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Chapter Six: The Villains’ Foolish Sincerity
Seyfalt Aulgim watched Lord Turgis be escorted out of the party hall with mixed feelings.
Was this really the right thing to do...?
Despite being Count Aulgim’s firstborn, Seyfalt was an illegitimate child—the son of a mistress. His parents were in a marriage of convenience, and there was no love between them. They still lay together, as it was their duty, but they had an agreement: Both were free to take lovers outside their union.
Countess Aulgim had borne two sons, which meant that as the child of a mistress, Seyfalt had no claims to his father’s title. However, one day, Count Aulgim’s oldest legitimate son succumbed to an epidemic, soon followed by Seyfalt’s own mother. This marked the start of House Aulgim’s misfortune.
Count Aulgim welcomed the now-homeless Seyfalt into his house. Then, recognizing his strong magical energy and seeing as his second son was still very young, the count carelessly declared that he might make Seyfalt his heir, even though Seyfalt himself did not wish for it. And so, the boy began acting frivolously and slacking off in his studies in the hopes of making his father change his mind.
Е̇n u m̈_а..і d
That was why, when Marquis Ormirage had told him to confess that Lord Turgis had manipulated him into forcing himself on Theresalo, he had immediately laughed and agreed.
“Hopefully, that’ll inspire my father to remove me from his list of potential successors. That’ll be a weight lifted from my shoulders,” he had told Aides.
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Despite having no blood ties to Seyfalt, Countess Aulgim was still kind to him, the son of a man she didn’t even love. Seyfalt also got along just fine with his half brother, who was to enroll at the noble academy in the near future. These people were so good to him that Seyfalt refused to steal their birthright.
He was almost thankful to Lord Turgis for what he had done if that meant his father would give up on making him his heir.
But... It’s the same situation again.
Just like with the matter of his father’s succession, Seyfalt was being rewarded for doing almost nothing, just from the truth of his actions becoming public. On top of that, Lord Turgis hadn’t managed to achieve his objective and would be punished.
Е̃ n ůmȧ . і̃.d́
That wasn’t fair—especially seeing as Seyfalt knew what had prompted the young lord to do what he did.
※※※
Two and a half months before the party, Lady Wellmy freed Seyfalt from the influence of Saintly Charm.
“What did Lord Turgis order you to do?” she asked him.
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A frown knitted her brow when he replied that Lord Turgis had instructed him to follow Lady Wellmy around and remain by her side at all times.
“Why?” she pressed.
Ŵӗ b̄ n óv̀ ӗl̊ Е nû m̀а
“I don’t know the details...” Seyfalt replied, shrinking slightly under the heavy scrutiny of the three men behind Wellmy—Marquis Ormirage, His Highness the Crown Prince, and Lord Sofoyl.
“You were told to follow me? Not Theresalo Traff?”
He nodded. “Yes, you.”
In fact, he had chosen to attend the very party they were currently at in an attempt to get closer to Lady Wellmy. He had walked up to her and invited her to take a stroll in the courtyard with him.
But then, once they were far from prying eyes, Lady Wellmy had pressed a finger to his forehead. The next instant, something had snapped within his mind, and he had returned to his senses.
Still disoriented, he had not been able to resist when Lord Sofoyl had emerged from the shadows and taken him away. When he came to, he stood in the room where they were presently talking.
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Nothing made sense.
Seyfalt recalled everything he had done: He had courted Lady Theresalo and had been responsible for her and her fiancé breaking off their engagement. After that, she had cast Saintly Charm on him and told him to obey Lord Turgis’s orders.
But...
“I didn’t want to make a move on There—on Lady Theresalo Traff. What in the world is going on?”
Someone had ordered him to do it—and it hadn’t been Lord Turgis.
Lady Wellmy glanced at Lord Ormirage, a troubled expression on her face. In response, he extended his gloved left hand, placing a bracelet down on the table with a clunk.
En̂ům а
“This bracelet fell from your wrist when Wellmy cast the disenchanting spell on you,” he explained. “Have you seen it before?”
