The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 182

Chapter 182

After Zero left, Scheuer smiled gently and said, 

“I’m sorry, there was something I had to attend to.”

“It’s quite alright.” 

She replied, showing no signs of discomfort after waiting for a while. In fact, she seemed pleased.

Scheuer nodded as if encouraging her to speak. Annabelle took a sip of her tea and opened the conversation.

“I heard you weren’t too fond of Lady Erina either.”

Scheuer intentionally chose not to respond. However, it didn’t seem like Annabelle expected an answer, as she calmly carried on.

“With how much influence the Netri family wields in the central court, it appears Prince Silcaro is being blackmailed by Lady Erina.”

“One blow?” 

Scheuer blinked, feigning surprise, even though she understood the context perfectly.

“Did Lady Erina bulk up? For the Prince to be taken down with a single blow, perhaps he needs some restorative medicine?”

“Not a blow! I meant blackmail. His Highness is in perfect health!” 

Annabelle looked displeased at the negative turn the conversation about Silcaro had taken, and she quickly clarified.

“What else would you call it when someone is using their power to manipulate? She does the same to you, doesn’t she?”

Scheuer could barely suppress her incredulity. ‘Is that how he’s seducing her?’ She knew Erina’s reputation had been steadily declining, but to think someone could be swayed by such absurd claims was shocking.

Scheuer had a personal rule: anyone who tried to appeal to sympathy before building any real connection was either a fraud or unwell. In her eyes, Silcaro seemed to be both.

Look at the Grand Duke! He never complains, no matter how tough things get!

The fact that Silcaro had gone off to deal with monsters he didn’t even need to face right now made her even angrier. However, Annabelle appeared to be utterly convinced of her beliefs.

“Did you know that Prince Silcaro’s engagement to Lady Erina was without love?”

“Did His Highness tell you that?” Scheuer gazed at her with a look of pity as if she understood.

“Do you know that on the very day Silcaro came to the capital to submit his marriage registration, he proposed a secret affair with me?”

“He’s always been playful like that. He does it with the knights too.”

“My lady, you’re aware that I had feelings for His Highness Silcaro long before, right? Would he joke like that to someone he has feelings for, especially on the day he submitted the marriage registration?”

Scheuer invoked memories from before she had taken over the body. While Silcaro had dismissed it as a joke at the time, looking back, it couldn’t be brushed off so easily.

Yet Annabelle’s faith in him remained unwavering.

“So you took it seriously and were offended? I’ll make sure to tell His Highness not to do that to you again.”

“No, there’s no need for that. So, why are you telling me all of this?” 

Scheuer finally asked, bringing the conversation to its point.

Annabelle gave a sly smile.

“I’ll help you get rid of the Netri family. Will you join forces with me in the capital?”

“And you have a plan?”

“I’ve heard that Lady Erina used poison to steal His Highness’s power. With a bit more reasoning, that story could grow into something bigger.”

So she knew all along.

Though she had heard that they had gone on a subjugation mission together, did she still not know?

Scheuer, trying to remain calm, asked, 

“Why are you doing this?”

“It’s hard for me to watch him struggle. When I was going through tough times with my ex-husband and children, he helped me without any conditions, offering a place to stay. I need to help him too.”

It seemed she had left the duke’s residence and was now staying in a place provided by Silcaro.

Lady Annabelle pleaded, “It’s a good thing for His Highness too.”

“If you take away the title of the Netri family, what happens next? You haven’t even divorced yet, Miss Annabelle.”

Thinking that Scheuer was responding favorably, she eagerly continued, 

“Once Erina is gone, he’ll be free from the engagement, and if the North supports him, the imperial authority will naturally rise. Then, no matter what rumors spread, he promised he would take me in.”

Wow, unbelievable!

Scheuer wanted to knock on her head rhythmically, like a drum, on 12/8 time. Talking to her felt like having a conversation with a wall, as she only heard what she wanted to. Who knows? Maybe if she knocked, her head might open, and they’d actually communicate.

How could she twist everything in her favor?

Though Scheuer felt there was no point in responding, she restrained herself and answered with patience. 

“Then you’ll become the crown princess!”

“Oh my, is that how it works?” Lady Annabelle blushed shyly.

Scheuer smiled brightly and said cheerfully, 

“I reject your proposal!”

“Pardon? What?”

“I refuse. Didn’t you hear? Now, repeat after me: ‘I refuse.'”

Only after hearing Scheuer’s firm response did Annabelle seem to snap back to reality. With a stern expression, she asked, 

“Why?”

“Someone who betrays their fiancée and puts conditions on their lover, whom they claim to love, as if the empire’s future depends on them? Get a grip and start planning your escape. I’m serious.”

“Your Grace!”

“Oh, and don’t think about the North.”

