Chapter 57
Still, the ritual was somehow completed.
Because the chosen beast was a winged white horse, the conclusion was that the mythical creature drove out the demons and sacrificed itself to return to the arms of God.
I’m sure it’s a good thing.
“Anyway, I’m glad you just caught a cold. I heard there were so many scary animals and you went in there.”
“Aaron took good care of me. And I wasn’t the only one who went in. People who didn’t know anything about swords or magic joined to watch.”
“That’s why all the people who got hurt are normal.”
If you say so. I have nothing to say.
“I’m sorry. I didn;t mean to be presumptuous. However…”
“Don’t worry. I won’t go in next time.”
Even if Duroa had the opportunity to talk to Nocton’s mother instead of Nocton himself, she wouldn’t have to enter the forest.
Only then did Sadie leave the room happily, nodding her head.
The door closed and Duroa looked down at the cup Sadie gave her.
It was a tea good for colds, so Nocton was the first thing that came to her mind.
It wasn’t just about the cup.
A side effect of being together for a long time was that most objects had stories related to Nocton.
Everywhere Duroa looked, she would see his face.
Even if it hurt, she still remembered everything.
Nocton’s face seemed to be reflected on top of the tea.
Several things passed through Duroa’s mind.
Nocton suddenly came to the Marquis of Valrose and gave her an invitation to his tea party, ran into Aaron in the drawing room, caught her at the imperial ball, and what happened at the hunting contest.
Since last fall, Duroa had been suspecting him after what Alice said, but the real change had already happened before then.
For a long time, Duroa was building up the confidence to stay away from Nocton so she wouldn’t be caught.
Duroa felt empty, as if there was a big hole in her chest.
She wasn’t sure, but it was probably a hole that wasn’t going to be filled anytime soon.
If Duroa wasn’t going to see Nocton’s face for a while, she would recover quickly. However, it was hard to look forward to that when she remembered his last words before he left.
‘See you again, Duroa.’
Was that the end?
Could it be that was the end of her brainwashing with the name of Valrose?
Nocton admitted that he had brainwashed Duroa, but nothing happened when the magic was released.
If the brainwash disappeared, as he said, when did it happen?
Maybe, around the time Duroa was thinking of leaving Nocton? Was it around that time?
Was that the reason Duroa thought she should leave him?
As she tilted the teacup in frustration, she suddenly remembered something and glanced to the side.
Duroa could see the books that Alice had given her.
Come to think of it, I haven’t read a book about magic potions.
With the sudden death of the Emperor, the funeral, the coronation, and the hunting contest, Duroa was busy being dragged around.
Why did the Emperor die?
Duroa was so immersed in her emotions that she didn’t think deeply about the original story, but the gap between the original and the reality grew while she wasn’t paying attention.
Now, what does it matter how much of the original story is reproduced?
She closed her eyes for a moment because of the sudden dizziness.
As her vision went black, she thought:
Do I really have to run away now?
Shall I go to the Marquisate?
It seemed that it was too late to keep the marriageable age anyway, and she didn’t have a partner.
Duroa had only broken up with Aaron, and frankly, she didn’t even want to get married.
Later on, even if Duroa went back to the capital, she wanted to forget everything and go down to the estate and rest for a while.
It was an impulsive thought, but there was no reason to correct it. So she decided to bring it up when her parents returned.
Before that, there was nothing for her to do so she opened the magic potions book.
Duroa didn’t want to take those damned Nocton Edgar exclusive books to the estate.
That was because, despite Alice’s sincerity when giving her those books, Duroa couldn’t stand looking at them.
<Magic Potions from the Great Sage Parmanga. Volume One.>
It was terrifyingly thick.
Fortunately, it was easier to read than the black magic books.
First of all, there were many paintings and the sentences were easy and concise.
Duroa felt it while she was looking for the Thread of Memories before, but there were many novel types of magic potions.
When she was young, Duroa thought magic was simply put in a potion, but there were many things that couldn’t be solved with magic, but it could be solved with a potion.
I wonder if the Thread of Memories is also written here?
After turning the pages, a familiar name came up.
[The Thread of Memories.]
Of course, it’s a famous potion so it would be there.
Duroa smiled but then stopped at the sight of a nearly white, purple liquid.
Why is the color so light?
As far as Duroa could remember, it was darker than Nocton’s eyes, but does it differ depending on the manufacturing method?
Or was it just less colored?
Feeling somewhat suspicious, Duroa slowly read the explanation below.
[The Thread of Memories.
Basically a white liquid.
It may have a faint purple or pink color, but the lighter the color, the better the potion.
It should be as thin as water, look like milk, and be sweet like honey.]
The liquid was supposed to be colored, but the explanation was different.
Duroa recalled the texture as rather sticky and tasteless.
It felt like drinking sticky water, but it was actually like honey-flavoured milk.
