I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 62

“My lady, please have some tea and relax.”

Crenia placed a tea table in front of the Duchess of Floyd. Morning tea was one of the duchess’s favorite things, but today seemed to be an exception. Seeing the duchess’s gloomy face, Crenia continued to speak resolutely.

“You might feel disappointed, but I think it’s fortunate that a troublesome matter has disappeared.”

Crenia, who had always considered Eleanor a thorn in her side, continued, “Why don’t we return to the North soon? I’d like to accompany you this time and assist you, my lady, in your distress.”

It was true that Crenia felt a sense of crisis, having almost lost her position as an aide to a woman who had suddenly appeared. She wanted to show off her great loyalty by being willing to give up her coveted life in the capital and follow the duchess all the way to the desolate North.

However, the duchess ignored Crenia’s solemn resolve and changed the subject without a word.

“I need to receive a visitor. Go and summon a member of the Imperial Guard for negotiations.”

Upon hearing the command, Crenia’s face showed a sense of duty as she cautiously replied, “Currently, you are under house arrest by the Emperor’s decree. Visits from outsiders are strictly restricted, my lady.”

“I’m not meeting an outsider,” the duchess said, frowning slightly. “I’m meeting my husband.”

At that, Crenia’s disgruntled expression brightened considerably. The reconciliation of the two dukes had been her long-held wish.

“Yes. I will prepare for it.”

Only after Crenia had left the room did the duchess pick up the teacup she had not even glanced at before. Just as she took a sip, another visitor arrived at her parlor.

“Duchess.”

Minaz and Claude entered.

“What is it?”

“We need a falcon. Can you summon one now?” Minaz asked abruptly, without any explanation.

“It should be nearby, so I can call it,” the duchess said, nodding. Claude, with a skeptical look, glanced toward the window. The sky was clear and cloudless; there wasn’t even a sparrow, let alone a falcon.

“Do you intend to use it to contact someone outside?”

“Yes, that’s right,” Minaz replied. The duchess let out a small sigh. She, too, must have considered using the falcon during her long deliberations.

“Unfortunately, that’s impossible,” she said.

“Why is that? I heard that in the North, you can communicate with falcons even in bad weather.”

“It’s possible to make them fly to a specific, pre-determined location, but it’s impossible to send them to a person who is currently on the move. If it were an area they frequently flew over, they might be able to find them within that region, but we don’t even know where Lian is exactly, so he’ll arrive in the capital before the falcon can find him.”

Minaz shook her head at the duchess’s words. “That’s fine. We’ll have it fly to a designated place.”

“A designated place? Where are you talking about?” Minaz pulled out a thick envelope from her pocket.

“Please send this letter to Duke Arthur Bormea.”

The duchess took the envelope, fiddled with it for a moment, and then replied, “Leave it to me.”

“Thank you very much.”

Minaz and Claude left the parlor. As they walked down the corridor, they could hear the duchess’s whistle calling the falcon from behind the door. After listening for a moment, Claude asked, “Wouldn’t it be better to try every means possible to contact Count Calabria, even if the probability is low?”

“I told you, it will reach him without us having to try.”

Seeing Claude’s expression, as if asking why she was so certain, Minaz asked him abruptly, “Think about it. Is Eleanor Mariche dead?”

At the blunt question, Claude hesitated slightly, then replied with a somewhat bitter expression, “It would be reasonable to assume so.”

“Right. And after she left, the Emperor’s pressure on the Line of Abrote got even stronger. What do you think is the reason for that?”

Claude fell into thought for a moment. He could think of reasons why the pressure would weaken after Eleanor’s disappearance, but a reason for it to get stronger didn’t immediately come to mind. Minaz gave him a hint.

“Eleonora Mariche wasn’t here alone, was she?”

“Because the Behind Knights who were protecting her left?”

“Exactly. That’s it. The Emperor can act more aggressively now because those who were in a standoff outside the ducal territory are gone.”

At last, Claude seemed to see the bigger picture Minaz was painting.

“Some of them will join Lian and report what they saw and heard. Wouldn’t that be more reliable than a falcon or a trusted aide?”

“You’re right. I understand.”

The best knights are also the best trackers, so there was no chance of them failing to join him. In that case, the possibility of Lian not receiving the message, despite the Emperor’s interference, was eliminated. However, Claude now began to worry about something else.

‘What will Count Calabria do once he receives the report?’

He was a man who was so unpredictable that it made him anxious. Since there was no point in thinking about that, Claude asked Minaz another question.

“What was in the letter?”

“The story that we received Adrian Eunice’s hand from the princess.”

“Is that news that you really needed to borrow a falcon to send to Duke Bormea?”

“You fool. Adrian Eunice is a Southern noble, isn’t he?” Minaz scolded him as if he didn’t know something obvious.

Duke Bormea was in charge of the South, but the Empire was vast, and even if it were split into five, each part would still be larger than a regular country. Naturally, the number of nobles belonging to the South would far exceed several thousand.

‘Are they on friendly terms?’

Claude, who had only recently become a duke and lacked connections and experience, was ignorant of such common knowledge. However, he decided it would be better to look through the directory than to ask Minaz, who wore an arrogant expression, so he kept his mouth shut.

