Chapter 085
And there was someone who had witnessed everything with their own eyes. It was Count Solovis, the one who had hoped for this situation to happen and had planned it. He bribed the maid who took care of the children, offering her food.
“If I do this, I’ll die,” she said.
“But in exchange, your family will survive. I’ll let them escape far below, and I’ll give them treasures to live a comfortable life,” Count Solovis smiled widely.
Once the maid moved with the children, he quickly followed her to the Duke’s residence. And he witnessed Charlotte saving a child without hesitation.
Though Count Solovis and Duke Istheria briefly made eye contact during the process, that was not what mattered now.
While waiting in the Duke’s office, Count Solovis thought about what he could take from the Duke.
He could gain a lot from this, and with it, he could reclaim what he had lost. He tapped the armrest of his chair, and a smirk appeared on his lips. After a long wait, Duke Istheria finally appeared.
Count Solovis greeted him as though he were the master.
“Welcome, Duke.”
His tone had already shifted to a more casual one. Count Solovis squinted. The Duke’s demeanor seemed strange. Despite knowing that his secrets had been uncovered, he maintained a calm expression. It was Count Solovis who now felt uneasy.
The Duke slowly walked past Count Solovis, sat down in his chair, and stared at him.
“Hmm. Now, we should resume the conversation we had before, right? You said my daughter lacked the holy power? My daughter lied to me as well, but you know, I saw it with my own eyes.”
Count Solovis almost laughed but stopped himself.
“My daughter has the holy power, and with it, she saved the precious young noble. Shouldn’t we settle the matter? When I sent her, I didnāt know she had that power, so I received a small dowry. But now, things are different.”
“Because of that?”
“What?”
“Because of that, you did such a thing?”
It was a soft question, but it weighed heavily on Count Solovisās shoulders. The pressure made him feel like he might collapse.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“You bribed the maid, she confessed everything.”
Cassius’s voice was slow, but it carried a sense of heavy weight. It felt like he was pointing an invisible sword at Count Solovis.
“You made my brother drink poison to confirm that the Duchess had the holy power.”
“…I did it to uncover the truth because everyone was hiding it! Was I supposed to ignore the gold piled up in Istheria and keep the truth hidden?”
Count Solovis raised his voice, trying to show that he was not intimidated.
“What if Charlotte didnāt have the holy power?”
At that moment, Count Solovis flinched. His actions seemed almost maniacal. He was cornered. His family was on the brink of collapse, and he had to obtain money by any means necessary.
Count Solovis almost frantically believed that Charlotte would have the holy power.
“That… That wasn’t the case. And I knew she had the holy power, that’s why I took action!”
“Then you risked your daughterās life to confirm it.”
“…You’re talking too much. What matters now is that my daughter paid for her actions. What I’ve done doesn’t matter! What matters is that Istheria hid my daughter’s power and deceived me! Even the Emperor will support me!”
The Emperor hated Istheria. Count Solovis found strength in that fact.
“They say the dead have no voice.”
Count Solovis flinched.
“Are you saying that you’re trying to save money…?”
“I’m not worried about the money. I could have given you that much. But if you hadnāt targeted Charlotte, I would have easily given you a little and sent you back to the capital.”
I know types like you, parasites. Once you let them win once, they keep coming back, trying to suck the life out of Istheria. I was going to deal with you just enough and send you back with a small amount. But this arrogance created the situation we’re in now.
Cassius glared at Count Solovis with cold eyes.
The malice in his gaze made Count Solovis shudder.
The confidence he had a moment ago was gone. He tightly gripped the armrest.
“But… you can’t kill me. I’m the Emperor’s envoy. If Istheria isn’t planning war with the capital…”
“What are you saying, Count?”
Cassius smiled coldly.
“I won’t be the one to kill you.”
From the start, there was never any intention to forgive him. Because of Count Solovis, Charlotte was in danger. And before that, he almost lost Theo, whom he had just recovered. Count Solovis had touched a forbidden nerve of Istheria.
“What… What do you mean…!”
At that moment, guards rushed into the office, all of them drawing their swords.
“Take this man and his associates to the prison. Afterward, throw them into the mouths of the monsters.”
“Yes, sir!”
The knights bowed their heads. Count Solovis looked around at the people surrounding him. They looked like they wouldnāt bleed even if pricked with a needle. Count Solovis trembled like a reed. This shouldnāt be happening.
“The emperor… the emperor will never forgive me!”
“Hahaha. The emperor wonāt forgive you? Then, he should come here himself and fight the monsters. Who else can stop their teeth if not me?”
At those words, Count Solovisā face turned pale.
“Youāre a disposable tool, but Iām someone who canāt be replaced.”
Count Solovis opened his mouth, but said nothing.
He thought of Carlos. The young emperor hated the north. This was something all of his closest aides knew. He constantly criticized and belittled it. Every emperor in history had despised Istheria.
But the ruler of the north had never changed. Istheria had ruled the north for as long as the empire had existed.
Count Solovis now realized this, and the blood in his veins turned cold.
A part that can never be replaced, the empireās last sword.
That statement never felt more real than it did right now. At Cassius’ gesture, Count Solovis was pulled away.
***
Meanwhile, in the north, there was a brief stir.
“Looks like he finally did something.”
It seemed that Count Solovis had been brought here for a reason. Janice smiled, curling her lips slightly. She was planning to open the gate once again. Bring chaos to the north, murder the Duchess in the process, and then, as promised, place Lorencia in her position. Then, she would close the gate again.
By Lorenciaās hands!
It was a perfect scenario.
Just as the stage that Janice had prepared with blood was about to begin, she slipped away into the forest, avoiding people’s attention. She gathered the vengeful spirits she had collected over time and planted them in the ground. All she needed were four stones with the spirits inside, a summoning ritual, and the blood of the shaman.
Janiceās blood covered the earth.
She glared coldly at what she had just done, then turned her back. The summoning ritual flared up behind her, the red glow signaling the birth of a new disaster.
It wouldnāt take long before the gate opened.
Janice, avoiding the eyes of others, returned to the Duke’s mansion. As always, she did so without anyone noticing her absence.
“Janice! Thereās a huge mess! Theyāre saying that woman really has the ability to use magic!”
Just then, Lorencia, who had come to find her, chattered excitedly with sparkling eyes.
“Thatās great news.”
“Right?”
