Chapter 54
It was widely believed that Grand Duke Neuze was cursed by a demon. A curse? Most people dismissed it as a baseless rumor.
But in private, Travio, the Grand Duke’s younger brother, once admitted, “The curse is real.”
“What kind of curse is it?”
“Nobody knows. The House of Neuze won’t say a word.”
Travio had been quite drunk when he said that, and the House of Neuze later issued a formal denial of the rumor.
So no one dared to mention the word “curse” to the Grand Duke’s face. Still, they couldn’t stop the whispers that spread quietly behind his back.
“I hear the Grand Duke isn’t the type to cling to power or obsess over his territory. That’s why most people assume Travio’s son will be the next Grand Duke.”
The problem was Travio himself. His unruly, disorderly nature stood in stark contrast to the normally quiet and composed ducal family.
He was infamous for his dissolute behavior and for using the family’s status for personal gain. Because of that, all the Grand Duke’s vassals desperately hoped he would marry and produce an heir.
But the Grand Duke had consistently stated he would pass the title to Travio’s son.
…That is, until that contract marriage.
“Once he got married, the ducal vassals strongly urged him to marry again. Eventually, he did.”
“…And that second marriage also ended in failure.”
At that moment, Cesar and Abelard’s gazes landed on one person, Elliot Resaloniki.
Elliot looked visibly uncomfortable under the attention, but eventually he spoke.
“…It couldn’t be helped.”
Of course not. Both women he had married were possessed.
The Dragon Duke had pointed out that the Grand Duke’s second wife was also possessed and declared she would be sent back over the rainbow.
As Captain of the Dragon Knights, Elliot had no choice but to follow the Dragon Duke’s orders.
Abelard shrugged.
“I still remember Lord Resaloniki’s face when he was dragging away four women who claimed they were my first loves. Looked like he’d bitten into something sour.”
“…It wasn’t a pleasant task.”
“Still, I suppose the Grand Duke must feel like both marriages he reluctantly agreed to were ruined because of you.”
Elliot’s expression suddenly darkened. Anais watched him silently.
Their journey together hadn’t been easy, but compared to dragging away women with the title of Grand Duchess… what Elliot had endured was surely far worse.
To such a person…
“My lord, have you met all the possessed individuals before Number 33? All thirty-two?”
“I… have seen them all. Why do you ask?”
“Did they all hide their jewels and money, or is it just No. 33? I’ve never seen someone so frustrating.”
“…It varies from person to person.”
That’s what she’d asked, but she realized too late that it might have stirred painful memories.
Anais looked down at the reins in her hands, feeling strange.
‘Maybe I shouldn’t have asked that…’
But there was someone who was the opposite of Anais. It was Abelard.
“By the way, what were the two women like? I remember the ones who came after me crying and wailing as they were dragged away.”
The Crown Prince asked with a smirk.
Anais shot him a glare for no reason.
That mouth of his! If she hadn’t been riding a mule, she would’ve marched over and slapped him.
She imagined it, smacking him and yelling, “This mouth! This mouth!”
Even while thinking that, her eyes naturally drifted to Elliot. But Elliot remained surprisingly calm.
“…I don’t remember much. I was just… disoriented.”
“That’s understandable. I remember a lot of nobles back then asking, ‘What even is possession?’”
Abelard chattered away.
Cesar chimed in too, talking about how magicians had fiercely debated whether possession was a form of dimensional travel, and how that year’s academic debate at Rezaie had been livelier than ever.
Amid the chatter, Elliot found himself recalling the events in the Duchy of Neuze.
The first Grand Duchess had been dignified.
“If this is a trial, then I’ll endure it,”
She said before voluntarily falling asleep. She had probably believed she’d wake again and see the Grand Duke someday.
That made sense. At the time, no one truly understood what the Dragon Lord meant by “sending them back over the rainbow.”
Only Elliot knew.
Returning over the rainbow meant entering eternal sleep.
At first, he believed the original owners of the bodies would return once the possessed were sent back.
But the Dragon Lord had sighed and told him, “Ah, my representative is still so naive.”
Once a soul had departed, it was nearly impossible to bring it back.
So when it came to the second Grand Duchess, it was even harder for Elliot. By then, everyone knew the truth of being sent back over the rainbow meant death.
The second Grand Duchess had screamed at Elliot.
“My life is just beginning! Why are you doing this? Please, just pretend you didn’t see me!”
“I cannot do that.”
“If I go back there, I’ll die! I was hit by a car, and when I opened my eyes, I was here!”
Elliot didn’t know what a “car” was. He’d only heard from others that it was a fast, metal carriage.
He understood their fear, their desperate protests. But no one ever considered the burden carried by the knight who had to silence them.
Worn out, Elliot asked the Grand Duke of Neuze for cooperation.
The Duke, standing before his second wife, remained expressionless, but his eyes were full of torment.
The Grand Duchess pleaded with him.
“Please save me.”
“…”
“I love you! I really do!”
The Grand Duke’s face hardened in that very moment. But he couldn’t waver.
The Dragon Lord had explained why he absolutely could not hide his Grand Duchess.
“The possessed have torn a hole in the world. If that rift is not sealed, demons will return to the Grand Duchy of Neuze. They are evil incarnate.”
The Duke had to choose between the lives of his people and his wife of only three months.
And of course, the scale tipped toward his people.
Still, it didn’t ease his sorrow.
It couldn’t be helped. That was the only way to keep everyone safe.
That’s how he justified it to himself.
“Lord Elliot Resaloniki. You again.”
The Grand Duke of Neuze was just as Elliot remembered.
First and foremost, he was gloomy. Utterly gloomy.
That was the first impression. He was in his mid-thirties, yet looked as if the word “fatigue” had taken human form.
His ash-gray hair, once black, hung unkempt. His eyes, pitch-black and fathomless, seemed to draw in anyone who looked into them.
And his face… it wasn’t angry or distorted.
It was as if his entire face were draped in shadow.
“I haven’t married since then.”
“…I know.”
“And I have no intention of marrying again.”
At those words, Elliot’s expression grew even darker. Everyone around them thought the same thing.
‘Wow… so gloomy…’
In contrast, Count Travio, his brother, stood beside him, glowing like sunshine. Shining brown hair, a warm smile, and a cheerful air.
“Haha, brother. No need for such harsh words. Lord Resaloniki didn’t do it on purpose.”
“Maybe it would’ve been better if he had.”
The Grand Duke replied coldly.
“Then I could’ve banned him from ever setting foot in this duchy again.”
“…”
A heavy silence fell over the group.
Abelard whispered from the corner of his mouth.
“…I think I shouldn’t have come here.”
“Stay still. Anais is right here.”
Anais poked Abelard in the side. Abelard poked her back.
This guy, he never lets anything go.
Anais jabbed him again—
“Can I join in too?”
Cesar whispered, squeezing between them.
But his timing was off. He got too close, way too close, to Anais’s ear.
Anais shrieked.
“Oh my god!”
