***

It was a merchant, who came to deliver ingredients, that ended up reporting the massacre of Count Delight’s residence to the Imperial palace.

The merchant, as usual, came to the Count’s residence to deliver the ingredients, but had doubts about the residence, which used to be always closed.

There were no guards at the gate this time, and no matter how much he called, there was no answer. So the merchant walked through the open gate, and strangely enough, same as before, there were no people at the front door as well.

In any case, he still needed to deliver the ingredients even if he died that day, so he carefully entered the front door.

And not far from the front door, the merchant found the body of a decapitated guard who had fallen to the floor.

“Waaah!”

The merchant screamed and ran out, and called the guards.

The guards sent one guard to find out the exact incident, but the guard had no choice but to run out as soon as he looked inside.

It was not possible for the guard to figure out the incident alone, as he became nauseous at the scene, and could not properly see the tragedy.

The guards realized the seriousness of the situation only after hearing the story properly from the returning guard and informed the Imperial family of the incident, and the massacre of the Count Delight came to the surface.

A well-trained Imperial Knight had to be dispatched to find out the truth behind the horrific incident that had no survivors.

Most guards could not stand the bloody smell of the mansion, and had a difficult time looking at the horrific corpses that had been mutilated.

All the corpses were bent out of shape, but the most terrifying one was by far Count Delight’s.

However, the only daughter, Valletta Delight, who is known to be a beauty, could not be found even after searching around the corpses and the mansion.

“… So you still haven’t found her?”

Milrode’s dark blue eyes looked very cloudy, unlike usual.

The knight who was standing in front of him stiffened at his deep, subdued voice.

He straightened and maintained his posture.

There was a dark shadow underneath Milrode’s empty eyes. He could not sleep properly and had stayed up all night after hearing about the incident.

It’s been three days since the incident happened. He spent most of the night staying up in his office, wondering if a report would come.

However, there was no mention of Valletta Delight in the reports that did come.

Total number of victims and the deciphering of papers that were scattered. Only information about Count Delight’s corruption was reported intermittently, yet nothing was said about Valletta.

“Yes, I apologize, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“No, it’s fine.”

Milrode said, pressing his forehead with his thumb and index finger. He reached out his hand and slowly scanned the report, which was well over a hundred pages, and againd, there was still no mention of Valletta Delight anywhere.

“Did you say that there were traces of magic being used?”

“Yes, that is right.”

“Did you submit a request for cooperation to the Tower?”

“Yes, but the answer has still not come back.”

Milrode sighed.

They couldn’t even find a trace of anyone escaping, whether they flew to the sky or disappeared underground.

Furthermore, since the corruption of Count Delight came to the surface, he wanted to tear himself apart for always saying good things about the Count in front of Valletta.

The report revealed the bad tastes of Count Delight, who bought and sold slaves, as well as his sadistic tendencies.

The report proved why Valletta would grimace every time the Count praised her for her valuableness.

“Lady Valletta is a wise woman. If there was a place to run to, she would have taken advantage of that opportunity and escaped. Anywhere is possible, even the basement, so search the mansion thoroughly to see if she had the time to escape.”

“I understand.”

“Okay, if there’s more to report , let me know right away.”

“Yes.”

“You can withdraw.”

At the short command, the knight bowed and turned around and left the office.

“Haa.”

Milrode sighed with a dark expression on his face.

Valletta may seem indifferent, but she puts her safety above everything else. She has a cautious personality that doesn’t venture into things that will become dangerous.

Although she still hasn’t called him by name yet, Milrode still liked Valletta.

However, as the news circulated that the body of Lady Delight was still not found, a strange rumor began to spread around high society.

It was a story about how Valletta Delight was the mastermind behind the Count’s tragedy.The story gained more credibility when the allegations of her abuse by Count Delight surfaced.

“There’s no way.”

Millord said in a tone close to certainty.

Although he rarely met Valletta, they have been together for a long time. It never occurred to him that she could be the mastermind.

In the first place, the killing method was very cruel. Milrode has witnessed the tragedy with his own eyes.

The people who inspected the bodies said most of them had been amputated while alive. It was impossible to do without great resentment and boldness.

‘She couldn’t even lift a sword in the first place.’

With her physical strength, it was impossible for her to lift a sword and cut so neatly.

“They said that the slave also disappeared.”

Did they run away together? Millrode was troubled.

His brow narrowed. And so another rumor popped up.

Shortly after the rumors of Valletta Delight being the mastermind came out, another low-profile but credible rumor circulated in high society.