“I have...”
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Someone had given it to him as a present.
“Try it on,” they’d said, and Seyfalt had obliged. From that point onward, his consciousness had been clouded. He still remembered everything but couldn’t explain the choices he’d made.
“This is a mind-control magic item,” Marquis Ormirage said.
Seyfalt gasped at the revelation. “Mind control...?”
Ẁе b̈ n̊о̃v̌е̇ l Еn.ü ḿа
“A certain magic drug and magic item are currently circulating in the kingdom. The former is a perfume that allows the user to control anyone who smells it, while the latter can steal the target’s will. They likely originate from a neighboring nation,” the man explained.
“Is...”
“This bracelet is the item in question, yes. Did Turgis Deltraute give it to you?”
“No.”
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“Who did?” Lord Ormirage pressed.
“I don’t remember...” Seyfalt couldn’t recall the face of the person who had offered him the bracelet. It was as if his memories were shrouded in mist. Why can’t I remember?
Ŵ.eb n о̊ v_е̄ l̇ Е̇n̂um̀а̂
Seyfalt likely was the most confused out of everyone in the room.
The weight of what he had done crashed down on him. Overcome by guilt, he hung his head, clutching it in his hands.
Lord Ormirage let out a sigh. “Whoever did this to him even stole his memories. What a pain.”
“So Lord Turgis isn’t the only one using mind-control drugs and items...” Lady Wellmy remarked.
“There’s likely another perpetrator, yes. Seyfalt Aulgim. Did you notice a strange floral scent coming from Turgis?” Marquis Ormirage asked.
“I... I don’t think so?”
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Lady Wellmy pressed her closed fan against her lips, her brow furrowing in thought.
Behind her, the crown prince let out a groan and rubbed his temples. “So Turgis is being manipulated too? Why does this case keep getting more confusing with each piece of information we learn?” he grumbled.
“It does... And now, we’re at a complete loss,” Lady Wellmy said.
The prince nodded. “Yeah. We don’t even know who the mastermind behind those mind-control items is anymore.”
“That’s not what I meant,” Lady Wellmy said. “For now, we don’t need to know who the perpetrator is. But before, we had an idea of what their goal might be, at least. Now, we have nothing.”
The prince paused. “Isn’t their goal treason? That’s why they’ve been manipulating Turgis, isn’t it?”
Ӗ n̆u m̃а
Lady Wellmy sighed at his question. “If their goal was high treason, then ordering Lord Seyfalt to approach me wouldn’t make sense. You’ve been the primary target for assassination and brainwashing attempts, haven’t you? Why would the person controlling Lord Turgis have Lord Seyfalt follow me instead? If you were trying to commit treason, is that what you would have done, Your Highness?” she asked, relentlessly bombarding him with questions.
“No...it isn’t. You might have stopped Lady Theresalo Traff when she tried to brainwash me, but you made it seem like you were just angry she’d talked to me in public without being prompted. The perpetrator can’t possibly know what you two discussed afterward in the courtyard. The most logical course of action would be to wait for Lady Theresalo’s next opportunity to cast Saintly Charm on me.”
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“I know, right? That’s what we assumed, so we’ve been trying to resolve this situation quietly without being noticed,” Lady Wellmy said. “But whether the order came from Lord Turgis or someone else, the directive Lord Seyfalt received was to follow me. It doesn’t make any sense.”
“Now that you mention it, you have a point,” the prince conceded.
“Not only that, but the mastermind has cleverly framed Lord Turgis as the one behind these mind-control incidents, instructing Lady Theresalo Traff to cast Saintly Charm on the young men he targeted. They’re clearly meticulous and careful, so it’s hard to believe they would issue a random order to Lord Seyfalt without a clear objective,” Lady Wellmy continued, her irritation evident as she tapped her closed fan against her palm.
She glanced up at Marquis Ormirage, who stood with his arms crossed, fingertips resting against his chin pensively.
