Chapter 122
Rye, who looked as if he had been beaten senseless, his entire body covered in dark blue bruises, spotted me and cried out with a brightened expression.
“Ell’s been taken! Please—please save her!”
“Alright, calm down. Come here first.”
At my call, Rye struggled and crawled out of the sack. With the knights’ help, the child barely managed to stand, then limped toward me.
Fortunately, Duke Deisha and the black-masked figures did not stop Rye as he approached. I sent him to the butler standing behind me.
“What is the meaning of this?”
“Did you not like the gift?”
“Was it you, Duke, who kidnapped Ell?”
Instead of answering, Duke Deisha curled the corner of his lips into a smirk. That expression alone was answer enough. He had helped the First Empress kidnap Ell.
“Where is Ell?”
“I put quite a bit of thought into that gift, you know. Yet you don’t even thank me and only ask questions. How disappointing.”
“I have no interest in listening to nonsense. Answer me.”
“Well, I don’t believe I’m obliged to answer a young lady’s questions.”
“Do you really think you’ll get away with this?”
Thanks to the butler’s quick actions, we had more knights on our side. Even so, despite clearly being outnumbered, Duke Deisha remained utterly relaxed, as if he had something to rely on.
“Where is Ell?”
“You seem to have many questions, my lady.”
“With the criminal who kidnapped children standing right in front of me, how could I not?”
At my words, Duke Deisha shrugged.
“The First Empress said she wished to lure you out, so I lent a small hand. But I had no intention of harming the children. As proof, didn’t I bring one of them as a gift?”
“If you were bringing me a gift anyway, you could have been generous and brought both children. I hadn’t realized the Duke was so stingy.”
“Hahaha! You’re amusing, as always. Had I known you’d say that, I might have brought both.”
“It’s not too late even now. If you bring Ell safely before me, I’ll welcome you with all due courtesy as an honored guest—just as you wish.”
At my reply, Duke Deisha burst into laughter again and shrugged.
“What a pity. Unfortunately, the child is not with me right now.”
I turned my hand behind my back and signaled to the butler.
If Ell wasn’t with Duke Deisha, that meant she was still in the First Empress’s grasp. According to the maid’s testimony, Ell and Rye had been at the First Empress’s residence, but there was no guarantee they were still there.
Rye must have been with Ell until he was dragged here. He would know where Ell was being held now. Understanding my intent, the butler pretended to flee while avoiding the masked men and took Rye into the main building.
Duke Deisha’s eyes narrowed.
“You slipped out of the First Empress’s trap with a decoy, and now you’ve even coaxed the child’s whereabouts out of me. You’re far cleverer than I thought.”
“Thank you for the compliment. But wouldn’t that make you, who noticed all of it, even more impressive?”
“Haha, I suppose so.”
He laughed pleasantly. I stopped speculating and asked bluntly,
“Have you joined hands with the First Empress?”
“I told you. I merely offered a little help.”
“To my ears, that sounds like you’re saying you’re not allies.”
“Of course not. She wants you dead, but I have no intention of killing you.”
“Not until the barrier is broken, you mean?”
“Oh? Last time we met, you seemed to know nothing. It appears you’ve learned quite a bit since then.”
“Have you allied yourself with Inayari?”
“So what if I have?”
Duke Deisha wore a sly, almost syrupy smile.
“Why?”
If the barrier restraining the Inayari were broken, the world would once again head toward destruction. Duke Deisha should know that better than anyone, yet I couldn’t understand his intent.
“Even if the Inayari break the barrier and emerge, it won’t benefit you in any way.”
“It wouldn’t be a bad thing, either.”
“What is it you want, exactly?”
“Well, what do you think the reason is?”
Smiling, he raised his hand. Behind him, more masked figures appeared—far more than the number of knights on our side. Now I understood why he had been so relaxed despite being outnumbered earlier.
Clang—clang!
The black-masked men struck first, swinging their swords at the knights. The knights stepped forward, backs to me, and blocked their attacks.
The clash of metal rang everywhere, assaulting the ears. One by one, people fell, red blood scattering across the ground and staining the green grass.
“Choose, my lady.”
Amid the din, Duke Deisha’s voice came through clearly.
“Will you come quietly with me? Or must I kill them all before you do?”
“If I go quietly, will you spare them?”
“Lady—no!”
Lant stepped in front of me. Duke Deisha’s eyebrow twitched, as if he’d found something intriguing.
“Go on, choose. Surely you don’t want to watch your beloved little brother die before your eyes?”
“Don’t listen to that nonsense, Lady.”
Lant glared at Duke Deisha, clenching his fists. He squeezed so hard that blue veins bulged on the back of his sun-darkened hands. He had rushed straight out of his room and carried no weapon to defend himself.
I looked worriedly at Lant’s back as he stood before me.
“Ellientra, guardian of the bloodline of Pison. Seeing what was written in the records with my own eyes—it’s quite something.”
“How do you—!”
The ancient records were passed down in secret only among the four families descended from the hero. The Ellient family, one of those descendants, had even lost their records; my father, the head of the family, hadn’t known of them until my maternal grandfather told him.
