Chapter 133
After hearing the dragon’s words, Eila felt that remembering the original story was not just a coincidence but like fate.
Being born as the main character of the novel, noticing Rosia’s identity as soon as she entered the mansion…
All the efforts she made so far to avoid the same tragedy felt connected.
‘And humans who coveted the dragon’s power… what could that be?’
The Red Dragon had no reason to lie to her, so his words were likely true.
Eila thought of Rosia for a moment, then shook her head.
‘More likely it’s the forces controlling her. They were described as quite powerful in the original story.’
Finally, the clues seemed to be narrowing down.
She clenched her fist happily for a moment, then looked at Devens with complicated eyes.
‘By the way… how does Devens see right through me? Today is the first time we met.’
Maybe her becoming the novel’s main character and regaining memories was also connected to the dragon’s great power.
Their magical abilities remain a mystery to humans.
Above all, Devens’s words felt too meaningful to be just guesses.
Their eyes met.
Devens nodded quietly, as if reading her thoughts, and said,
“After the shedding is finished, come again with that child.”
“Huh?”
“There is something to talk about leisurely among kin.”
He said this and closed his eyes, as if refusing any questions.
Soon, Devens’s body turned into red powder and scattered with the wind.
The powder floated like flower petals and quickly seeped into the ruins.
Staring blankly at where he stood, Eila remained still for a long time.
At the end of a narrow alley, in front of an old house hidden by ivy vines, Count Armand stood.
“So this is… where that woman lives.”
He frowned and looked around.
The building looked ordinary, but the strong scent of herbs confirmed his instinct that this was the place.
Pulling his mustache with displeasure, Armand muttered,
“How much trouble I had to find this place…”
Jordic had tightly sealed lips among his employees, spending huge time and money to persuade each one.
Now, with money troubles, it was a painful expense.
But he gritted his teeth and steadied his thoughts.
“It’s okay. If I get Yuria, everything will be solved.”
The cosmetics made by the old craftsmen of Sharon Atelier were more perfect in quality than others.
At first, he couldn’t believe a young woman made it all alone, but soon he rejoiced.
In other words, if he took her away, Flor Cosmetics would collapse.
‘The manufacturing process is so difficult no one else can do it but her…’
Also, the contract said she alone held all the technical knowledge.
Filled with expectation, the count knocked on the workshop door.
After a moment, the old door swung open.
“Yuria, you have finally returned!”
But the person who appeared was not the young woman he expected.
“…Who?”
A short, balding middle-aged man stood there.
‘Jordic, the guild leader? Why is he here?’
Count Armand had met Jordic a few times.
He was a very skilled and cunning businessman who worked as a broker, slowly building money to reach this position.
He had been annoyed by Jordic pretending to be noble just because of money.
But now, Jordic looked completely different.
His face was red from drinking, eyes half-closed, and every breath smelled foul.
Jordic looked like a complete wreck.
Instinctively, Armand stepped back.
But Jordic was faster and grabbed him by the collar, eyes bloodshot.
“Aha, you’re the culprit? You stole her, right? Where did you take her?!”
He shook the slender count helplessly as if unable to control himself from drinking.
The count grabbed his hat and looked to the side.
“Sir Alex, restrain this man immediately!”
At the order, a tall knight quickly moved.
Jordic was immediately subdued and roughly thrown to the floor.
Ignoring Jordic’s groans, the count quietly stepped into the workshop.
But what he saw left him speechless.
“What… what is this…?”
A sigh escaped the count’s lips. The workshop was a terrible mess.
It looked as if someone had fled in a hurry — every shelf was wide open and only worthless trash remained; the place was almost empty.
Realizing the situation, Armand’s expression turned cold.
“What on earth happened here?”
Jordic, crouched on the floor, started to sob.
“She betrayed me and ran away! Ungrateful! I came on the day to get the goods, but she disappeared without a trace!”
“She ran away?”
“If only that… she left a nasty letter threatening me! Said it was a notice of contract termination for violation!”
“Contract violation?”
“Yes! She said I didn’t fulfill the contract properly… What does that mean? Shouldn’t I be grateful she accepted investment from a commoner?”
Jordic tore at his hair in despair.
“There’s no way Yuria did this alone! She’s not that bold.”
His eyes shone wildly.
“Someone must be behind this. Who the hell is it?”
He muttered like a madman, then broke into sorrowful cries.
“The cosmetic stock will soon run out. The business is ruined. How will I handle lawsuits? I hope they don’t make me pay back all the money…”
Jordic clutched his chest trembling.
When he quieted down, Count Armand frowned and asked.
“Do you have any idea where she went? Or who took her?”
“If I knew that, would I be like this?”
The count closed his eyes briefly, then opened them again. Jordic’s complaints no longer interested him.
‘…Who could it be?’
Someone else had been after Yuria, and moved faster.
‘This idiot doesn’t even know who took his engineer.’
Armand looked at Jordic with disdain.
Jordic seemed to come to his senses and looked up weakly.
Then he muttered with a dazed voice,
“But… who are you?”
Armand sighed shortly, then ordered the knight still restraining Jordic,
“Release him.”
The count gritted his teeth and slowly left the workshop.
‘With the engineer gone, Flor Cosmetics can’t compete anymore…’
On the surface, this wasn’t bad news.
Sharon Atelier would soon recover its old sales and be able to repay invested funds.
But strangely, his heart felt uneasy.
‘…Who took Yuria? What’s their purpose?’
Yuria was just a commoner except for the cosmetic skill.
If someone contacted her faster than him, there was only one reason.
‘Could it be someone trying to start another cosmetics business with her?’
Count Armand frowned deeply, sticking close to the city wall.
He bit his lips and murmured,
“Damn, I don’t understand what’s going on.”
