Chapter 72
<75화>
“Cancel the order? What on earth do you mean by…”
Grace’s voice trailed off in shock.
For one, she had never been told by anyone to cancel her orders before.
Unless it was a formal statement made during a council meeting, defying a royal command was a serious crime.
However, Calips, the man committing said crime, wasn’t even looking at her.
His gaze was fixed firmly on the window. The way he stared intensely at something outside felt ominous.
“…Aisha definitely took Kyle with her….”
He was even muttering to himself.
“Duke Calips.”
For a moment, Grace thought Calips had gone mad.
“If Kyle knew about this situation…”
“Calips.”
“The monsters moving so suddenly might be because of Kyle…”
“Duke Calips! What are you talking about?!”
Finally, unable to contain herself, Grace raised her voice—
“Your Majesty. Regardless, please evacuate the nobles and cancel the order to attack the monsters. I will take responsibility for everything.”
Once again, Calips cut her off without hesitation and rushed off somewhere in a hurry.
Grace stared after him, dumbfounded.
“Ha.”
The nerve of that man.
She was flabbergasted, but judging by his words, he didn’t seem to have lost his mind.
There had to be a reason.
‘But why? He’s a man who usually looks ready to butcher any monster he sees.’
It was then.
A knight who had been watching the scene unfold spoke up cautiously.
“Your Majesty. For now, we shall proceed with slaying the mon—”
“Didn’t you hear him? Duke Calips said he would take responsibility for everything.”
“Pardon?”
“Focus only on protecting the people. And issue a lockdown on the city. Do not lift it until we find the culprit behind this commotion. Don’t let a single soul escape.”
Grace, her face sour as she changed her orders, hurried back toward the banquet hall.
“Yes, yes, Your Majesty!”
As the bewildered knight followed after Grace—
“…….”
King Arjen was the only one left in the hallway.
“Damn it. What is happening all of a sudden….”
Arjen stood with his hands on his hips, gritting his teeth before kicking a nearby pillar in frustration.
“No, why did the monsters—who have been quiet for years—suddenly escape today of all days? Why?!”
That wasn’t all.
Earlier, he had been bitten by that strange beast that turned into a human. Now, the knight who was supposed to report to him was suddenly following Grace instead.
Every single thing was strange and irritating.
“If the Duke of Pose’s matter goes wrong too….”
Crunch, crunch.
Overcome with anxiety, he unconsciously bit his nails while pacing in circles.
If that happened, he would have no way out either.
‘First, I need to secure an escape route.’
Having reached a conclusion, Arjen hurried toward the banquet hall.
Meanwhile, at that same time.
“What? The monsters escaped?”
“Yes. They say nothing like this has happened in the three years since the monsters were brought here… It is a bit strange.”
“Of all the important days, to have such rotten luck today… Tsk.”
The Duke of Pose clicked his tongue as he sat in his carriage. But the truly unlucky event was yet to come.
Screeech—
The carriage, which had been moving smoothly, came to a sudden halt. Then came a polite knock, and the door opened.
It was the coachman.
“Your Grace. There is a problem. All the gates leading out of the city have been closed.”
“What?”
“Monsters appeared at the royal castle, and they say the lockdown won’t be lifted until the culprit who brought them is found.”
Good heavens.
“Damn it!”
The Duke of Pose couldn’t help but swear.
He had no choice; he wanted to return home as quickly as possible.
Now that he had captured Aisha, Calips would go anywhere to save the child.
The Duke of Pose wanted that place to be the Pose Duchy.
‘I wanted to see him die inside my own castle if I was going to get rid of him anyway….’
To him, Duke Calips was an eternal nemesis.
During the war sparked by territorial disputes, the sudden threat of monsters had emerged.
Because the family that stood against that threat was the Crost family of the Frozen Kingdom, the Doctia Kingdom had been forced to declare a truce.
At the same time, they had to send regular subsidies to the Frozen Kingdom.
