Chapter 17
Varden bit the tender flesh inside his mouth firmly.
And hiding his inner thoughts as much as possible, he opened his mouth calmly.
“Ah, I heard that too. The rumor that Duke Ludnine Iels is coming to the capital.”
“Right. I don’t know why Duke Iels, famous for insisting on living in the North, is coming to the capital.”
“That is true but… I also don’t know the reason well.”
As Varden insisted on an attitude like an iron wall until the end, Adrian, fed up, became impatient and eventually asked openly.
“Don’t feign ignorance, Varden. Isn’t Duke Iels coming to the capital because of the matter related to Princess Yvonne Argenthose?”
Feeling strange, Varden stopped walking.
Adrian looked anxious. The Crown Prince, asking while even mentioning Yvonne’s name specifically, looked different from usual.
Hardening his expression, Varden asked Adrian back.
“Your Highness. Were you interested in my younger sister? I know that you rather dislike her, though.”
“N-Naturally I have no interest. However…”
“However?”
Varden persistently caught the tail of Adrian’s trailing words.
Thereupon, Adrian shrugged his shoulders and answered.
“If Duke Iels is coming to meet Princess Yvonne as the rumor says. Honestly speaking, wouldn’t Duke Iels’ high reputation be tarnished? As the Crown Prince, I am worried about the prestige of a noble vassal.”
‘What? This bastard.’
Thick veins popped up on Varden’s forehead.
Varden, enraged at Adrian who openly badmouthed his younger sister Yvonne in front of him, clenched his fists tightly.
Until a while ago, he also thought Yvonne was a hopeless ‘mad dog’ just like the Crown Prince, but now it is different.
Encountering Yvonne, who acts affectionately toward him these days perhaps due to the shock of being rejected by Adrian, frequently, he felt concerned.
No, rather, he even felt guilty wondering if he had misunderstood Yvonne all this time.
Since her only family including himself and Father didn’t believe in her, perhaps the lonely Yvonne clung more to Crown Prince Adrian who had only decent looks and status.
“Isn’t that so?”
‘…Haa.’
He wanted to punch Adrian’s beaming face once.
Varden regretted very much the time he sympathized with the Crown Prince and felt more sorry for Yvonne.
‘Where was the 3rd Prince’s Palace again.’
As Father said, since there is another Prince, he felt like replacing the Crown Prince with a new one.
Varden, who was turning his head sneakily toward the direction of the 3rd Prince’s Palace, discovered a black handprint remaining on one tree planted in the Imperial Palace garden.
‘What is this?’
Surprised, Varden hurriedly approached the strange tree and examined the tree trunk.
And as was his habit on the battlefield, he took a picture of it with the bracelet-type portable magic projector on his wrist and left a record immediately.
“Why are you doing that? What is the matter?”
He looked back at Adrian who followed him and asked.
“Here…”
Even though he is an annoying guy personally, since Adrian is the Crown Prince, he had to report the situation.
Varden, who was about to look back at the tree and continue speaking, stiffened rigidly.
‘What?’
The black mark that was on the tree suddenly disappeared cleanly.
“Nothing happened, right?”
“…It seems it was my illusion.”
Being so dumbfounded, Varden stared quietly at the tree where the mark disappeared, and fiddled with his magic projector bracelet.
The captured screen can be played back only if there is a projector main body paired with this bracelet.
Since it could really be his illusion, he decided to check after returning home.
‘Hm.’
Adrian thought Varden, who was looking at the tree wordlessly, avoided the topic he brought up on purpose.
He continued speaking with an impatient voice.
“Varden. Don’t avoid it and listen. Actually, the part I am worried about is separate. Although it’s a bit weird to say with my own mouth, hmph hmph.”
“Yes?”
Feeling a premonition that Adrian would spout nonsense worse than before, Varden felt like covering his ears.
“I am worried wondering if the Princess perhaps threatened Duke Iels in a very wicked way to move my heart.”
Why do crappy premonitions never miss.
Suppressing the rising anger, Varden called Adrian gloomily.
“……Your Highness.”
But the tactless Adrian did not stop.
“Umm. Even so, there is no way my heart would be moved. Instead, convey that if the Princess comes to find me personally and apologizes to Princess Cordelia and me, I will forgive the past bombing terror incident in the Naciel District.”
Varden was dumbfounded.
Adrian, shameless, laughing brightly after finishing his words.
It was certain that his future of having to live serving this man as Emperor later would be very gloomy.
“Yeees… I, will, definitely, con,vey, it.”
Although he gritted his teeth and spoke glaring at Adrian on purpose, Adrian, failing to notice again, grinned.
“Right, right. Since it is time for the Princess to come to her senses too. Let’s make it certain at this opportunity.”
‘Snap out of it yourself…!’
He wanted to snap Adrian’s arm patting his shoulder right away.
However, Varden was a mage and Crown Prince Adrian was a physically superior Sword Master.
Since there was a definite difference in martial power, Varden had no choice but to endure it.
Of course, he shouldn’t touch the Crown Prince recklessly either.
