I Stole The Duke - Chapter 81
“……”
Feeling a sharp gaze, Freya slowly lifted her head.
“……”
Eyes glowing with a vivid blue light were staring straight at her.
‘Did he know everything?’
A cold shiver ran down Freya’s back, as though she had been suddenly exposed to frost. The killing intent was so intense, it could be felt even by someone who wasn’t a trained warrior.
“Yes… Father. I think I should return to my room now.”
She could feel what the Duke of Ascher wanted, as clearly as if it were carved into her skin.
‘What the Duke wants is…’
A territory war—an official battle between noble houses. The victor not only claimed the opponent’s land but also gained the legal right over life and death.
‘I can’t let this war proceed…’
Freya came to a decision.
‘I have to die and turn back time.’
This ruined life finally felt oddly light—like a burden she could let go of.
“Duchess of Ascher.”
Karahan stood atop a pile of bloodstained rubble. His black robe whipped wildly in the wind.
“Karahan…”
At Eliana’s feet, the pooled blood flowed in thin streams, splitting off like veins.
“If you took something precious from me… then you should lose something too.”
“Ahh!”
Eliana let out a scream and snapped her eyes open.
‘Another nightmare…’
She sat up in bed, wiping her sweat-drenched forehead with the back of her hand.
“Michalis?”
The cold, empty spot beside her made her uneasy. It was just after dawn—the early light of morning beginning to rise.
“……”
Quickly getting dressed, Eliana stepped out of the bedroom but froze in place.
“I greet you, my lady.”
“Sir Joel?”
‘He’s not from the Azure Knights…’
The familiar comfort of Joel’s presence felt oddly off today.
“My lady, where shall I escort you?”
“To the office.”
Eliana, pale and tense, hurried her steps.
‘He’s not here…’
The office door swung open without a knock. There was no trace of the cologne Michalis usually wore. The room felt like it had been empty for a long time.
“To the training grounds!”
Confirming that the office was vacant, Eliana immediately turned around.
“I greet you, my lady.”
“I greet you, my lady.”
Two knights guarding the entrance to the mansion offered their greetings.
“……”
As she turned her head, Eliana spotted two more knights stationed beneath the bedroom window in the garden.
“Ah…”
She didn’t have the presence of mind to respond. Her pace quickened, almost running. Her heart, tight with anxiety, thudded painfully in her chest.
‘There’s no one…’
The moment she saw the empty training grounds, Eliana froze.
This was usually the time for busy morning drills. Not a single member of the Azure Order was in sight.
“My lady, are you all right?”
Even Joel’s worried voice didn’t register in her ears.
“Dream… activate navigation mode.”
[Activating Navigation Mode.]
A pop-up map of central Wespa appeared immediately.
‘Mark the location of Michalis Ascher on the navigation.’
Gripped by anxiety, Eliana barely managed to remember what she needed.
[Applying search results to navigation.]
A red dot instantly appeared on the map.
“No!”
Upon seeing the dot’s location, Eliana pushed away Joel’s escort and broke into a run.
‘No—please, no!’
Michalis’s location was the residence of Count Espensen.
“My lady! It’s dangerous to run like that!”
Joel, now pale, quickly reached out to grab her arm.
“Ah!”
“My lady, what’s wrong? Please calm yourself!”
“Let go. Sir Joel.”
Her expression, captured in Joel’s eyes, was desperate.
“No matter where you’re going—I’ll escort you there.”
That was the duty of a personal knight: to assist his lady to the best of his ability in any situation.
“To my room. As fast as possible.”
“Please pretend to faint. Carrying you will be the fastest way.”
“Mm…”
Without hesitation, Eliana clutched her head and stumbled forward.
“Then pardon me for a moment.”
Joel caught her in his arms and bolted forward.
“W-Wait! My lady!”
“What in the world is going on, Sir Joel?!”
Joel’s sudden sprint toward the entrance of the mansion, carrying Eliana in his arms, caused an uproar among the stationed knights.
“……”
Eliana tightly shut her eyes.
“Out of the way! I need to get her to her room—move!”
“Y-Yes, sir!”
Joel’s fellow knights could only step aside without asking questions.
“Thank you, Sir Joel. Please wait here.”
Thanks to him, Eliana reached the door to her room far faster than if she had run there herself.
Click.
She rushed inside and immediately unlocked her desk drawer.
‘I need to go—now—before the worst happens.’
Her hand trembled as she rummaged through her clutch-cross bag combo. She grasped the teleportation card—the last one she could use.
“Imperial Teleport.”
Without hesitation, Eliana pictured the place in her mind—clearly and vividly.
“Urgh…”
Suddenly, a wave of nausea and dizziness struck so hard it darkened her vision. Staggering from the spell, Eliana clung to the railing and opened her eyes wide.
