#86
In the office that was as bright as day even at night, someone who had been busily moving their hands stopped and fell into quiet thought.
A petition.
A report.
The two documents his eyes alternately touched both pointed toward one person.
“……”
Ersen Mayer.
The sprout that was thought to die following its mother any moment had tenaciously survived and finally begun to bear fruit.
A cool gaze briefly distorted then smoothed out.
For him, who had rarely been disturbed since the Empress’s death, this was unusual.
He, Emperor Mayer, soon organized his thoughts with an indifferent face.
Regarding ‘Prince’ Ersen Mayer, not Eris’s son.
“How much time was left until the twenty-two awakening ceremony?”
“About 1 year and 4 months remain.”
“1 year and 4 months. That’s long.”
He had no intention of imposing any sanctions on Ersen Mayer until the royal awakening ceremony.
He didn’t, but… since he had earned the hatred of influential families, this was natural.
However.
“The reason for the petition is concerning.”
Just because their child was humiliated by the Prince.
The reason was so trivial it could be interpreted as contempt for royalty.
But he could see right through it.
The intention to provide an appropriate pretext since the Emperor wanted this too.
It was truly an irritating behavior, but the fact that he could get rid of the troublesome Prince by pushing principles, even somewhat forcibly, was undeniably tempting.
“Was it said… that he greatly resembles his mother?”
The woman with jet-black hair, deep gray eyes, and blood-red lips.
Eris was one who carried such overwhelming ominousness throughout her body that none of her physical beauty could be felt.
A being who seemed like approaching her would curse you for life.
The Emperor had never feared her, but he had received an indelible wound from her, who was stimulated by his indifference.
Someone might give a principled lecture that the Emperor shouldn’t move based on personal grudges…
But when the opponent is curse itself.
What more words are needed?
“I won’t be able to see the awakening.”
The Emperor drummed on his desk, thought a bit more, then unhesitatingly moved his pen to write two command orders.
And handed them to his waiting subordinate, the head servant.
“Though it’s not that regrettable. Go and convey comfort.”
The imperial palace head servant only bowed his head silently in affirmation.
* * *
A gathering calling the remaining three people who could use nullification was quickly arranged.
Originally, this was where I planned to decide who would have their curse lifted next and naturally convey my demands to them.
“…A command order came yesterday, Crown Prince hyung.”
They moved faster than expected.
“What is it?”
When I silently handed over the command order the Emperor had delivered in the middle of the night, Crown Prince hyung took it.
The Archduke who was positioned with a somewhat observer-like attitude, Marcus hyung who had been lighting up his eyes while confirming Theodore hyung’s lifted curse many times, and Sercil who obviously had something to hide.
Everyone’s gaze gathered on that command order.
And after a moment.
When Crown Prince hyung’s face crumpled up, the smiles on the three people’s faces dimmed.
“What is it?”
The Archduke asked.
Crown Prince hyung handed him the command order and sighed.
And while the Archduke checked the contents and hesitated, he asked me.
“Marsien?”
“Probably.”
“I thought that was rather a beneficial treatment.”
By the time everyone had finished checking, Marcus hyung and Sercil’s expressions were worth seeing too.
“That’s the young lady who held the awakening ceremony ball, right? That young lady did this?”
“Yeah yeah, probably.”
At my response, Sercil’s face reddened and he jumped around shouting.
“They’re proceeding with this while under house arrest? What kind of shameless person exists like that?”
Marcus hyung crossed his arms.
“Well, such shameless people might exist.”
“Shameless, huh.”
I swung my legs and tilted my head. Then replied.
“Rather than that, isn’t it more realistic to think that person is preparing something right now?”
Sercil drew in a small breath.
“…Do you think there’s a possibility she’ll do something in connection with half-demons?”
I carefully observed Sercil’s pale expression without showing it and answered.
“Not just thinking there’s a possibility… I think it’s almost certain!”
Then Crown Prince hyung tilted his head and stared at me.
“Hyung. That red stone the young lady received then? The one said to be a replica of half-demon relics.”
“Yeah.”
“Wouldn’t it be stranger if she received something like that and did nothing?”
“Right, certainly.”
As expected, the answer I anticipated came back.
Theodore hyung, who knew Lady Marsien’s personality well, would know even better.
How suspicious it was that Lady Marsien was quiet while under house arrest.
“But moving in this way is strange.”
The Archduke, who had been sitting next to me thinking about something, said.
“Using power itself could be said to be like the young lady, but it’s insufficient action to connect with that replica. There haven’t been any meetings with half-demons recently either.”