Ёn̄ ú mà
“Aides. Can you think of any reason?”
“Perhaps the wire-puller switched his target from the crown prince to the future queen, seeing as his first attempt failed?” Lord Ormirage proposed.
Lady Wellmy stared at him blankly. “Are you seriously suggesting that?”
“No.” He shook his head. “It would be too premature a decision. Besides, it doesn’t make any sense from a chronological standpoint. Count Aulgim’s son had already received the order to approach you before you even got in Lady Theresalo Traff’s way.”
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Marquis Ormirage paused briefly in thought, then resumed.
“Moreover, while it’s highly likely Turgis is being manipulated, that’s still just an assumption. We can’t overlook the possibility that someone else is executing their own plan, and Seyfalt just happened to get brainwashed by both,” he pointed out.
Е̃n ü m̌а̌
“No way. That would be way too much of a coincidence,” the crown prince said.
“Well, our perpetrator getting control over a saint who can conveniently use Saintly Charm seems just as unbelievable to me,” Lord Ormirage retorted.
“Ah... I guess you have a point,” Prince Leo conceded. “Anyway, for now, we need a plan if we want to move forward.”
“We already have one. We’ll have Wellmy disenchant Shizolda Langley and Zumiano Olbran to gather the rest of the information.”
“Indeed. That’s the simplest, quickest course of action,” Lady Wellmy said with a nod.
Seyfalt timidly spoke up. “Um... I’m not really sure I understand everything, but I think it’s a good idea. Lord Shizolda is Lord Turgis’s cousin, and Zumiano is his childhood friend. They probably know something.”
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Now that he thought about it... What were these people thinking, having such a serious conversation in front of him? It felt almost like they were trying to drag him into their schemes.
Just as that realization struck, Lady Wellmy turned to him with a bright smile.
“Oh, really?” she asked. “Then you can help us approach them, can’t you? You’re friends with Lord Zumiano, after all.”
“Huh?”
“Well, I went out of my way to lift the Saintly Charm from you. Surely, you can repay me for that, right?”
She forced me into her debt, Seyfalt realized. Then again, he was grateful that she had helped him regain his free will.
Wе̃b n̄ o v̀ е̂ l̊ É n̂ ů m а̂
How did things turn out like this? he bemoaned inwardly, looking up at the ceiling.
※※※
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A couple of weeks later, after Wellmy successfully undid the brainwashing on Lord Shizolda and Lord Zumiano, she decided to round up everyone at the party they were all attending to discuss the investigation.
However, she encountered an unexpected obstacle in the form of Lord Shizolda’s fiancée.
“Lady Wellmy Liroud, could you please refrain from being so friendly with my fiancé?” Hildentrai Ether had said the moment Wellmy had approached Lord Shizolda, her tone as sharp as a blade.
The daughter of Count Ether, she was a tall woman with short black hair and an androgynous appearance. Unlike the other ladies, she wasn’t wearing a gown but a pantsuit paired with a formal robe—the attire typically donned by noblemen.
Eǹ u m̀а̃ . ì d̊
Just like Leo, she had golden eyes, a sign of her talent for offensive magic.
She’s a platoon commander in the royal army’s mage corps, if my memory serves me right, Wellmy thought.
Most women in the army worked as healers. There were even fewer female mages who stood on the front lines than there were female knights. Yet, Lady Hildentrai’s prowess and skill had earned her the authority to command a platoon.
Aides had told Wellmy everything about her, as, unlike the order of chivalry, the mage corps was under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic. This made Lady Hildentrai Aides’s subordinate, albeit not directly.
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I’m sorry, but I’m going to have to make you leave.
While Lady Hildentrai’s anger was legitimate, this was neither the time nor the place for it. Besides, Wellmy’s current objective was to tarnish her own reputation as much as possible, so she might as well take advantage of the situation.
