The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 134

Chapter 134

“Do you know Lord Leilda? ”

Scheuer’s eyes widened in surprise at the unexpected connection between the two.

However, Priest Sevi quickly composed himself.

“No, I don’t,” 

He answered with a brazen look, though anyone could tell he was lying.

The two had no reason to meet, though. Lord Leilda mainly stayed in the Magic Tower and only came to the north occasionally for meetings. Recently, he had been staying at Blenga due to the black magic stones, but until then, Raygrain had always considered her someone who was hard to see.

On the other hand, Priest Sevi, who loved to have fun, preferred places with a lot to see and do.

Scheuer, intrigued, continued to ask.

“Have you ever been to the north, Priest Sevi? ”

“No? There’s nothing to do or see in the north, so why go? To do some cold-weather training?”

He seemed to forget that he was currently standing in the north, as he exclaimed.

Priest Sevi, brushing his brilliant silver hair aside, arrogantly lifted his chin and continued speaking.

“What if my sensitive skin breaks out?”

“Fortunately, the garden is warm! ”

“Well said. If there was such a nice vacation spot in Blenga, you should have mentioned it earlier. This winter, I think this place will be nice.”

No sooner had he finished speaking than Koa responded, 

“That won’t do. You only just managed to make time for the wedding.”

“Koa.”

“Yes, Priest Sevi?”

“A good aide is one who creates time even when there is none. So, do better.”

“Before I was selected as an aide, I was taught that the best aide is the one who gets Priest Sevi to move.”

“That’s heresy.”

“No, it isn’t.”

Unhappy with Koa’s perfect defense, Prist Sevi pursed his lips like a child sulking.

Flapping his white high priest’s robe and waving his hands in frustration, Priest Sevi grumbled, 

“Enough. The northern sun is so strong it feels like my soul is going to burn out. Get me something to shade myself with.”

At this, Peyton, who had been eagerly watching Priest Sevi, quickly responded, 

“I’ll guide you inside.”

With a bright voice, Scheuer informed him, 

“It’s being maintained with temperature-regulating magic stones, a gift from Lord Leilda!”

“I take that back. I’m going inside now!”

The moment Priest Sevi heard Lord Leilda’s name, he turned away from the garden without hesitation and strode towards the Blenga mansion.

Scheuer followed him and asked.

“Why do you dislike Lord Leilda so much? ”

“Just look at him pretending to be young from the start; it’s just annoying.”

Priest Sevi, walking quickly down the corridor, suddenly stopped.

Koa, who had been rushing to catch up, had no choice but to stop as well.

Before anyone could ask why, a teleportation magic circle unfolded before them.

With a flash of light, a younger-looking Lord Leilda appeared.

He glanced at Priest Sevi and chuckled, saying,

“When did you decide to invade someone else’s magic tower? ”

“Me? When? I didn’t! ”

“You sent knights to protest in front of the magic tower, asking for a teleportation stone! Do you know how many sleepless nights I had because of it? ”

“That’s just because you’re getting old. They say you become a light sleeper as you age.”

As the two bickered loudly in the corridor, Koa turned around. Facing the belatedly arriving servants of Blenga, he bowed his head and apologized.

“I’m sorry. There’s been bad blood since Priest Sevi failed to escape using the teleportation stones.”

Over Koa’s voice, the two were still shouting at each other.

“Fine, keep all the stones to yourself!”

“I’ll make sure they bury me with a stone in my coffin when I die!”

As their voices grew louder, Koa’s head drooped lower, as if it would touch the floor of the corridor.

***

Raygrain had been taught from a young age to prioritize actions appropriate to the situation over emotions.

The proper reaction to each situation was all that was taught to the heir in Blenga.

No one had ever taught him about emotions.

Even his father, the former Grand Duke, had no understanding of emotions, so there was no one in the family who could teach him in detail.

Perhaps because of this ignorance, Raygrain found himself unable to manage the sudden surge of emotions he was experiencing recently.

