Erilot stared at him silently.
“Are you an idiot?”
He glanced back at her and chuckled.
“What’s bothering you now?”
“Why... why did you treat so well when you knew I’m full of secrets and a scher?”
“.......”
“Why, even after hearing I’ve been manipulating your feelings like a fool, do you not resent ?”
Alexis playfully tousled her hair.
“Then let’s say I’m an idiot.”
“You’re a world-class moron...”
He rested his chin on her head and muttered evenly,
“Still, make like you a bit more.”
“......”
“Even if it’s uncomfortable or burdenso, bear with a little longer.”
Erilot squeezed her eyes shut and lowered her head.
The wind blew.
Just like the days long ago, when we held hands and watched the sunset.
“...What exactly happened?”
Conrad was aghast when he saw her swollen eyes upon returning.
Han Ji-hyeok, who had seen running around the castle looking for Alexis, shook his head.
“You’ve sinned by so easily speaking of a man’s pure heart.”
“Pure heart?”
Han Ji-hyeok narrowed his eyes and scolded .
“Why are you crying when nothing good happened?”
“I know...”
Seeing my quiet deanor, both Han Ji-hyeok and Conrad widened their eyes.
Han Ji-hyeok, flustered, said,
“I was joking... why so serious? Wait, why are you walking like that?”
I had fallen on the stairs while searching for Alexis.
I rolled in such a way that even the servants gasped, and now I could barely walk.
I sat on the sofa and slightly lifted my skirt.
As expected, it was a complete ss.
Blood had clotted, and my ankle was swollen beyond recognition.
“Isn’t it broken?!”
Han Ji-hyeok jumped and fetched the first-aid kit from the room.
“Ugh... take it easy...”
I winced as he applied dicine, and he glared at .
“Good job. How old are you, falling around like this?”
“What ti was our appointnt today?”
“We need to leave soon... can you manage on that leg?”
“I’ll go. Once the dicine’s applied, let’s get moving. I need to change clothes.”
Han Ji-hyeok, who had wrapped my ankle, stepped aside.
I hobbled toward the dressroom.
From behind, I could hear Han Ji-hyeok and Conrad muttering.
“Why is she walking like a tail-dragging puppy...”
“No, more like a cat whose thing was stolen. Not a puppy with that temperant.”
“What’s Xre?”
Ignoring them, I changed quickly and ca out.
Stepping outside to depart, I saw a familiar carriage—Baran’s carriage.
As I approached, the window slid open. Heban.
I furrowed my brows.
“Why are you here?”
“To create a little debt.”
I had no energy to answer properly and muttered, “Fine...”
Heban widened his eyes at .
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing important.”
“...Well, fine. Good for anyway.”
“Good for what?”
“When you act kind in situations like this, it’s easy to sway people.”
He smiled widely and opened the carriage door—a gesture for to enter.
Too exhausted to argue, I was about to step in when suddenly my body lifted.
Startled, I looked up at the person holding .
“Alexis?!”
Alexis looked at brazenly.
[What are you doing!]
Heban shouted sharply in Kansis Continental language.
“I’m escorting my fiancée, obviously.”
[...He knows Kansis language?]
[Enough to retort to an annoying fellow.]
[There’s a limit to arrogance, Prince Esiron.]
“When you’re in Kalsoie, speak Kalsoie’s language. The arrogance of stubbornly using one’s native tongue is remarkable.”
Saying this, Alexis sat on the carriage seat and took the adjacent spot.
“Why are you—”
“Do I look like soone who’d let my injured fiancée walk alone?”
“......You knew?”
“Yes.”
Heban frowned.
“I had no intention of giving my carriage to you.”
In the guest compartnt, Alexis crossed his legs and closed his eyes.
“Then you can think of giving it now.”
“Hey!”
“Let’s depart. Considering you’re enemies with Astra and also at odds with Esiron, wouldn’t that make your position difficult?”
“This...”
“If you intend to fight and drive him away, throw your gloves now.”
Alexis opened his eyes and looked indifferently at Heban.
Heban gritted his teeth but didn’t throw his gloves—he only stared.
