Chapter 22
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I possessed the body of a villainess locked away in a desolate tower.
Chapter 22
"Your Highness!"
The Blaire Grand Duke's startled voice accompanied a wave of warmth that enveloped my body.
At the same moment, I watched a massive bookshelf collapse behind him.
Crash!
Fortunately, the bookshelf toppled onto another shelf across from it, creating a pocket of space beneath, but the real problem lay elsewhere.
Thud, thud.
Thick, rigid books cascaded down like rain from the tilted shelf.
With each heavy impact, the Blaire Grand Duke's brow furrowed as though he felt the pain himself.
'That must hurt.'
The dull, heavy sound was so unmistakable that even someone without empathy could feel it.
What should have been a brief moment stretched into an eternity for me.
When I came to my senses, I found myself lying on my back atop a plush carpet.
"Ah...."
I gazed up blankly at the Blaire Grand Duke leaning over me.
Despite the gravity of the situation, I found myself far more aware of our proximity than of his pain.
Our bodies nearly touched, our breaths mingling in the scant distance between our faces, and I felt my temperature rising.
'What is this!'
Isn't this cheating?
This isn't some third-rate drama!
Of course, his face was flawless even in such close proximity—befitting a northern Grand Duke protagonist—but when the other party was me, the situation became entirely different.
It was like a king rushing to protect some lowly maidservant in a historical drama.
'I'm not going to get assassinated by the Blaire Grand Duke later when he comes to his senses, am I....'
Damn it.
While I entertained these useless thoughts, the cascade of books finally ceased, and the chaos subsided.
"Phew, Your Highness...."
After turning his head to confirm our safety, the Blaire Grand Duke slowly rose to his knees.
Watching books tumble from his back, I couldn't begin to fathom how heavy and painful it must have been.
'I'm truly, deeply sorry.'
I should have simply asked for his help from the start.
But how could I, a bastard not even acknowledged as royalty, command a Grand Duke in this rigidly hierarchical society?
I squeezed my eyes shut while frantically making excuses to myself.
Yet the voice that followed left me dumbfounded.
"Pressure points, acupressure, or whatever—you said you knew about such things."
"Pardon?"
"I'm asking if there are any pressure points that might alleviate pain."
"Ah...."
While I stared at him in bewilderment, unsure how to respond, the Blaire Grand Duke stretched once and extended his hand toward me with an unblemished expression.
It was clearly an invitation to take his hand and rise, but I found myself unable to grasp it so easily.
"...I'm sorry. I shouldn't have interfered like that. I fear I've caused trouble for Your Highness the Grand Duke."
He did not answer.
Yet I could not ignore the extended hand, so I carefully grasped his large palm and pulled myself up.
In the awkward silence, I whispered in a voice grown smaller still.
"And... thank you."
"Then I hope you'll repay me later."
"Pardon?"
"Didn't you promise to become my faithful, unpaid servant? I can't very well have such valuable labor beaten to death by books."
Ha, this man.
...He's an even more ruthless employer than I thought?
* * *
After the sudden book incident, I no longer ventured into the Archive.
As a result, I naturally lost contact with the Grand Duke, but I could sense he would seek me out again soon.
Why?
"Besides, I'll need to visit the Magic Tower before long. Think carefully about it until then, Princess."
At the time, I didn't want to believe it, but his words were essentially a proposal that we go to the Magic Tower together!
And that was clearly an opportunity.
'I've even found a clue about how to break the curse....'
The problem was where to obtain Partanium as the material for it.
Recently, finding weapons or tools made from processed Partanium had become like plucking stars from the sky.
But then.
"Why wouldn't we have it? Of course we do!"
"You mean... a Partanium weapon?"
"Naturally. The Grand Duchy lacks nothing. Hehehehe!"
The unexpected answer came from none other than my capable maid, Bonita.
Speaking with such confidence, Bonita returned at dusk carrying a single box.
And inside the box lay, remarkably, a hammer crafted from Partanium.
How did I know? The certificate of authenticity included with it listed all the raw materials—and the price.
"Why on earth is this...."
As I stood bewildered, Bonita shrugged her shoulders proudly.
"I found it in the warehouse. I had a feeling it would be there. Our Grand Duke's Residence warehouse has everything. Last time, I even found a spare Mithril needle that Marina had lost, and the watering can that gardener George swore was one of a kind in the world..."
