Chapter 63

“You must have something good going on.”

Peloit hardened his lips at the thorny tone and looked at Lumiere in front of him. She avoided his gaze, swallowing at the sudden change in mood.

Seeing that, he laughed sarcastically as he watched her hands curl up into the hem of her dress.

“Hmm. Lady doesn’t look very good.”

“It’s not what you promised.”

She said in a cold tone as if chewing on a Peloit.

“Then, bring me Elysia now. I’ll put it back the way it was.”

After Marquisate Blanche was on the verge of bankruptcy, could he even give her the money at once?

She knew that the Empress’s family was in the same situation. Instead of swallowing the question that popped into her head, Lumiere uttered something else.

“I don’t know what the hell she’s all about. That Elysia…Ugh.”

Peloit strangled Lumiere and brought her face closer.

“She’s not the kind of woman you can talk nonsense about. I’m letting you slide and you’re acting up?”

“Ugh…the family is on the verge of collapse, and I even touched black magic… What could be more terrifying?”

He let go of his hand that was holding her as though he was uninterested.

At that, Lumiere crouched down on the floor, grabbing her neck and coughing.

He then sat down in front of her and said, “You have one last chance. It’s a bit dangerous for the Lady, but would you like to hear it?”

Peloit closed his eyes and smiled, stroking Lumiere’s hair.

She had no more options left.

She was in a situation where she had to do what Peloit told her to do. Because of his hand, he prevented her from being sold to an old king of another country.

Marriage to nobles within the empire was impossible since she didn’t even get a proposal because everyone was watching the Duchy of Esteban and the Duchy of Lowell. The thing she did in the subjugation of monsters.

In the end, it all worked out, though just one thing made it so big that she couldn’t handle it any longer.

Where the hell did she come from…?! What went wrong to make things so twisted?

It wasn’t like this in the past, but how did she get this opportunity?

“I’ll do it. Whatever it is. If only I could get Duke Esteban.”

She swallowed the words, ‘and Elysia’s life, too.’

She could not be satisfied with obtaining Duke Esteban.

Two weeks had passed since she could not return to her mansion, and had been hiding in Peloit’s lair. It was a disgusting place where no light came in, and the smell of rotting monster corpses vibrated.

In the basement, screams that were often felt as if they were human could be heard.

Peloit raised her chin and said in a gentle voice.

“It’s a simple thing to just give up about ten years of lifespan.”

Saying that, he shook a glass bottle of red liquid and a piece of crystal with a magic circle on it.

It was a magic mediated by the caster’s blood.

If the target using magic was a human, the target’s blood was also required. But, lifespan, how the heck does this man know about black magic?

She didn’t think it was like this in the past.

“Though isn’t the opponent is one whom black magic doesn’t work?”

“It doesn’t matter what the method is. In return, you pay with your life, and that’s what it should be.”

It was said that Elysia was able to avoid the guardian tomb with her.

Peloit opened his mouth with a look for Lumiere to answer quickly.

“Will you do it?”

“If I do… then, what do you do?”

“Restore all the business of the Marquisate of Blanche. And, if you put the restraint ball over Elysia’s neck, you can win the heart of Duke Esteban.”

Hearing those words, Lumiere’s green eyes shook violently.

Peloit rummaged through his arms and showed her a small glass bottle.

“You only need to put a drop of the Lady’s blood here. If you were confident, you could seduce yourself.”

He added, ‘Oh, of course, this also has a lifespan of ten years’ then laughed bitterly.

***
Elysia climbed into the carriage alone with Cassian.

Of course, the carriage was also the carriage of the family, and there were some knights who followed, although it was enough to make it feel like the two of them were going on a trip because they followed from a distance.

The two were to ascend to the Capital via three villages where Peloite was supposed to have left traces of black magic.

Meanwhile, Ramote was in charge of two of the five villages.

Elysia was very worried about Ramote moving alone, so she entrusted Der to him. She wanted to help a little bit in finding the traces.

Besides, if she had any problems, Der will be summoned to Elysia’s position, so she could use that as a warning sign for him as well.

The first area they went to was a village called Lucio surrounded by mountains.

“So, does the trace have anything to do with the place where the second prince was testing black magic?”

“Yes, that’s right. Among the places I wrote down on paper, there must be hiding places. There must be places where there are only traces or only rubbles left.”

In the original story, Lumiere caught the Second Prince precisely because she followed Elysia’s tracks, but now that was not the case.

She had no choice but to move and find it herself. After finding the place, it would be easy to prove that the Second Prince was involved in black magic, so she was able to strike before him moving first.

In the original story, Lumiere was in danger when she found out where the Second Prince used as his laboratory and hid, thuogh was caught by Elysia.

At that time, Ryan was protecting Lumiere and died instead.

It would be nice if she remembered where it was at once, but she couldn’t remember because she didn’t read in detail.

“If the Second Prince moves before we find him, the first thing he’ll do before he tries to take over the Imperial Palace is to get your attention.”

Peloit would start attacking the towns farthest from the Capital using monsters.

