It was the moment Duke Reshaniel reached out to touch me with that strange look in his eyes.
“It’s rather rude to lay hands on a lady without her permission.”
A powerful barrier sprang up in front of me. His fingertips halted, unable to break through the shimmering barrier.
“Ah.” He smiled softly and waved his hand.
The haze that had clouded my vision slowly dissipated, revealing his face in sharp detail. Disgusting. No matter what I was thinking, he just stared at me, unblinking.
“It’s hard to get close to you. Looks like you came prepared, Giselle.”
“Of course. Do you think I’d just sit back when coming to see you? I brought every magical artifact I could find. For my own protection, naturally.”
At my smile, the pleasant expression he’d worn all this time vanished from his face, as if all the color had drained away. All that remained was a cold, indifferent gaze, empty of meaning. For some reason, goosebumps prickled up on my skin.
“Sadly, you’re treating me like some kind of criminal.”
“By my standards, that’s exactly what you are. And I’m quite pleased about it.”
After a few more exchanges, he muttered in a tone that sounded almost annoyed. “But Giselle, shouldn’t you remember that I possess both divine power and mana at the same time?”
He raised his hand lightly. With an expression of utter indifference, he traced a few shapes in the air, and before I knew it, a magic circle inscribed with ancient, unreadable script appeared. And then. Crack! The barrier I’d created with my artifacts shattered in an instant.
“Isn’t that right, Giselle?”
He strode forward and reached out to touch me. But… He muttered, as if things hadn’t gone the way he’d planned.
“So pitiful and unfortunate, but you’re no longer a helpless little lamb, are you?”
Right, the lucky stone didn’t work. The filthy sensation I always felt wherever my mana was drained wasn’t here. I heard him quietly talking to himself.
“You don’t get hurt by my words anymore. In that case…”
The moment I heard those words, my mind started racing. Wait, not hurt? Why is he obsessed with that? But I didn’t have time to think any further.
Duke Reshaniel’s hand shot out and wrapped around my throat. My airway was cut off, and I struggled desperately. But he just squeezed my neck with cold indifference, as if he was waiting for something.
“How strange.”
“Ggh. Let me go, you, psy, cho…” I choked and glared at him like a madwoman, but he only looked at me with a sort of fascinated curiosity.
“This shouldn’t be happening…”
Like a scientist whose experiment had gone off script.
Then, he loosened his grip and muttered again. “How odd.”
I collapsed to the floor, rubbing my neck, certain it would bruise. As I sat there coughing uncontrollably, Duke Reshaniel pressed his foot down on me and whispered, “What did you do to yourself?” Even as he pinned me underfoot, I couldn’t help but let out a raspy laugh.
Good thing I came prepared, after all. I instantly wiped the smile off my face and shot to my feet, glaring at him. “Why? Is there a problem?” My hair was a wild mess, and I sneered at him spitefully.
His expression turned icy.
“I clearly broke the barrier artifact. So why…”
“Why can’t you drain my mana, is that it?” At my words, his face hardened. “What, did you think I’d just do you a favor?”
He stared at me and whispered in a low voice. “So, you knew. You’re not as stupid as I thought. Then, explain what happened.”
“Why should I?”
The truth was, I’d used the shell artifact I borrowed from Garno. That shell artifact had the unique function of wrapping the user’s body in a transparent membrane. More precisely, it was a defensive artifact that prevented mana from leaving or entering my body. Since it was a magical artifact from the Eastern Continent, it would be quite troublesome for him to dismantle. Which means even if he touches me, he can’t steal my mana.
As I smiled brightly and dusted off my wrist, he seemed to realize instantly what kind of magical artifact I had used and narrowed his brows. His face twisted for a moment, then smoothed over into that angelic mask again. “You’re quite the nuisance.”
“Look who’s talking. Isn’t that my line?”
The moment I looked like I might turn to leave, he gave me a gentle smile.
“If you walk out of here now, your reputation will be ruined. After all, you’re a married woman, and yet you came to the cigar room to cling to another man… Isn’t that exactly the kind of gossip busybodies love?”
