Chapter 78

The only thing she could do now was for Cassian and Ramote to break the black magic.

But, when she thought about how it was blocked in the original, it felt like she had to do as she said. Because Elysia in the original was trying to kill Revos and interfere with Peloit with black magic, things went awry.

There had to be one hand that could block Peloit…

“And, they said black magic comes at the cost of life. However, the black magic that Peloit used doesn’t seem to be like that.”

It was a story she heard while visiting Lumiere once more. She heard that the magic that he used would cut their lifespan.

“It might really be, it in exchange for life.”

The number of those who were unfairly sacrificed for the use of black magic was not small.

Elysia knew that it was used in an experiment to demonstrate stronger power or under what conditions black magic would activate, though it could have been just a condition for using black magic.

She picked up the data Ramote had brought and continued her words.

“It doesn’t really matter if the life force is the caster’s or someone else’s…”

“There is some truth to it. Although what if the magic used by the Second Prince was also at the cost of life force?”

“Not applicable to me.”

“It seems like a gamble.”

Elysia shrugged her shoulders. The only way to use black magic right now was to copy the magic circles in the data they had.

“I’m trying to make a simple magic like lighting a fire succeed with black magic.”

“Anyway, if the method is wrong, there will be no success, so will it be okay?”

“That might be.”

“If the research is within a safe range, it might be okay.”

“Right? I knew Old Man would say that. Hoho.”

At that, she took a sip of the tea and raised the corners of her lips.

“Okay. I’m not going to tell him, so don’t say anything…”

As Elysia put down the teacup and lifted her head, she met Cassian’s eyes as he opened the door to the parlor. After the imprinting was done, she could feel his presence like a ghost, but she still was not so accustomed to it these days.

Looking at Cassin, he smiled awkwardly and raised one corner of his mouth.

“When were you going to tell me, Madam?”

…Where did he hear it from? She really wasn’t lying, she was trying to tell him everything.

Elysia opened her mouth with a dismayed face.

“Tonight…? You came earlier than that.”

These days, Cassian came home so quickly that it was doubtful that he was working properly in the Imperial Palace. After hearing the contents of the original story, it seemed like he was doing some research on that as well. A man who should be extremely busy spends too much time on her.

Nonetheless, more than half of that long time was in bed.

“Then, I will go.”

Remote glanced around and left without saying goodbye. Elysia stared at the back of the Old Man’s head, who ran away every time the atmosphere felt unfavorable.

Meanwhile, Cassian came closer, grabbed her hair and kissed her.

“No dangerous things.”

“It’s not dangerous.”

“How are you sure?”

“Actually, I don’t know if I’ll ever be able to succeed… If I can’t find a way, I’ll quit.”

Uttering that, Elysia got her body up from the chair and hugged Cassian’s waist. She didn’t know what was going to happen, so she had to be prepared.

“I don’t want you to be in danger again.”

He was a man who threatened to die for her. She knew all too well now that maybe the same situation would happen to her.

“If you touch black magic, won’t you be unable to use the magic you used to use?”

“That’s right.”

“Will you go crazy enough to turn into a killer?”

“I will be fine.”

“I don’t know if you will be affected or not. I can’t afford to see my wife go crazy.”

Cassian pushed her slightly and leaned down to meet his eye level.

“So, you can’t do what you thought.”

Elysia took a bite of Cassian’s lower lip. She didn’t set her teeth up to suck blood but just nibbled at them. Then, she tilted her head back as she felt him clasping her chin and pressing his lips against hers.

“If you were going to die for me, could I be doing nothing?”

“Of course not. but I’m fine…”

Maybe, he was trying to say he’s okay?

Elysia licked Cassian’s lips once, and spoke firmly.

“It’s not different. It’s the same thing.”

She could see Cassian raising his eyebrows as if it was not the case no matter how much he thought about it.

The demons she heard from Ramote had a different way of thinking than humans. They enjoyed pleasure and were just a little cruel, though she was different from the humans who went crazy using black magic.

Der, the beast of such a demon realm, made her its master so wouldn’t she be safe, too?

Even though it was a vague guess, it wasn’t unreasonable.

Didn’t Peloit look okay as well?

“I don’t know how to do it anyway, so just because I try doesn’t mean I will succeed.”

“Elysia.”

It was a voice that was desperate, as if please don’t do it. At that, she kissed him on the lips one after another.

“Once I figure out a way, I’ll talk to you first.”