He especially felt alien to himself when he was with Scheuer.

Yet, in the moment when he was about to strike down a monster, for the first time, Raygrain hesitated.

‘What will happen if these emotions disappear?’

It was a foolish concern, given that he had lived well without them until now.

But the moment Scheuer’s name came to mind, he found himself wishing that the feelings filling him now would not vanish even after he wielded his sword.

If possible, he wanted to feel the same emotions as her.

If his emotions remained, he felt that he could give more to Scheuer, who found happiness in even his smallest actions.

When she smiled, he wanted to touch her, to be close to her, and to answer whenever she called his name.

He recalled the time when Scheuer had told him why she liked him.

‘I like you just because you’re the Grand Duke.’

Her lightly blushing cheeks, as she said, were adorable. There were no other words to describe it. 

“Adorable…”

Raygrain looked at his own hand, gripping the sword. Whenever emotions slipped away, he always felt emptiness. A void—nothing left in that hollowness. It was ambiguous to even call it an emotion, yet it was everything that made him who he was.

Raygrain let out a small breath. 

“Ha…”

It hadn’t disappeared. No, it had disappeared. He clearly felt that when he used the sword, emotions instinctively drained away. But it was only for a moment. Before long, other emotions were rapidly rising within him. The refilled emotions stacked solidly inside Raygrain.

He picked up the dark red magic stone that had fallen at his feet. At the same time, a single chamomile petal fluttered down. Even though he had set it aside before entering battle, it seemed there were traces of her left since he had so many tucked in.

He didn’t mind that at all. “The worry was unfounded.”

Just then, Jess, who had gone out on a search, returned to report. 

“It seems that the one you eliminated is the only one.”

His voice was cautious. Raygrain asked in a flat tone, 

“What about the damage? ”

“Thanks to your early action, there were no casualties.”

With the help of Marquis Henner, all the local residents who could hear the monster’s cries had evacuated. As they withdrew and descended into the village, they saw residents standing at a distance, anxiously hugging their children and wives, their faces filled with worry.

They smiled in relief at the knights’ signal indicating it was safe.

“Thank you, Your Grace! ”

“We’re overwhelmed that you personally came to such a small region like ours.”

Raygrain, in a cold tone, asked,

“Is this place important to you? ”

At his question, everyone bowed their heads and replied, 

“Yes. It may be a humble garden and home, but it’s where we’ve lived our whole lives. Thank you for protecting our family’s land.”

This scene felt unfamiliar, yet it reminded Raygrain of something his mother had once said. ‘Protecting the North is how you protect what you love.’

Now he felt he understood that meaning. He realized why Scheuer had given him so many chamomile flowers just to deal with a couple of monsters. He also understood why his heart had raced when she said she would go to the affected area to deliver flowers.

He gently brushed his face with his large hand. “I’m glad I wasn’t too late.”

When he left Blenga, Scheuer watched his back until the very end. Now, if he returned, it would be time for them to face each other again.

Misunderstanding his words, Jess nodded vigorously. 

“That’s right. I can’t express how fortunate it is that we’re not too late, unlike when Naveed went to the affected area.”

“That’s not what I meant.”

“Excuse me? ”

Jess glanced at him, confused. Raygrain called out loudly to the knights without a hint of hesitation. 

“We’re returning to Blenga.”

He wanted to go back as quickly as possible. No longer to face strange statues or bizarre dolls. He felt he could finally confront what he could offer directly.

The teleportation magic stone unfolded, and with a bright light, he felt the warm breeze of the gently swaying Blenga garden.

The teleportation magic stone unfolded, and with a bright light, he felt the warm breeze of the gently swaying Blenga garden.

Soon, the sound of strong footsteps echoed, accompanied by a loud voice. 

“Your Grace!”

The sound of hurried footsteps grew louder. Raygrain saw Scheuer running across the garden toward the training grounds. Without hesitation, he opened his arms.

“Semper ad meliora”

   ‘Always toward better things’