I Stole The Duke - Chapter 64

What should I do? I need to break the regression spell before Michalis gets to Freya…

“……”

While being escorted by Cedric toward the main building of the mansion, Eliana suddenly stopped in her tracks. Mounted on a large black stallion, Michalis was looking in her direction.

Is he going out?

Their eyes met. Michalis stared at her for a moment while holding the reins, then spurred his horse forward.

“Sir Cedric, did he mention when he’d be returning?”

“No, my lady. He gave no such instructions.”

Surely he’s not headed straight to the Espensen estate to strangle Freya… No, that can’t be it.

One couldn’t simply kill a noble without proper justification. Even the Emperor had taken ten full years to legally wipe out House Espensen.

But what if the Emperor and Michalis join forces to create that justification?

Then, it wouldn’t take long at all.

I have to break the regression magic as soon as possible…

Thankfully, the magic cards hadn’t been confiscated yet. Though once Michalis returned, they very well might be.

Which means—my best chance is today.

Eliana made her decision quickly.

Dream, activate navigation mode.

She had no idea when Michalis would return. Every second counted. On her way back to her room, she activated the system.

[Navigation mode activated.]

A map of the city of Wespera popped up in a window.

Before Michalis returned, she needed to infiltrate House Espensen and break the regression magic.

Dream, can you track Michalis Ascher’s location and mark it on the map?

[Location tracking applied to navigation.]

A red dot immediately appeared on the map.

As expected—his destination is the Imperial Palace.

Relief washed over her. The red marker showed Michalis traveling in the direction of the palace.

The palace is about an hour and a half away. Three hours round trip. Including the time he’ll stay there, that gives me a decent window.

“Amy, prepare a light meal in my room for dinner, please.”

“Yes, my lady.”

In moments like these, skipping meals was the worst thing one could do.

“I’ll remain stationed outside the door, my lady.”

“Thank you for everything, Sir Cedric.”

As soon as Eliana stepped into her room, she went straight for the adjoining door. Fortunately, the bedroom and dressing room were connected by an inner door.

Let’s see—what additional magic might be useful…

She brought over a clutch bag that could also be worn crossbody and began packing magic cards and spare materials.

Michalis has arrived at the palace.

Eliana, munching on the last few bites of a sandwich, kept her navigation window open as she double-checked his position.

I’m almost ready.

The sun had set, and night had fallen. Her extra magic cards were complete.

Dream, open one more navigation window.

Eliana, now dressed in a practical riding outfit, slung the clutch bag securely across her shoulder.

[Activating multi-navigation mode.]

Dream, can you switch one of the maps from regular view to street view?

The Dreamcatcher system functioned like a large-scale portal engine. Based on that, street view should be within its capabilities.

[Changing navigation display from map view to street view.]

Just as she expected.

Dream, keep the first window in map view, and the second in street view.

[Settings applied.]

Dream, search for the Espensen estate in Wespera using the second window.

For teleportation magic to work, one needed precise coordinates or a vivid image of the destination. Street view was an excellent companion for teleportation spells.

[Search complete.]

“Imperial Invisibility.”

Gazing at the corner of the Count’s garden displayed in the popup window, Eliana cast the invisibility spell on herself before departure.

All right. I’m ready.

She stepped in front of the mirror to check her invisibility. While she could still see her own body and the bag slung over her shoulder, no reflection appeared in the mirror.

“Imperial Teleport.”

June 14, Imperial Year 321.
19:37.

The infiltration mission had begun.

Thump.

Eliana landed on a patch of grass in one corner of the garden and staggered slightly.

Ugh… still can’t get used to that nausea.

The aftereffects of spatial magic never got any easier.

Guards… two at the main gate, two at the front entrance.

Though the prestige of House Espensen had faded over time, it was originally founded by a swordmaster who had been instrumental in the founding of the Empire. It remained a renowned house of swordsmanship. While perhaps not on par with the Duchy, the skill level of the knights stationed here was certainly not to be underestimated.

Then the window is better than the main door.

Even with an invisibility spell, she had no formal training in stealth. Approaching the knights directly was too risky.

“Imperial Fly.”

Eliana pulled a magic card from her crossbody bag and whispered the incantation. Her feet lifted from the grass.

I already checked about half of the third floor last time. Maybe I should start from the fourth floor today.