After all, this is the man who once pointed a sword at the Crown Prince of Baran.
‘He must have realized last ti that he would lose in a fair fight.’
Heban tapped the side window connected to the driver’s seat.
“...Depart.”
I blinked and looked at Alexis in the adjacent seat.
He, eyes closed again, asked,
“Why?”
“Uh, ah, nothing...”
As I answered, Heban spoke.
“Co here, Lil. That uninvited guest is huge and will be uncomfortable.”
Alexis held my hand.
I flinched and narrowed my shoulders.
Heban glared sharply at Alexis.
“Jealousy, is it?”
“Yes.”
“...What?”
“Jealousy.”
Heban had nothing to say as I acknowledged it calmly, despite the pride-stirring comnt.
I rolled my eyes briefly and sat quietly.
Until we reached Grimie Jurisdiction, Alexis didn’t let go of my hand.
I kept noticing my own breathing.
Grimie Jurisdiction.
Lizzy, waiting to greet us, widened her eyes.
“Oh my, Prince Esiron, you’ve also arrived.”
“Apologies for the rudeness of coming without an invitation.”
“Oh... it’s fine. As a fiancée, escort is expected.”
Lizzy chuckled softly.
Her focus was Heban. If I, the betrothed, sat beside Alexis, the adjacent seat would be hers.
Pleased with this, Lizzy welcod Alexis warmly.
“Please, let’s eat.”
“And Aunt Kalia?”
Lizzy stepped slightly toward Heban and answered.
“She’s in our jurisdiction. My sister is busy preparing for the jurisdiction inspection, so I’m handling Grimie’s estate.”
‘Good.’
Aunt Kalia was strict. If she were present, moving around would have been difficult.
“This is your first ti at Grimie’s jurisdiction, Erilot?”
“Yes. No mistress, no children—no reason to be invited.”
Grimie never invites blood relatives.
Everyone is watchful in case the eldest son might na a nephew as heir.
Moreover, the castle houses all kinds of family secrets from Zarah, who oversaw imperial duties.
So, except for Aunt Kalia managing the estate, no one could easily access this castle.
‘I’ll take this opportunity to find Grimie’s weak points.’
The al was laid out in the garden.
“Why not the dining hall?”
Lizzy sat and answered.
“I can’t use the eastern passage of my nature either. But the dining hall must use the eastern passage.”
“Why can’t you use the eastern passage?”
“Probably because of the third warehouse. There are tons of family navigation docunts, even my mother can’t enter. Sit.”
Alexis and I exchanged glances.
‘What’s in the third warehouse.’
Alexis nodded.
We, along with Heban and Lizzy, sat in a circle to eat.
The nu consisted of traditional Kansis dishes.
Lizzy, shyly, asked Heban,
“I wasn’t sure if it would taste right.”
“It’s fine. Are we the only guests?”
“Other guests have schedules, they’ll co for tea ti.”
We ate while engaging in light conversation.
After finishing part of the main course, I spoke.
“Sorry, I need to step away briefly; a ssage ca.”
“Must be about the inspection?”
Everyone in the jurisdictions was busy with the inspection, so it seed she thought that.
It was a good excuse, so I nodded politely.
“Right, I see.”
Actually, Joshua, the most ticulous of Astra, had already arranged everything with the administrators, so I didn’t need to worry.
I got up slightly and signaled Alexis.
‘Cover for while I’m gone.’
Alexis nodded faintly.
I headed toward the building.
Again, Grimie had never invited the 3-year-olds to the castle.
...In this life.
‘But I ca here in my first life.’
Dahlia had invited the 3-year-olds into Grimie’s estate in the first life.
Back then, I was completely useless; my cousins didn’t even speak to .
‘Lucky if they just didn’t talk to .’
Cousins like Joffrey, drunk, always picked fights with .
At the ti, I had no blessing, completely powerless.
Cousins with combat blessings were drunk—it could have been dangerous.
I avoided them, searching for isolated spots.
‘Thanks to that, I morized the geography of Grimie Jurisdiction well. Also...’
