I Wasn't Trying to Seduce with the Male Lead - Episode 87

“Clean it up thoroughly, without leaving a single trace.”

After giving the command, the Crown Princess dabbed her mouth with a silk cloth.

The knights immediately moved in perfect unison, starting to clear out the dark underground prison.

The second hearing of the unprecedented trial in which the Crown Princess was indicted was scheduled for the following week.

To fabricate evidence for that hearing, the Crown Princess was now destroying the evidence in the underground dungeon.

‘Do they really expect to find something? How foolish.’

Duke Lowen probably wanted to raid the underground prison, but the underground passage is a first-class secret location, as it serves as an escape route for the imperial family during a national emergency.

Naturally, to enter, one must have the Emperor’s permission, and the Emperor immediately asked for the Crown Princess’s opinion upon receiving the request.

She could have refused the inspection, but the Crown Princess accepted.

‘This is actually an opportunity for me.’

She had been looking for a chance to turn the situation around.

Adrian, the heir to a respectable family, had his wrist actually severed.

Moreover, the testimonies of Blaine and Eleanor, who were also imprisoned, were fatal.

The Crown Princess had a clear motive to harm her.

So, she needed to make it a fact that they had thoroughly investigated the dungeon where they were confined and found nothing.

Since she knew who, when, and how the investigation would be conducted, she could manipulate the results as she pleased.

‘The most important thing is to maintain the Emperor’s trust with this.’

If the Emperor starts to doubt her, everything will be over.

To show him, this place had to be kept completely clean.

‘At least that man left something behind.’

The Crown Princess looked at the knights who were quickly cleaning up the underground.

They were all subordinate to her.

Perfect soldiers who followed her without complaint, even if they couldn’t eat, sleep, or rest properly.

These knights of the underground would unanimously testify to her innocence.

‘I must find that man somehow.’

What Sky Phaedra did was detestable, but he was the most useful person to have by her side right now.

He was a man of high status, charming demeanor, and popular with the public.

If he were to stand on her side, testify, and disparage Eleanor, public opinion would quickly turn in her favor.

The Crown Princess had meticulously planned to find him and use him.

‘If I make it seem like I’ve fallen in love with him, I can also negate the motive.’

Recently, she had made sure to publicly show herself associating with him a lot.

Although he couldn’t replace the perfection of Lian Calabria, he was an excellent second choice, so it would be persuasive to say her heart had changed.

‘Well, I’ll be able to find him soon enough.’

The Crown Princess twisted the corners of her mouth and thought.

The String Stone.

If she put it on, a red line would appear and lead her to Sky.

She wanted to get it immediately and go look for him, but right now, all eyes were on her every move, so she had to be careful.

However, she had already made arrangements to get it soon.

She couldn’t go outside the palace secretly right now to capture him, but an opportunity would arise soon.

She smiled and clenched her fist.

The heavy wooden door was strictly controlled by knights in black armor.

Given the strict security, the intruder must have been a considerable headache for the Behind Knights.

Eleanor checked the face of the man sitting tied up through the window on the door.

He had his head down, but just as Elai said, he was undoubtedly one of Sky’s trusted subordinates.

“It’s him. I want to go in and talk to him.”

“Isn’t it dangerous?”

“I’ll be fine.”

Although Sky had left on bad terms, it seemed unlikely he would send an assassin.

Even if he had decided to assassinate her, he wouldn’t have devised such a sloppy plan as to send his closest aide alone.

Elai opened the door as Eleanor requested but followed her in, not at ease.

“Zenith… is that right?”

Eleanor recalled the name Sky used to call him and addressed him.

The man raised his head and nodded almost imperceptibly.

Eleanor sat in front of him and asked with a serious face.

“What was your purpose for infiltrating this place?”

Instead of answering, Zenith posed a question.

“Is the witch who was imprisoned in the underground of the imperial palace here?”

“I’m sorry, but I’ll be asking the questions. Tell me your purpose.”

“I need that witch.”

He invaded with Beatrice as his objective?

Eleanor changed her question.

“How did you know about the existence of such a witch?”

“The Duke mentioned that there might be such a thing underground.”

How on earth did he figure that out?

Shaking her head in disbelief at Sky’s brilliance, Eleanor continued her questions.

“Why do you need her?”

“Because I need her power.”

“Her magic? Can’t Duke Phaedra do that himself?”

Zenith did not answer, but the question was simple enough that she could guess the answer herself.

There must be a reason why he couldn’t do it himself.

Many things could be the reason, but the fact that a sorcerer would go to such lengths to find another sorcerer quickly narrowed it down to one possibility.

Eleanor’s expression hardened, and she said in a dark tone.

“It seems someone is under a spell.”

Zenith remained silent.

However, Eleanor’s intelligent mind was steadily moving toward the answer.

