Chapter 69
A Dangerous Command
Whatever the reason, the event that happened in the Velua estate was clearly a serious “incident.”
“I must report this to His Grace the Grand Duke immediately.”
Darius grabbed his communicator, luckily still in his possession. He thanked his habit of always carrying it with him and pulled the curtains shut before making the call.
As static buzzed and the Grand Duke’s face appeared in the crystal orb, Darius began urgently:
“This is serious, Your Grace! Something terrible has happened in the territory—”
But the Grand Duke cut him off.
“Is the Crown Prince and Lady Laura Luweiz currently staying there?”
He already knew.
Darius was stunned, but also impressed. It was just like his master to know things ahead of time.
He bowed deeply.
“Yes! Of course, Your Grace already knew. Right now, the situation is—”
“Darius, I have a special mission for you.”
Darius was startled but sat upright and listened.
“Kill Laura Luweiz.”
“…I beg your pardon?”
“You heard me. I’ll repeat it.”
The Grand Duke’s expression twisted subtly, a sign of intense rage.
“Kill Laura Luweiz and Bartel Velua.”
Darius understood why Laura had to die—she had interfered with his plans more than once. But why the Count too?
“I thought you said Count Velua would be more useful alive? You even had leverage over him…”
“Laura Luweiz is the Count’s biological daughter.”
“…?!”
“Whether or not he realizes it, it won’t be long before he figures it out. And when he does, he’s no longer useful.”
The Grand Duke believed that just as he’d recently realized Laura’s identity, the Count would too.
“Understood?”
“Well, Your Grace… I understand the mission, but I currently have no way to kill them…”
“Why not?”
The Grand Duke chuckled.
“What about all the explosives you secretly hid beneath the manor?”
“…!”
Darius’s eyes widened. That was his hidden last resort. He had bought the explosives in secret to destroy the manor—and all incriminating evidence—if his crimes were ever exposed.
“Lure them in, or wait until they enter the manor. Detonate it then. With the collapse, both Laura and the Count will be gone—and so will your secrets.”
“But… I’ll die too if I do that…”
“No need to worry.”
“Excuse me?”
“How do you think I knew about the explosives? You’re not the only spy I have in the Velua estate.”
“…!”
“If you get caught after the explosion, my people will free you that same night. Trust me.”
Darius was amazed again. His master had already planned everything.
“Do you understand?”
“Yes… Yes, Your Grace…”
The call ended. Darius sat in a daze, then slapped his cheek to refocus.
‘This is it. My final card.’
If the Count inspected the manor, all of Darius’s corruption would be exposed. Nobody liked him here. Even dying in the process was better than dying alone.
‘If I can take the Count and his daughter down with me… then it’s worth it.’
Meanwhile, at the estate…
Asel and Count Velua had a heated debate earlier. Suddenly, the Count stood up.
“The Imperial family may be powerful, but don’t worry. Inside the manor is a secret archive where former Velua Counts gathered evidence of the Empire’s weaknesses.”
That meant they could use it to break the engagement.
Asel and Angel were stunned.
“Wait, why would you even have that kind of stuff? Even the Luweiz family didn’t keep something like that!”
“Resentment from being exiled to the frontier, probably.”
This estate had once been an undesirable posting—droughts, floods, and barbarian raids. Officials sent here often felt betrayed and documented the Empire’s flaws in anger.
“Even if you stay engaged, knowing some weaknesses of the Empire might help someday. Who knows—you might get tired of your fiancé’s handsome face or crave freedom from the palace.”
“Count… I’m still right here, you know.”
“Why are you eavesdropping on my internal monologue? That’s rude.”
Laura, standing nearby, listened with a bit of exasperation. Asel leaned in and whispered:
“Are you really going to the manor?”
“Why not? I’ve got nothing better to do.”
“Think carefully. The information there might not be anything useful.”
“Still curious though, aren’t you?”
He couldn’t argue with that.
Even if it was just old records or petty scandals, it might help reduce the curse. Who knows?
“Rudina says your greed is shocking.”
‘Oh yeah? Then why don’t YOU come do this? I’ve already had to reset once and grind achievements all over again!’
Silence.
Rudina wisely resumed her role as invisible “dust.”
At the manor
The gates were open. Since villagers visited regularly, there was no need to lock them. The guards recognized the Count immediately.
“At last! Count, you’ve finally returned!”
One old knight choked up with emotion.
“I always believed I’d see you again in good health, but to actually witness it…”
The Count turned to glance at Laura, then suddenly yelled:
“Why are you being so sentimental? You make it sound like I wasted away like some useless shut-in!”
The knight looked confused.
Because… that’s basically what had happened.