As if reading my thoughts, Duke Deisha answered,
“The records aren’t the exclusive property of humans, my lady.”
“Inayari!”
Just as records were left for the hero’s descendants, it was possible the Inayari had their own records as well—something I had overlooked.
‘No wonder they tried to kidnap me.’
To steady my turbulent thoughts, I clenched my fist until my nails dug into my palm.
Duke Deisha was no easy opponent. To avoid falling victim to him, I had to stay sharply focused.
“Why not follow me obediently? I went to considerable lengths to bring you here—there’s no escape.”
“Are you saying everything that’s happened until now was your doing?”
A bitter smile surfaced on Duke Deisha’s face.
“Your surroundings were too secure. I needed to shake things up a little. How was it? Quite thrilling, wasn’t it? I put a great deal of thought into all of it—for you.”
“Did you interfere with the Kingdom of Canaan as well?”
“Ah, I merely leaked false information—that the Empire was preparing to turn the kingdom into a colony. A cornered rat will even bite a cat.”
The First Prince’s death, Ell’s kidnapping, the provocation of Canaan—all of it involved Duke Deisha. He had likely interfered even in the matter of the wet nurse.
No—he certainly had. The fact that the nurse used Kayak was clear proof.
“You must have been very busy preparing all of that.”
“I had plenty of time.”
He shrugged.
“And watching your reactions was rather entertaining.”
“Was that also why you pushed Irins toward Sis—no, toward His Highness the Crown Prince?”
“Heh. To be worrying about something like that at a time like this—perhaps you’re not so different after all.”
His laughter grew louder.
Ignoring it, I asked another question.
“Were you aiming to sow discord between the Imperial Family and House Ellient?”
“Mm, you are clever. With that child’s beauty, I thought the Crown Prince would fall quickly. Unfortunately, he’s utterly devoted to you. A miscalculation on my part.”
He stroked his chin, his eyes swiftly scanning the surroundings.
Sadly, the situation was unfavorable to us in many ways. Not only were we outnumbered, but the masked men were far stronger than expected. The knights my father and Sis had left behind to protect me were elite, carefully chosen—yet they were being cut down helplessly.
I tried to appear calm, but cold sweat ran down my spine. Duke Deisha, noticing this, spoke.
“You seem to be waiting for the knights who went to the Imperial Palace. Unfortunately, things won’t go as you hope.”
“…!”
At his words, my hair stood on end. The wrinkles around his eyes narrowed.
“It’s been amusing to indulge your attempt to stall, but I’m starting to grow bored.”
“…You knew I was waiting for reinforcements.”
“Of course. Though I imagine it’s quite disappointing for you, having waited so desperately.”
“Lady.”
Lant looked at me with worry.
The maids and other noncombatants had already taken refuge in the main building with the butler. Thankfully, the masked men focused only on the knights and paid no attention to the main building.
From their behavior alone, it was clear—their sole target was me.
More and more knights were wounded. Lant still stood firmly before me, refusing to move. I wished he would retreat with the butler, but the child stubbornly guarded me.
I turned my gaze back to Duke Deisha.
On the breeze, I faintly sensed the scent of Leysha flowers. Spring had begun, but the Leysha flowers had yet to bloom. There was only one reason their fragrance could be present.
‘They’ve finally arrived.’
I slowly curved my lips into a smile.
“You’re right—I am indeed waiting for reinforcements.”
Duke Deisha’s eyebrow twitched, as if suspicious.
Leysha flowers had a gentle fragrance that carried far—perfect for perfume. I had given Revina a perfume made from Leysha flowers as a wedding gift.
Only Revina and I possessed that perfume.
“However, the reinforcements I’m waiting for aren’t the knights who went to the Imperial Palace.”
Revina must have liked the Leysha perfume, because she often used it on her belongings—such as the paper she wrote letters on.
At last, those I had been waiting for arrived.
“Oh my, you’ve already started?”
Amid screams of pain and the stench of blood, a cheerful voice utterly out of place rang out. I spoke reproachfully toward the man who appeared.
“You’re late, Kasan.”
“Goodness! I hurried so much my feet nearly caught fire, young lady.”
Waving his hands as if aggrieved, he approached me. Despite his exaggerated complaint, Kasan’s steps were light, as though he were strolling through a park.
“Do you have any idea how hard it is to pull out this many troops from a place where big and small battles break out daily? I worked quite diligently—do cut me some slack.”
He sniffed the air, then began grumbling with a dissatisfied look.
“It’s bad enough scratching my cold side alone, but my lord, drunk on newlywed bliss, dumps tasks on me that never even existed. I heard the capital had pretty flowers, so I came all excited—only to end up dealing with nothing but grimy men. It really takes the joy out of life.”
Kasan playfully crooked his finger.
As if that were a signal, the men who had arrived with him charged at the masked figures.
“Since it’s come to this, I suppose I’ll vent all that pent-up frustration right here.”
Despite his playful expression, Kasan’s eyes gleamed dangerously as he looked at the masked men.
