The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 74

Chapter 74

Since when have you been so good at it!

Sevi brazenly raised his head. 

“Well, I’m not such a bad person. I’ll cover up the plaque incident for you, so just repay me with about 60 years of labor instead of a thank-you.”

Although it sounded like a request for a momentary favor, the number embedded in it was truly astonishing. Scheuer, with a bewildered expression, said, 

“I don’t really understand what you’re talking about.”

“Forgery of the plaque, isn’t that what you did?”

“The culprit confessed already. He’s already dead.”

Sevi, who had been raising her voice until just now, was calmly listening to his words. He laughed heartily with his beautiful face. Usually, when he laughed like that, no good words came out.

“I don’t believe him.”

Sevi casually dug his ear with his pinky finger, then muttered, 

“He’s a liar. Everything he says is a lie. I can’t believe he was attacked by demons.”

“Why would I…?”

“I didn’t know, but didn’t Nettri’s flowers bloom?”

It was impossible not to understand what he meant by flowers. He was someone who knew about abilities. Sevi calmly continued his words. The sense of alienation he felt during the proclamation seemed to be transmitted intact.

“It’s that strange feeling that abilities have. A slightly serious taste?”

Looking at him with a completely puzzled expression, Sevi shrugged his shoulders and said, 

“There was a faint aura of that kind on the plaque, so at first, I thought it was the younger sister. You know, the one who ties her hair.”

“Erina.”

“Yeah, her! But when I look again, the flow is different. It’s an ability, but something strange is mixed in.”

It was the first time he heard such words. In Scheuer’s position, who couldn’t feel the flow of someone else’s abilities or powers, it was impossible to distinguish whether his words were true or false. However, Sevi’s calm tone reminded her once again that he was a high official.

“But that doesn’t mean that the guy with you, who had a dirty face, is digging with a pickaxe.”

“Is my face dirty! That’s my charming point, you know?”

“That’s for you to say.”

Sevi expressed his bewilderment. 

“In Nettri, the eldest seemed to have no ability, as if she were a bastard. But when I saw her in the training ground, it seemed different again.”

It was completely opposite to the atmosphere she had seen from Sevi until now. The real Sevi’s appearance was probably closer to this side.

He uttered his words as if he were annoyed. 

“The remaining flow on the plaque matches the flower you brewed. This will be evidence. First, let me ask you. Where did you get the information on the plaque?”

“What information?”

“The pattern of the Lapel Temple. You forged it, didn’t you?”

Scheuer boldly shouted, 

“I saw it. In a book.”

For a moment, Sevi’s eyebrows undulated like waves. He seemed to think he had misheard and gave an irrelevant answer.

“Do you have abilities?”

“I saw it in a book!”

“Is there such a book on the market?”

“Well, I happened to see it somewhere… I can’t remember exactly.” 

Pretending not to care, she turned her gaze away, but then he shouted in his usual manner, 

“Don’t lie, you puppy!”

“Thank you for the compliment! I tend to hold on a bit once I bite, you know.”

“Don’t just listen to what you want to hear!”

Sevi stomped his feet, looking frustrated. He asked about the book.

“There’s someone who knows the pattern of the Lapel Temple? That’s impossible.”

“But the excavation process of the plaque was detailed. Even the part where the knights dig the surroundings was written.”

With detailed words, he seemed to be a bit suspicious. He asked irritably, 

“Why did you forge the plaque?”

How much of the truth could she tell him? It was ambiguous to believe, and it was uncomfortable to completely turn away. Scheuer vaguely evaded the question.

“I wanted everyone in the central region to know that the Grand Duke is handsome.”

“I know all about the curses on Nettri.”

“Our relationship with the noble families wasn’t good. It’s still the same.”

It was a fact well-known enough not to be hidden. Sevi seemed to know it too, looking at her with a suspicious eye.

Scheuer continued to evade the question. 

“Thanks to that, I missed the proclamation, and I stayed in the central region until the fake plaque was discovered. Isn’t that enough?”

At this, Sevi’s beautiful face crumpled as if the world were collapsing. He said with a face that seemed like the end of the world, 

“Then what? In the end, the proclamation was made, and now you have to go around giving speeches at the founding ceremony, right?”

His appearance, as if the world were collapsing, was really unpleasant. If he sensed her flowers in the plaque, he was the only outsider who knew that the confession of the dead knight was also a lie. And the added ability to confirm it was a bonus.

Scheuer whispered to him subtly, 

Between his long silver hair, his bright red eyes flashed as he stared at her. 

“Fine. It’s better that you expose the plaque….”

“That’s too simple. The current opponent wants the forgery plaque issue to be resolved quickly, so they tried to cover it up with a confession.”

“Right. That’s what got caught.”

Sevi swept his disheveled hair with his hand. To her, Scheuer made a friendly smile and a kind suggestion.

“Can you help me find out who wants the proclamation and why? In the meantime, I’ll also try to find the author of the book.”

Even if there was no one here, pretending to search could buy some time. Sevi pouted dissatisfied.

Scheuer did not forget her kindness and continued speaking gently. 

“If you’re lucky enough to find the author, well, you can exploit them for about 60 years of labor, or even if not, since there are many targets who want the proclamation, it must be unpleasant for you as well.”

“You’re asking me this now?”

“That’s right. If another plaque comes out, it’ll be hard for you, so once we find the mastermind, I’ll ask the Grand Duke to…”

Scheuer raised her thumb and pressed it against her throat, and quickly silenced him. Sevi’s lips gradually unfolded into a smile of joy.

Scheuer added one more thing at the end. 

“After that, I’ll make another fake plaque and spread it around. Then you can enjoy a longer stay.”

Sevi’s smile widened more and more. The radiant joy on his face seemed to represent how much he wanted to escape from the temple.

“Right, life is indeed tastier when you swallow it whole!”

“Of course! How hard has it been for you until now? Now, let’s go find our freedom!”

Wow, he shouted cheers, then suddenly stopped and said, 

“Ah, but we still have to give a founding ceremony, right?”

Originally, decisions had to be made quickly. The more they pondered and rewound, the more flaws and tangled points they could see. Before he could think further, Scheuer quickly added her words.

“But if we do the founding ceremony, it’s still a festival, right? If there’s a festival, then right away….”

Confirming each other’s thoughts, the two shouted simultaneously. 

“Party!”

“Party!”

With dreams of Sevi and a hopeful future, she opened the door again, heading back to the proclamation hall.

As the door opened with a clatter, Raygrain’s face appeared first. Scheuer made a V-sign with a triumphant smile. Maybe Sevi didn’t like the sight, so he deliberately walked through the gap between them, chuckling.

Looking at his back, Scheuer, still smiling, said to Raygrain in a teasing tone, 

“Maybe you should check if the Grand Duke has stolen something. If he didn’t go to the north, he might have committed fraud.”

Seeing her glance back at him, Sevi spoke to Raygrain in a casual tone,

“Didn’t he already take a lot?”

Raygrain’s late question was an added bonus.

“Smile Love”