E n̊ú m̄ а
“Me? Friendly with your fiancé? Dear me, I could never! Lord Shizolda simply has something to discuss with Aides. Isn’t that right?” she asked, purposefully calling the chancellor’s son by his first name and putting a hand on his shoulder. She leaned in, all but whispering the last part into his ear, throwing a sidelong glance at Lady Hildentrai.
Lord Shizolda trembled slightly under her touch, and she sneakily squeezed his shoulder in a silent command to stay still.
Wellmy fully understood that he didn’t want his fiancée to misunderstand the situation, but he’d have to bear with it for now. They couldn’t afford any risk of information getting out until they had a clearer understanding of what was truly happening.
“Isn’t that right, Lord Shizolda?” she pressed.
“I-It is. My apologies, Hilde. Could you step aside for now?”
Lord Shizolda, the son of the kingdom’s chancellor, Duke Langley, was an earnest young man. His blue hair was always neatly coiffed, and his monocle always precisely placed.
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Lady Hildentrai raised an eyebrow at his panicked expression, her gaze icy. She clearly had no intention of leaving. Instead, she turned to Aides.
“Commander Ether, as head of the Ministry of Magic, I order you to leave at once,” Aides said.
“Well... If that is your command, my lord.”
All soldiers knew that orders from their superiors were absolute. Being a member of the army herself, Lady Hildentrai had no intention of breaking that rule.
The glint of anger in her eyes faded completely as she stifled her emotions. With a curt bow, she turned on her heels and left without another word.
Lord Shizolda let out a small sigh. Meanwhile, the last member of their group, Zumiano Olbran, shrugged, watching the scene unfold with an amused smile. The son of a marquis, he seemed even more unserious than Seyfalt. He had light brown skin, blue eyes so clear they seemed almost transparent, and long, black hair that he wore tied in a low ponytail over his shoulder. His attire differed slightly from that of other noblemen, as he wore formal clothes from the Baslam Empire.
En̈ü m̊а̂
His mother, the Marchioness of Olbran, was the niece of the reigning emperor, which made him half Baslamian and half Lionelian. Just like Seyfalt, he had a reputation as a womanizer and had even made advances upon Wellmy on a whim before.
“Don’t worry so much, Shizzzz,” he said, his tone light and airy. He had a tendency to drag out the ends of his sentences. “I can imagine your fiancée isn’t exactly happy to see you spending so much time with another woman, but you can just clear up the misunderstanding later.” It was unclear if he was trying to cheer up his friend or if he was just rubbing salt in the wound.
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“Yes... I know,” Lord Shizolda replied, looking even more down.
Their exchange stirred something within Wellmy’s mind.
Seeing one’s betrothed spending time with someone of the opposite sex...
Unfortunately, she had no time to dwell on that thought before Lord Shizolda spoke up again. “Apologies for the interruption. We may resume our conversation.”
Еn u̇m̊а . і̆d
He seemed ready to discuss the matter of Lord Turgis, so Wellmy pushed her current line of thought to a corner of her mind and directed her focus back to the matter at hand.
“Come to think of it, Turgis is in love with Lady Darristea, isn’t he?” Lord Zumiano said.
The revelation startled Wellmy.
Seeing the grave expression on Lord Shizolda’s face as he nodded, something clicked in Wellmy’s mind. It was as if all the dots were finally connecting.
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Wait a minute.
It seemed likely Lord Turgis was being manipulated by the mastermind behind this case. But as Aides had pointed out, they couldn’t ignore the possibility that he and whoever had brainwashed Seyfalt were each pursuing their own agenda. If that were the case, then the reason Lord Turgis had instructed these three young lords to approach Wellmy was...
W̌ é b̀ nо ṽ е̌ l̊ Ѐ n̆ u̇.m̃а̄
“Is that Lord Turgis’s true objective?”
※※※
The confrontation on the night of the party at the royal palace resolved.
After Turgis was escorted out of the party hall by the lord of security’s men, the king turned his attention back to the two young ladies involved in the incident. “Lady Darristea Abaccum, Lady Theresalo Traff.”
