Chapter 66
“His Plan (1)”
‘Hah… if Allen finds out, this is the perfect situation for him to grab me by the collar.’
Laperre looked without emotion at the woman who was closing the distance to him without hesitation.
Heidi Eliana.
Whenever she visited the Tower, she would wear a rabbit-shaped half-mask like a criminal hiding her face. But for some reason, today she had revealed her bare face.
Of course, that didn’t mean she was showing everything honestly today either.
‘What’s certain is… something’s changed in her mind.’
Her clicking heels stopped just in front of him.
Laperre lifted one corner of his lips and greeted her.
“I’d always wondered what face was under that cute mask.”
“…”
“Never thought I’d see it like this.”
“…”
“It’s been a while, dear customer.”
It was a fairly long greeting, but the woman just bit her lip in silence.
‘Well now…’
Laperre studied her face.
Dark circles under her eyes from fatigue and stress, rough skin, scabbed lips like she’d been biting them, even her fingernails were a mess.
‘No way she got like this from worrying alone… most likely Crocan Piace is behind this.’
The situation was already rolling out of his control, and his head began to ache. He rubbed the bridge of his nose with his fingers.
When he’d first agreed to this plan, he hadn’t expected things to grow this big either.
‘Well… I guess this is my own karma.’
As he let out a sigh laced with self-mockery, a sharp voice suddenly cut through the silent hall.
“If you can greet me like nothing happened even though you knew everything, Lord Laperre, then you’re not an honest person either.”
“…What?”
“At this point, I don’t care. That ridiculous mask wasn’t to stop people from recognizing me—it was to hide my soft expression.”
Heidi lifted her head and met his gaze.
Their eyes clashed sharply in midair.
Laperre wondered what on earth could have been said to change someone so much in such a short time.
Even seeing the faint furrow between his brows, Heidi spoke as if nothing was wrong.
“If I remember right, our promised time was long past. The item is ready, yes?”
Laperre tapped the armrest of his chair—tap, tap.
After meeting her eyes for a moment, he shrugged.
“Strange, isn’t it? I’m the greatest mage in this world, yet my trust rating with the ladies is rock bottom.”
“…”
“Of course, I finished all the preparations, dear customer. I made a poison strong enough to kill your target instantly.”
“…Poison?”
Heidi asked back, confused.
Even as he looked at her distorted face, Laperre’s expression was relaxed.
That composure made the resolve she had steeled on her way here shake violently. Her clenched fists trembled with anger.
Finally, she burst out.
“What I asked for wasn’t some poison!”
“Didn’t you say anything that could kill them was fine?”
“Yes, but I wanted a way to do it without going myself!”
Did he forget her request?
‘Or… does he already know? That the person I want to kill is Rebellia Piace?’
The thought made her bite her lip hard.
Blinded by his reputation as the greatest mage in the world, she had overlooked the most important fact—
That Laperre and Rebellia had known each other long before she came along.
Of course, that didn’t mean he’d automatically side with Rebellia.
‘But I can’t be sure of the opposite either.’
Heidi shut her eyes tightly, her thoughts running in circles.
Even for the most skilled mage, time couldn’t be reversed. Which meant that even if she backed out now, the man in front of her already knew her plan.
‘What should I do? How can I…!’
Suddenly, a snap cut through her thoughts, clearing her mind.
Startled, Heidi lifted her head.
Laperre was still sitting in his chair on the dais.
‘W-what…?’
“Did you know you’re more impatient than I thought, dear customer?”
His mocking tone pricked at her ears.
Clutching her skirt, Heidi glared at him. Laperre sighed lightly and asked:
“Do you trust me?”
“…What do you mean?”
“If I told you I’d killed your target, could you believe it?”
She was momentarily at a loss for words.
‘Believe him?’
“…That would depend on how you prove it.”
“And you wouldn’t think the proof was a lie?”
His sharp question made her bite her lip.
Laperre sighed exaggeratedly and said:
“Dear customer, we’re in the same boat now, so let’s be honest.”
“We’re in the same boat?”
Heidi’s lips twisted in disbelief.
Laperre met her glare and continued calmly:
“You must not realize, but if this goes wrong, I’ll be in serious trouble too. If a mage is found guilty of taking a life, they get brought before the Tribunal.”
“…The Tribunal?”
“It’s basically a trial—to decide whether I used black magic, or whether I should be allowed to keep using magic at all.”
His casual words made Heidi fall silent.
She’d never once thought of him as being in the same boat. She’d assumed he helped her only because he wanted the Zeros territory he’d been promised.
Seeing her expression soften slightly, Laperre rested his chin on his hand, watching her.
If a few words could soften her sharp gaze, she was far simpler than he’d thought.
Of course, that might be why she was being used so thoroughly.
“Anyway, my point is—I want your plan to succeed too. That way, I can at least keep my position.”
Heidi gave a faint nod at his words.
After taking a short breath to collect herself, she brushed back her purple-dyed hair and asked:
“So what do you mean by wanting me to be honest?”
“The person you want dead is Rebellia Piace, right?”
“…!”
The blunt hit made shock flash across her face.
Unable to even move her lips, she stared at him. Laperre laughed in disbelief.
“See? Ladies have a habit of underestimating me.”
“T-tell me how you knew! Since when did you notice?”
Looking at her sharp demand, Laperre let out a deep sigh.
“Dear customer.”
“…”
“You always bought the same purple dye from me. Not exactly a common color. But what really confirmed it for me were the rumors in Zeros’ capital—that the Crown Prince was having an affair with Rebellia Piace.”
“…”
“And I don’t know why you’re imitating her, but you two don’t look alike.”
“W-we don’t?”
“Right. Probably the only reason people are fooled is because Lady Piace hasn’t been seen outside, so no one knows her face.”
“H-how do you know that?”
“Know what?”
“That we don’t look alike—how would you know?”
He gave a tired swipe over his face.
“Don’t tell me you’ve forgotten. My very first customer for dye was Lady Piace herself.”
“…!”
“I saw her in person. You don’t look alike. Maybe your looks could pass at a glance, but your aura is completely different.”
‘Well… maybe before Heidi’s personality twisted this much, she might have resembled her more.’
Laperre kept that thought to himself.
Seeing Heidi lower her head in thought, he snapped his fingers.
Startled by the sound, she looked up to find a whistle floating in front of her.
She frowned and asked what it was.
Laperre smirked.
“It’s the same whistle I gave Lady Piace when I first made her hair dye, saying she could use it to call me.”
“…”
“It’s also coated with deadly poison—enough to kill Rebellia Piace without you ever laying a hand on her.”
