I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 92

No matter how much Kalian liked her, what he confided in her was a lie.

 

But she thanked him for being honest with her. He was grateful that she didn’t pry more than he told her, but it was a surprise to him.

 

Evelyn thought for a moment and then came up with her answer.

 

“Because the person I know you to be is not the kind of person who would tell a bad joke.”

 

“It sounds like you’re saying I’m not funny.”

 

“Well… that’s true, but you’re more of a serious person.”

 

“Thank you.”

 

Kalian lifted the corners of his sharply defined mouth. He’d decided now was the best time to tell her how he felt.

 

Reaching over to the table, he pulled something out of the basket of fruit.

 

“What is this…?”

 

Evelyn blinked at him a couple of times before lowering her gaze to the object he held out.

 

A ring glittered before her eyes, far more ornate and intricately crafted than the one he’d given her before.

 

Evelyn looked up at Kalian, feeling her heart pounding in her chest.

 

Kalian arched an eyebrow and pursed his lips in a slightly awkward expression.

 

“It’s a ring made from a soul enchantment stone, a medium to link our souls together when we really need it.”

 

“If it connects souls…”

 

Kalian looked at her with dark eyes, then picked up the ring from its case.

 

“In the North, when they say soul linking, it means I want to promise you eternity.”

 

The ring was a little loose, but as soon as he slipped it onto her slender finger, it tightened to the perfect size.

 

“So I guess you could say this ring is a bribe for you to reconsider our relationship.”

 

On her finger, the ring glittered like a lone star in the darkness.

 

“Evelyn.”

 

Her hand, still and rigid, touched his heart. His voice, as low as the harsh echo, clutched at her heart as if by magic.

 

“Will you stay by my side?”

 

 

* * *

 

A few days later, the Guild’s gleaming, magical carriage drove Evelyn across the dawning road.

 

They soon arrived at the rather modest mansion that was the guild’s headquarters.

 

“Welcome, you’ve had a long journey.”

 

Ines greeted her. It was dawn, and she looked brighter than she had in Mauriel.

 

“Thank you for having me.”

 

“An invitation. Make yourself at home.”

 

Evelyn followed the friendly Ines into the mansion. The living room was empty.

 

Perhaps it was the expectation of a magic guild, but the plain interior was rather impressive. She imagined kettles and pans floating around.

 

“This is the guild’s lodgings. We’re sort of mercenaries, sent wherever they need us and paid for our services. But as you can see, we don’t have any work right now.”

 

In reality, she says, it’s rare for her to get requests from the guild.

 

Wizards are so rare, and their fees are so high that it’s hard to imagine.

 

Evelyn looked puzzled.

 

“Then what’s the point of having a magic guild? I wonder why you left the tower and travelled the hard way.”

 

“Are you asking why the guild exists?”

 

“Ah, if you mean that in the grandest sense…”

 

Rubbing the tip of her nose, Ines lifted her index finger and flicked the tip of Evelyn’s nose.

 

“It’s been a long time since I’ve seen someone so studious. It’s like my rotten heart is beating again.”

 

At what point had she become so studious? Evelyn pushed past the distraught Ines and continued walking.

 

They finally reached the small clearing in the manor’s backyard.

 

Ines paused, trudging through ankle-deep snow, and blew a long breath into the air.

 

“My purpose is to close the otherworldly gate once and for all.”

 

“The otherworldly gate?”

 

Evelyn remembered Babel’s curse on the House of Orpheus.

 

“When the Mark of the Guardian rises, the boundary between this world and the next will be broken, and the gates of the Otherworld will open.”

 

“Do you mean to tell me that you came out of the magic tower to help the grand duke?”

 

If so, why didn’t she join the dungeon raiding party?

 

As if reading her mind, Ines immediately answered Evelyn’s question.

 

“Dungeon clearing doesn’t mean you can seal Babel, does it?”

 

Evelyn felt like she’d been slapped across the back of the head.

 

“Yes, because Khalian’s purpose is to destroy Babel once and for all.”

 

Barricading the gates and organising a raiding party was, at best, a way to keep the dungeon from being overrun, but it wasn’t the best way to seal Babel off completely.

 

“And there’s one more reason.”