“Yes, Your Majesty,” the two replied in unison under Wellmy’s watchful gaze.
“Your sentences will be decided at a later date. I shall consult with the Ministry of Justice and the Holy Church to determine appropriate punishments for Lady Darristea’s use of the hypnosis magic item and Lady Theresalo’s unauthorized use of the Saintly Charm. Marquis Ormirage, do you have any thoughts on the matter?”
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“I do.” Aides nodded, having received permission to speak. “Based on what I have heard so far, I believe Lady Darristea Abaccum and Lady Theresalo Traff used these forbidden techniques in self-defense. I urge you to take this into consideration.”
“Self-defense, you say?”
“Yes. Lady Theresalo Traff reported that she reflexively cast the spell after Lord Seyfalt Aulgim attempted to force himself on her, mere days after her engagement to Lord Enderlen was called off.”
“Is that true, Lord Seyfalt Aulgim?” the king asked.
“Yes. Marquis Ormirage is telling the truth,” the young man confirmed with a leisurely bow. His reputation would be in tatters after this, but according to him, that was exactly what he had hoped for.
“Do any of you wish to speak up?” the king asked, scanning the crowd.
Ẇ е̃ b ǹ ov̀ е̌l Ĕ n u m̌а̃
No one voiced any objection.
Amid the silence, Wellmy asked the question that weighed on everyone’s mind. “What will happen to Lord Turgis Deltraute?”
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The king glanced at her, his eyes devoid of emotion, and replied curtly, “The law states that anyone plotting high treason will be beheaded, along with their relatives.”
The tension that had left the room with Lord Turgis took control of the party hall once more. In other words, House Deltraute—the cornerstone of the kingdom’s army—was at risk of vanishing, including the marquis himself. Worse, if Marquis Deltraute opposed the king’s judgment, this incident could evolve into a full-blown civil war.
Aides and the lord of security’s voices cut through the tense atmosphere. “Your Majesty, as head of the Ministry of Magic, I urge you to reconsider. I believe that Lord Turgis Deltraute’s actions do not fall under high treason.”
“The Special Operations Department is of the same opinion.”
E n u̇m а . і̂ d́
The king’s brow twitched in displeasure. “Explain yourselves.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. In the course of our investigation into the mind-control magic drugs, we have questioned three young lords who agreed to work with us on this case. However, we quickly noticed that something was amiss,” Aides explained.
He glanced at Wellmy as if to pass the baton to her, and she resumed in his stead, a small smile curling on her lips. “We find it odd that Lord Turgis Deltraute chose to make me his target, Your Majesty.”
Lord Turgis had used Lady Darristea as a pawn to tarnish Wellmy’s reputation. This was a crucial thread to pull to unravel his motives and part of the reason Aides and the lord of security had brought all these people’s misdeeds here in front of the king.
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“Let us assume for a moment he was planning to betray the kingdom. In all likelihood, his target should have been the crown prince, not me,” Wellmy resumed.
It was only because Lord Turgis had influenced Lady Darristea’s thoughts with the magic drug that she had confronted Wellmy in public using a forbidden item.
Ẅe b n оv̄е̂l̀ _Еǹu̇m̂а́
“What would he have gained from me being convicted of having used mind-control items?” she added.
Wellmy would have been eliminated from consideration for the position of future crown princess. But it wasn’t as if Lord Turgis had anything to gain from such a thing.
“The crown prince’s reputation might have temporarily suffered from it, but that’s all. It’s much too small a return for such a dangerous plan. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“What was his goal then, if not treason?” the king asked.
“Let us picture what would have happened had his plan succeeded. Lady Darristea would have been lauded as a heroine, having exposed a criminal who threatened our very nation. At the same time, my name would naturally have been crossed off the list of Prince Leoniel’s potential fiancées.”
Lord Turgis had made his move when Wellmy had initiated her plan to pull attention from Iora by brazenly spending every party by Leo’s side. He’d had no choice but to ensure his plan would succeed before the crown prince announced his future fiancée.
