Chapter 46

Crisis (7)

Christa, who was fiddling with the sword given by the emperor, asked curiously.

“What’s wrong with your complexion? Neither the princess nor the crown prince seemed to participate in today’s banquet.”

It was a banquet hosted by the royal family. Yet the host is missing. Then it was Christa Palmaril, who garnered the most attention.

“Lady Christa, I really wanted to see you once.”

“How did you catch such a terrifying beast? Tell me the story.”

Christa was flustered because she was not used to getting so many people’s attention.

“Oh, I…….”

Then Ragnar grabbed Christa.

“Don’t bother my fiance too much.”

However, people who had already shown interest in them continued to do so. She was even the star of this hunting festival, which was recognized by the emperor. Everyone tried to get even a little closer to them.

‘I was wondering what kind of woman would pull the reins of the playboy Duke.’

‘She’s a bit barbaric, but don’t you think she has a unique charm?’

Christa Palmaril came as a fresh shock to the nobles at the banquet.

‘Mysterious eyes.’

‘Maybe it’s because she was a knight, but she has a strong look in her eyes.’

‘It’s because the lady is an Esper that she caught Sebek, right?’

The voices whispering about her became more and more favorable. Ragnar showed off his generous affection to her as if to show them. Christa felt ashamed of it, but somehow she didn’t feel so bad.

It’s as if there’s an invisible curtain. She feels protected in the gleaming shroud. It’s just soft as if everywhere is covered with lukewarm water.

Christa looked at Margrethe. It’s the life she saved.

And she thought about the fate she told her. Just as Christa saved Margrethe’s life, Margrethe saved Christa.

Fate can be changed.

Just hearing that made her frozen heart feel warm and cozy. It was a seed named Hope. It was a feeling still buried in the cold and deep ground.

However, even Christa herself did not know what kind of buds would come up from the seed.

***

Duke Erdualdo Diaz hit the tin glass to the floor. Red wine soaked the stone floor with a loud noise. The servants who watched it lowered their bodies further so as not to incur the anger of their master.

“Damn it!”

The duke was seized with fiery rage. This incident was tantamount to losing the emperor’s trust. His stomach is boiling. His glaring eyes are filled with venom.

“How the hell do you handle things?”

Caterina, his famous daughter, did not budge at all despite her father’s scolding. But she also found her situation uninteresting. With her bow, her mouth protruded five feet. 

“What can I do if the maid did the wrong thing!”

“So, how do you educate the lower ones? On this occasion, the maid……….”

Then Caterina roughly threw off the leather gloves on her hand.

“Don’t worry, Father, I’ve already beaten her to the point that her back comes off.”

Sometimes, she had to educate her servants like this. Her hands were tingling because she had been beating her for so long. The maid explained that it was because the woman dropped the flower before she fainted.

But why did this happen?

In addition, the woman who changed the corsage was Margrethe. If she had died instead, she wouldn’t have been so angry.

Countess Margrethe Hyde. The nasty woman has made Caterina angry for quite some time.

In fact, Caterina was the second most influential person in society after the empress. But there is only one in society who doesn’t take notice of the Diaz family, the closest ally of the emperor. That was Margrethe.

The northerners are all wild, senseless barbarians. It didn’t discriminate between men and women. Even the seemingly well-behaved lady had the temper of attacking anyone.

Getting rid of a nuisance she didn’t like could be accomplished in several ways. Caterina’s favorite method is to bury them on false charges.

However, because of Margrethe’s fortune-telling skills, the whereabouts of her necklace became known. Thanks to this, she was criticized for being arrogant enough to drop her necklace just anywhere and for having a nasty temperament that is suspicious of others.

“It’s really annoying.”

Someone had to pay for it. And that’s her damned maid.

“Her Majesty is very angry.”

“Do you think I knew this would happen? You can’t change what’s already happened!”

That makes sense. What has already happened is inevitable because it has happened. The Duke sighed.

“More than that, I’m worried that they might find evidence and locate the pod.”

“Don’t worry, Father. I’ve ordered a servant to retrieve the evidence. And we have Aquilio. Right, Aquilio?”

Then a tall man took a step forward. Covered by a black robe, he slowly took off his robe’s top. His pale, bluish skin and elongated, torn eyes were revealed.

Aquilio was a mage subordinate to Duke Dias. The tinnitus is an enemy mage. He was one of the few great wizards who maintained his ability despite the destruction of ethers.

“Your Highness, you don’t have to worry. We’ve recovered everything that could be a problem.”

What he held in his hand was a corsage handed out by the maid. It was already caught in the demon beast’s mouth and torn to shreds, but there could have been traces on the ribbon.

“Yes, I’m relieved to have you. But the blame for this is inevitable.”

Aquilio smiled faintly.

“I’m sorry. Her strength was greater than I thought. It was really unexpected.”

Aquilio narrowed his signature snake-like cool eyes. After the destruction of the ether, he devoted himself to the study of new abilities. Alchemy, chimera production, and, above all, the study of awakeners known as new abilities were the main subjects.

“I’m telling you…… It was interesting.”

“What do you mean interesting?”

“On official records, she’s an F-class, but her ability suddenly went up.”

The rise in skills was really rare. This is possible at the early stages of awakening, but after a long time, it rarely happens.

“It’s worth researching.”

No experiment he owned had ever shown such performance. It was tempting. The mage’s eyes shone as clear as a child who found an interesting toy.

“Your unique research?”

There is an interesting expression in Erdualdo’s eyes.

“Yes, I failed this time, but I won’t let this happen next time. Please leave the matter to me.”

Erdualdo smirked. Anyway, he was an enemy mage who gained the full support of the crown prince. He’s looking forward to what fun he’ll bring.

“I believe in you.”