It was Eliana’s first time using a flight spell, so she was a little scared. But since she wasn’t going far, just choosing a balcony attached to an open window and sneaking in didn’t seem too difficult.

Thump.

Ah—sorry. That wasn’t on purpose.

She had landed in the bedroom of Freya’s second brother. Unfortunately, she caught him right as he was changing into his pajamas.

“Did I just hear something?”

Victor Espensen, halfway through buttoning his pajama top, turned his head toward the balcony.

Why is his hearing so sharp?

She had carefully avoided the knights only to land in a royal guard’s room. Not exactly lucky.

“I smell women’s cosmetics.”

Victor rubbed his nose and started walking toward the balcony. Eliana immediately froze and held her breath. Any movement might alert the sharp instincts of a trained knight.

“Did Freya change her perfume?”

Thankfully, he didn’t come all the way outside. Just like in the original story, Victor mumbled something affectionate about his sister, then turned around and sat at his desk with a book.

That means Freya’s room must be nearby.

He hadn’t thought much of the cosmetic scent, which meant it wasn’t out of place in this area. Her room had to be close.

Phew…

Only after Victor was seated did Eliana lift herself slightly from the marble floor.

There she is. Freya.

Freya’s bedroom was the second door to the left of Victor’s room.

Should I wait until she falls asleep? Or just knock her out with a spell?

Michalis was still at the palace.

Freya, pacing around her bedroom, hadn’t changed into her nightgown yet. She looked like someone waiting for something.

Let’s watch for now.

Eliana quietly stepped onto the balcony and kept her eyes on Freya.

Knock, knock, knock.

“Come in.”

“Young Lady, I brought what you asked for.”

Not long after, Freya’s personal maid came in holding a bundle of clothes.

“Jessi, tell everyone I went to bed early tonight, okay?”

“Yes, understood, my lady. But please be back on time…”

“I will. I’ll be back by ten. Just make sure the ladder’s ready.”

What’s this now?

Whatever it was, Freya was clearly planning something suspicious.

“My lady, let me help you change.”

Freya changed into slightly oversized men’s clothing and threw on a short hooded cape to hide her face.

Shfft.

She pulled a ring from her desk drawer and slipped it onto her finger. In an instant, her appearance transformed—from a nineteen-year-old girl to a young man, maybe about twenty years old.

“Hmm.”

Now looking like a man of average build, Freya stepped out onto the balcony and scanned the area for guards.

“Please be careful, my lady.”

In the meantime, Jessi pulled out a rope ladder hidden under the bed and hooked it over the balcony railing.

“Huff… huff…”

Freya climbed down the rope ladder, then gave a signal with her hand. Jessi, watching from the balcony, pulled the ladder back up and hid it.

Wow… Impressive stamina. And that teamwork—honestly jealous.

As expected of a daughter from a famous swordsmanship family. The way everything flowed so smoothly made it clear this wasn’t their first time.

What should I do?

Freya was now moving through the shadows of the garden, avoiding the guards. Should Eliana follow her? Or ignore her and search the room for the regression magic?

Eliana paused for a moment to think.

I should do both.

She still had some teleportation spells left.

I’ll follow her for now, then teleport ahead of her and break the magic before she gets there.

As she tailed Freya, Eliana unintentionally discovered the location of a hidden exit from the Espensen estate.

“District 7, House 13.”

“Yes, understood.”

Freya slipped out through the hidden passage, where a rental carriage was waiting about ten minutes away on foot.

Where is she going? What is she up to now?

The carriage started moving with Freya inside. Eliana quickly climbed onto the back and deactivated her flight spell.

What kind of article headline is this nonsense?

Because of one ridiculous story from a trashy tabloid, the Emperor hadn’t been able to concentrate on his work all morning.

“Stole the Crown Princess candidate”? Really?

As expected, someone else had stolen away the girl he had been keeping an eye on for years—the one he had hoped would become his daughter-in-law.

What does my son lack compared to that man?

The Emperor opened the worn-out newspaper, crumpled at the edges from how many times he’d read it, and glared at the full-page photo of Joel.

No matter how I look at it—from any angle—my son is clearly better looking.

A father’s bias, plain and simple.

Still… the boy is impressive.

It took only a single day for all the scandalous gossip to vanish. Now, every socialite in Wespera couldn’t stop talking about Joel Terius.

The article content aside, it was the full-body photo that truly made waves—especially the stylish watch on his wrist.

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