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“Once I was out of the running, who would be first on the list to replace me?” she asked, cocking her head to the side in feigned confusion.
Lady Darristea’s eyes widened, and her hands flew to cover her mouth.
That’s right.
Lord Turgis hadn’t been pursuing his own interests.
“His goal wasn’t treason. What he wanted was for Lady Darristea to marry the crown prince,” Wellmy announced.
This was why he had brainwashed the young lords and ordered them to approach Wellmy to hurt her reputation, as well as the reason he’d ordered Theresalo to try to cast Saintly Charm on Leo.
Е n̊ u̇ m̈ а̌
At first, Wellmy had thought that he was in cahoots with Duke Abaccum—the one she’d assumed was the mastermind behind the other mind-control cases. She had surmised the duke had offered to give him a high-ranking position in the future if he helped make his daughter crown princess. But according to Aides, the two men’s interactions had been limited to perfunctory greetings. As such, it was impossible that he was the one who had told the duke to make Lady Darristea continuously breathe in the magic perfume.
Still, Wellmy had been right on one thing: Lord Turgis’s goal had involved Lady Darristea. What she had misunderstood was whose interests he’d truly been serving.
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“Why would Turgis wish for Darristea to marry Leoniel?” the king asked.
Wellmy glanced at Lord Shizolda. He stepped forward, offered the king a small bow, then dropped yet another bomb on the audience gathered that night.
“Your Majesty, I am the one responsible for Turgis’s actions.”
“What do you mean by that, Lord Shizolda Langley?”
Ŵѐb̀n оv̆е̄ľ Е n.u mӓ
“Being related, Turgis and I have always had a good relationship,” Lord Shizolda explained. His mother was the younger sister of Count Deltraute, making the two young lords cousins. “For that reason, I know certain things others don’t. You see, Turgis... Turgis has always secretly harbored tender feelings for Lady Darristea Abaccum.”
A gasp escaped from the lady in question.
“However, after sounding out Duke Abaccum’s intentions, he realized that he would never grant him his daughter’s hand, seeing as she was a contender for the position of crown princess.” Lord Shizolda explained that, upon learning of his cousin’s feelings for Lady Darristea, he had wondered if there was anything that could be done. “Later, my father told me about the young lady who was to marry the crown prince, so I told Turgis that Lady Darristea would soon be out of the running and that he might have a chance with her,” he added. “Then...”
Instead of pursuing the heart of the lady of his dreams, Lord Turgis did the opposite: He schemed to make her crown princess, just as the people around her wished.
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It all had stemmed from a single proposition from Lord Shizolda.
“Seeing Turgis so depressed, Zumiano Olbran and I suggested that the three of us take a trip to the Baslam Empire.”
Е́nü m̃а̇_
Hearing his name mentioned, Lord Zumiano gave the king a bow.
“We believe that Turgis must have acquired the herbs to make the magic drug during that trip,” Lord Shizolda continued.
Upon returning to the capital and seeing Wellmy and Leo joined at the hip, Turgis put his plan into action. His goal had been to use Theresalo’s Saintly Charm to make it seem like Wellmy was flirting with several men at once and ruin her reputation. Then, he would force a fake confession out of her, setting her up as the villainess, while Lady Darristea would be seen as the heroine who saved the kingdom.
His intentions had likely been the same as Wellmy’s when she had caused her own family’s doom for her sister’s happiness: Lord Turgis wanted his beloved to have a fiancé worthy of her.
Once Wellmy had learned of his motivation, she’d realized they would need to make a big, dramatic reveal out of it so that the mysterious mastermind who had given the bracelet to Lord Seyfalt wouldn’t have the chance to intervene. She didn’t want others to pry into the lives of those who had been involved in this case. She hoped she could save them with as little harm to their honor as possible.
That was why she hadn’t told anyone Theresalo had tried to use Saintly Charm on Leo. Even though it had failed, even though there had been circumstances pushing her to do what she did, trying to control the mind of the crown prince was not simply a forgivable offense.
