I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 162

The room fell dead silent at her words.

 

“To have no divine power is no better than to testify that the gods’ prophecy—that a saint could succeed Orpheus—is false.”

 

Kalian’s low, deep voice rumbled through the hall.

 

“It also means that I no longer have to abide by the Temple’s doctrine—that to deny the oracle is to deny the gods.”

 

Deborah nodded vigorously, as if in agreement with his words.

 

‘It was a shame that the oracle had failed, but for now, staying alive was the priority.’

 

“Like I said, it wasn’t what I wanted, and I don’t think it’s fair that they’re presenting me as a saint when I have no divine history…”

 

Having said that, Deborah pointed a finger at Julius, who paled.

 

“It’s all his fault, from top to bottom! That lunatic even fed me a strange potion that made me lose my memory!”

 

Julius and Deborah’s gazes met in the air.

 

Julius glared at her menacingly, then bared his teeth like an animal.

 

“You stupid bitch! Even if you sprinkle ashes on finished food, it won’t make it oily!”

 

“Who’s stupid? You’re the one who keeps women in the basement of the temple and lays with them every night!”

 

“Shut your mouth! You’ll never repay me for the favor I’ve done you, and how dare you call it safety!”

 

Julius raged, his voice echoing down the street.

 

Everyone frowned at the filthy sight. Even Julius’ own followers shrank back.

 

‘The characters in the skit were too busy mocking each other to realize how ridiculous they were.’

 

“Enough.”

 

Kalian, watching the scene, raised his arm to silence them, as if he couldn’t take it anymore. Then he turned to the nobles, worshippers, and knights surrounding them and announced:

 

“The corruption of the temple is hereby proven. I, Grand Duke Orpheus, reject the oracle and propose its dismantling.”

 

Then—

 

“Pooh, pooh, poohahak!”

 

The corners of Julius’ mouth twitched, and he finally burst into uncontrollable, maniacal laughter.

 

The chatter grew louder as he grabbed his stomach and laughed like it was the funniest thing ever.

 

“Funny, funny, funny.”

 

He wandered through the crowd, savoring the attention, and suddenly turned to the grand duke.

 

“Even if you were, what good would you do now? The gates of the Otherworld have already been opened! Without the grand duchess’s sacrifice, the Empire will plummet into ruin!”

 

‘Julius had learned one thing in his life: almost all human problems are solved by instilling fear.’

 

“What would happen if we told everyone that the sacrifice of the Grand Duchess was the only way to keep the peace of the empire? I guarantee you, people would rush to her defense without hesitation.”

 

“What…?”

 

“What happens when the gate to the Otherworld opens?”

 

“What will happen is that the power that sealed the gate will disappear, and the world will be covered in demons!”

 

Sure enough, the crowd began to stir at the predicted end of the empire.

 

Julius, feeling the initiative slip from his grasp once more, grinned toothily.

 

“So it’s not the mad saint we have to deal with, but the grand duchess—the one with the real purifying power!”

 

The roar spread as quickly as water. Even though they had seen the corruption of the temple with their own eyes, they were quickly swept away by Julius’s sharp tongue.

 

“Unfortunately, I am told that the darkness unleashed by Deborah has been quelled by the power of the Light. The tainted ground has been cleansed, and there should be no more problems.”

 

His voice sounded casual and unconcerned. All eyes turned to the grand duke once more.

 

“Foolish.”

 

Julius laughed, as if he were being naturally virtuous in this situation.

 

“Even if the grand duchess has managed to calm the unrest, it will only be for a short time. For as soon as the Dark Army is in control, Babel will ravage the Empire!”

 

The tirade did not faze Kalian.

 

“I’ve heard that Julius was quite clever during his time as Fourth Emperor, but I guess that’s old news.”

 

He even touched on Julius’s inner insecurities and inferiority complex.

 

“Julius, you are human. If you are addicted to the power of darkness, even you will not survive.”

 

“Haha! He’s going to give me eternal life, so what’s to worry about!”

 

“Eternal life? Immortality?”

 

A hissing sound escaped Kalian’s mouth as he frowned.

 

“Foolish. To think you believe Babel—who is nothing more than a sealing stone—has the power to grant such a thing.”

 

“Go, you dare to call him—!”

 

Kalian’s eyes lit up as he watched Julius agitate.

 

“If he truly had such power, he would have resurrected his own daughter first, not left it all to you.”