It seemed he’d already done all the groundwork for the rumors. On top of that, the room was packed with Duke Reshaniel’s close associates, not to mention several mages who’d lived and worked with him in the Magic Tower. In other words, the entire situation was already perfectly stacked in his favor.
But I just gave a small, careless smile and said, “I’m not sorry at all. My reputation was already ruined anyway.”
“Do you really think Kalinos’s family will accept your reputation?”
“Who knows?”
I played along, waiting for him to make his move. All I needed was to buy a little more time for my plan. But honestly, I have no idea how much longer I need to stall. I anxiously glanced around the cigar room, then looked back at him. That’s when Duke Reshaniel flashed a chilling smile.
“If you don’t want to talk, we could always let our bodies do the talking. Now that I think about it…”
“Now that you think about it?”
“There’s one thing that artifact protecting you can’t block. And that is…”
“What…?” A sense of dread crept over me as I instinctively took a step back.
Duke Reshaniel slowly approached and grabbed my chin roughly. “The very source of life. Your breath.”
“Hey, you—”
“Your defensive artifact might protect your skin, but it can’t stop the mana that escapes with every breath, can it?” He glared at me with wild, unhinged eyes.
So this b*stard… was actually trying to kiss me.
“You filthy, insane b*stard. Get the hell away from me! This is sexual assault, you know.” I twisted my body, but he didn’t budge an inch.
“Don’t misunderstand, Giselle. It’s not because I think you’re pure.”
“What?”
“It means that, though it’s dirty, it might be worth trying.”
He elegantly but firmly seized my chin. Since my mana couldn’t escape, I couldn’t use it.
Damn it, how much time has passed? I stared anxiously as his face drew closer and closer. If my calculations were right, that door should open right about now! Before that b*stard’s filthy lips could touch me…! But if it didn’t open…
As his face closed in, I braced myself, putting all my strength into my toes. If his lips got any closer, I was ready to physically castrate him.
* * *
Meanwhile, Vientin was waiting for Giselle, playing cards with four opponents whose names he didn’t even properly know. Outwardly, he still wore his usual indifferent expression… How long has it been since Giselle went to the powder room? He couldn’t stop glancing at his watch.
Just then, one of the four players looked at him and cautiously spoke up.
“Y-Your Grace.”
“What is it?”
“We don’t have any c-cards left…”
The game was supposed to end when one player took all the others’ cards, but truthfully, it had ended ages ago. Because he kept holding his cards as if the game wasn’t over, the others just sat there, watching him and waiting for a cue.
Before Vientin knew it, his expression had twisted. He remembered the whisper Giselle had given him before heading to the powder room.
“Five minutes with this pocket watch. Spend exactly five minutes socializing, then stand up, gather people, and… come find me.”
Tick, tick, tick. After waiting for what felt like an eternity for the time to crawl by, the next step was to stand up. And after that, to go find Giselle.
“I’ll probably be with Duke Reshaniel.”
…At that moment, a faint urge to kill flickered inside him.
“I once heard a story about a certain knight. He cut off the arms of anyone who so much as touched his lady…”
“What?”
“It’s not too late, even now.”
“No, that would start a war between territories. Even if you want to kill him, you need a reason. A proper justification!”
…Right, that’s what she had said.
The ticking from the pocket watch in his breast pocket finally stopped. The five minutes were up.
“Looks like I just found my justification.”
At Vientin’s muttered words, all four card players turned their attention to him. They were a mage from the Magic Tower, a middling noble, the child of a marquis, and a wastrel. Each of them was quite intimidated by Vientin, who had suddenly barged into their game.
“Uh? I-I don’t quite understand what you mean…”
At that moment, Vientin spoke in a voice so cold it could freeze anyone in their tracks. “Move aside. Wait…” He let the playing cards in his hand fall onto the table. The cards fluttered to the floor like cherry blossoms falling on a spring day.
It was when the startled group looked at each other in confusion.
“There’s no need to keep playing, is there?”
“Huh…?”
“Come here. You have something to do.”
At that moment, he raised his hand. When the others saw what was stuck to Vientin’s hand, shaped like a human eyeball and ear, their faces went deathly pale.
Clutching the objects in his hand, Vientin looked at those sitting on the sofa and whispered. “Let’s go together, everyone.”
Comments (0)