Chapter 92

Rania Aiden was waiting for Revos in the parlor of the Aire Palace with an anxious look.

It had already passed the promised time. A slight pain rose in her face as she gnawed her nails. There was a bruise on her cheek from Elysia’s glove at the banquet last night. Even though she covered it now with makeup, it still hurts.

“When will His Highness come?”

“I don’t know… Or, shall I tell him that you stopped by?”

It was a suggestion that she should go back. Rania sneered at the familiar coldness.

“I’ll be waiting for him, so you can leave. I want to be alone.”

The servant bowed with a dissatisfied expression and left the place. She even succeeded in taking the place as Revos’ partner, and it all seemed to go awry once and for all.

…Because of that one girl, Elysia.

The scene with the blunt and uncharacteristically insignificant woman, Lady Silva, held in Revos’ arms was still vivid in her mind. It was amazing that she would replace the duel as if she had a special relationship with Elysia.

When her thoughts went too far, anger grew again towards Elysia.

Rania was angry at the disgrace to her, but there was something else that made her angry. She looked so happy being held in the arms of Duke Esteban.

Elysia Lowell was not destined to face death, unfortunately… Everything was so annoying that she was going crazy.

“I heard you were a wizard. Let me teach you a few things as a senior.”

Who dared to teach whom when she was fake…?

In addition, Elysia openly confirmed that it was Duchy Esteban that attacked her carriage heading to the Imperial Palace yesterday.

Because no one knew that she was a wizard except for the masked men who attacked her carriage yesterday, she had to check the eye color of the cat in Duke Esteban’s residence. However, it seemed difficult to approach the residence.

After seeing him at the banquet, she understood why she hadn’t been able to come over even with so much effort.

A dog passing by could even feel how much Duke Esteban loved Elysia.

The belated regrets of approaching her from the beginning flooded in… According to what she learned through Lumière, it seemed to be purple eyes, though it was better to check it with her own eyes.

“…Anyway, how did you find out?”

Since Elysia found out something about her, so she was threatening Rania.

There were so many things to expect that it was difficult to predict what they were. Rania had to know what she knew, so she could walk around and approach her. The only certainty was that Jane was with Elysia’s side.

She was annoyed because the woman named Jane seemed to be spying on her. After thinking about that, the event at the banquet came to mind again.

She looked carefully at the hand that pushed Jane’s back to Revos. As the deputy commander of the Imperial Knights, there was no way she could fall over at the push of her slender hands. She found out that Jane’s dress and embellishment had also been helped by Elysia.

No, maybe it was better.

It seemed to be rather helpful in achieving the purpose to come today, so it was a good thing. While she was thinking about how to weave it, she heard a voice announcing Revos’ arrival.

“Lady. Are you waiting until this hour?”

A look of displeasure crossed Revos’s face. Seeing that, Rania quickly captured her expression and put on a smile.

“Greetings, Crown Prince. I’d been waiting to see your face for a while… I guess I must have bothered you.”

Revos sat across from her and exhaled briefly.

Rania saw his face and had a gut feeling. Even the day before, he had not looked at her with such a cold gaze. He had fallen in love with that knight called Jane, Lady Silva.

“Your Highness, I want to speak…”

“I have something to tell you, Lady.”

He should listen to her now. How hard she tried to get here, she couldn’t give up the seat to him so vainly…? Losing that to a strange woman who came out of nowhere

“Your Highness is being deceived.”

Revos stared at her in question.

He knew whom she was talking about, and there was a slight displeasure on his face. Although he must have thought of Dame Jane, his prediction was wrong. It would be really irreversible if she brought that woman up here.

“Your Highness, you can’t trust Duke Esteban.”

“What do you mean?”

“Do you know why the Second Prince couldn’t come to the Imperial Palace?”

She could clearly feel Revos squinting her eyes and observing her.

The man in front of her has been taught since childhood so he might rule the country, but he was never good at scheming or having the ability to see through such things. They could say, in a word, that he was too stupid to be a monarch.

Still, what to do about what he wanted…?

“I think Your Highness knows, too.”

“Lady shouldn’t have known what I know.”

…Because she would know that the Second Prince used black magic.

Of course, she shouldn’t have known. The only people who knew about it were the close associates of Duke Esteban, the Crown Prince, and the temple.

“Why did Duchess Esteban go to the Duke after putting Your Highness on the throne?”

Revos raised the corners of his lips to show that he was outright upset.