Outraged by the insulting words, Annabelle stood up abruptly. But Scheuer simply drained the last of her tea, unfazed.

Trembling in anger, Annabelle suddenly smirked. That smile sent chills down Scheuer’s spine.

‘What is this? ‘

Annabelle slowly walked over to the door, grabbed the handle, and asked, 

“This guest room is quite secluded within the palace, isn’t it?”

“What are you doing, Annabelle?”

“Most of the people are out with the subjugation squad right now, aren’t they?”

With those words, Annabelle took out a small stone from her clothes. Unlike the red-tinged black stone she had seen before, this one gave off a purplish hue when it caught the light.

Smiling, her eyes crinkling with joy, Annabelle said, 

“Did you really think I didn’t prepare for you to reject me?”

She dropped the stone.

Thud, roll, roll…

The stone fell to the floor, rolling across the room.

“It’s poison gas. After just three minutes of exposure, your body will slowly become paralyzed. By the time you’re dying, there won’t be a trace left.”

In an instant, the black gas filled the room.

Scheuer rushed towards the door, but Annabelle had already escaped, slamming the door shut right in front of her.

Through the thick door, Scheuer heard her voice.

“I thought you of all people would understand, Your Grace. After all, you love the Grand Duke more than anyone…”

“Annabelle, Silcaro gave you this, didn’t he?”

Bang, bang, bang. Scheuer pounded on the door, but outside, she heard the sound of the lock clicking into place.

Annabelle, on the other side, stared at the locked door and pouted.

“Really, he is so troublesome.”

Bang, bang, bang. As Scheuer pounded on the door, she listened closely for any fading footsteps.

‘Gone? She’s gone, right? ‘

Just in case, she half-heartedly called for help a few more times.

“Help! Oh, it’s so hard! I can’t breathe…!”

Hearing no response, she assumed no one was around.

After confirming that all was silent, Scheuer quickly felt along the floor.

With a slight click, a hidden door opened from the barely noticeable groove in the floor.

It was a secret passage she had used before while forging tablets and distributing them throughout the capital.

The passage connected not only to the rooms used by important guests but also led all the way outside the palace.

In the musty underground tunnel, Scheuer carefully sealed off the entrance behind her before exhaling a deep breath.

“I never thought I’d end up using this place again.”

Her voice echoed in the narrow underground passage.

***

The border between the Central and Northern regions could be identified by stones embedded in the ground. The Walker Empire was divided into East, West, South, and North, but there were no restrictions on movement. Thus, even the border areas could only be distinguished by the stones lined up along the boundary and the markings engraved on them. People often joked about standing on both sides of the border.

When the Central subjugation team arrived at this area, they spotted a massive monster advancing from the direction of the Northern territories. It seemed to leave a clear path behind it. Scattered corpses and a few people still clinging to life were visible everywhere. Even though the royal mage had used teleportation magic, the scene was already horrific.

Erina shouted after grabbing her sword, 

“The moment the monster crosses the central line, attack its head! ”

“Yes!”

Hearing the tense responses from the knights, she turned her head and caught a glimpse of Silcaro, who was grinning. His eyes sparkled with a sense of delight. In that moment, a chilling sensation ran down Erina’s spine.

‘No, I need to focus on the monster.’

As the monster took a step and crossed the central line, a foul odor began to spread. No matter how much Erina swung her sword, she couldn’t even scratch the monster’s skin. In contrast, Silcaro was methodically targeting its eyes, crown, and mouth in sequence. Erina clenched her teeth at his skillfulness. 

‘I need to unleash my sword aura, at least!’

Despite swinging several times, the familiar Lantana did not bloom from her sword. Meanwhile, knights continued to fall one after another. More and more were retreating rather than advancing toward the monster. Healing magic was ineffective, making recovery from injuries difficult.

Erina swung her sword wildly, still hoping for the sword aura to manifest.

‘Please, just once! ’

At that moment, just before Lantana bloomed as if by magic, the monster’s long claws pierced her shoulder.

“Captain!”

She heard someone call out from behind as her vision blurred. Forcing herself to focus, she felt a sudden, powerful kick to her side, sending her flying. In her hazy vision, she briefly saw a flash of ash gray pass by. Instinctively, Erina realized it was a person who had kicked her.

She tumbled across the ground, coughing. Several of her ribs were definitely broken. She heard loud, fierce noises but couldn’t move her body to check what was happening. Lying face down, she managed to lift her head just enough to see that the monster had completely disappeared.

In its place, she saw a single person’s feet, holding a sword, standing amidst the trampled Lantana flowers. Another man approached, his voice devoid of energy.

“Captain, are you all right?”

With a pale-faced man asking him this, Raygrain stood on Northern soil, staring blankly at the Central knights. Then, he spoke.

“It’s crossed into the North.”

“I am a cage, in search of a bird ” – Franz Kafla