Episode 94
“Beep.”
‘Seriously, is he allowed to do this?’
I glanced at the collapsed knights. They showed no signs of getting up. I quickly erased the terrifying scene from my mind.
‘It’s detrimental to my mental health.’
I shook my head and glared at Cesar. Even for him, this seemed excessive.
But he seemed completely unfazed.
“What’s wrong, Lily?”
“Chirp.”
I flapped my wings and showed him my ankle. He frowned.
“Did they hurt your ankle, too?”
“Beep!”
‘No!’
If he found another injury, he looked like he would wipe the Marquisate off the map, so I desperately shook my head.
I was wondering how to tell him about the spell on my ankle when he noticed it himself and said,
“There’s a strange spell on it.”
“Beep!”
‘That’s right! That’s why I couldn’t escape the Marquisate!’
“…They bound you to this mansion? How ridiculous.”
I suddenly felt a burning pain and fluttered in distress, and Cesar soothed me.
“It’s okay. Just hold on a little longer.”
I endured the pain at his gentle words. Then, I felt something disappear.
“Now that you can leave, let’s head back to the Dukedom.”
“Beep?”
‘Aren’t we going to Sylvia’s mansion?’
But Cesar, who couldn’t understand bird language, said something else entirely.
“Don’t worry, I’ll take care of the revenge.”
“Beep…”
‘That’s not what I… Oh, whatever…’
I nodded halfheartedly, and Cesar walked up the stairs. He acted as if he owned the place, despite trespassing.
“They’ve blocked teleportation magic, so we’ll have to leave through the secret passage.”
“Chirp?”
‘Secret passage?’
“Let’s go outside through there, Lily.”
“Chirp.”
‘Okay.’
I replied energetically and perched on Cesar’s shoulder.
The familiar scent calmed me. He would take me to where I wanted to go.
The tension from his arrival made me feel sleepy. As I closed my eyes, a gentle hand enveloped me.
I fell asleep in his large hand.
“So carefree.”
Seeing Lily sleeping soundly, Cesar felt a wave of relief.
He had been so startled by the sudden surge of energy. He had been so anxious, afraid he would be too late.
He had been worried sick about what might have happened to Lily, and the tension only subsided after seeing her, a small bird holding a knight’s hair in her beak.
He had expected to find her trapped somewhere, crying in fear, but she had boldly escaped and was cheerfully holding a trophy, as if proud of herself.
Her unchangingly bright demeanor made him chuckle in disbelief.
He carefully placed the sleeping Lily in his pocket, and she chirped softly, as if comfortable. She seemed at peace, as if she hadn’t been through anything.
But he had clearly seen it. Her mangled left wing.
‘Have you heard of divine power? That’s the power I used to defeat the monster.’
Had she healed her wing with divine power? There was no way she could fly properly with such a badly injured wing otherwise.
‘Did they break her wing? To prevent her from escaping?’
If they were worried about a maid escaping, they should have broken her legs. But Lily’s current state indicated that they had discovered her bird form.
And the one who injured her wing was probably Prea Seirthe.
“…I should have taken care of her sooner.”
He should have confined her to his mansion and dealt with her as soon as he saw that note.
He felt sorry for not coming sooner. Judging by the fluctuation in her energy, she must have been in excruciating pain.
She had smiled brightly and greeted him when they met, but Lily tended to keep things to herself. She acted as if she was fine and didn’t show any signs of her struggles.
She would make a fuss over minor injuries… but she would close her mouth shut if she thought her situation might harm others.
So he wouldn’t let her out of his sight again. He would create a place for Lily at the Dukedom and keep her close, regardless of the rumors.
As he was walking through the secret passage, a dagger flew past him and embedded itself in the wall.
“Tsk.”
As Cesar clicked his tongue, a woman, who seemed disappointed, chuckled and said,
“I wondered who the intruder was, but I never imagined it would be Duke Clovis. You didn’t even bother concealing your identity… Did you think our family was a joke?”
The guards behind her drew their swords, on high alert.
His original plan had been to rescue Lily and leave. But there was a change of plans.
