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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower. Chapter 44 Several days had passed as I ‌‌‌journeyed onward, unable to properly see the Grand Duke's face through the whirlwind of mortifying embarrassment that swept ‌‌‌around us. Time flowed relentlessly during those days, and before long, our party arrived at the Imperial Palace. "Your Grace the Grand Duke, welcome to the Imperial Palace." "Thank you for your service." Once the identity verification at the castle gates was complete, the carriage that had momentarily halted ‌‌‌‌began to move slowly forward. A security check, despite the ‌‌‌‌carriage bearing the seal of the Blaire Grand Duke House. Already intimidated by the stringent security, I clutched my increasingly throbbing head. We passed through the vast outer palace ‌and into the inner palace. It wasn't long before the slowly moving carriage came to a halt. "This place is...." "Quiet! Mind your words and conduct." The painters, who had only ever seen ordinary nobles from a distance, grew restless and agitated—they had never dreamed of setting foot inside the Imperial Palace itself. Even the three elderly masters, who possessed some experience, ‌seemed no different, their usual comfortable and ‌‌‌benevolent demeanor entirely replaced ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌by rigid military discipline. Of course, I was no exception. 'I've actually come all the way here.' The Grand Duke walking beside me moved forward with an inscrutable expression, utterly composed, while my hands and feet trembled uncontrollably. What's more, the place we'd arrived at wasn't even a separate audience chamber—it was the Empress Palace, located at the very heart of the Imperial Palace...? 'Something is happening.' My instincts were telling me exactly that. Then could it be that the Empress herself had invited us? As if answering my question, a lady-in-waiting who appeared to hold a ‌‌fairly high position in the Empress Palace guided us respectfully. "From this point forward, only those who participated in creating the comic ‌‌book are permitted to enter." "I see." Though ‌‌‌it was clearly an ‌‌‌‌order to exclude him, the Grand Duke nodded without any particular disturbance. "It seems my accompaniment ends here. Then." "I...." How ‌could he simply turn his back and leave like that! As the Grand Duke—who had seemed like such a ‌‌reassuring backing—turned away, my anxiety intensified, but there was nothing I could do against the Empress's command. In the end, the painters and I, thoroughly frightened, had no choice but to follow the attendants hesitantly toward the audience chamber. And then. "The Empress has arrived." With the chamberlain's announcement, a woman in an elaborate dress appeared. It was the Empress with her vivid blonde hair swept up high—Oriana Kletan. As I bowed and paid my respects, I briefly recalled the information about her that I had read while working at the Salt Royal Palace. A ruler of high society in her youth, she had later eliminated countless rivals to make her son, Lyden Kletan, the Crown Prince—a cold and ruthless figure. ‌‌‌"Are you the painters who drew 'Safety Guidelines for the Haunted Grand Duke's Castle'?" With an aloof demeanor, she surveyed the gathering once before walking directly in front ‌‌‌‌‌of me and stopping. "Y-yes, Your Majesty the Empress." Ashley, who served as the production representative for 'The Haunted Grand Duke's Castle,' ‌‌‌‌answered, but the Empress merely frowned slightly and looked down at us with an inscrutable expression, offering no response. Her silence only deepened my anxiety. Could there be something wrong with the manga's content...? I waited for ‌‌‌her to speak first, absently smoothing the cold tips of my ‌‌‌fingers. "You must ‌‌‌‌have had quite the journey." A radiant smile bloomed across the Empress's face—a visage that had seemed as expressionless as a doll. In that same instant, ‌‌the heavy atmosphere that had suffused the audience chamber transformed entirely. 