“I told you. I’ll create a good outcome rather than just delivering bad news.”

When he remained silent, Minaz’s eyes lit up.

“If things go as planned, the Emperor will have a major headache.”

Usually, when she said something like this, Minaz would have a smug smile, but her expression wasn’t bright. Claude thought that Eleanor must still be on her mind.

“What are you doing?”

He tapped her on the shoulder, and Minaz scowled.

“Don’t act like a grown-up just because you’ve gotten a little taller.”

Seeing her cut him off and walk away, a faint smile appeared on Claude’s lips.

While Minaz was looking up at the sky, reminiscing about Eleanor as if she were dead, Eleanor Mariche was very much alive. She wasn’t even gloomy or dejected. She was sitting across from a wicked witch who had left her name in the history of the continent, and they were in the middle of a negotiation.

“I know you can do it. Just heal me already.”

“Why should I?”

“Because you’re the one who cut it off,” Eleanor retorted confidently. The voice of Beatrice, coming from the dark behind the curtains, was so eerie that it would have made anyone with weak nerves flinch, but Eleanor stood her ground. Being in a situation where she could die at any moment had given her the courage that the worst that could happen was death.

“I said I would tell you if you opened the door. How do you know my name?” Beatrice said gruffly. Behind Eleanor were the bars of a cage, and inside, Adrian lay, with Blaine taking care of him. Although Beatrice had opened the door, Adrian seemed to be so shocked that he wouldn’t come out.

“I’ll tell you if you heal my wound.”

“You’re pulling a transparent trick.”

When Eleanor raised her offer, Beatrice’s voice became even colder.

“You’ll keep making demands like this, but I’m done. You probably read about it in some book. I’m not interested.”

That was a correct assumption. Of course, it wasn’t the kind of book Beatrice was thinking of. It would be a problem if she turned her back, but Eleanor, a queen of romance novels, was skilled at push and pull and wouldn’t let the fish in her pond get away.

“You’re from Fomoria on the outskirts of the Empire, right? Born the youngest of three sisters.”

The atmosphere instantly changed.

“…How do you know that?” Beatrice’s voice was dark and low. That fact was not written in any book in the Empire, and everyone who knew about it must have died long ago. Except for one person.

“You have a sister named Milatrix.”

As soon as she said that, a bony, stick-like hand shot out from a gap in the dark curtains. It pulled Eleonora inside without her having a chance to resist. The speed was so great that even the Behind Knights couldn’t react in time, even though they were a little farther away.

“If you don’t tell me how you found out, I’ll twist your neck right now,” Beatrice growled, pinning Eleonora against the wall and pressing a hand against her throat. The hand looked so old and brittle, but its grip was tremendous. It really felt like her neck could easily be twisted.

Gasping for air from the strong pressure, Eleonora barely managed to speak, “If you… kill me, you’ll… lose the last person who knows you.”

“What do you know about me? You think you can just babble some folklore you picked up…”

“Mi-Milatrix… is still alive.”

At those words, the pressure on her throat slowly loosened. But the already piercing killing intent now took a visually tangible form. A red aura emanated from Beatrice.

“Milatrix… is alive?”

“You must feel it, too,” Eleanor coughed, barely managing to reply.

Beatrice was captured by the imperial family after her power was sealed by a spell using the blood of her sibling, Milatrix. She lost most of her power through this method, but since she was still so strong, they had to put a curse on her, using Milatrix’s body as a host, to hold her captive. Milatrix, as the host, lived in a state between life and death. However, in the novel, she dies due to a certain event, and as a result, the power returns to Beatrice, who is trapped underground, and she is set free.

This story of forbidden magic was never recorded in any history book. In fact, if not for the omniscient narrator’s point of view, no one would have known this backstory.

“You know, don’t you? If she had died, all your power would have returned.”

Beatrice let go of Eleanor’s neck so suddenly that Eleanor almost fell to the floor.

“How much… do you know?”

“I probably know almost everything you want to know.”

Her voice was already hoarse from being grabbed by the neck for just a moment. Eleanor raised her head and stared intently at Beatrix.

“So, listen to me and help me get out of here.”

Beatrix’s wrinkled, transparent eyes shone in the darkness.

“And I’ll tell you where Milatrix is.”

Eleanor’s lips curled up in a smile.

Duke Arthur Bormea was toying with the signet ring on his finger. On the massive desk in front of him, countless documents were piled up like a mountain. He had possessed the ability to process multiple documents at once from a young age, and that formidable work capacity was still with him. Unlike Minaz and Claude, who divided up tasks and handled only the major issues, the old duke was still actively working on the front lines, while also being the final decision-maker for the Empire’s administration. He was the living history of the Imperial administration, which had continued for decades.

In front of him, there was, uncharacteristically, only a single document spread out.

“Your Grace, Duke Bormea. You called for me?” A subordinate entered and bowed his head to the duke. Normally, this would be the time for a long list of work instructions and a pile of documents to review. However, today, the Duke of Bormea simply handed over a single sheet of paper.

“Stop all administrative approvals until the truth of this matter is investigated.”

A frown creased the brow of the usually calm and benevolent Duke Bormea.

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