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Lord Shizolda continued his explanation, following the plan Wellmy had devised to a T.
“I helped propagate the rumor that Lady Darristea Abaccum wasn’t a contender for the position of crown princess anymore,” he said.
When Wellmy had made her return to high society on Leo’s arm, certain factions had begun to mock Lady Darristea, claiming she had “lost” to Wellmy. This was all Lord Shizolda’s fault: He’d been the one who had started spreading that rumor in an attempt to eliminate Lady Darristea from consideration once and for all. He’d believed he was helping his cousin.
“But Turgis was furious when he learned what I had done, and he had Lady Theresalo Traff cast Saintly Charm on me. Your Majesty, if you intend to punish him for his actions, then I, too, must face a similar judgment.” Lord Shizolda dropped to his knees before the king. “I swear that treason was never Turgis’s intention,” he concluded.
The king closed his eyes and let out a deep sigh.
“Deliberately tarnishing the reputation of a young lady is a crime. Restrain Shizolda. Clartes, you will free Darristea from the mind-control drug. When that is done, send her to her home. She and Theresalo are under house arrest for the foreseeable future,” he declared.
Е nú ṁ_а̇. і̌ d
The three offenders were escorted out of the party hall—Lord Shizolda by soldiers, Theresalo by Lord Sofoyl, and Lady Darristea by the lord of security and Clartes.
Case closed. Or is it? Wellmy thought.
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Something bothered her: Nearly all of high society was gathered in this hall tonight, yet Lord Abaccum was nowhere to be seen. She had an inkling of the reason and had even discussed it a little with Aides, but he had been evasive, simply telling her to let him handle the matter of the duke. After all, he likely couldn’t reveal highly confidential information to her.
“Well, then. Now that this disturbance has been settled, let us proceed with the true purpose of this party.” The king clapped as if to dispel the gloomy atmosphere, pulling Wellmy out of her thoughts. “Today is an auspicious day. I am delighted to announce that my son, Leoniel, has become engaged.”
The nobles stirred at his announcement. They likely hadn’t expected Leo’s engagement to already be a done deal. The king’s words could only mean one thing: The crown prince had already signed the engagement oath.
At long last.
Е̌n̄ ů m â .i d
For months, Wellmy had been putting on an act—just for the sake of this very moment. In all truthfulness, she hadn’t even wanted to make such a spectacle on her sister’s big night and wouldn’t have done it if the king hadn’t given his approval.
“His fiancée is an intelligent, accomplished lady. She developed a medicine to cure my wife’s illness and recently received the qualifications of Elite International Mage. Her mastery of decorum is on par with that of us, the royal family, and her administrative skills rival those of most heads of noble houses.”
The guests had already realized who the king was referring to, but no one said anything just yet. Instead, they all turned their gazes to the queen, who stood beside her husband. She lifted her veil, revealing a beauty that hadn’t waned even with the passage of time. Her skin, once red and inflamed from her illness, was now perfectly clear, drawing oohs and aahs from the crowd.
Leo then joined his father on the dais where he stood. He looked over his shoulder, extended his palm, and a gloved hand delicately came to rest on it. A woman in a purple and silver gown slowly made her way forward, coming to stand beside him. Her flowing silver hair radiated a calm glow reminiscent of that of the moon. With her true purple eyes and soft, delicate features, she was none other than Wellmy’s beloved sister.
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“Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to Leoniel’s fiancée—Countess Iora Ernest,” the king declared.
Iora’s qualifications put her on the same level as Aides and the lord of security—the kingdom’s only two archmages. With a demure smile that caught everyone’s eyes, she dropped into a perfect curtsy.
Е̇ n̄ũ ḿ a
Wellmy listened to the cheers and applause of the audience, with various emotions swirling through her mind. Then, she grinned and began clapping louder than everyone else.
Congratulations, dear sister.
After exchanging a glance with Leo, Iora shifted her attention to Wellmy. Her smile widened, and she gave her a discreet little wave.
