Chapter 119
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 119
"Eek!"
Stefan Marquis spun around in alarm.
"W-wait, Crown Prince Lyden...."
He had never expected to hear Lyden's voice emanate from his own office, so the marquis's face drained of color as though he'd glimpsed a specter.
"It's been a while, Marquis."
To think he would appear without a sound.
Moreover, Lyden had taken on a subtly darker aura in the time since they'd last met.
His appearance hadn't changed—those captivating, bewitching features remained intact.
Yet despite everything remaining the same, the moment Stefan Marquis's gaze met the Crown Prince's, he felt an inexplicable pull and a chilling dread simultaneously.
Entranced by that eerie atmosphere for only a moment, the marquis belatedly regained his composure and opened his mouth.
"H-how did you enter this place?"
No matter how deep the night, this was the family estate's office—the most thoroughly guarded chamber by the Stefan Marquis House's forces.
That he had slipped in so quietly and effortlessly meant the knights standing guard had failed in their duty.
...Or perhaps the defenses had been breached before anyone could even react.
Otherwise, his retainers would have announced the Crown Prince's arrival.
Having reached his conclusion, Stefan Marquis's expression darkened further. Lyden, however, reassured him with an unhurried demeanor.
"Marquis. I can guess what's troubling you, but there's no need. No one was harmed."
"What do you mean..."
"Simply know that I had the assistance of a wise collaborator."
At that moment, a dark shadow began to coalesce behind the Crown Prince, gradually taking on human form.
A man draped in a musty dark cloak.
Stefan Marquis, who had been staring blankly at him, belatedly wore an expression of shock.
"Y-you can't mean...!"
He had only heard rumors until now, but the moment he saw him, he understood.
That thick scent of death, that ominous aura, and... that writhing black energy coiling around the man's hands.
"Your Highness, that man is..."
He could sense it instinctively.
That this man was the Black Mage—the one rumored to no longer exist in the Empire.
Yet the imperial family had once joined hands with the Magic Tower to suppress the Black Mages, and as a result, dark magic had vanished from the world.
So why was the Crown Prince standing alongside a Black Mage?
Especially when dark magic had been suppressed precisely because it was an arcane art that demanded blood and death as sacrificial offerings.
"Marquis, do you truly have time to concern yourself with who my collaborator is?"
Lyden posed the question with leisurely composure as he crossed the office toward him.
"I trusted you and invested a considerable sum. Yet rather than recovering that investment, I now find myself considering the dissolution of the Stefan Marquis House."
"Y-Your Highness, that is to say..."
The marquis turned to face Lyden and swallowed hard.
"Of course... I am well aware this is an exceedingly difficult situation. However, the fact that matters have come to this is, in a manner of speaking..."
His voice trailed off, and his gaze grew subtly piercing.
Lyden, catching the implication, twisted his lips into a smirk.
"So I bear some responsibility?"
Lyden's intrusion—and that of an enigmatic figure draped in dark robes of unknown origin.
The situation itself felt sufficiently threatening, yet Stefan Marquis could not retreat. He refused to be made a scapegoat for circumstances beyond his control.
"Of course, Your Highness, I acknowledge that my shortcomings prevented the plan from proceeding as intended. However..."
The Marquis's eyes darted frantically between the two figures as his mind raced at fever pitch.
"Was it not Crown Prince Lyden who actively supported the distribution of counterfeits?"
In truth, the plan to manufacture fakes had originated from Robert Count's conception.
Yet producing a volume sufficient to overwhelm the genuine article required materials they did not possess.
As his concerns deepened, Lyden had proposed using Beryl Stone from the mines he owned.
Beryl Stone—which corroded and became contaminated with prolonged use, inducing poisoning and disease.
"As you know, within the Empire at least, Beryl Stone can only be mined from the mines Your Highness owns. Therefore..."
Stefan Marquis cut himself off and fixed Lyden with a direct stare.
In essence, he was saying: if the Crown Prince wished to avoid ruin himself, he must cooperate in rescuing the Stefan Family.