The master of the Magic Tower had awakened, and the strange rumor was that the master of the Magic Tower was that slave.

‘The source of the rumor could not be confirmed…’

However, it was not a story that could be completely ruled out.

In fact, after the former master of the Magic Tower retired, the new master did not appear, and the Magic Tower disappeared altogether.

In the first place, magicians basically hate humans who can’t use magic. And what if he was abused? After awakening, there would be nothing strange about running away.

The chances are very low, but he’s not sure if it’s strange either. On the contrary, he felt uneasy. Milrode patted his throbbing head. They have asked the Magic tower for cooperation as soon as they found a trace of mana to confirm their anxiety, but they have remained silent for the last three day.

Even if the Magic Tower locked their door and stopped communicating, there was never a time where they did not give a response to a formal request.

“I am anxious.”

Millord murmured as he put his hand on the window.

“Please be safe, Lady Valletta.”

When they were young, he met her as his political marriage partner, but he didn’t hate it.

She was calm and dry, but a girl with a kind enough heart to reach out to an injured animal.

“As long as you are alive, I will surely save you.”

Darkness descended outside the window. Milrode’s eyes that were reflected in the window were firm and unshakable.

He sat back at his desk and began to scan the report from the beginning.

***

[ Reinhardt was kneeling in front of Valletta, sweating profusely. Valletta looked down at him with cold eyes as he grabbed his heart and breathed hard.

Valletta, whose face was twisted in anger, couldn’t be seen as normal.

“I heard you were with a maid today. What did you do? Did you cheat on me? Do you like someone other than me?”

“Ugh…”

Reinhardt rolled on the floor. Valletta was clasping in her hand, a small, transparent and red marble.

A sharpe and murderous gaze flashed in the boy’s eyes as he rolled on the floor and swallowed the pain.

Pushing through the pain, Reinhardt knelt down on his knees. He forced a smile on his lips.

Even if he was soaked in cold sweat, it was still a beautiful smile that anyone would fall in love with.

He held Valletta’s hand a little servilely.

“My master is the only one for me.”

“… Really?”

“Yes, of course.”

As Valletta’s clenched fists slowly loosened, Reinhardt smiled softly.

“Really? You didn’t abandon and betray me, right?”

“Yes, really.”

Reinhardt answered without hesitation. Then Valletta fell on her knees and hugged Reinhardt.

His eyes were cold as he looked down at Valletta, who rubbed her face on his shoulder like he’s a child.

“Yeah, I love you. Reinhardt, you’re the only one I have, so don’t betray me, understand?”

Reinhardt didn’t answer.

But Valletta patted his hair as if she had heard the answer.

Treating him like he was a dog.

“I’m sorry for hurting you, Rein.”

Reinhardt smiled, closing his eyes to cover the hatred in them.

The night deepened. ]

Valletta, who was sleeping soundly on the top floor of the tower, suddenly opened her eyes. This was because the scene of the novel suddenly came to her mind vividly.

She knew Valletta was obsessed with Reinhardt, but she didn’t know the details.

Come to think of it, there were details like this in the story . Now she understands it a little more clearly.

Like why Reinhardt killed Valletta so cruelly and displayed her like that…

‘So there was a reason, huh’

Most of the people in the novel, except for the female and male leads, were crazy. Reinhardt was crazy, and Valletta, who loved him, was also crazy.

“But still, I didn’t do anything.”

In the end, it seemed like she hadn’t died.

Why the hell is Reinhardt doing this to me?

She knew that the real Valletta was obsessed with Reinhardt, but she could not recall any details of her as she only skimmed through the side stories of the book. Valletta didn’t even know why she suddenly thought of that.

“My head hurts.”

Her eyes were dazzled by the sunlight from all around her. She lifted her head and looked around her slowly.

The floor was covered with a soft carpet to keep her feet from getting cold, and she was sitting on the bed at the center.

‘Where is this?’

Valletta slowly lowered her feet. She slowly approached the window and looked out.

“… Clouds?”

Why is the scenery outside the window not another building, not a mountain, not a person, not a natural landscape, but a cloud?

[ It was a huge tower with a gloomy, gray color. At the top was a room that only the Magic Tower’s master could enter, and it was beautiful at night. It was as if stars were falling, and in the morning, it was warm with sunlight pouring in from all directions.

The scenery outside the window was not the boring human world, but the clouds and the blue sky that were floating around leisurely.

A magician would steal mana from nature.

For them, a room where they could always be in contact with nature was a very good space.]

Valletta’s face contorted when one description came to her mind.

‘Please let this be a dream.’

She begged inside her head.

***