The content could have been different because it was simply made incorrectly, but the line “If the color is darker than the flowers, it will not have any effect” caught her eye.
If she really drank the incorrectly made Thread of Memories then it shouldn’t have had any effect.
A sudden idea came to mind, and she quickly started turning the pages.
There was only one thing Duroa was looking for.
A light, purple and viscous liquid like the one she drank.
It may have been an exaggeration, but Duroa was convinced.
The moment she turned the third to last page, she found what she was looking for.
[Imperfectio.
Violet, purple liquid.
It is slightly viscous and has no odor or taste.
… …]
Duroa’s eyes quickly read through the letters and as soon as she finally reached the end of the page, she rang the bell next to her bed.
“Call Duvel, quickly!”
[… … In 136, it was developed by Zerodial, a dark magician, causing great damage to the eastern part of the continent.
It cannot be recorded in detail because it is a taboo elixir in the empire, but it is a potion that manipulates memory, so strict treatment is needed.]
***
“A trustworthy man! He’s a trader who deals with Valrose on a regular basis, and the potion has been swapped! I-I’m sure I did a poison test before giving it to you. Even then, there was nothing wrong.”
“Strictly speaking, it’s not poison, it’s not definite, at least. Can you get in touch with him?”
“He said he would go back to his hometown when the trade was over. He said it would be difficult to see him again.”
“Was there anything strange about him? Was he covering his face or something?”
“I could clearly see his face, but his voice… it was a little rough. I thought it was because he had a cold…”
As he spoke, the butler’s face turned blue as if he realized something strange.
Yes, he even changed his face.
Then Duroa wouldn’t blame Duvel for not noticing.
Although he had become quite experienced working as a butler for a long time, he was nonetheless a naive man.
He made sure it wasn’t poisonous, so he thought everything was safe.
Actually, so did Duroa.
She was worried that it was going to cost her a lot of money, but never did she think what she bought was fake.
The probability that the potion Duroa drank was Imperfectio, not the Thread of Memories, increased.
A potion that manipulates memory, though it didn’t really hit her.
To what extent was Duroa’s memory manipulated and who changed the potions?
Was it Nocton’s fault again? If not…
Her mind was tangled in a mess.
“I thought I was lucky enough to get the Thread of Memories in a day, but it wasn’t out of luck…. I’ll find him! I’ll find him somehow and learn the truth!”
“Don’t do that, Duvel. I think the person who came to trade with you was replaced. How would you find him if he already fled?”
“Believe me, Young Lady! I would never do that on purpose! I-I have been loyal to the Valroses for decades, I wouldn’t do that!”
Duvel shouted desperately, his face turning red and the veins on his neck were prominent.
“I’ll find him somehow. Even if he’s dead, I’ll find his body, my Lady.”
Duroa shook her head without a word.
There was no way Duvel could find the trader, and it was meaningless to look for him.
After all, the fake trader was just an errand boy.
“Trust me, Duvel.”
“Young Lady…”
“I’m not joking, I’m serious. If you had deliberately swapped potions, you wouldn’t be here right now.”
Duroa didn’t even want to blame him.
If he had been given a different potion as soon as he found the Thread of Memories, the item would have had to be ready from the beginning.
Even if Duvel didn’t find the Thread of Memories, it would have made its way in Duroa’s mouth one way or another.
Strictly speaking, it wasn’t poison so it would be easy to pass the poison test, so it could’ve been put in Duroa’s cup anytime.
The possibility would be lower than swapping potions, but Duroa wouldn’t have been too careful in any situation if she was never prepared for the danger of assassination.
Because of that, Duroa thought for a moment that she was immature, but the headache from the cold only got worse so she couldn’t think about it any longer.
Let’s clean up now and learn more after the cold is over.
Pointing at her throbbing head, she turned to Duvel who was contemplating.
“Let’s keep it a secret from my family for now—”
“No, I can’t do that!”
“Duvel, this is no easy task. If you don’t do well, being fired won’t be the only thing that will happen. This is really… maybe it’s another potion!”
“It’s just as Lady Duroa said. I don’t know what the potion was replaced with, but if it was the wrong one, the Young Lady could’ve been seriously injured. If something had gone wrong, even your life…”
Duroa tried to talk back, but she lost her words at the sight of the old man covering his face with trembling hands.
“Lady Alloy was right. I’ve done things I shouldn’t have done as a butler. Still, the disposition was only a few months of probation and I avoided doing anything wrong. I can’t do that. I have to take responsibility.”
“It’s not your fault…!”
At that moment, a knock on the door cut her off.
It was Sadie.
“Sadie, I’m sorry, but we’re talking about something important.”
“Young Lady. Duke Edgar has come accompanied by his knights.”
Chapter 55
“I have nothing more to say.”