Why? Because the Stefan Marquis House had nowhere left to retreat.
And privately, he had grown resentful of how the Crown Prince had monopolized control throughout.
This was a transaction between equals, after all!
As such thoughts occupied him, Lyden—who had been silent—finally spoke.
"This is precisely why dogs are such creatures—loosen their leash even slightly, and they forget their place, barking without restraint."
"W-what did you just..."
The words flowed in a measured tone, yet their content was savage.
Before Stefan Marquis could finish his protest, eyes wide with shock, Lyden issued a cold command.
"Dispose of him."
Snap.
At Lyden's command, the man who had been standing with negligible presence flicked his fingers.
In that instant, Stefan Marquis's body began to tilt—no, to dissolve from his feet upward.
"W-what is this..."
"How tedious."
At those words, the Black Mage flicked his fingers again, and this time the contours of the Marquis's lips warped grotesquely.
"Ughhhh, ugggghhhhh...!"
"A mere insect dares threaten me? Your audacity is impressive, I'll grant you that."
Even as the man died in abject misery before him, Lyden's expression remained unmoved.
"Marquis, I regret to inform you that your negotiation has failed. You failed to adequately consider what you would lose should talks collapse."
"Ugggghhhhh!"
"But I do hope your negotiations with the demons awaiting you in hell prove more successful."
Lyden turned away without hesitation, leaving Stefan Marquis to dissolve completely into ruin behind him.
The Black Mage, who had remained quietly in place, then inhaled and absorbed the Marquis's soul as it rose from the liquefied remains.
Whoooosh.
Moonlight poured through the wide-open window, illuminating Lyden.
Was it mere illusion? In that moment, the dark shadow of the Black Mage following in his wake seemed to deepen and expand.
"Go to the Imperial Palace."
"I shall prepare at once."
The shadows swallowed the silhouettes of the two figures whole.
* * *
Meanwhile, at the Kletan Imperial Palace.
An unexpected hum echoed from Lemeia's chamber.
"Really, Crown Prince Lyden, sending word at such a late hour."
Under normal circumstances, she would have been deep in slumber by now for the sake of her complexion. Which meant that being awake at this hour was decidedly bad for her skin.
Lemeia, who despised anything detrimental to her beauty, now bore a delicate flush across both cheeks.
"Amber, where is the dress?"
"I am searching for it now, Your Highness."
"Bring me something elegant yet not too plain. At this hour, if I appear too carefully prepared, Crown Prince Lyden might feel burdened. Hehe."
Even as she spoke, Lemeia was cautious not to smile, lest her makeup crack.
Then, a memory from not long ago flickered through her mind.
'Why didn't he ask me anything that day?'
On the day she entered the Kletan Imperial Palace, Lemeia had failed to answer Lyden's question properly.
She had expected harsh reproach, but instead he laughed like a madman at something, then simply dismissed her.
That was the end of it. There had been no particular reaction since.
'What could it be? Did he simply overlook it because I'm too beautiful?'
Perhaps that was the case. Even when April Salt wasn't around, she and Lyden had exchanged letters.
Of course, those letters contained nothing particularly special, but honestly, what did it matter?
"Ugh, this kind of worrying doesn't suit me at all."
After releasing a deep sigh, Lemeia finally recalled a name she had momentarily forgotten.
'If April Salt were here now, she would have handled all the difficult and complicated matters.'
Had April Salt died? Or was she somewhere, clinging to life?
Once the pressing problems before her were resolved, Lemeia suddenly found herself curious about what had become of April Salt.
After all, she was the only remaining blood relative, even if only half-related.
Of course, such thoughts might have arisen simply because she was separated from family and forced to rely on a foreign land. She hadn't even thought of it before.
But now, reflecting back, she found herself somewhat concerned for April Salt's wellbeing.
Only slightly, though.
"Amber."
"Yes, Your Highness."
"What could April Salt be doing now, and where?"
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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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