“Haah… haah…”
‘Good… looks like it hasn’t started yet.’
She stood on the terrace connected to Freya’s bedroom. Beyond the garden gate, she could just make out the scene. Both sides were facing off, but hadn’t yet clashed.
‘Then first…’
Holding the railing, Eliana took a deep breath to ease her nausea and turned in the opposite direction. Freya must have gone outside—the room held only faint traces of warmth.
“……”
Every second counted. Eliana strode into the bedroom and removed the sunflower painting from the wall.
Thud.
The moment she saw the wall behind the frame, a chill ran down her spine.
‘Karahan’s already been here?’
The locking magic circle, which should have been glowing red or black, had completely vanished.
‘Don’t tell me… if the alarm is triggered, it’ll send a signal to Karahan?’
As terrifying as the thought was, she couldn’t afford to stand still. Steadying herself, Eliana reached into her bag.
“Imperial Dispel Magic.”
As she spoke the activation phrase for the card, the invisible magic circle appeared before her eyes.
‘Dream, do an image scan.’
[Image scan complete.]
Image Scan Result
-
- Name: Magic Circle (Lock)
-
- Purpose: Lock
-
- Grade: C+
-
- Creator: Karahan Espensen
-
- Note: Lock currently active. To deactivate, specific conditions must be met.
She knew all too well—this was where the real trouble began.
‘This isn’t something that can be forcibly unlocked… I have to meet the condition.’
Even the slightest mistake that triggered an alarm would mean facing Karahan directly.
“Haah…”
Eliana let out a small sigh as she faced the daunting task before her. Cold sweat clung to her tense back.
‘Dream, search for the unlocking condition of the scanned magic circle.’
[Unable to retrieve this information.]
As she feared, there was no shortcut. The system’s search wasn’t omniscient. It could only retrieve what’s recorded or passed down. The answer most likely existed only in Karahan’s mind.
‘What on earth is the condition?!’
Time was ticking, and she still had no answer in sight.
“Don’t come looking for me until I call for you!”
Eliana was quietly holding back a groan as she stared at the magic circle.
Click.
She hadn’t heard any footsteps—yet the bedroom door suddenly swung open.
“Duchess of Ascher?”
“Freya…”
Startled, Eliana turned. Her eyes met Freya’s head-on.
“What are you doing here?! How did you get into my bedroom?”
This was bad. Very bad.
“……”
“What is that magic circle?”
Freya’s sharp gaze, which had been fixed on the unexpected intruder, shifted to the glowing mark behind Eliana.
“You’re a mage? What are you trying to do…?”
Freya had returned to her bedroom with the intent to end her own life. Her mind was unstable, and her actions were reckless.
“I knew it. I knew something was wrong. This was all your doing, wasn’t it?”
She muttered to herself, stepping toward Eliana one foot at a time.
“Wait—Freya, just calm down and let’s talk—”
Eliana stumbled back until her shoulders hit the wall.
“Die!”
Freya lunged, grabbing Eliana by the throat. To think she’d get a chance to kill the Duchess before ending her own life—what luck.
“Kh—!”
Eliana gasped as her airway was crushed. There was a clear size difference between them, but Freya’s grip was unbelievably strong. Even as Eliana struggled with all her strength, her hands wouldn’t loosen.
‘I’m going to die at this rate—’
Panic-stricken, she fumbled at her crossbody bag for a magic card.
“Fr… Frey…”
Her voice was cut off—the pressure on her throat too great to speak the activation phrase.
“Just die already. Die!”
Freya wasn’t listening to a word Eliana was saying.
“Kh—!”
If she didn’t fight back properly, she would really die here.
Thud.
Using the last of her strength, Eliana slammed her heel down on the top of Freya’s foot.
“Aagh!”
Freya instinctively released her grip.
“Cough! Hah… hah… Freya, wa—wait!”
Eliana coughed violently as she staggered back, finally catching her breath.
Smack!
Before she could say another word, Freya’s hand struck her cheek.
“Fre—!”
Smack! Smack!
Freya was shockingly good in a fight, while Eliana’s body was too frail to withstand a brawl. Without a chance to defend herself, she was slapped three times in a row.
“Hey! What is wrong with you—!”
At this point, even a saint would have snapped. Eliana grabbed a fistful of Freya’s hair.
“Eek!”
But the retaliation failed miserably. Freya yanked herself free, leaving Eliana with only a few strands of pink hair in her grip—and hurled her back against the wall. As a noblewoman from a knightly family, Freya clearly knew some basic self-defense.
“Just die already!”
While Eliana was still dazed from hitting her head on the wall with a thud, Freya charged again—clearly aiming to choke her a second time.
“Lightning.”
Crack!
In that instant, a pink bolt of lightning shot out from Eliana’s necklace. The blast was strong enough to knock out a grown man.
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