“Maybe all of this is due to a misunderstanding, like you said, maybe it’s all an illusion. Everything is… you don’t even know if it’s reversible.”
“I don’t want to.”
It sounded cold, even to Duroa, although the words were coming out of her mouth. So what was it like for Nocton to hear?
It wasn’t a hard guess.
Duroa’s body shuddered in his arms, but soon relaxed.
“…Yes”
She finally took a step back, pulling out of Nocton’s embrace.
Nocton’s face was as white as snow.
It was originally pale, but now it had no pigment at all.
“Yeah, we can’t talk it out now. Whatever you say, we can’t do that. What’s the point of all this if you’ve already been caught? It’s too late now. No, it was too late from the beginning.”
It wasn’t just his complexion, his mood also changed.
His face, which seemed embarrassed like a little boy who lost control, was now cold.
Seeing him, Duroa’s hair stood up.
Nocton laughed as if frustrated.
His voice still echoing through the cave.
“That’s right, I brainwashed you. That’s what I’ve been doing since I first met you. I guess the magic is gone now. I didn’t want it to be broken so I kept calling you ‘Valrose’.”
“I see.”
“You’re not surprised at all. You’ve been pretty sure.”
“…”
“Now I’ll give up being forgiven by you. But that doesn’t mean I’m giving up on everything.”
Duroa, Duroa, my Duroa.
Nocton reached out to touch her face.
Without giving her a chance to escape, his long fingers tucked Duroa’s hair behind her ear and brushed gently past the soft skin of her cheek.
“What do you… mean?”
Nocton’s behaviour changed a little, as Duroa had suspected, but that’s why she was confused.
His face was cold and his eyes were shining like that of a snake, but his hands were still shaking.
The gap between what was seen and what was felt was too great.
However, there would be no reason for him to pretend his hands were shaking, so Nocton’s true intention lie in his trembling hands rather than his cold expression.
As Duroa thought about it, she suddenly remembered something she heard before.
‘Maybe he… Maybe he loves you?’
The words Alice said to her, the words that she cut off at once because it was such an absurd idea.
The words that she couldn’t think of when he hugged her and apologised came to mind in this situation.
Nocton was obsessed with her. He said Duroa was special.
But she was looking for a reason for that obsession and a reason for being so special to him.
Because they spent a long time together, she was the one who Nocton felt right next to.
No, honestly, I’ve never thought much about him.
Maybe, just maybe, the specialness that Nocton Edgar talks about, the way he feels about me…
As if it was a lie that Duroa’s mind was ignoring until a little while ago, a wild ripple began to waver in her heart.
Nocton twisted his lips as if trying to awaken her.
It was a smile that sent shivers through her body.
“If you can’t forgive me and if you can’t let it go, then don’t. I can do other things if I give up on being forgiven.”
“What do you mean? If you mess with the people around me…!”
“I won’t do that because I keep my promises, but if it was anyone other than me, there would be no reason to do so.”
Either way, it was a threat.
As she opened her mouth in bewilderment, Duroa heard footsteps in the quiet forest since the rain had stopped.
It was as if they were running, the quick sound of footsteps being heard through the mud and grass. Soon, two people appeared.
It was Aaron and Alice.
Duroa looked at Nocton’s face reflexively because of what he said a moment ago, but he didn’t seem surprised.
Moreover, it didn’t seem like he was threatening them.
“Duroa, it’s okay…”
Aaron, who was hurriedly approaching her, stopped suddenly. His blue eyes fixed on Nocton Edgar.
Nobody would’ve expected Nocton to be there.
Nobles with titles would never enter the forest in the first place.
Even if a beast came out of the forest suddenly, Nocton not coming here would be common sense.
So it was only natural to be suspicious.
Duroa approached Nocton with caution, but Alice blocked her way.
It was the exact opposite from before. A few hours ago, Duroa had blocked Alice’s way too.
Duroa almost laughed at the memory, but her lips were closed shut.
Instead, she grabbed Alice’s hand and shook her head without a word.
Nocton’s gaze that seemed to be on Alice moved to Aaron.
Their eyes met.
Maybe I should protect Aaron from Nocton, not have Alice protect me.
Nocton’s sensitive reaction to Aaron made his shoulders stiffen.
Surprisingly, however, there was no tension between them that was about to burst.
Aaron’s expression was a bit strange.
It was weird to say that he was flustered by the unexpected appearance of Nocton, and it seemed like he was looking into Nocton’s eyes.
Am I mistaken?
As he narrowed his eyes and tried to take a closer look at Aaron, Nocton’s lips curled up.
It wasn’t mockery, but he didn’t laugh either.
He turned his head, looked at Duroa and raised the corners of his lips even more.
“It’s not a threat, it’s advice. I’ll see you soon.”
“Nocton…”
“See you again, Duroa.”
After saying that, Nocton walked away.
