I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 68

Late at night, when the weather was overcast and the moon was hidden, a carriage quietly approached the border of Line of Abrote. It stopped in a secluded forest next to the city wall, and the overgrown bushes seemed to move before being pushed aside. A black tunnel leading underground was revealed.

The Duke of Calabria got out of the carriage, clucked his tongue, and stepped into the tunnel. After walking for a while, a small, rectangular room lit by a lamp appeared. The Duke of Calabria spoke in a sharp voice to the person sitting inside.

“Do you really think such a flimsy cover will be enough to avoid the imperial family’s attention?”

The Duchess of Floyd, who was sitting with an unyielding expression, instead of answering, pointed at a chair with her chin, as if telling him to sit.

The Duke of Calabria sat down but didn’t stop complaining. “I don’t know what kind of clown show this is. To come all the way to the capital just to throw away something that could be the greatest honor for our family and seclude yourself in someone else’s duchy.”

“Did you come all this way just to talk about that?” the Duchess said sharply.

The Duke of Calabria, his voice slightly softened, asked, “What do you plan to do now? To dare declare the imperial family persona non grata… It’s an act for which you wouldn’t be able to complain even if your title was immediately revoked.”

“His Majesty will not be able to do that,” the Duchess said.

He desperately wanted to refute her, but he couldn’t. The title could certainly be revoked, but the Floyd family’s fortune would remain. Even if some of it were seized, if she took the remaining wealth and sought asylum in another country, countless nations would be desperate to grant her a title. The empire, having leaked a vast amount of national wealth, would be shaken and fall into a long depression with much of its capital encroached upon by foreign powers, so they would never let her go.

“Hiding like this, there’s nothing to stop you from being assassinated without a trace,” the Duke said.

“If I die, my son will avenge me,” the Duchess added in an icy voice. “Assuming he still has his own will, that is.”

The Duke of Calabria’s cold expression flinched as if stung. “Explain what you were thinking when you did that to him.”

“What’s the point of that now?” The Duke of Calabria looked away, his answer stiff.

“Depending on your answer, the fortune you gained by marrying a woman you didn’t love might be used to target your own life.” Her tone was calm, but the Duchess’s purple eyes showed no sign of joking.

“Did His Majesty force you into a vow?” the Duchess asked.

The Duke of Calabria’s mind went back to the night when Lilian made his vow. Back then, Lilian was just starting to walk and swing a sword. His clever and beautiful son, whom everyone admired, was so adorable that he was the apple of his eye.

‘Lilian’s position will never be shaken.’

Lilian’s future clearly seemed free of any hardship. That is, if a princess hadn’t suddenly appeared without any warning. At first, the Duke didn’t take it seriously when he heard that a princess had appeared. He thought it was just a woman of low status making a unilateral claim. There was no evidence, and even if there were, she was just an illegitimate child, so he thought they could just raise her and use her as a pawn in a political marriage with another country.

‘But the situation kept changing…’

The cold-hearted Emperor completely changed and became a different person with the appearance of his daughter. The Duke became increasingly anxious. What if the Emperor forgot all his promises and passed the throne to the princess? Lilian might be in danger. That thought deepened when the Duchess, disappointed with their marriage, left for the north.

“Lilian would have become a Grand Duke and wielded absolute power even if you had just left him alone. If only you hadn’t been so afraid and made that ridiculous vow.” The Duchess cut him off and rebuked him.

“Now, he’s a knight who’s stronger than anyone and untouchable, but back then he was a toddling child. Being the future Grand Duke only made him more dangerous, it didn’t help protect him.”

“You couldn’t even protect a child, and yet you pushed him into such a dangerous secret pact?”

“You didn’t do so well either. You abandoned your child and now you’re blaming me?”

After he said it, the Duke of Calabria flinched a little. The Duchess was still expressionless, but he was aware that he had touched a nerve he shouldn’t have.

“In any case, that’s how it was back then. You know I was anxious, don’t you?”

When they were married, there were endless whispers that the Duchess of Floyd was getting the short end of the stick. The current prosperity of the Calabria family was all due to Lilian, who grew up to be the greatest knight, and the prestige of the Floyd family. As the first Duke of Calabria who failed to become the head of the knights, he had no choice but to believe in the Emperor’s secret pact with his life.

“I just did what I thought was best. My thoughts haven’t changed even now.” His voice trailed off, though he meant the words sincerely.

“I’ve realized you’re a hopeless fool. It’s a pity for my own foolishness for trusting a man like you and leaving Lilian in your care.” The Duchess spoke coldly and looked away.

“Did you call me here just to criticize me?” he asked.

“No. I need some help.”

“Help?” The Duke of Calabria raised one eyebrow. The Duchess’s attitude was far too haughty for someone asking for help. Just looking at the current situation, it was absurd for him to help her, but it wasn’t a bad feeling for the wife he had always looked up to to be asking for his help.

“Did His Majesty order you to bring us back?” The Duke answered by pouting his lips.

“Then when are you going to raid us?”

“There’s no plan to raid.”

“Why not? That’s what you want, isn’t it?”

“Do you think I’d do something like this for Lilian to become the Emperor of a divided empire?” The Emperor’s command to bring the Duke back wasn’t normal, so even Zeppelin told him to stall for time.