She said that she wasn’t going to decide on her own whether or not to get into black magic. Hearing that, Cassian sighed as he expected she would be stubborn.

“Know one thing. If you go crazy, I’ll go crazy too.”

“It won’t happen.”

He didn’t know where the confidence came from.

Elysia gently reached out her hand and patted his back.

“You said you wouldn’t accept it today.”

Cassian raised his eyebrows as he grabbed her wrist that gripped his body, “I was just praising… I didn’t mean it that way.”

He then leaned over and bit her chest.

“Crazy. Where is this?”

Saying so, Elysia hurriedly glanced around. Fortunately, there were no employees waiting and the door to the parlor was closed.

“I want to give you some compliments, too.”

“Did I do something worthy of praise?”

“You gave me a heart-wrenching shock today as well.”

‘Now, I really want to compliment you,’ Cassian added those words and smiled, raising only one corner of his mouth.

Elysia swallowed a gulp and tried to pull her wrist away from him, but to no avail.

***
Elysia and Ryan were watching the family doctor look after Lumiere.

It was because of the maid attached to Lumiere’s report.

They took a glimpse at her again, wondering if there was something else wrong with the saying that she seemed to have completely lost her mind. Regardless, even if there were individual differences, the rate of destruction was too fast for a side effect of black magic.

She could see Lumiere staring into the air, blinking her blank eyes.

Elysia chuckled and clicked her tongue.

Soon, the temple would come to take her, and until then, she should be in good shape. Although she wanted to ask more questions, she didn’t want her to go crazy like this.

“Madam…”

Approaching her with a frown on his forehead and whispered softly, the doctor glanced at Ryan and gestured if he could speak.

Elysia nodded her head.

“There is a lot of poison in her body.”

“Poison…? What poison?”

“Despite the fact that I’ll have to check for sure, it seems to be a poison that degrades the mind. She must have been eating it since last winter.”

Elysia quickly blinked her eyes at his words.

“Degrades the mind…?”

She couldn’t believe she was constantly eating poison that degraded her mind. There was no way Lumiere drank it herself, so who did it?

…If it was last winter, it was around the time of the monster’s subjugation.

“Perhaps, she had emotional ups and downs and was often incapable of making rational judgments.”

“Is there an antidote?”

“If it’s taken on time after the poison. However, it is already too late to take the antidote on time. If you take a small amount consistently, there are no symptoms.”

“Even if I call the Priest?”

“…Yes”

“If we found it a little sooner, we could slow it down…”

Elysia’s words trailed off and she pressed her forehead tightly. She thought it was black magic, whereas she never thought it was from poison like this.

“It would have been of no use. But still, it’s a poison that needs to be detoxified.”

As she turned her glance to Lumiere, she was still staring into the air, smiling brightly in the sun.

An indescribable emotion flooded her.

It didn’t happen in the original story. Elysia thought for a moment that everything had gone wrong with her possession, but she reassured herself that it was not her fault. From the moment Lumiere returned, it had already changed from the original story.

Above all else, she was not a victim either.

“Make sure that the poison is correct and report it.”

“Yes.”

Passing the doctor, she headed out of the cottage. Ryan, who followed her, called her with a worried face.

“Lady Elysia.”

“Yes?”

“Are you okay?”

Elysia parted her lips beside Ryan’s steps.

“I’m okay.”

She was just confused because there were so many things she didn’t know. And, she wondered how the female lead had become like that.

“We should do some research.”

“I’ll do it.”

“No, let’s do it together.”

Elysia felt like she was going crazy from being frustrated every time she heard news like this while she was just sitting in the mansion. Though it was not because of black magic, maybe it was because of this she was going crazy.

It seemed to her that it would be much more comfortable to wander around.

“Ugh… Madam, please save me—”

At that time, she heard a voice that blew away her depression.

Should she say that the owner of that voice had the talent to make her think of nothing? A little distance away, she saw Bug playing with Der. Elysia thought she should say that he was avoiding one-sided beatings rather than playing with Der.

Bug, who rushed to avoid Der, shed tears as he saw the hollowed-out ground just beneath his legs.

Der’s fist was never a cotton fist.

“I will go to help.”

“Leave him alone. He hasn’t been hurt until now, right?”

“…That’s right.”

Ryan glanced at Bug and clicked his tongue.

Meanwhile, Elysia took a seat in a suitable place, and sat down before patting the seat next to her with the palm of her hand.

“Just leave him and take a look. I’m going to take a break and go inside.”

“What do you mean… take a look?”