 

Ines continued, as if to snap Evelyn out of her thoughts.

 

“Magic has compatibility. Like this.”

 

A snap.

 

With a snap of her fingers, a tiny flame erupted from Ines’s hand.

 

“Huh!”

 

She blew a strong gust of wind, and the flames began to roar.

 

“When wind is added to a burning fire, the flames grow stronger. The creatures in the dungeon are highly resistant to dark magic, so it’s no match for me, and I’d be cheering them on.”

 

Snap.

 

With a light snap, the fire in her palm vanished without a trace.

 

Evelyn squinted for a moment, as if seeing the afterimage of the flames before her.

 

Then, calming her pounding pulse, she asked calmly.

 

“But Kalian uses the dark arts, too.”

 

“He’s not a normal human, he’s so powerful, both in terms of magic and brute force, that he ignores attributes and just uses his strength, which is a very ignorant way of doing things.”

 

In response, Ines smiled and took Evelyn’s hand in hers, then began to chant in an unknown language.

 

It seemed to be in her nature to take things to the next level without explanation.

 

I guess I’ll have to get used to it, I thought as I looked at Ines.

 

Paat─!

 

The light from Ines’ hand seemed to penetrate Evelyn’s heart, and an unknown energy began to flow from deep within her chest.

 

At the same time, Evelyn’s hands began to feel a pulsating, alien flow.

 

‘This is different from the energy I’ve felt before.’

 

While she stared at her with a serious face, Ines stopped singing, smiled, and let a single tear fall. The gap between tears and smile was subtle.

 

“I feel strange, I wonder why I feel this way.”

 

Evelyn took a deep breath, as if she needed to say something first. But it was Ines who spoke first.

 

“Did you see that?”

 

“Yes, it’s amazing, Ines, you’re also using a strong light element.”

 

“Hmm, that’s not my power.”

 

Ines languidly raised one eyebrow as if to point to the source of the power.

 

A strange chill ran down her spine as she remembered the terrifying power that had emanated from Litchev.

 

‘Could it be that such a powerful aura was latent within her?’

 

Just thinking about it made her hair stand on end.

 

“Attributes don’t become yours by studying them, they’re something you’re born with.”

 

‘Then why had I, in my previous life, been made a fool of?’

 

This time, it was Ines who answered, placing a hand on Evelyn’s shoulder.

 

“Your vessel is larger than it looks. The Grand Duchess’s body contains at least three attributes, hmm… including light, and the curse was blocking it.”

 

By the time Evelyn’s powers had blossomed, the curse had already taken hold.

 

That meant she hadn’t even felt the elements coursing through her.

 

“I’m sure the grand duke is the reason you started using your powers, even if only marginally, because you two are so compatible.”

 

Evelyn had heard that before, and it was a sentiment with which she deeply agreed.

 

She still got nosebleeds and bleeding profusely, but since she’d made contact with him, she’d been able to use her healing powers on others, even invoking the “Litchev Miracle”.

 

Suddenly, she remembered Leon, who had been looking at her with suspicion.

 

“I think you… awakened?”

 

At the time, she thought it was absurd.

 

Awakening, she thought, was a state of heightened awareness, a state of having broken the limits of the powers that surrounded her, a special power reserved for wizards who could manipulate the elements.

 

But once she realised that she was such a being, she came to the conclusion that it was nothing to sneeze at.

 

‘Too much in my head.’

 

Her thoughts naturally turned to Kalian.

 

Evelyn glanced back at Ines, whose purpose was to close the door to the Otherworld once and for all.

 

“There’s one thing I’m curious about.”

 

“Ask me anything. As long as you’re serious about learning, you’re welcome.”

 

“What exactly do you mean by closing the otherworldly gates completely?”

 

As far as she knows, the gates of the Otherworld coincide with the birth of a Guardian, meaning they open when a Guardian is born and close when they die.

 

Surely, the moment the gate is forcibly closed, he’s gone with it.

 

If so, she could never follow Ines, even if it meant shattering this world.

 

Ines arched an eyebrow and shook her head, as if reading her mind this time. As if to say that wasn’t all there was to it.

 

“As I’m sure the grand duke already knows, someone is trying to break the seals of Babel, and we’re just trying to stop them.”