Even though he called her ‘Duroa’, she still told him to end it. She took all of her feelings and confronted them, but the result was the same as before.
Nocton was still not listening to her and the only thing that changed was ‘See you, Valrose.’. It was just that.
That’s all, she thought.
***
The rain stopped, but traces of it remained.
Every path Duroa took was covered with mud, making her compare it to her own heart.
‘Let’s not look.’
As Duroa thought, it was a subtle declaration of isolation between friends, but Nocton couldn’t ridicule her for being excessive.
The meaning was different, but in the end, Duroa was right.
Nocton did not consider Duroa to be his friend.
They might have been friends for a brief moment when they were young, but when love bloomed in his heart full of loneliness, emotions dyed their hearts with the same color.
For now, it was not clear when Nocton saw Duroa Valrose as a friend, or if he ever did.
Why did the boy who was so negative towards love grow up like this?
Maybe it was in his blood.
Love, obsession.
Nocton let out an annoyed sigh and stopped.
Today, he was expecting something to happen.
It was expected from the time when the former Emperor’s health deteriorated rapidly.
That was how everyone thought the Emperor died, but truthfully, he was killed by a curse.
Because the curse that the Emperor received during the battle for the throne in the past had been rampant again.
It was the work of a dark magician who worked for Patricia Edgar.
Nobody suspected that the Emperor was ill anyway and no one benefited from the Emperor’s death, but Nocton, who was sensitive to black magic, could feel its traces from his coffin.
From then on, Nocton had no choice but to feel nervous.
The ceremony was a sacred event that Duroa’s secret escort couldn’t attend and in other words, it was a good day to target her.
The speculation that the Emperor was murdered only to target Duroa can be considered a grand delusion.
But Patricia Edgar knew that Nocton was morbidly obsessed with Duroa.
Patricia already lost everything to Nocton, so she couldn’t fight him with force.
So, it was only natural to target Duroa, Nocton’s weakness.
It was expected from the moment he sent Patricia and all of her remaining forces to Faust, but nevertheless it was inevitable Nocton would regret it.
I should’ve pretended I didn’t know Patricia Edgar’s brainwashing was lifted.
Even if you turn back time, Nocton would do the same thing over and over again.
In fact, Nocton was more concerned about the side of Patricia’s vassal force, who did not like the accession of an illegitimate child.
The promise he had with Duroa to not take a life.
Moreover, the opponent was his mother.
Nocton clearly knew how killing his mother generally felt.
In fact, while he sympathized with Patricia’s derogatory comments who deemed him as a demon spawn, he didn’t want to appear that way to Duroa.
Therefore, the punishment he had for Patricia was postponed with the pretext of removing her remaining forces.
And then it happened.
Nocton recalled a previous incident.
When he had just found Duroa, a bear appeared in front of the cave.
If left alone, nothing would have happened, but someone suddenly appeared and threw a stone into the cave.
Their intention was obvious.
While Nocton blocked Duroa and killed the bear, the person who threw the stone left quickly.
With the tracking magic on their shadow, it wouldn’t have been hard to find them, but by the time Nocton caught the person, there was a good chance that they would already be dead.
But it was obvious who did it.
Patricia Edgar.
I guess you’re ready, afterall.
Until now, the person who had been hiding even if she had an opportunity, began to act.
That meant she was ready to take Edgar back from Nocton.
Duroa was in danger for a moment, but it was good news in a way.
Finally, I can get rid of Patricia and her remnants.
Now, it was enough to figure out Patricia’s plans.
Until she was gone, Nocton would have to pay special attention to Duroa’s safety, but because their relationship was over, it was rather easy.
The trust between Duroa and Nocton was gone.
Nocton’s chance to protect Duroa by persuading her with words and the opportunity to restore their relationship was gone as well.
So from then on, without worrying about falling apart, without having to worry that he would be hated, all he had to do was focus entirely on Duroa’s safety.
The immorality that he had killed with his mother could be easily blocked from reaching Duroa’s ears.
So, everything was better.
Putting an end to his bitter thoughts, Nocton finally left the forest.
“Oh, Duke Edgar! You’ve arrived safely!”
There were a lot of priests gathered in front of the forest.
They greeted each other even before the competition started, but the atmosphere was different now.
Their expressions were tense and anxious.
“You’ve come at the right time. It’s a ceremony to offer sacrifices to the Gods, but unfortunately it was interrupted by the beast, so I was going to bless everyone who participated.”
“I’m fine.”
“Yes…? But, there is a myth that you’ll be unlucky for a month if you run into a beast.”
“You’re a priest, so… Wait a second.”
It was strange to see a priest so flustered.
Nocton squinted his eyes and looked around.
“Have any of the nobles here been blessed besides me?”
This chapter is updat𝙚d by f(r)eewebn(o)vel.com