'What...? What is this?' Despite meeting her for the first time, I could distinctly sense a warm affection radiating from her smile toward us. "You must be weary from your travels. Let us share the details over dinner." Before her words had even finished, attendants and handmaidens stationed nearby approached and bowed respectfully. "We shall show you the way." Now that I thought about it, evening had already arrived. Pushing aside the vague unease I felt, I slowly followed the unusually animated Empress. * * * Contrary to my worries, the early dinner commenced ‌without incident. The Empress, having learned of the painters' circumstances—that they had postponed their ‌‌deadlines to visit her—even instructed the chief steward to treat them with exceptional generosity, as though apologizing. Rare delicacies that would have been difficult to find even at the Blaire Grand Duke Residence were brought out in endless succession. Though it was a sight that should have made my mouth water, I found myself unable to enjoy the meal in peace. Instead, I felt as though something were caught in my throat. "So... what do you think, my dear?" The Empress's prompt reached my ears. Like me, she showed no interest in the food. How had the situation spiraled into this? I felt the Grand Duke's absence ‌‌more keenly than ever. "That would be... quite difficult, I'm afraid...." I managed to squeeze out my refusal, drawing courage from the depths of my being. But why was I doing this? The reason was.... 'Who asks the original ‌‌author ‌‌‌to spoil the ending?!' The proposal the Empress had presented the moment we sat down was extraordinarily troublesome. Of course, ‌‌at first she had led with ‌subtle praise and admiration for the manga itself... but her true colors soon emerged. "I want to know the ending." "Pardon?" "Waiting for new releases that may never come has completely ‌‌exhausted me. ‌‌So for the sake of my own peace of mind, you simply must tell me how it ends." Yet despite her words, her ‌‌‌‌demeanor remained utterly aristocratic. Even her tantrums were elegant, befitting an Empress.... 'But I am merely a distant branch daughter of the Grand ‌‌‌Duke House, while she is the Empress of Kletan—as exalted as the heavens themselves.' It was a battle I could never win from the start. Moreover, her son was Lyden, portrayed in the original work as a ruthless madman, and I had no desire to sadden the mother of a lunatic. Absolutely not!! "Are you truly hesitant when ‌I am asking so earnestly?" From her delicate lips came a strained voice. It was a subtle threat—a warning not to test her patience further. 'This is maddening.' To be honest, it would have been easier to simply reveal the ending right then and there, but I found myself utterly unable ‌‌to do so. No—I ‌‌‌‌didn't want to. ‌‌‌"No, Your Majesty. It's not that I'm conflicted... I cannot accept your proposal." Cough, cough... A heavy silence fell over the room, and a cough echoed from somewhere. "...What?" The Empress's own voice trembled faintly—clearly she had not anticipated this response. "What did you just say, young lady?" ‌"What I mean is..." I exhaled slowly. After taking a deep breath internally, I began my explanation in a measured tone. "The ending has not yet been determined, which is why I cannot accept that proposal." Cough, cough! This time, a loud burst of coughing erupted from among the three elderly gentlemen. From their perspective, knowing that the ending was already firmly sealed, ‌‌‌‌they couldn't possibly understand why I was adopting such an attitude before the ‌Empress. But... 'If I reveal the ending, the entire charm of the ‌‌‌story ‌‌‌crumbles.' As someone who had spent years as a homebody devouring countless manga and comics, this was something I could never tolerate. It wasn't simply that ‌‌‌the enjoyment would diminish. The thrill of turning each page while wondering what comes next, the anticipation of waiting for the next volume— To lose all of these experiences would be like losing everything. "No ending?" Yet every story must have an end. The Empress's eyebrow rose sharply, as if she thought this was ‌‌‌an ‌‌‌absurd excuse. Walking on thin ice, navigating this precarious atmosphere, I ‌‌‌unveiled the words I had ‌‌‌prepared. "The Ghost ‌Duke and his bride ‌‌‌are vivid, ‌‌living characters within my mind. I am merely a conduit—someone who listens to their story and writes it down." "..." "Just as a person cannot see their own future, ‌‌neither can they. Therefore, the ending remains undetermined." I had performed this as ‌‌‌‌best I could, channeling the essence of a fourth-dimensional artist completely absorbed in their own world... ‌‌but would it ‌‌‌‌work? The only thing that could stand against immense power was a concept that transcended it. When Blaire Grand Duke first kidnapped me, I had survived by adopting the slave concept and somehow overcoming the crisis. "Hmm..." The ‌‌‌‌Empress's expression, as she regarded me quietly, became enigmatic.

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Brought to you by ‌Valir Scans! To support our team ‌‌‌and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org

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