Chapter 108

* * *

In the Archduchy of Marquis—

Johann sat leisurely in the drawing room, turning a black paper knife with his hand.

Each time the sunlight reflected, the knife gleamed sharply.

He said suddenly, as if bored.

“She’s lying down all the time, so there’s nothing that I can do.”

“Why don’t you send flowers to Her Majesty the Queen?”

At Melfis’ words, Johann’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“What will it matter if I send it?”

“…….”

“Will the woman lying there give me funny responses like, ‘Why are you giving me these flowers?’, ‘Are you interested in me?’

Johann raised an eyebrow, envisioning her confused reaction.

That alone was already fun.

This was a big deal.

When she collapsed, he felt the importance of her existence more.

He couldn’t believe he was already bored…

He wanted to see her eat the fish meat and the cheese, even if he gave her cheese, she purposely took it out and only ate the fish meat.

Other than that, everyday life seemed boring.

Johann sat leisurely on the sofa and touched the leaf of ‘Innocent’ that Berylia had given him.

Swhhh—

The already withered leaves lost their strength and fell.

The plant, which was said to grow by eating good energy, dried up to black when his hands touched it.

It had become like coal dust.

As if the plant grew tired of his touch.

“Melfis, try to save this plant somehow.”

“….…”

“Before she wakes up and sees ‘Innocent’ has become like this and plays.”

Melfis said without blinking an eye.

“The Archduke’s aura made it suffocate and wither.”

He was also very honest with his master.

There was a hidden suggestion of how to suddenly make a bad guy nice.

Johann shook his hands and smiled kindly.

“Mix it with holy water.”

“….…”

“Keep it alive, no matter what.”

“……Yes.”

It was quite expensive gardening to use a sacred object for one plant.

But it was well worth it.

Johann smoothed his jaw in satisfaction, imagining her relieved face at the sight of Innocent growing up.

Then, suddenly, he got up from his seat and brushed off his clothes, dressed like a priest.

‘This won’t do, I’m bored.’

To see that face lying down…

Even if her lips didn’t answer, he believed this nagging feeling would be relieved if he touched her.

“Melfis, I’ll go see her right now. It’s a visit, so I’ll need flowers for formalities.”

“Yes.”

“Prepare something big. Pretty enough for a woman lying down to fall in love.”

* * *

Kwak—

The iron gate door opened.

“Madam Deborah, your detention is over today. First, please check your belongings…”

“I do not need to!”

Deborah nervously ran out of the prison.

After being imprisoned in the cold Tenesin prison for days, it was as though her pet peeves had melted away.

‘Pamela, I must meet Pamela right away.’

‘I hope the Book of Oblivion hasn’t already been activated?’

It had only been a few days!

‘The deal we made wasn’t that light!’

‘She will definitely be waiting for me. I have to go and tell her quickly.’

‘I’m going to give her the ‘Godparent’ seat and ‘Terra mining rights’ somehow. This Deborah can still keep her promise!’

“Let’s go to the the Caruso mansion right now!”

“Yes, Madam.”

Deborah hurried Mary Jane to get into the carriage.

To begin with, she had instructed her to prepare a carriage in advance so that from the moment the detention ended, she could run to the residence of Marquis Caruso.

As she went, Deborah’s heart was pounding like crazy.

Pamela was her last rope.

Her last rope, that could keep her alive in this social world.

She wanted to check right away whether the rope was rotten or intact.

The carriage quickly arrived at the marquis residence.

Deborah hurriedly pushed her maid away, and was the first to speak.

“Tell Madam Pamela that Deborah has come to see her!”

“…Madam Pamela said not to bring you in.”

As if expecting her to come, the butler was standing in front of the gate.

The butler looked at Deborah silently. She felt a sense of rejection just for that.

Deborah’s heart rattled.

‘I wonder who is the one pushing me like this?’

Pamela or Kalen?

Forgetting her own dignity and status, she howled, clutching the gate.

“Pamela! Pamela! Please see me just once.”

The butler was embarrassed and restrained her, but he couldn’t stop her mouth from moving.

“Please! I have something to tell you!”

“…Madam, if you keep making a fuss.”

“Pamela!”

It was then. Kwak—

The window opened, and Pamela’s face, that had a slight frown, was revealed. 

Then, her face was full of composure.

The misery of the woman who cried while hugging her son who was about to commit suicide had completely disappeared.

Deborah, who looked at that face, had the thought that something was firmly wrong.

Still, she could never turn back.

Because she was so desperate

“Who’s that beggar?”

“!”

Pamela softly asked, but she raised her eyebrows as if she realized it too late.

“Oh.”

“….…”

“It’s Deborah. I didn’t know it because she’s so dirty.”

Only then did Deborah check the reflection of her face in the window.

Her tousled hair was like a shawl, dark dust was on her cheeks, and her eyes looked like a lunatic’s.

As soon as the detention was over, she ran over, not sparing any time to get her appearance right.

In an instant, a sense of humiliation rose. She felt a chilling humiliation.

‘That bitch has been gazing at my back!’

‘……Is she getting a big head right now?’

But no matter how much she denied reality, Deborah knew that now her position had changed.