“Were you still monitoring that side?”
He smiled silently.
And instead of giving a definite answer, he laid out the surveillance results in detail.
“No traces of communication with half-demons were found, but strange rumors are circulating within the mansion. Originally servants there did die occasionally, but during the young lady’s house arrest period, there have been more secretly disposed corpses.”
“We can’t assert that Lady Marsien killed them, but the possibility is highest.”
“Right.”
“Possibility what, how many people in that family would dismember and kill people.”
Marcus hyung muttered.
He said quietly that he had helped the Archduke’s investigation once, then ruffled his hair.
“Rather, corpses appearing is natural. What’s strange now isn’t this command order?”
I slowly closed and opened my eyes.
Actually, when I received the command order, I only thought that something I knew about had come faster than expected.
The reason I informed them was because I knew that after this succession rights issue, they would likely pile on other pretexts to expel me from the imperial palace.
‘Then I would become freer to move, but it would be somewhat disadvantageous when dealing with nobles. That’s fine, but nullification is the problem.’
Since I had only lifted Crown Prince hyung’s curse so far.
The half-demons would become bolder with that resolution as a catalyst, and if I left the imperial palace in the midst of this, the time to help with nullification would be greatly reduced.
Then someone among them would definitely get hurt.
I held back wanting to apologize right away. And observed each of them lost in thought with a slightly awkward feeling.
‘However, what’s a bit questionable.’
There kept being moments when they seemed to truly worry about me.
‘Why do I keep having such delusions? Even though I’ve created such a precarious situation.’
I couldn’t sleep well from fear that I might fail again, that I might become the greatest curse to them again.
Yet I kept harboring such fantasies, so I must be the bad one.
I consciously raised the corners of my mouth more mysteriously.
Theodore hyung’s cool, undisturbed gaze compared to the other three was greatly helpful at that moment.
“They probably want to get rid of a small fry like me at this opportunity. Rather than that, wouldn’t it be better to move assuming the young lady has started moving again in cooperation with half-demons? My succession rights issue might be a diversionary incident covering up an even bigger matter. So.”
The Archduke asked with his usual gentle smile.
“Your Highness intends to step forward directly?”
Looking now, he was as little disturbed as Crown Prince hyung.
‘Ah, did hyung also share the conversation he had with me to the Archduke?’
Laughing briefly, I answered him.
“Mm. That replica thing is really bothering me.”
“Hah. So, what’s the plan?”
Marcus hyung, who had been looking at me with strange eyes, asked bluntly.
“First we need to find the half-demon who gave the replica to the young lady. That’s Rico, right?”
I exchanged glances with the Archduke.
Because I had told him that Rico traveled as a set with the one we had faced at the trading company warehouse last time.
Marcus hyung answered.
“That guy is in hiding.”
“He seems to have gone missing from inside too.”
The Archduke mentioned casually.
“How’s that again.”
I reflexively started to frown and ask, then stopped speaking.
‘Archduke, you also became a target of half-demons in the original work while spying on the inside.’
But trying not to show it, I barely managed to pull up the corners of my mouth.
What if something beyond what I expected happened to him?
‘As expected, I’d like you to be the next nullification.’
He probably wouldn’t move that way.
“…Then we’ll have to touch someone higher up than Rico.”
I said that while silently rising from my seat.
And picked up the long coat beside me.
Four pairs of eyes that had been following my movements stared at me questioningly.
“Good. Then I’ll go and come back, so you all decide the next order. Got it?”
“Your Highness, surely you’re not going to find that higher-up now?”
In this situation?
Sercil called to me in bewilderment.
I shook my head, stopped walking lightly, and turned around.
“Yeah. This is a race against time.”
“I’ve already sent people, Your Highness.”
“To the half-demon side? Thanks for that, Archduke. It can draw attention.”
“Though causing a commotion isn’t the purpose.”
The Archduke looked at me with a gaze that felt cold rather than calm and said.
“And why are you going alone?”
I’m sorry, Archduke. This is something I have to do alone.
I answered only in my mind while slightly curving my eyes and saying teasingly.
“I’m going to spy. Through my own route. Ah, I won’t tell you this route even if you’re the Archduke.”
He was probably thinking of the half-demon who had started communicating with me, Yuan.
Leaving that misunderstanding as it was, I started walking again and said.
“Don’t worry. I won’t die until I’ve lifted all your curses.”
Whether this was the right answer, no response came back to those words.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
