The Villainess Captured The Grand Duke - Chapter 81
Chapter 81
Raygrain subtly pulled Scheuer out from among them. Sevi, who had been caught by the priests, was forced to stand up. In response, he yelled with a clattering sound, searching for them.
“Hey, can’t we have a conversation? I asked about the tablets!”
To verify if what he said was true, the priests looked at Raygrain. As he nodded, they reluctantly stepped back, their expressions showing skepticism but conceding for the moment. Sevi cleared his throat and spoke.
“That knight there claims he encountered the demon. He has a younger brother, right?”
“I am aware.”
With Raygrain’s response, Sevi clicked his tongue and said,
“Then, do you know this too? He left his brother at the temple.”
“May I meet him?”
In response to Scheuer’s question, Sevi shook his index finger left and right.
“No, he escaped a few days ago.”
Then why mention it at all? Was he bragging that he saw his face at the temple? Sevi chuckled and spoke.
“I’m still searching at the temple. But it’s tough to find him. Before that, he seemed to have wandered around here and there.”
He pointed at Raygrain with the windmill.
“One of those places is the mercenary corps. I suppose the Duke is somewhat aware, huh?”
Raygrain casually nodded. Sevi took out a paper from his pocket and handed it over.
“The temple’s roster isn’t leaked, so I drew it myself. It roughly looks like this.”
“Wow…! Your Excellency, you’re really good at drawing. I bet people can recognize him just by looking at it while walking down the street!”
Embarrassed by her awkward praise, Sevi proudly puffed out his chest. Scheuer, who accepted the paper, swallowed her embarrassment beyond her throat.
It looked like a mixture of a potato and a demon, with two eyes, one nose, and one mouth… and even six fingers on one hand.
Even Raygrain, who couldn’t say anything different about the child-like drawing, seemed unable to utter a word.
Sevi seemed disappointed by the reaction he didn’t expect. He spoke as if making a promise to Scheuer.
“I did this much, so you have to set me free until the third tablet excavation. Understood?”
“Yes, please don’t worry!”
Scheuer confidently answered this one thing. Because the third tablet wouldn’t be excavated. ‘I didn’t lie. I said until the third tablet, and I didn’t set a deadline, right?’
Secretly amused, she couldn’t help but smirk inwardly. Sevi, unaware of her thoughts, seemed dissatisfied. As if making a promise, he said,
***
“Wow, your face was no joke. Look at these scars!”
After Sevi left, Navid, whom they managed to meet, was expressing deep condolences.
“So, did you get caught?”
“Who do you think I am? As soon as I drew my sword, everyone suddenly ran away, so I followed them! He disappeared.”
While there was some exaggeration, the main point was that he had lost them.
As Raygrain silently stared at him, Naveed’s loud voice gradually faded.
“They scattered into the alleys, and since I’m not familiar with the central geography, and I mostly lived in the north, it was a bit unfamiliar territory for me.”
Joining late, Jess, with a troubled expression, spoke.
“My lord, it’s time. It seems the palace entrance ceremony has concluded.”
“Let’s go.”
He gave a brief answer and then instructed Scheuer.
“Don’t wander around for too long either.”
“Will you come in late today, Your Grace?”
“Probably.”
They were a delegation from Leborte, a region known for frequent disputes due to the monster subjugation problem. Although the mountains blocked direct interaction, the situation was not easy with monsters roaming around.
Jess suggested that it would be wise to learn as much as possible if there were opportunities even in the central regions. It seemed like she was indirectly urging Scheuer to return quickly.
‘I’m not a mourner, and why would I know that much.’
Scheuer responded as maturely as possible.
“Then, please go safely!”
“…And don’t leave Naveed.”
“Of course!”
Even to her cheerful reply, he seemed unsure and reluctantly disappeared into the crowd of the festival.
Naveed was already exaggerating to the extreme.
“I’m telling you. I’m from the north, and I’m going to lose to a mercenary?”
“Do you trust me, Your Grace?”
“No need for fancy words. He probably ran away because he was afraid of being caught.”
While listening to his loud voice, Scheuer checked the schedule for the day.
Due to the unexpected event of welcoming Sevi, the previous schedule had to be canceled.
Changing directions, Scheuer said,
“Naveed, not that way, the opposite.”
“Yes!”
Looking at the map and finding her way, Scheuer was secretly observed by Naveed from behind.
“Are you not from the central region, Your Grace? Do you really need to look at the map like this?”
Scheuer confidently replied,
“I’m bad with directions.”
“What?!”
“I said I’m bad with directions. That’s why I always rode carriages everywhere.”
If it were a familiar route to Netriga, that would be one thing, but in unfamiliar areas like this, it was a headache. During the festival, the crowded streets doubled the travel time by carriage. In times like this, carriages could even be delayed or unavailable for the next schedule. Furthermore, catching an empty carriage wasn’t easy.
She decided to return to the royal palace first. Having roamed around, the route was unfamiliar compared to the usual path. She unfolded the map she had bought nearby and walked with Naveed.
“But, Your Grace.”
Naveed followed her, looking uneasy and scanning his surroundings. Unable to bear it any longer, he asked,
“Why are there fewer and fewer people?! Weren’t we supposed to go to our palace!”
Scheuer, holding the map, confirmed again with narrowed eyes.
She turned it around and flipped it over. In response to her actions, Naveed’s expression turned increasingly contemplative.
The atmosphere of the street they were on gradually changed from lively to shabby and gloomy, unlike the bustling main street. They had only come a short distance, but it felt like an entirely different world from where people were blowing horns and laughing just moments ago.
At the faint sounds of commotion, Scheuer turned around.
“It seems like we’ve entered the wrong place.”
“I’ll find it! Even though it may not look like it, I’ve never lost my way in the northern mountains for fifteen years.”
Taking Scheuer’s map, Naveed pinched his nose and focused.
In Scheuer’s eyes, a little child caught her attention.
With small, untidy clothes and a look of poverty, the child seemed to be from the slums. The child held a wildflower in their hands.
Extending the flower, the child spoke,
“They say if you come to the tavern during the festival, they’ll give you a discount. Including lodging, it’s even better.”
It seemed like a sales pitch.
Scheuer took the wildflower, rearranged it, and handed it back.
The child accepted the flower with an amazed expression and looked up at her with sparkling eyes.
“Are you a sorceress, big sister?”
“Something like that.”
“Wow!”
Even for small things, the child happily turned the flower around and shook it.
It was quite pitiful.
In the midst of this, Naveed let out a short and deep sigh.
“Oh!”
“What, did you find the way?”
“Smile Love”