. For the first time in her life, she felt such a profound sense of death and murderous intent that she couldn't even raise her head.
Elsa, thrown to the floor, couldn't even scream, just lay there frozen, her eyes fixed on Noah's feet.
“If you scream or do anything stupid, you die.”
Noah whispered gently in Elsa's ear. The mere sound of his voice was enough to choke her throat.
Elsa's brown eyes darted around in confusion. Next to the man's sleek leather shoes, a long, dark metallic object appeared.
Elsa, realizing what it was, tried to suppress a scream and covered her mouth. In one hand, he held a rifle with a long barrel.
The clanking sound of the reloading gun sent a chill down her spine, and sweat poured down her body like rain. A soft yet murderous voice continued to strangle Elsa's throat.
“Raise your head.”
Elsa couldn't even breathe freely. She barely managed to raise her face, crushed by the heavy air current, to meet his eyes.
The man still smiled beautifully. His white teeth, barely visible, looked menacing, as if they might bite the back of her neck at any moment. She clutched her trembling body, as if gripped by fear, and clenched her teeth.
If you pretend not to know, you'll end up in a bad situation. No, it's not just a bad situation; you might even be brutally murdered.
“What should I do now?”
He asked, already knowing the answer. Elsa lay face down, head down, trying to suppress the trembling of her teeth.
“Princess... Princess Erita called me before...”
“Let me get to the point.”
“I really don’t know why Diana, no, Miss Diana disappeared...”
Bang-.
A bullet grazed Elsa's face, shattering the console behind her. Elsa stared blankly at the horribly shattered pieces.
Noah's mouth curved lazily as he slung his rifle over his shoulder.
“Next time, your hair will look like this.”
"My, my original plan was... to use a child from the slums to lure the Prince, and then, when the mercenaries threatened him, I would take my bodyguards and rescue him. To win his favor..."
"That's a unique idea. But what does that have to do with Diana's disappearance?"
"I really don't know. I'm confused, too. I just wanted to win the Duke's heart, so I followed the Princess's instructions."
Noah lowered his gun and rubbed his mouth with one hand.
“You don’t mention that you later tried to frame Diana, Admiral Belford’s daughter.”
Elsa's face turned red with embarrassment at the words that hit the nail on the head.
“So that’s why you did that when you were with Diana.”
It was no use hiding it. Here she was again, face down on the floor, bowing her head and begging.
"I thought the Duke was interested in her... so I tried to incur his displeasure. I had absolutely no intention of causing harm. Please forgive me."
“Ah. So there’s a way like that. I like that.”
Noah, who was laughing softly, leaned over and asked with one hand on the rifle he had placed on the floor.
“So the conclusion is that it was all Erita’s doing?”
"Yes, yes. It was wrong to agree, but I was also very shocked to hear the news of her disappearance."
"Wake up."
At Noah's command, Elsa staggered a few times and barely managed to get up.
"I've summoned the Duke of Hessen. You can say the same thing to him. Easy, right?"
"Yes?"
“You’re telling him exactly what you told me. If you say even one word differently, I’ll shoot you dead on the spot.”
“How could that be... Ugh...”
Elsa's face twisted in sorrow at the dire prospect of having to reveal not only the truth and the Princess's revenge, but also her own twisted, hidden feelings. Feeling despair, she covered her face with her hands and began to sob.
Noah aimed his gun at Elsa's head again with a nervous look in his eyes.
"I hate women who cry. No, all the women I've ever hated have cried in front of me."
“Sorry, sorry... sob.”
Elsa's face turned pale, almost bluish, at the harsh warning. Her body trembled as she swallowed back tears.
“Of course, Diana is an exception. Because she’s the woman I like.”
Noah smiled refreshingly as he added. It felt as if the frozen atmosphere had instantly melted away.
To have tamed and even engaged such a dangerous man, Diana must have been no ordinary woman. Indeed, her innate, seemingly indifferent, contemptuous gaze was not ordinary.
Noah hummed and ran the barrel of his rifle up and down.
“Then, shall we go now? To confess to the Duke of Hessen.”
"It's not a confession, it's a declaration." Elsa's heart sank again at his muttered words.
If it had been the old Elsa, she would have hated having her true feelings exposed more than dying, but now that she was facing the threat of death, she had no choice but to follow his words.
It felt like she was being manipulated by this man's orders. Elsa took a step forward, feeling regretful.
Noah Rotsilt, who was called the Mad Duke, should not be touched.
It was wrong to have been so greedy and ambitious to want to marry the Duke of Hessen in the first place. Feeling a sense of guilt, Elsa followed Noah with a pale face, like a condemned man on his way to execution.
As she walked down a long corridor that felt like my last journey, she entered a room and saw the Duke of Hessen standing silently, and the Queen sitting next to him, resting her chin on her hand.
A line of maids lined up in luxurious white knightly uniforms with gold buttons. Unlike ordinary maids, these are the Queen's special knight maids, chosen only for their exceptional abilities.
Why is the Queen here? Elsa suddenly realized something.
Tempshire Palace prohibits the carrying of firearms by civilians other than military personnel or knights. Noah is currently holding a rifle openly in one hand.
Elsa, who had been looking around, collapsed to her knees and burst into tears.
"Your Majesty, look. Count Rotsilt is holding a rifle. He illegally brought a firearm here, pointed it at me, and threatened to tell me it was the Princess's doing. Please help me."
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