Chapter 72):
My neck throbbed and my head pounded. I thought I had opened my eyes, but judging by the darkness all around me, perhaps I hadn’t.
“Ugh…”
I didn’t know getting knocked out could hurt this much. I felt just a tiny bit of remorse for laughing so gleefully when it happened to Kline.
“So, you’re awake.”
An unpleasant voice rang out. There was only one middle-aged man I knew with such an irritating voice.
Clap.
A short clap echoed in the darkness. The next moment, the pitch-black space turned completely white.
The place I was in… was just an empty, square room. There was nothing in it.
Except for the chair I was tied to, my bag thrown far away, and Igard standing a few steps away, staring right at me.
“This place…”
“A pseudo-space within a barrier. I combined my magic with a little artifact enhancement to create it.”
Igard answered. His voice sounded as usual, but somehow, that made it seem even more dangerous.
“…You’re the one who told Father to improve relations with Marquis Rusaik, weren’t you?”
I said.
“Of course. Having him distracted with matters like that makes it easier for me to move.”
“How did you even get in here? An exiled elder shouldn’t be able to attend the Hunting Festival.”
I sharpened my tone on purpose, but Igard seemed unaffected.
“I have plenty of connections. Even inside the Imperial Palace.”
His lips twitched into a smirk.
“…The Empress.”
She was the first person that came to mind. Igard and she had secretly exchanged messages in the past, according to Callista.
I bit my lip hard.
I was screwed. Absolutely, terribly screwed.
“Correct. In fact, only the Imperial family has the artifacts needed to create this kind of space. She’s not particularly fond of this ducal house.”
“Even with her help, kidnapping me isn’t something my father will tolerate.”
“No. That’s why I didn’t tell him. Matters of House Luferne are always handled this way.”
His voice grew colder as he said that last sentence. There was a sharp, dangerous aura in both his eyes and tone.
“…Are you planning to kill me?”
“Of course not.”
Igard replied firmly.
“You’re the next Duke, after all.”
I stared at him blankly.
Was this man insane with ambition for the dukedom? Even after doing this to me, he still expected me to become the Duke?
“You don’t understand, but it can’t be helped. It’s quite certain that His Grace cannot have any more children.”
Seeing my horrified expression, Igard continued.
“Pity, really. If some low-ranking noble had given birth to a third child, I would’ve raised and molded them myself. But since the choices are limited, I must pick from the two.”
“…”
“I now understand that Miss Harper isn’t just your average eight-year-old. But still, turning Miss Callista—who’s as close to an adult as she is, and just as foul-tempered as her mother—into someone I can control isn’t exactly feasible.”
He shrugged. That irritating confidence made me frown deeply.
I didn’t want to treat him like an adult anymore.
“…So you’re planning to mold me to your liking?”
“Yes. Even if you hate me now, that will change soon enough. No matter how clever or cunning, a child is still a child.”
“A child hates adults like you.”
“I know. That’s why this will be hard for you.”
He smiled again, that same hateful smile.
“I did consider… simply killing you and disappearing. The Elder Council business was tiresome for me too, you see.”
For a moment, a flash of unmasked malice burned in his previously calm eyes.
“But… forcing a life on you that you desperately don’t want seems just as appealing. Just like His Grace now… a puppet Duke. That way, I get what I want too.”
“…”
I had to admit, if nothing else, he had persistence. This man simply didn’t know how to give up.
But why use that persistence for something so criminal?
In the most threatening tone I could muster, I said:
“Did you hit your head after getting kicked out of the Elder Council? Do you have any idea what’ll happen to you once we get back to the duchy? Or are you planning to keep me tied up here forever and serve me as your Duke?”
No matter how soft my father was, there’s no way he wouldn’t execute the man who kidnapped his own daughter. No noble in the Empire would side with Igard after that.
Not that Kenneth or Callista would let him live long enough to reach that point anyway.
Maybe the impeachment really did drive him insane?
“Of course not. I’ll be taking you back soon enough. Or rather… we’ll go back together.”
The murderous intent in his voice grew thicker. The air in the bright white room turned heavy, following his mood.
Suddenly, the thought struck me—Igard had been behind Vittoria’s poisoning.
“Are you planning to poison me?”