I looked at the wall behind the castle and smirked.
“Here.”
While fleeing crazily from Joffrey, I had found this place.
I traced the bricks, pressing one section that stood out...
Ssshhhhh.
With a strange sound, the wall shimred.
‘It’s not really a wall.’
A magical barrier had been created in the form of a wall.
The efforts in my first life, tirelessly casting magic without blessings, now paid off.
‘I know the way to break it.’
I easily bypassed the barrier and entered.
This led to an ◈ Nоvеlіgһт ◈ (Continue reading) underground passage, connected to the eastern corridor.
I quickly restored the barrier before anyone could see, and walked the passage.
It was too dark inside to walk easily.
After walking a while, I saw light gathering in the distance.
‘Torches are lit. Walking won’t be difficult... huh?’
I stopped abruptly.
‘Everyone from Grimie and his aides were exiled... why are the lights on?’
I tiptoed toward the torches.
As I surveyed the area,
“Did Lizzy Astra invite guests?”
“Yes.”
“Hmph. With the owner gone, the guests run wild.”
I almost scread but quickly covered my mouth.
The voice was familiar!
It was Ayla, the cousin who fled after it was revealed she had summoned the ancient monster!
I hid behind the wall and watched Ayla.
Half her face was disfigured, like severe burns.
Right, strange.
How could she escape the highly fortified estate?
Moreover, the duke’s personal troops had searched thoroughly but found nothing.
Now I understood.
‘She didn’t escape the estate. She’s been hiding in Grimie Jurisdiction’s underground!’
Ayla folded her arms and said,
“Report that Experint 692 has manifested a blessing to Uncle.”
“Does that an we can now use ‘that blessing’?!”
“Yes, now we can find Uncle’s heir and open the interdinsional gate.”
‘Open an interdinsional gate?’
And if they find the heir...
‘Maria.’
They clearly intended to find Maria and open the gate.
Ayla asked,
“Have you found the Land of Blessing?”
“Yes, it’s in the Sauso territory.”
Apparently, even the Sauso tribe’s lands contain a Land of Blessing.
Though Grimie is in exile, their intelligence is still formidable.
Probably sanctioned by .
According to Michelan, now operates as spies and assassins across the empire and the world.
But how did they know I hid Maria in this space?
‘Only my closest aides know... no way.’
I stiffened and clutched my skirt.
‘There’s a traitor.’
...Among my closest aides.
Ayla and the man had a brief conversation.
The man bowed to Ayla, climbed nearby stairs, and Ayla walked to the end of the path.
After Ayla disappeared, I cautiously entered the torch-lit path.
Several rooms lined the way.
‘Full of experintal equipnt.’
Not just equipnt—monsters and animals, even corpses.
‘Is this the lab?’
I inspected each room to uncover their experints.
‘They’re fusing monsters and humans.’
From the experints, the goal seed to be fusion with ancient monsters.
‘They have that trendous ancient monster too?’
Even if loyal to Grimie...
My spine shivered.
I swallowed and took out a magical device from my pocket.
It resembled a cara from Earth.
I was recording the experintal docunts when a whirring sound ca from the right.
“...!”
Startled, I tensed.
‘My heart almost jumped out.’
I swallowed and approached the machine.
It was a crystal orb with imperial inscriptions.
[Have you obtained the Land of Blessing? The master will check the contents.]
Grimie’s current location was in a no-communication zone.
‘Yet it’s communicating? He’s dead.’
I recorded this ticulously.
Then the machine whirred again.
[Transaction in progress. The items demanded by the chief are not easy to procure.]
‘No, this isn’t just sending ssages...’
Whirrr.
[Requested items?]
[Magical soldiers.]
[Have they contacted Baran?]
[Approached Baran King’s favored consort. They poisoned her to ruin her body; a redy is needed. They’ll try to win over her heart at the right mont.]
‘This is a device where the central command can check all ssages! Wait, can I intercept and send ssages from here?’
I manipulated it, intercepted one ssage so it couldn’t be transmitted, and sent my own.
[Who is the traitor planted on Erilot’s side?]
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