Deborah exclaimed, forcing herself to endure the simmering of her stomach.

“…Let me meet Kalen, Kalen! The ‘Book of Oblivion’ hasn’t been activated already, has it?”

“That…”

It was then. Hearing the commotion, Kalen appeared at the window.

As soon as she saw Kalen’s face, Deborah’s heart swelled with hope.

She never knew she could be so happy to see that damn man’s face.

‘Yes……! Kalen is here!’

Deborah hurriedly called him.

“Kalen…! My love! I missed you.”

“….…”

Kalen silently looked down at Deborah, with an incredulous expression.

Then he said,

“Bring that crazy woman out of the Marquistate. She’s making a commotion.”

“!”

Deborah’s face was instantly and completely drained of blood.

* * *

Rixus did not leave Berylia’s side.

He hadn’t eaten or slept for days; holding her hand and staying with her day and night.

Thanks to this, the servants were very worried, saying that even the crown prince would collapse.

In particular, the crown prince’s lieutenant was very troubled.

Therefore…

From the point of view of Johann, who had heard of the rumor, the situation he was facing was quite surprising.

“The Crown Prince is not inside.”

“You mean he’s absent?”

Johann’s lips rose with intrigue.

“Yes, he’s been here the whole time, and he just left. He’ll be back soon…”

Johann cut off the words of the gatekeeper.

“No. I’ll just see the Queen for a while and then come out.”

“…and he ordered for no one to enter.”

“I’m going to leave these flowers.”

With pure-looking eyes, Johann held up a bouquet of fragrant flowers. Many were often deceived by these kind eyes.

But perhaps because he was the crown prince’s doorkeeper…… The doorkeeper was not fooled, nor did he back down.

Johann’s eyes darkened slightly.

“Are you sure you’re going to stop me?”

“Get out of his way!”

Melfis exclaimed lowly. 

That wasn’t enough; he also grabbed the doorkeeper’s shoulder and pushed him hard.

The doorkeeper panicked and stepped back.

‘She’s lying in there.’

Johann looked at the closed door.

‘He’s away, it will take at least five minutes.’

‘Until then, the Queen is mine.’

It was at that time, when he was hiding his dark inside and holding the doorknob with an elegant touch.

A low voice pierced Johann’s back like an arrow. Johann’s heart pounded.

“What are you doing.”

“!”

He looked back, with a bouquet of flowers in his arms.

A very emaciated and sharp Rixus stood there.

‘The crazy bastard has already arrived…’

There was a fraction of a frown on Johann’s face before he smiled.

Then, he removed his hand from the doorknob as if he had never placed it there, and said,

“I came to visit the Queen for a while, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”

“….…”

Rixus stopped in front of him with a heavy treading sound.

The presence of that alone gave strength to the doorkeeper’s shoulders, and Melfis, too, shut his mouth and quietly retreated back as if he had never threatened him.

Rixus, looking at his uncle with his cool blue-violet eyes, said,

“The truth of the case has not been revealed yet, so no one is allowed inside.”

“…….”

To interpret it, it meant that he wouldn’t allow him in because he was suspicious of him too.

‘Oh yes… Since I was little, I worked really hard.’

Johann remembered trying so hard to make Rixus trust him. But his acting didn’t work.

He was always wary of him.

Just like a human being who had uncovered the evil in him.

He didn’t really like that. Whether before or now.

Johann smiled kindly as he hugged the bouquet in his arms.

“Your Highness the Crown Prince does not seem to trust this uncle.”

“….…”

“That’s true.”

Johann looked at Melfis and nodded his head.

“Because you don’t trust anyone.”

Then he looked at Rixus again.

“Do you think Her Majesty the Queen really trusts you?”

Johann had always been kind to Rixus, but now he was revealing his twisted inner feelings in a subtle way.

When obsessive thoughts arise, people tend to become impatient.

That impatience was completely stimulated by Rixus.

“….…”

Without answering, Rixus stared down at him, his blue eyes glaring.

It felt like a huge iron mountain was standing in front of him.

Johann decided that his time alone with her was over.

Rixus would never back off

‘This son of a gun.’

Soon, Johann looked away first and lowered his head.

“You doubt my pure intentions, this uncle’s heart is broken, Your Highness.”

“….…”

“Give me the bouquet.”

Rixus, surprisingly, accepted the bouquet graciously.

“Well then, I’ll go back, Your Highness.”

At the same time as Johann withdrew, Rixus entered the room where Berylia was.

And as soon as he entered,

Tak—

He threw the bouquet in his hand into the trash and walked over to her.

The expression of Johann, who was listening outside the door, was crumpled.

‘Isn’t that the sound of something being thrown into the trash can?’

Johann put his index finger into the shirt around his neck that was uncomfortably tight and loosened it.

‘Ha. That bastard.’

Then he thought with a cold, cold smile.

‘She’s not yours yet.’

He looked back at the tightly closed door.

‘In whose arms the queen will struggle… You have to go to the end to know.’

But he was defending her so well that he couldn’t even pass.

Then, the more… 

I… 

“I’m going crazy wanting more.”

The still black eyes gleamed tenaciously.