“Lady, what are you trying to do now?”

“How did Duke Esteban find out so easily that Lady Blanche used black magic? Do you really think it is sincere that the Duke is trying to put Your Highness on the throne?”

That it was not a position that was obtained directly by one’s own strength, Revos had always had a sense of entitlement to it. Even though he was not showing it, this time, wouldn’t be that different.

Rania kept telling Revos what she was thinking as if she really wanted to save him.

“…Do you have any evidence?”

“Lady Silva is proof of that.”

Revos frowned as though he didn’t know why the woman’s name was coming out there.

“You must know that Duchess Esteban and Lady Silva are close.”

He also had a face that he had never heard of it. Rania presented evidence that they were on the same side by tying up the relationship between Duke Esteban and Jane, and even the Second Prince Peloit.

After a while, after hearing all of the story, Revos’s eyes fluttered relentlessly.

…A wounded face, a feeling of betrayal.

Rania reached out her hand and clasped her fist.

“Even if everyone leaves your side, I’ll remain. Even if you’re not the Crown Prince, even if you can’t sit in the Emperor’s seat.”

She told him he should have this woman.

“But, if Your Highness cannot let go, I will make it so that you can rise only with your own strength.”

Even if he pretended to be cleaner than anyone else in the world, he was no different from Lumiere and others. He was someone who was willing to hurt others for what he wanted to get.

It was only that she and Revos had a good heart for each other, so she never had to reveal her filthy secrets.

***

Elysia was in the southern part of the Empire with Ramote.

“The Duke has let you go.”

“Instead, I have to go back today. If old man had not prepared a movement magic circle, he would have never let me go.”

If she moved by carriage from the capital to the south, she had to drive down three days without a break.

It was because Cassian insisted that if she was more than a day away, she might die of blood starvation. She also did not act cooperatively because she was worried about him, and Ramote made movement magic altogether.

If there was a problem, Cassian could come right away.

It took half of the royal wizards to gather and work hard for half a year, so the Emperor naturally gave up and gave permission. If there was one problem, it was about the amount of magic required to use it once because it was far away. She would still spend a quarter of her magic.

“Old Man. Still, you find it by searching so blindly like this?”

It had been two hours since they have been wandering through the forest searching for traces of monsters with the holy relic they got from Arbel.

“The Second Prince is using black magic to control monsters, not summoning them. Didn’t he say that with his mouth?”

“So, you’re saying he’s already collecting?”

“Yeah, he can’t gather enough monsters to devastate the South in just a few days.”

…Why did he know all of it and still be lost?

“Can’t we just ask for support from the Magic Tower? And why me?”

In addition to the magicians of the magic tower, Arbel decided to send the paladins to the south. Nonetheless, did it have to be like this…?

Besides, Remote alone was enough to wipe out the monsters, so was there any reason why she had to come with him? It was not that she was forced, it was that Ramote could do something she could do alone.

He wasn’t the type of person to be inefficient and have the two of them work.

“Your black magic. Shouldn’t you try it?”

“Ah… Then you should have said that from the beginning.”

Elysia slapped Ramote on the shoulder and smiled. If so, that was what she wanted, too. Even if she tried to use black magic in the capital, there was a limit. And, since it was meant to be against Peloit anyway, she wanted to practice.

She thought vaguely that she could just do it as if using magic, but there’s nothing wrong with checking it out.

“…It hurts. It’s ignoring my power. I think I’m going to lose my shoulder.”

“You’re exaggerating.”

Elysia turned her gaze and frowned. She could see that the road was broken. Now, she had to move by making her way. As she was about to take a step forward, cutting off the branches that had grown at random with her magic.

The holy relic that Ramote was holding began to emit a bright light.

It was a holy relic that radiated a clear light as the energy that collides head-on with black magic or divine power gets closer. It was only one step forward, but the necklace was shining bright enough to block the light.

“There must be something there.”

Der, who was in her arms, struggled to get down immediately.

“Der, be still. It’s dangerous.”

“Before you worry about it, worry about me.”

“Then, show me your weakness, Old Man.”

“Huh. You have to be weak to show your weakness.”

Elysia frowned as if she had seen something she could not see.

She wanted to say a word, but Ramote suited that confidence very well.

“.…!”

She then grabbed Ramote’s arm, who was leading the way first. A strangely familiar yet unfamiliar feeling.

…The discomfort that followed her was beyond words.

She didn’t know for what reason, though it was irritable and hot.