“What a splendid idea. Sometimes I’m amazed at how well you seem to know me.”
Igard said mockingly.
“But making you sick right now would be tricky. Ever since the imperial greenleaf arrived, my usual poisons aren’t as effective anymore.”
He clicked his tongue in annoyance. That answer only made me more uneasy.
“The best method for dealing with children… is ultimately brainwashing. And the most effective way is through fear. Had I done this earlier, you wouldn’t have pulled that stunt at the Elder Council.”
“…What?”
“It worked well on His Grace… so why wouldn’t it work on you?”
His smile deepened. A chill ran down my spine.
Was he… talking about torture?
I hated pain. My head still throbbed from the blow earlier.
I wondered if it would be better to pretend to submit for now and look for a chance later, even if it meant acting pathetic.
Tap—
Just as I was about to force a change in expression and say something to him, I felt something cold brush against my collarbone. That’s when I realized what was hanging around my neck.
Espere’s Tear.
An artifact that revealed the wearer’s location.
Relief flooded me all at once.
It was fortunate Igard hadn’t noticed it.
By now, Callista must know I’m missing and would be on her way to find me. She’d bring Aramis, or come with an army of knights.
“One thing about children… they’re terrible at hiding their thoughts on their faces.”
Igard, who had been staring at me intently, added.
The relief that had rushed in now drained away like low tide. His gaze was fixed directly on my neck.
“I’ve known for a while that you’ve been wearing Espere’s Tear. I noticed it even during the Elder Council. Your sisterly bond seems quite genuine.”
With a sneer, he shook his head.
“You’re clever, but still a child. You don’t know that even the greatest monarchs have murdered their own siblings for power.”
“…”
His offhanded remark stabbed at a dark corner of my memory.
Didn’t know? But that kind of ruler Igard was describing… was Callista, in her previous life.
I shook my head, forcing away the sad memory that flashed through me. That wasn’t what mattered now.
“But after the Council, when I saw how desperately you tried to hand the title to Callista… I realized. How much you worry for her. How even cold, icy Callista looks at you.”
There was faint contempt in his voice.
“When I heard that you’d started wearing Espere’s Tear, I became fully convinced. You two aren’t rivals. You’re not lord and retainer. You’re just… loving sisters.”
Despite the affectionate-sounding words, Igard’s tone was laced with something sinister.
“So now, I’ll play the opposite move.”
He took a step closer to me. The forced smile on his face now felt terrifying.
“Miss Callista will come. She’ll find you through Espere’s Tear.”
He said.
“But she’ll come alone. I sent her a little ‘gift’ to lure her here, after all.”
He gestured at my dress. A small piece of fabric at the hem had been neatly cut off. He stepped closer and muttered darkly.
“I told her… if she brings anyone with her, I’ll kill you.”
My heart sank with a loud thud. My mouth went dry; I couldn’t even swallow.
This wasn’t just a kidnapping. This was a hostage situation.
Igard was using me as bait to call Callista here.
“…What are you planning to do to her?”
My voice trembled. Igard smiled wider, clearly pleased.
“Isn’t it obvious? To make Miss Harper the Duke… what else can I do to Miss Callista?”
“…”
“I’ll kill her.”
The moment I heard that, my mind went blank. I couldn’t think. My breathing quickened, my head throbbed. My whole body felt frozen. Numb.
From the cold, emotionless tone in his voice, I knew he wasn’t lying.
“…She won’t come.”
I forced the words out.
“Well… I disagree. Like I said earlier, once I set aside my assumptions… I saw the truth.”
He crossed his arms, looking down at me with lazy satisfaction.
“It seems… that to Miss Callista… you’re the most precious thing in the world.”
“No.”
That couldn’t be true. Callista loved me, but the most important thing in her world was something else.
She loved House Luferne. The knight order she built herself, the countless scholars in the academy, the vast territories that wouldn’t even have been maintained without her.
From her previous life to now, she had only ever wanted to become Duke Luferne. I’d seen firsthand how far she was willing to go to protect it.
“You’re about to say she treasures the dukedom more, aren’t you? I used to think so too. But one day… I realized something.”
Igard seemed to read my thoughts and answered anyway.
“If that were really true… Miss Callista would never have gotten close to you in the first place.”