All as payment for Calips keeping the monsters at bay.
‘If the Doctia Kingdom had occupied the North… those subsidies would have gone to our House of Pose.’
It was only natural.
The reason the Crost family could subjugate monsters was their ice ability.
But the Duke of Pose’s side had powers of their own, didn’t they?
‘Damn it. I need to crush that arrogant nose of his as soon as possible….’
All sorts of thoughts swirled in his head as he pressed a hand to his forehead.
But he had to stay calm. Getting angry when things weren’t going his way wouldn’t lead to progress.
‘Regardless, if I kill Duke Calips and the House of Pose takes over the monster subjugation, I can unify the two kingdoms.’
He quickly worked his brain and issued an order.
“It can’t be helped. Head to Litaisha’s Jewelry Shop immediately.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
‘Litaisha’s Jewelry Shop’ was one of the Pose family’s secret bases in the capital.
It was the equivalent of ‘Fergus’s Bookstore’ in the North.
Rattle—
At the Duke of Pose’s command, the carriage turned back into the city.
Passing through the plaza and entering a certain alleyway, they found a row of high-end shops selling expensive goods.
“Ariena.”
“Yes, Your Grace.”
“Go into the jewelry shop first and tell the staff to close the doors. It might look suspicious if people see us carrying the sleeping Princess Aisha inside.”
“Understood.”
Once the carriage arrived, Ariena bowed and disappeared. A short while later.
“The shop is empty. There are no noble customers because of the regular banquet, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
Ariena returned quickly, living up to his expectations.
“Good work. Let’s go then.”
There had been a moment of chaos, but a smirk finally crept onto his lips.
Because this was where Calips’s grave would be built.
After losing consciousness, I had a dream.
“You made something quite interesting after your stay at the Duke’s estate.”
It was the dream that had haunted me ever since I woke up at Ahili’s Circus.
A conversation I could only faintly hear in the darkness. But this time, it was different.
When I opened my eyes, I saw the office of the Pose Duchy. The Duke of Pose sat on a sofa, resting his chin on his interlaced fingers.
He was staring at a blonde woman with an intrigued gaze.
“The mission was simple: just two things. I thought one person was lacking, but two seemed enough to bring down Duke Calips.”
“…….”
“But what is this infant?”
“I am sorry.”
She didn’t add anything else. She was admitting her mistake.
“Shall I dispose of it immediately?”
Contrary to her expressionless question, the infant held in her arms was smiling brightly.
“Kyahaha!”
The baby, who didn’t even have teeth yet, burst into laughter while wiggling her tiny fingers.
Blonde hair and red eyes.
Though the eye color was different, that baby was me. Aisha.
“Don’t dispose of her.”
“Pardon?”
“Things might get quite entertaining later.”
Shaking his head, the Duke of Pose leaned back against the sofa.
“Anyway, you’ve worked hard for the past four years. I’ll give you another mission in a few years, so rest well until then.”
“Thank you.”
“Indeed.”
Just as the Duke of Pose gestured for her to leave and turned his attention to the documents on his desk.
Ariena had finished her bow, but for some reason, she didn’t leave her spot.
“What is it?”
“If I may ask an impertinent question…”
Her voice trailed off as she spoke cautiously.
“What do you plan to do with this baby?”
In her voice, which sounded professional as always, there was a slight tremor.
The Duke of Pose saw this and thought to himself.
‘She hasn’t stepped out of her role yet.’
He could tell at a glance.
Among spies who returned from long-term missions spanning several years, there were occasionally those who became so immersed in their roles that they longed for the time they spent on the mission.
Most of those spies were disposed of.
‘Should I dispose of Ariena too?’
The Duke of Pose pondered for a moment before shaking his head.
Duke Calips loved Ariena. Since Ariena—who even had a daughter now—had vanished, he must be going mad with rage by now.
Ariena still had value.
And so, the Duke of Pose spoke with a benevolent smile.