‘Back then… he stepped back when I tried to touch him.’

That was unnatural for Sky, who would boldly embrace her if she just approached slightly.

‘And he covered my eyes.’

Eleanor always wore the String Stone and the Marking Stone to prevent a person under the Crown Princess’s spell from approaching.

Before the kiss.

That is, before their skin touched, the first thing Sky did was cover Eleanor’s eyes.

All of Sky’s unnatural actions connected to form a single puzzle piece.

“What kind of vow did the Duke make?”

Her voice trembled as she asked the question.

The worst possible thought had just rushed into her mind.

“Judging by your expression, it seems you have an idea.”

Zenith said in a weak voice and smiled bitterly.

“Is… my guess correct?”

She asked again, not wanting to believe it.

But Zenith gave a faint nod.

Seeing that, Eleanor stood up and approached Zenith.

“Step back. It’s dangerous!”

Eli tried to stop her, but Eleanor didn’t listen.

She looked straight at Zenith with her blue eyes and asked, word by word.

“Did Duke Phaedra make a Vow of Subjugation to the Crown Princess?”

At that question, the hand of Elai, who was trying to pull her back, stopped.

Not only that, but the expressions of the surrounding knights hardened in shock.

“He did.”

At Zenith’s answer, Eleanor felt as if her legs were giving out and she would collapse to the floor.

She desperately held her balance and cried out.

“Why, why on earth would he do such a foolish thing?”

Sky was the one who had explained the vow to Lian to Eleanor.

He would know better than anyone the horror and cruelty of the Vow of Subjugation.

He should have known that it was better to die than to be subjugated, yet he agreed to such a thing.

At her outburst, Zenith’s voice turned cold.

“Can’t you guess yourself?”

Eleanor was speechless.

Was this the method he used to buy time for Lian to break the vow?

Of course, that terrible vow couldn’t have ended with such a small price.

Eleanor couldn’t bear it and collapsed back into the chair she was sitting on.

“Why… for me… why would you go so far…”

“He said it was his fault that you were trapped underground… that he was taking responsibility for getting you involved.”

Zenith’s answer pierced her heart painfully.

“I won’t make unreasonable demands like asking you to accept the Duke’s true feelings. But if you have a heart, please help the Duke now.”

A low voice flowed from Eleanor’s lips, which were bowed down.

“I don’t want to.”

“…What did you say?”

Zenith’s face hardened.

Eleanor raised her gaze, frowned, and added.

“I really don’t want this kind of situation.”

Why didn’t Lian and Sky cherish themselves more?

She never once wished for them to sacrifice themselves to help her in this way.

But she also wasn’t unable to understand their feelings.

If she could help the two of them, she would willingly accept her own loss.

“Where is the Duke now?”

“If you want to help him, give me the witch. I’ll take her to the Duke and use counter-magic…”

“No, that won’t solve anything.”

Eleanor cut him off.

“You can’t break the Vow of Subjugation with Beatrice. Even if you could, I wouldn’t hand her over to you.”

Lian’s words and resolve in the dungeon had an effect on her as well.

At that time, she couldn’t see anything, but now she also agreed that it was better not to return Beatrice’s power.

“How can you say that? The Duke did this for you…”

“I’m saying this for the Duke’s sake, too. Even if the vow is broken that way, he will only face another problem, and nothing will be solved.”

Eleanor said it bluntly.

“It’s meaningless unless we solve the root of all these problems. If we only solve the immediate problem, the same thing will just repeat.”

“…What exactly are you trying to say?”

“We need to bring the Duke here and work together to bring down the Crown Princess. Only then can we all be free.”

Zenith couldn’t deny it, but he couldn’t agree either.

“But… if he so much as meets her gaze, he’ll become a slave. How can we stand against her?”

“His brilliant mind, his abilities, his vast knowledge, and his various skills are a great help.”

If Sky were by her side, it would be like gaining a thousand soldiers and horses.

She had been suspicious because she couldn’t guess his true intentions, but now, he was an ally she could trust more than anyone.

“You’re saying you want to call the Duke here to use him for your own purposes?”

“This is to protect the Duke.”

Eleanor firmly denied Zenith’s words.

“If the Duke made a vow, the Crown Princess can use the String Stone to find him at any time. You know that, don’t you?”

Zenith’s expression showed a realization.

“If he comes here, it’s okay if his location is exposed. Because there’s someone here who can protect him so the Crown Princess won’t even see his shadow.”

In this place, there was the world’s greatest knight who had been freed from a vow.

There was no place in the world safer than under his protection.

“If we lose, the Duke loses, too. We’re already in the same boat.”

“But… after leaving like that, would the Duke even want to come here…”

To the hesitating Zenith, Eleanor said in a firm voice.

“Let me meet him. I’ll take responsibility and bring him here.”

Support