"Ah, I understand. Th-thank you."
I cut short her seemingly endless words and slowly grasped the hammer.
At first glance, the elegant hammer felt wonderful in my grip.
"But this... it looks expensive. Am I really allowed to use it?"
"Those are all items people have stored away and forgotten about, so there shouldn't be any problem!"
"...What if it belongs to the Grand Duke?"
I naturally worried—I had no desire to become a thief who dared steal the Grand Duke's possessions.
At my words, Bonita hesitated for a moment, but soon smiled brightly and answered with confidence.
"Of course, some things might belong to him... but many don't. The warehouse at the Grand Duke's Residence is really just a place where all sorts of miscellaneous items get stored away."
It didn't sound like a lie, and besides, Bonita—the Grand Duke's Residence maid—would never steal the Grand Duke's belongings for my sake. So I nodded in agreement.
But then.
"Where and how did you manage to hide this?"
Hehehehehehe!
The moment the words left my mouth, a spine-chilling laugh erupted from right beside me.
"B-Bonita...?"
"No inspector would dare conduct a body search on a lady. Ufufufufu!"
.
.
.
And that was precisely why I was walking with such an awkward, unsteady gait now.
Wobble, wobble.
Moving with all the instability of a newborn goat, I made my way toward the magic circle with agonizing slowness.
'This is killing me...!'
The leather strap securing the hammer to my inner thigh chafed against my delicate skin, creating an endless, uncomfortable ache.
I'd accepted Bonita's proposal because I harbored fantasies of becoming a cool female agent from some blockbuster spy thriller...
But at this rate, I'd look far more pathetic than usual, not cool at all.
"Princess. Why are you walking like that today?"
The Grand Duke, who'd been observing me quietly for some time, finally asked.
"I-I'm doing nothing unusual, Your Grace."
The Grand Duke's expression—as though he'd witnessed every peculiar sight imaginable—flooded me with unbearable embarrassment.
Yet I couldn't stop walking with this awkward posture and unnatural gait.
If I suddenly pulled the hammer out from under my skirts now, the situation would spiral completely beyond recovery...!
Ugh, I should have brought a separate feminine hygiene pouch!
'If this gets discovered, I'm finished.'
No matter how much I writhed in bitter regret, no alternative existed.
"...I don't know what folk remedy this is, but at least stand properly."
"Why...?"
"You're clinging to my right arm with all your strength."
"Oh, ah-haha... hahaha! My goodness, I'm so sorry!"
Only then did I realize I'd been gripping the Grand Duke's arm tightly. I jerked upright in alarm, straightening my posture.
'Oh, how mortifying.'
Heat radiated from the crown of my head as though my very dignity were evaporating.
"If everyone is ready, we shall depart now."
The Mage, having conducted a final headcount, placed his hand upon the magic stone, and a blinding light enveloped my body.
"Oh, how fascinating... ughhhh!"
For a moment I forgot the pain entirely, gazing down at myself—but I couldn't even finish my sentence before my stomach lurched.
Long-distance teleportation magic causes severe motion sickness, and true to form, my body twisted violently as nausea surged upward.
It was as though I were experiencing seven hours of motion sickness from a crowded, lurching bus all at once—an overwhelming, violent queasiness.
The light faded and I heard voices announcing our arrival, but my mind remained reeling for some time afterward.
"Does teleportation sickness hit you hard?"
"...It seems so."
I grasped my throbbing head and lifted my gaze, only to have my vision flooded with an unfamiliar landscape.
The first thing that caught my eye was a violet sky brimming with abundant magical energy, and a towering black structure rising into the heavens.
The Magic Tower, constructed from jet-black bricks, had been built with pure and exquisite magical power—so ancient in its origins that despite the passage of countless ages, not a single trace of time marred its surface.
I stood overwhelmed by the sight of this world I had never witnessed before, when the Blaire Grand Duke, who had been standing quietly beside me, gave my shoulder a gentle tap.
"Don't be nervous."
"Pardon?"
"Don't you see the flag?"
What flag?
Only then did I regain my senses and slowly surveyed my surroundings.
And then I saw it.
'My God, this is insane....'
Fluttering in the wind—the national flag of Salt, the homeland of this body.
Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org