The Duchess seemed to be thinking for a moment before she asked again. “Did you hear about Eleonore Marice, who went to the Imperial Palace?”

“That girl is already dead. That’s all you need to know.” For the Duke of Calabria, she was still the source of all this trouble. “Even if she wasn’t a princess, there are plenty of suitable partners for Lilian, so don’t ask me to help that woman.”

“Weren’t you the one who said that no one but the princess would do, regardless of who else existed?” The Duchess read between the lines and interjected.

He hesitated for a moment, and she’s saw it and her eyes lit up as she asked, “Did something change your mind?”

Normally, he would never have said anything. But strangely, his mouth just opened before he could even think. “The princess demanded a vow of subordination from me.”

The Duchess of Floyd’s expression, which had been indifferent to his every word, noticeably hardened. She half-rose from her seat and asked as if to lunge at him, “Did you accept?”

The Duke, startled by her face so close to his, backed away slightly. “If I had, I wouldn’t be telling you this.”

Hearing his answer, the Duchess seemed to regain her composure. The agitation she had just shown disappeared in an instant, and her usual expressionless face returned.

“You’d make your son do it, but you’d refuse it yourself. What a convenient set of standards.” The Duke of Calabria, at a loss for words, said gruffly, “Just tell me what you need help with. Our differing positions won’t get any closer by staring at each other, and we’ll both just be dissatisfied.”

The Duchess also seemed to have no more questions and stated her request immediately. “Stay away from the capital for a while.”

“The capital? Why?”

“It’s for Lilian’s sake.”

At the mention of Lilian, the Duke’s light-colored eyes brightened. “Did he, by any chance, return to Felicity?”

The Duchess didn’t answer the question. “I’m not asking you to protect us. But if you have at least some conscience, do that.”

After saying that curtly, the Duchess of Floyd got up and left. The Duke of Calabria watched his wife’s slender back as she walked away, a bitter look on his face, and then left the underground room.

Eleanor, who had been pacing nervously all day, knocked on Beatrice’s door as soon as the appointed time arrived.

“Looking at the light in your eyes, you’ve come up with another useless idea,” Beatrice grumbled, looking at Eleanor who was entering with her lips pouted. “Whatever you say, I’m not going to participate in your reckless schemes.”

She had scoffed at Eleanor’s plan, saying that even with the cooperation of Blaine and Elai, there was no chance of defeating the magical beasts. Eleanor raised her nose and smiled. “Don’t worry. This is about something completely different.”

Beatrice, who had been looking at the confident Eleanor sideways, noticed the book in her hand and asked, “What’s that?”

“An old atlas.” There were quite a lot of books piled up in the corners of the dungeon. Eleanor put the thick book on the table with a thud. Dust flew up, and Beatrice began to cough, but Eleanor paid no attention and opened a pre-folded page.

“The western part of the Empire, the village of Iklisha, south of the Colchearn territory.”

Beatrice frowned at the abrupt words. “What about it?”

“Milatrix is here.”

Beatrice, who had been uninterested, straightened her posture. As she reached for the map, Eleanor covered it with her palm like a grown-up playing with candy.

“What are you doing?”

“First, listen to me. I have a plan.” Eleanor, having successfully piqued her interest, pulled the book back, placed it on her lap, and made her proposal. “Help me break the vow of the Duke of Calabria by working with me.”

Instead of scolding her as usual, Beatrice listened with a furrowed brow. She probably knew that this was the most important piece of information they had exchanged so far.

“It’s about time the Duke arrived in Felicity. We expect him to come straight here.” Beatrice frowned, but didn’t object, saying Lilian wouldn’t be able to get through the magical beasts.

“So what about it?”

“Before I explain, let me ask you something.” Eleanor subtly changed the subject, and Beatrice looked impatient. “If the Duke of Calabria were to cut off the part where the vow of subordination is engraved to release it, how would the princess know?”

“The engraved part of the vow becomes hot and glows. In the midst of the pain, a profound sense of loss and loneliness comes, and one realizes that the vow has been released.”

“Would the pain from the vow be immediately linked to its release? Is there a possibility that 24 hours would pass without a command of death being issued?”

“Not likely. If the engraving hurts, one would become aware of the vow, and the moment it comes to mind, if they even think of the vow-maker’s death for a moment, they would just die.”

So there’s no way out. Eleanor bit her lip and returned to the original topic.

“I’ll ask the Duke to take you with us. So once you find Milatrix and regain your power, release his vow of subordination.”

Beatrice’s eyes flashed for a moment. “Alright. I’ll do it!”

It was a willing answer, as if she had been waiting for it. Eleanor held out her arm firmly and said, “Then vow to me.”

“What?”

“A vow of truth, swearing that you will definitely keep your promise to release the Duke of Calabria’s vow.”

A vow of truth. It was a linguistic binding that would cause death if the person did not keep what they had sworn. Beatrice thought for a moment, pursing her wrinkled lips, and then answered, “Alright.”

Eleanor’s face, which had been tense, brightened when she heard the approval.

“But on one condition, you have to make a vow of truth to me as well,” Beatrice added. “You made the offer, didn’t you? Swear that you’ll take me to Milatrix and help me regain my power, no matter what.”

Beatrice’s rough hand gripped Eleanor’s flawless wrist tightly. “If you don’t keep that promise, you’ll die too.” Beatrice’s voice was grim.

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