The person who stood in the way of taking control of the Imperial Palace was Cassian. In the original story, Revos and Lumiere were in a dangerous situation because Cassian heard what was happening in the Imperial Palace late.

“There is only one reason why I am telling you this. Whatever the situation, you will unconditionally move with me!”

“No.”

“I don’t like it either. Never!”

Elysia lifted herself up, placed her hands on her hips, and glared at him. Her face came closer, as the carriage rattled violently, and Cassian pulled her and put her on his leg.

“Oh, so you won’t fall over when it shakes like this.”

She was so surprised that she poked Cassian’s chest with her finger, saying that she would not have fallen if he hadn’t locked her in his arms.

Eventually, Cassian patted his head and sighed briefly.

“Hoo… All right.”

He pulled her a little tighter and hugged her, taking her into full position. Elysia rested her head on his shoulder, and said, “It’s a must, anyway. Promise.”

“No. You must have been in danger once or twice. If you want to stop me and kill me, do so.”

“That’s too much. If you say that, I can’t push you.”

Elysia said she couldn’t do that, and raised her hand and held out her little finger. She wondered what would happen if Peloit did something stupid to Cassian.

If he was with her, he would be with Der and he would be safer.

Although Ramote had Der with him now, that was only while he was trying to find Peloit’s lair.

The red eyes staring at him were determined, and she opened her mouth again.

“Think about the situation.”

“Then, I’ll go after him by myself.”

“That guy is after you, so you’re going to as he pleases?”

Elysia crumpled her face with a wrinkle and asked with a puzzled expression.

“The Prince is aiming for me? Why are you speaking so confidently…”

Hearing her words, Cassian remembered that he had captured a couple of the masked men the last time they hit her carriage. He made a small mumble saying that he made a mistake and explained it to Elysia.

“Then, it was…a kidnapping attempt?”

“Yes.”

After listening to him, she thought that Peloit might have a heart for her as in the original.

In the original, Peloit had never met Elysia a few times, but he had a heart.

“So…if I had been kidnapped that day, I would have been able to find out the location right away. It’s a pity. Of course…”

She didn’t know if she could have escaped safely or not.

At that, the energy she felt behind her back was unusual. Cassian laid Elysia down on the chair in the carriage, and then he bowed down.

“Say it again.”

The low-pitched voice was threatening.

Cassian grabbed her wrists and pressed them over her head. And, with her other hand, he grabbed Elysia’s chin, who was avoiding his gaze, making her look at him.

“I was just saying. Well, I mean, just kidding…”

The cold purple eyes showed that he was genuinely angry. Holding both of Elysia’s wrists, strength entered his hands.

“…Sorry.”

“Really… Do I have to tie you up somewhere?”

“Sorry…”

Cassian frowned and pressed his forehead to Elysia’s.

Once more, she added that she was sorry, and in order to pat him, Elysia tried to pull her wrist out of her grip.

However, she was held tighter.

“If you were gone, I don’t know what I would have done.”

He added, “I think I’ll find it and kill them all.”

Elysia swallowed a gulp as she thought he was really going to do it. Cassian twisted his head as he continued his words, and his lips brushed against hers.

“If you were trying to upset me, that’s a success.”

As he finished his words, he bit Elysia’s lower lip hard.

Unable to say anything about the behavior mixed with resentment, she quietly gave her lips.

Cassian stubbornly bit her lower lip and sucked it in. Elysia exhaled a hot breath as the hand on her chin fell under her. It was not like he was kissing her, but he persistently bit her lips, as was his hand on her body.

It was a success if it was an action that was trying to provoke him…

Elysia opened her lips and she tried to bite his lip, but she failed.

Cassian’s eyes were still cold.

“Cassian—Eup.”

He kissed Elysia lightly and stopped her, and spoke quietly. Cassian’s hand moved down, stroking her body.

He took off Elysia’s shoes.

The sound of her shoes falling to the floor of the carriage was heard.

“Uhh, it tickles…”

Cassian stopped what he was doing, tilted his head and raised the corners of his mouth.

Elysia looked at his face and flinched.

“Casian, it’s really wrong… ah.

He then got up, untied the cravat from his neck, and took it to Elysia’s wrist.

“Don’t make noise from now on. It’d be better not to even think about this.”

Cassian lowered his head and sucked at her neck. His large hands ran past her foot and climbed up her calves. His fingers covered Elysia’s lips as Elysia flinched.

Moments later, his fingers, which had been crushing her lower lip, entered Elysia’s mouth and ruffled her tender flesh. The corners of her eyes were watered by the sensations she felt up and down.

“Huuhh…”

Cassian pulled his finger out and brought it to his mouth, gazing down at Elysia. His hand, which had been under her skirt, ran up her pelvis and dragged the cloth down.

Elysia’s body trembled at the cool sensation.

“You’d better not say things like that, even as a joke.”

Elysia nodded her head as soon as he finished speaking.

Even so, Cassian’s anger did not go away for a while, and she got off the carriage with a haggard face.