Chapter 49
Dimidius, who hadn’t slept a wink, went straight to Regalis’s room as soon as morning came. Olentia had told him to stay put, but he felt he should at least issue a warning.
Regalis seemed to have just finished washing, shaking the water out of his hair. He looked at Dimidius, who had entered, with a puzzled expression.
“What brings you here so early?”
Dimidius glared at him as if he would devour him whole.
“Leave immediately. There’s no place for you in Belial’s territory.”
“What do you mean? It hasn’t even been a few days since I arrived at the Duke’s Castle. And now you suddenly say I should leave?”
Dimidius felt disgusted by the way Regalis casually acted as if nothing had happened. For someone who had tried to seduce a married woman, he certainly had a smooth tongue.
Finally, Dimidius stepped closer to Regalis and growled, his voice dripping with menace:
“I know what you did to my wife. And you think you deserve to stay here?”
Regalis’s expression instantly twisted, and he bit his lip.
“So, you’ve assigned a watcher over me, after all.”
“Leave while I’m speaking nicely. Don’t test the limits of my patience.”
“And if I can’t do that?”
At those words, Dimidius’s eyes flashed. With tremendous force, he grabbed Regalis by the throat. In an instant, Regalis couldn’t breathe and writhed in pain. No matter how strong he was, Regalis stood no chance against Dimidius’s demonic power.
“Ugh! Ack!”
Just before the crown prince’s breath would have been cut off, Dimidius released him, letting him collapse to the floor. Regalis writhed in agony, cursing.
“You’ll regret acting like this! Even if I’m your cousin, I won’t stand idly by!”
Regalis shot Dimidius a sharp glare and got back to his feet, a deep red mark around his neck.
Dimidius stepped closer, his voice cold.
“Then try it if you can. I’ll give you two days. In that time, pack your things and leave the Duke’s Castle.”
With that, Dimidius turned and headed straight to Olentia’s room. He wanted to see her sleeping face a little longer. Using his demonic power had left him unsettled, and he felt he could calm down by seeing her.
Dexter had been patrolling the outside of the Duke’s Castle since early morning. In the dawn, the servants rarely passed by, making it easier to investigate.
His goal was to find a passage to infiltrate the castle, but nothing stood out.
It was the empress’s order, so he could not disobey. What she planned to do once she found out didn’t concern him—Dexter merely followed orders.
His heart pounding, Dexter combed through the bushes behind the Duke’s Castle and discovered a small door hidden under a tangle of vines. It was well concealed, making it hard to spot.
A flash of excitement lit up Dexter’s eyes.
“This is it! The north of the door opens into a forest, right?”
A massive forest lay just beyond the small door. To infiltrate the Duke’s Castle, surrounded by massive walls, this was the only viable entry.
Relieved to have finally found a place worth reporting, Dexter left the area.
She dreamt.
It was deep night, and not even the chirping of insects could be heard.
It was undoubtedly the Duke’s Castle, though the exact location was unclear. She saw dozens of assassins bursting through the vine-covered door and entering the castle walls.
They moved in perfect unison, heading straight for Dimidius’s bedroom.
Dimidius used his demonic power to dispatch them, but there were simply too many.
Eventually, he suffered critical injuries to his waist and legs.
And just as the assassins’ blades were about to strike him…
Olentia screamed, waking from the dream.
“Hah… Hah… What… what was that?”
Another ominous premonition. She groaned, clutching her hair.
Dimidius approached her, as if he had been in the room all along.
“What’s the matter? Did you have a nightmare?”
Concern filled his voice, though she couldn’t bring herself to reveal the premonition to him.
Olentia looked at him, eyes full of confusion.
“Well… yes. I had a rather… bad dream.”
As Dimidius sat on the bed, the mattress sank under his weight, emphasizing his presence. He smoothed Olentia’s tangled hair with his hand.
“Bad dreams can be left behind. It’s nothing. It’s not reality.”
No… this could be a premonition… I can’t believe it.
Olentia remained silent, wrestling with her thoughts. She decided she had to investigate the vine-covered door.
I can change this. I’ll just calmly find out.
She stood and addressed Dimidius.
“Then let’s have a good day today. I’ll go get ready now.”
Since she had to find the door, she made him leave.
Dimidius studied her briefly before rising and opening the door.
“May you have a good day as well, Lady.”
Eager to leave, Olentia summoned Bobby with a tug on the rope. Bobby fussed as he brought water to wash her face.
“My lady… how are you?”
“What do you mean how am I? I slept in bed; His Highness slept on the sofa.”
Bobby, unimpressed, skillfully combed her hair. But Olentia’s thoughts were only on finding the vine-covered door.
Dressed for mobility and skipping breakfast, she left the castle. Several servants carried items in and out.
She approached one and asked:
“Is there any door around the Duke’s Castle besides the main gate?”
The servant’s eyes widened in surprise.
“I… I don’t really know, my lady. But why do you ask?”
“Well, you never know when an attack could happen. The world’s dangerous.”
“True… Five years ago, there was an attack here. It could happen again.”
“What? The Duke’s Castle was attacked five years ago?”
Olentia was shocked. She had never heard this. She knew about the attack on the train, but the castle itself?
The servant, seeing Olentia’s ignorance, looked even more startled.
“Oh… you didn’t know, my lady.”
“Who was behind it?”
“I… I don’t know… It’s not something I can just say, I’m sorry.”
Sending the servant away left Olentia feeling uneasy. Who had orchestrated the attack five years ago, and where was the vine-covered door?
She searched the castle’s exterior for a long time, checking every wall but finding nothing. Other servants gave the same vague answers. Frustrating.
By now, the afternoon sun was intense. Exhausted and dirty at the hem of her dress, Olentia thought:
It might be faster to just ask His Highness. He would know, and he won’t think it strange if I ask nicely.
Determined, she went to his study. The guard naturally opened the door for her.
The room, filled with wooden shelves and desks, had a warm feeling. The smell of books and ink lingered. Dimidius was asleep, bent over, and Olentia approached quietly.
At that moment, the mask that had precariously rested on his face slipped off.
Thump!
Startled, Olentia instinctively clutched her chest.
She was seeing Dimidius’s face for the first time.
She wondered if it was even proper to sneak a peek like this, but there was no aide Killun, only the two of them.
Dimidius had strikingly fine features. His eyebrows were well-shaped, neither too dark nor thin, and his nose was sharp, extending from between his brows. His lips were red and full like cherries. Seeing him in person was even more breathtaking than in her premonitions.
She wanted to show the people who had called him a monstrous face.
Dimidius was… incredibly handsome.
He slept soundly, breathing softly. Perhaps he hadn’t slept at all last night. Olentia had slept well, so she couldn’t tell.
When the sunlight hit his face, he squinted, and Olentia gently placed her hand over his face. Dimidius finally relaxed. It seemed she had never seen him so unguarded. He often acted playful, but was tense most of the time.
How wonderful it would be…
She wished he could freely take off his mask. She didn’t know why he wore it, but she hoped he could unburden himself.
Her hand brushed against his nose as she breathed. Unconsciously, she touched his face.
His skin was smooth and soft. The warmth of his breath against her fingers sent tingles through not just her skin, but her heart.
Olentia didn’t understand why she acted this way. Her chest tightened, and she swallowed hard.
Ah! If I keep this up, His Highness will wake!
Feeling a sudden sense of urgency, she withdrew her hand and left the study. It was a pity—this had been an important moment to see Dimidius’s face.
She also hadn’t asked about the vine-covered door, which was another regret.
If he woke in that state, she had no idea how he would react. He hated showing his face and might get angry.
Olentia finally returned to her room.