 

Julius stopped moving.

 

‘Disbelief burrowed into his brain like a worm.’

 

“Oh, no!”

 

He gathered himself and raised his arms like a prophet.

 

“Do not incite the crowd with your bullshit! I am fit to be Emperor of a re-created empire!”

 

“How do you prove that?”

 

“The power he himself bestowed upon me proves it!”

 

“Alas, you mean that insignificant power you borrowed from the Sealing Stone.”

 

“Hah, insignificant!”

 

‘The power of death was proof that I was Babel’s chosen one. How dare Kalian look down on me like a lowly, insignificant creature!’

 

The naked accusation made Julius’ anger boil over.

 

“How dare you! How dare you think that you will live to see me destroyed!”

 

Gritting his teeth and balling his fists, Julius’ eyes narrowed.

 

“I, for one, will nip this treason in the bud!”

 

In a fit of rage, Julius bit down on his own finger, drawing blood, and drew a bloody magic circle in the air.

 

Whooooo-!

 

Large and small magic circles floated around him. The blood vortex swirled, and soon, screams erupted from all directions.

 

“Argh!”

 

Julius squinted and summoned his powers. He stared fiercely at the sealing stone, which had begun to crack slightly.

 

 

* * *

 

 

‘What is this all about?’

 

Meanwhile, Evelyn watched the scene in confusion.

 

After stopping Deborah’s rampage in Bellatra, she had traveled from village to village, healing the plague-stricken. She used the traveling scrolls Max and Dwayne had with them to reach the north in time.

 

Before she could catch her breath, she was confronted by a power-mad lunatic and Kalian.

 

‘Perhaps I expected Julius to go berserk sooner or later.’

 

The air currents among the nobles and knights, now far removed from Julius’ immediate surroundings, confirmed this.

 

‘Kalian must have ordered an evacuation.’

 

‘In a frenzy, one cannot distinguish friend from foe. Moreover, Julius had already used up much of his power during the capture of the Grand Duchy.’

 

‘Plus, he’s lost his composure—perfect for a rampage.’

 

Evelyn stared coldly down at the balcony below.

 

Suddenly, her eyes locked with Kalian’s.

 

There was a tremor in his hazel eyes. Even from a distance, she could sense the tangle of his thoughts.

 

But it was only for a moment.

 

Summoning a shadow to neutralize his reach, he spoke urgently.

 

“Don’t come any closer. Give me a chance to protect you.”

 

‘Those were the words she had always wanted to hear from him.’

 

‘Maybe that’s why—for a moment, she cringed, emotions surging.’

 

‘She couldn’t believe she finally heard those words at the end.’

 

“Ha…”

 

She clenched her fists tightly and took a deep breath, letting all her long-held emotions bubble up.

 

‘Longing, despair, and a love deeper than any words could ever express.’

 

Finally, she admitted it—she couldn’t live without him.

 

Every minute, every second she was away from him, every breath she took felt like a burden. She wondered if there was any other pain in the world.

 

It was an emotion she’d swallowed until now to protect him. But now, she felt like she would do anything to be with him.

 

‘How could I have ever been so .sure that I could live without him?’

 

That was a statement she made without really knowing herself. She had overestimated herself so much.

 

“Ha.”

 

Evelyn swallowed her rising emotions and finally tore her gaze away from him. She looked down at her feet, her gaze steady.

 

The dazzling ballroom had become an abyss.

 

“Aaaah!”

 

The blood-colored magic circle around Julius gradually grew in size. The aura had expanded to the point where it seemed like it could blow the entire city away, engulfing everything—his soldiers, the cultists, the pristine hall.

 

It was the kind of thing that would destroy everything if left unchecked.

 

As if to prove Evelyn’s point, the cultists caught in the vortex screamed into the air.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Chaos gripped the Great Hall.

 

Hundreds of Julius’ private soldiers and fanatics scrambled to escape, only to be trapped and tangled in a mass of bodies. Some tore at the flesh of others, consumed by a strange power. Headless figures flailed their limbs like puppets on strings.

 

‘No… The power of death was running wild.’

 

Hell was unfolding before her eyes.

 

Kalian had told her not to come, but Evelyn knew—this was a catastrophe that no one but she could stop.

 

Evelyn rubbed her stomach as if gathering courage from within.

 

She didn’t want to lose anyone. She had to use the power of purification to stop Death’s rampage.