I Was Happy to Be Dumped by My Fiancé, But Something Seems Off - Episode 29

Unable to return to the royal castle despite his concern for Inanna receiving medical treatment in the infirmary, Riet had already dispatched a messenger to inform the king. It would only be a matter of time before the news reached him.

The interrogation of the girl who stabbed Inanna had already concluded thanks to the swift actions of the dispatched interrogators. They hadn’t hesitated to use truth serum because the victim was the High Priestess of the Grand Cathedral. The girl was a maid working for the Moldio ducal household, who had been ordered to assassinate the High Priestess in exchange for the duke’s family covering all her debt repayments. Though she had stubbornly refused to speak before the serum was administered, Riet found himself shuddering at the overwhelming effectiveness of the drug.

According to Alistair, traces of Agnes’s charm ability had also been detected on the girl.

As Riet waited with Alistair outside the infirmary for the treatment to conclude, he suddenly posed a question.

“Vice Minister. Is Lady Moldio’s charm ability something that can be used regardless of gender?”

“I’m not particularly knowledgeable about it either but according to Lady Inanna, it’s normally something that only works on the opposite sex.”

A charm ability that captivates women when used by men, and men when used by women. While what Agnes possesses is called charm, Inanna suspects it might actually be something beyond mere charm.

“Had charm ability not been used on Bertina and that attendant until now?”

“I don’t know,” Alistair replied, though he actually knew that the charm ability didn’t work on either of them.

What he’d heard from Inanna was that Argent was immune simply because he was a powerful demon. However, she had mentioned that Bertina alone remained unexplained.

‘Does Lady Bertina possess some special power different from Lady Moldio?’

‘Or perhaps…’

‘Perhaps what?’

‘…Well now, I just don’t know.’

‘Hah!?’

He seemed to know but was being deliberately mysterious about it.

Suddenly, Riet recalled eighteen years ago – the image of Duke Annaloro coming to the chapel every day to pray to Goddess Maria for the health of his wife and daughter.

Though he had been under the influence of charm since childhood and forced to act against his true intentions, the duke’s love for his wife and daughter had been genuine.

Just reading Argent’s report had been enough to utterly devastate his spirit.

Riet felt that Duke Annaloro no longer wished to regain his rationality. Upon learning that he had continuously abused his beloved daughter and betrayed his beloved wife, could any human being possibly maintain their sanity?

While somewhat interested in finding out, Riet lacked the motivation to actually test it.

He temporarily convinced himself that the reason charm didn’t work on Bertina was simply because the demon was by her side.

After glancing at Riet, who had fallen silent in thought, Alistair left him in the care of a waiting priest and moved to another location.

He had already contacted Bertina and the others. All that remained was for the two to notice and return to the Grand Cathedral.

“What should we do?”

If someone had to stand in for Inanna at the negotiation table, the options were Bertina or Argent, both immune to charm. For safety’s sake, they had no choice but to rely on Argent. As a demon, he could take on Inanna’s appearance. All that remained was to mimic her mannerisms and speech.

The image of the handsome young man’s face contorting in extreme displeasure came to mind, but given the circumstances, they couldn’t afford to be picky. As soon as the two returned, he intended to immediately discuss the matter and ask Argent to impersonate Inanna.

――At the Moldio ducal residence. Agnes savored the aromatic tea alone, with neither Luigi nor Clarissa present. They had gone shopping at Clarissa’s request. Though exasperated by Luigi’s doting on their daughter who looked exactly like his wife, Agnes didn’t particularly mind. Luigi had always been devoted to her and constantly showered her with affection. Unfortunately, her own love was reserved only for her brother, but he made for an impeccable life partner.

Even when she had declined his marriage proposal, explaining that she loved someone else and couldn’t love Luigi wholeheartedly, he had passionately declared that it was fine, that he simply wanted to be by Agnes’s side, leaving her no choice but to accept. Even though she loved another, no one else would ever love her as much as Luigi did.

Though not to the same extent as Luigi loved her, Agnes loved her husband in her own way.

“Perhaps I should have had a child with my husband too,” she mused.

She was confident she could have loved a child with Luigi just as much as she loved Clarissa. However, due to severe morning sickness and trauma from childbirth, it was Luigi rather than Agnes who had decided that one child, Clarissa, was enough.

The door knocked, and when permission to enter was granted, a maid came in.

After the maid whispered in her ear, Agnes dismissed her and smiled smugly once alone.

The elimination of the troublesome High Priestess had been successfully accomplished. Even if she wasn’t dead, she wouldn’t be able to attend the negotiation table in her severely injured state.

Agnes’s threat had been removed. All that remained was how to capture Bertina and her attendant.