The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 199

Chapter 199

Scheuer, who was crossing the garden, suddenly stopped. She turned around to face Jess, who was closely following her. Despite his words, his pale, bloodless face did little to reassure her. Taking a deep breath, she said,

“Jess, while injuries are common for knights…”

She exhaled heavily and closed her eyes for a moment, trying to calm herself after running in a panic. When she opened her eyes again, Scheuer spoke firmly.

“The Duke must not be harmed.”

No one else mattered, but Raygrain must not be. With that, she swiftly turned and walked purposefully towards Blenga. As she returned unexpectedly from the central area, Peyton was the first to rush out to greet her.

“Your Grace, what’s going on all of a sudden? ”

“Is there any news from the hunting party? ”

Peyton, who followed her into the lobby, seemed to ponder for a moment before cautiously replying,

“No, there hasn’t been any communication… If it’s regarding the letters you usually receive, I can ask Miss Josephina.”

As they stood in front of her room, Cali hurriedly opened the door with a worried expression, not much different from Peyton’s. Before entering, Scheuer turned back to Peyton and said,

“No, please gather all the remaining chamomile.”

“How much chamomile do you need…?” ”

“All of it.”

“All of it? ”

“Yes. All of it.”

At her resolute instruction, Peyton quietly nodded in agreement.

***

“Captured under imperial decree? ”

Duke Netri exclaimed in a mix of horror and disbelief. 

“What does this mean? That the monster’s movements were manipulated by Prince Silcaro?”

“It is reported that His Majesty has confirmed the evidence. As for this matter, the Duke will also need to undergo an investigation.

As his assistant spoke, glancing nervously, Duke Netri anxiously rubbed his face.

This couldn’t be happening. The charges conveyed by his secretary even included the murder of the family of the deceased imperial knight who had auctioned the pin, as well as the family of the Brokinka.

That night, while he was in charge of protecting the duke, he frowned as if suffering from a headache.

“First, since we have also been victims of the forgery, let’s frame it as if we were deceived by Prince Silcaro. Let’s find some documents related to the charges.”

“Understood.”

His assistant reluctantly replied. Amid the anxious atmosphere of the Netri household, Erina remained calm. Having come with the sudden news of the investigation, she was surprisingly composed.

Sitting on the sofa in her knight’s attire, sipping tea calmly, she could easily be mistaken for someone enjoying a peaceful midday tea time. Duke Netri, holding on to a glimmer of hope, asked her,

“Erina, you must have some way to handle this, right? I’ve heard that your performance in the recent hunt was quite good. Surely His Majesty will take that into account.

“I have nothing.”

“Why not? Haven’t you spoken with Silcaro? ”

“It seems you believe you can deceive even the Emperor, father.”

Setting her teacup down with a clink, Erina stood up and said,

“I’ve conveyed the investigation schedule.”

“Erina!”

Ignoring his shout, she resolutely exited Duke Netri’s office.

“Ahhh!”

A roar followed by the sound of something being thrown and shattered echoed. The maids exchanged worried glances, unsure of what to do, but Erina calmly headed to her room. No one attended to her after returning from the hunt. The Netri household was in such chaos. 

Unfazed, Erina returned to her room and scanned the space with indifferent eyes. It was a place she might never return to, and she took it in with a loving gaze. Ironically, the anguish she felt while desperately trying to assert herself seemed to ease once she acknowledged her limits. 

She pulled out a book made from the hide of a magical beast from the stack of books she had accumulated. Rubbing the cover with her palm, Erina smiled bitterly.

‘I suppose I’ll have to submit this as evidence.’

She wasn’t sure if Scheuer was aware of this book’s existence, but it would certainly be part of the evidence. Erina lifted the book she had read several times.

Flipping through it casually, she checked the empty pages at the back before attempting to close it. At that moment, words slowly began to appear on the page.

[To you who have overcome desire.]

***

“Father, no! ”

With his whole body bound, Silcaro kneeled before the Emperor. Having resisted for so long, he looked up at the emperor with a desperate face marked by wounds and shouted, 

“They are trying to frame me by breaking the agreement in the North!”

“It has already been confirmed that the wound on the body of the criminal Annabelle matches yours.” 

The Emperor’s cold voice reprimanded Silcaro.

Silcaro let out a laugh of disbelief.

“Ha, ha ha. Father, that woman clung to me! She’s gone mad, claiming I’m her lover!”

“Then you should have followed the proper procedures. Did you think I was such an untrustworthy emperor? ”

Silcaro bit his lip. Seeing Silcaro’s distorted face, Emperor Remos sighed and continued,

“Was the forgery of the tablet also your doing? ”

“I don’t know anything about it.”

“Since when did you learn how to deal with magical beasts? Is the overflow of beasts in the Central region also your doing?”

“I don’t know! I don’t know anything! ”

“Silcaro.”

“Is there evidence? Is there proof that I did it? ”

As he tried to move, the imperial knights stopped him by holding a sword to his neck. Seeing this, the Emperor looked down at Silcaro with a sense of pity and said,

“Silcaro, I knew you wouldn’t like being a mediator.”

The bitter voice no longer sounded like the emperor’s; it was simply that of a father.

“I too was like that when I was young. I thought you would mature someday, and that’s my great sin.”

“Father, it’s not too late now.”

“Silcaro, you may not see it as much, but being a mediator is a position where you must view the empire’s reality as fairly as possible, suppressing your own opinions.”

The Emperor briefly closed his eyes. Perhaps due to sadness, his voice came out cracked and subdued.

“You may have seen me as a worthless emperor unable to earn the praise of being a great ruler, but I know I am not great. If I cannot catch my son going astray, how can I call myself an emperor? ”

“Father, I just…”

“If I were not a mediator, I might have been able to side with you and declare you innocent as your father. That is the heart of a parent.”

“Father…”

Silcaro’s eyes trembled as he sensed something was wrong. But Emperor Remos looked down at him with slightly moist eyes and replied,

“Silcaro, Silcaro… I’m sorry for being a lacking parent. If I had looked after you and scolded you a little earlier, would the situation be different? ”

“Could it be, Father… you…?” ”

“Silcaro, my son, whom I can no longer call by name.”

“Father!”

“I will strip you of your title.”

Silcaro stared at him in shock. But the Emperor did not flinch.

“Is the overflow of magical beasts in the Central region also your doing? ”

“No! Father, do you really not trust me? How could someone who knows how much I care for the Weiker Empire dare to accuse me? ”

Silcaro’s face, once praised for its beauty, twisted in an instant. He gritted his teeth, looking as if he would seize Emperor Remos by the neck at any moment. The Emperor raised his hand towards the knights, restraining him, and said,

“Take him to prison. You may torture him until he confesses.”

Then Silcaro shouted urgently,

“Yes, I did release the magical beasts. It was a mistake! I thought the Walker Empire needed to learn how to hunt magical beasts, so I secretly went to the North to practice. That’s all! The rest is all lies made up in the North!”

“Take him away.”

The Emperor covered his eyes with one hand.

Silcaro’s cries echoed above his heavy, weary voice, but no one answered.

“To you who have overcome desire.”