“A joke? If that were the case, the Marquisate wouldn’t be so quiet. I would have already broken down the door and demanded you hand over Sylvia’s maid.”
Prea Seirthe. It wouldn’t be difficult to get rid of her secretly, but openly attacking her family would be troublesome.
“I didn’t think you were interested in women’s affairs. Ah, was that woman desperately searching for her maid?”
“I found her. The maid Lady Seirthe kidnapped is very precious to me.”
“I thought you were in love with that woman… It seems you’ve also been bewitched by that girl. She is quite lovely. Although it was brazen of her to transform into a bird and run away.”
Cesar’s mood soured at her friendly, almost condescending tone.
“Who are you to call her lovely? Her wings are a mess.”
“I heard you were known for your kindness, Duke Clovis. It seems your true nature is different. And it seems you knew she was a beastkin.”
Prea just chuckled, unfazed by his sharp gaze and menacing aura. And she added,
“It’s her fault that her wings are a mess. I tried to shoot her heart with an arrow when she dared to run away. She’s quite good at dodging, so I hit her left wing instead…”
Snip.
A lock of her hair fell to the ground. She touched her cheek, looking at her severed hair with an indifferent expression.
There was a long cut on her usually smooth cheek. She felt the warm blood with her fingertips. She looked to the side and saw her guards lying on the ground, unconscious.
“Are you trying to start a fight with the Seirthe Marquisate?”
“Are you even aware of the current situation? Do you think the Crown Prince wouldn’t know about you trying to act before Sylvia is officially announced as his fiancée?”
“…It wouldn’t have mattered even if he knew. But failing the mission is a major setback. Useless.”
“I’m aware that Marquis Seirthe was also involved in your scheme.”
“Did you think he would tolerate losing what he considers his rightful place to a woman beneath him?”
“The Seirthe Marquisate’s reputation will be ruined by daybreak. Wouldn’t that make her even less suitable for the position of Crown Princess?”
Prea didn’t think that would happen.
Even though the Clovis Dukedom was powerful, her family had been a core supporter of the Crown Prince for a long time. So the Crown Prince would try to protect her family.
Even if she was punished, the Crown Prince wouldn’t abandon the Seirthe Marquisate at such a crucial time in the power struggle with the Second Prince.
“It’s useless, even if you intervene, Duke Clovis. His Highness won’t abandon the Seirthe Marquisate.”
“I’m planning to make the Crown Prince an offer. I’ll tell him that I, the Clovis Dukedom, will become his core supporting faction instead of the Seirthe Marquisate, a potential threat who’s constantly eyeing the Crown Princess position.”
Prea tapped her chin, surprised by the unexpected situation. With such a valuable offer, it wasn’t impossible for the Crown Prince to abandon the Seirthe Marquisate.
“This is why I shouldn’t delegate tasks to others…”
She wouldn’t be in this predicament if the mission had been successful. No matter how much he cherished her, the Crown Prince wouldn’t accept a woman who had disappeared and been with other men as his fiancée.
She should have at least left a permanent scar on her face. Then the Crown Princess position would have been hers, and the Crown Prince wouldn’t have been able to ignore the Seirthe Marquisate’s influence and would have covered up the incident.
“This is truly a mess. How annoying.”
She had never failed to get what she wanted. Her carefully laid plans were crumbling, and it made her anxious.
Prea stepped on her unconscious guards and looked at the man in front of her.
“Are you satisfied now, Duke Clovis? Causing such a commotion over a mere maid.”
Cesar replied coldly to her mocking smile,
“I won’t be satisfied with just damaging one family.”
“Are you going to kill me? If you are, please make it quick and painless. My family’s honor has been tarnished, and I don’t want to live in a world where I can’t have what I want.”
Prea offered her neck without hesitation. Cesar smirked.
“I know your kind. Raised with a silver spoon in your mouth, you think the world revolves around you and can’t tolerate your honor being tarnished. So watch closely.”
His menacing mana pressed down on her, making it difficult to breathe.
“…Ugh!”
“Watch how people gossip about you, the once-proud Lady Seirthe of the fallen Marquisate, and how those you wronged come crawling out to seek revenge.”