Varden understood Yvonne’s intense feelings of throwing bombs according to her emotions, and rather envied that ignorance ignoring situation and status.
‘Since Yvonne is strong, I wish she would snap the Crown Prince’s arm a bit.’
Varden, knowing his younger sister’s tremendous martial power we~ll, ground his teeth glaring at Adrian sideways.
Adrian continued to have pointless conversations, and Varden answered half-heartedly.
The garden became quiet as they left like that.
Cordelia, who had been hiding behind the tree, slowly revealed herself.
Bloodstains still remained at the corner of Cordelia’s mouth.
“Why is the Crown Prince… agitated by that villainess?”
Cordelia couldn’t hide her anxiety and bit her nails.
A storm raged in her innocent eyes, and she bit her lip roughly.
‘Yvonne Argenthose. Hurry and appear like before and make a scene!’
Why does she stay still like a dead mouse making her anxious, kill her familiar simply, and even take the Crown Prince’s interest.
Cordelia, engraving Yvonne’s name in her heart as if cursing, moved her steps quickly to the Crown Prince’s Palace to catch Adrian’s strangely wavering heart.
How did she come all the way here.
Although her lifespan decreased by 10 years as the familiar sent to monitor Yvonne died, it didn’t matter.
Anyway, it wasn’t a life she wanted to live long.
‘For that day when everything ends.’
Cordelia’s eyes, where hatred was strongly engraved, glistened with madness.
Carol continued to fold her waist in half.
“Princess, thank you! Thank you, thank youuu…”
I sat obliquely on the chair, chin in hand, and sighed.
“Carol? I counted… including just now, it’s the thirtieth thank-you greeting.”
“I, I plan to fill one hundred times…”
Carol, who was happy with tears welling up receiving the lace gift from me, was saying everything she wanted to say again.
Rubbing my throbbing temple, I backed down one step.
“…Then will you do it inwardly?”
“Yes, Princess!”
Carol, whose cheeks were dyed red, looked genuinely excited.
‘Is it that good.’
It’s not even expensive.
Seeing Carol happy even though I gifted just a few strings of lace, the corners of my mouth also went up automatically.
But because the daytime incident didn’t leave my mind, my mood kept sinking.
Just what on earth was that strange thing buried in my shadow.
I pondered whether to consult with the Duke or Varden immediately.
But it was clear they would think it strange of me not to cast tracking magic on that unidentified something.
In my memory, the original Yvonne was extremely skilled in tracking magic too.
Even in the original work, she eventually tracks down Cordelia who ran far away from her.
‘Ugh, my head hurts.’
I wanted to regain magic somehow without letting the Duke and Varden know.
As long as I am Yvonne Argenthose, I must know how to use magic.
If I don’t know how to use magic like this.
I was afraid of being excommunicated, considered a flaw of the famous magic family Argenthose.
Right, honestly maybe not excommunicated, but I didn’t want to be abandoned by the family with whom I am barely moving toward a friendly relationship.
Just imagining the Duke and Varden sending cold gazes to me now makes my heart feel like sinking with a thud.
If possible, I wanted to regain magic with my own power without being caught.
‘Let’s do my best.’
So as soon as I returned home, I went to the library in the Argenthose mansion and rummaged through related books frantically first.
Even if I can’t understand the content about how to use magic, I can read information like monsters or demons or curses lurking in shadows.
‘Hm. But there wasn’t anything particular.’
I didn’t get any particular result in the library.
Still, since Yvonne was destined to become a Grand Warlock. Wouldn’t she have left some method or clue related to this?
Thinking optimistically and cheering up, I decided to look around my surroundings first.
I observed Carol fiddling with the lace I gave her in that corner.
Carol, with an impression like a gentle puppy with big eyes and looking timid.
Yvonne’s oldest confidant who served the picky and violent Yvonne for 5 years.
Raising my body from the chair backrest, I asked Carol.
“Carol. Perhaps, did I… I mean, do you remember the place I told you not to touch before?”
Guessing Carol knows something, I asked indirectly.
Then Carol’s face, looking into the lace, turned pale, and opening her mouth, she spoke.
“Pardon…? Ah, yes. So, I didn’t touch the right locker of the Princess’s bomb manufacturing room… ah, no, magic artifact laboratory!”
‘Bomb manufacturing room, huh. Haha.’
Just how many bomb artifacts did Yvonne make in the laboratory.
Is there a reason she researched only bombs day and night without interest in other artifacts?
“I-It is true!”
By the way, Carol misunderstood my words and was trembling and making excuses again.
It seems she thought I was asking if she touched that cabinet.
I got up from the chair, approached Carol, patted her shoulder, and smiled brightly.
“No. Just. I asked. And perhaps, if anyone tries to touch it… make sure to let me know.”
“Yes! As you ordered before, if anyone intrudes into the laboratory, I will throw the bomb you gave me without hesitation.”
Carol spoke calmly pointing to the earring hanging on her left ear.
I gulped and answered.
“……Yeah.”
‘Was that earring you always wore a bomb artifact…?’
Carol, wearing a bomb as an earring calmly, didn’t survive as Yvonne’s maid for no reason.
