Chapter 96
<99화>
A peaceful afternoon at the Queen’s Palace.
“…A public duel?”
“Yes. The rumors are spreading like wildfire—everyone is so excited! Oh, was it supposed to be a secret…?”
Grace fell silent for a moment at the maid’s question as the girl styled her hair.
Hiding her flustered expression, Grace offered a gentle smile to the maid, who had suddenly turned pale with fright.
“Ah, right. That’s right. It must have slipped my mind.”
“Phew, you startled me. I’m really looking forward to it! It’s not every day we get to see an ability in person.”
The maid continued to chatter excitedly, but her words no longer reached Grace’s ears.
‘King Argen is preparing for a public duel with the House of Crost? Without telling me?’
Grace had been troubled for some time because of the Duke of Pose, who had been executed after taking the fall for all of King Argen’s crimes.
Had Argen truly conspired with a duke from another kingdom to kill Calips just out of personal greed?
It was the most fundamental question, but since the witness was dead, there was no way to investigate properly.
However, Calips’s words clearly pointed to the truth, and the Duke of Pose had also said something meaningful right before he died.
If that were the case, did Argen still deserve to be the King of the Frozen Kingdom?
Furthermore, if he were to target Calips again under these circumstances, what stance should she take?
To the world, Grace was King Argen’s wife.
The people of the kingdom never doubted the royal couple’s relationship, but she had known for a long time that Argen did not actually hold her in high regard.
‘A teleportation portal? I could have made something like that if I’d researched for just one more year. Why did you have to go and make it? Were you that desperate to steal my glory?’
Proud and jealous, Argen had often envied Grace.
When she created the portal, he grumbled that she had stolen his achievement.
‘You said you were preparing for the banquet, and all you made were these artificial candles? Well, the response wasn’t bad… but you are the lady of the royal house. You need to focus on things other than magic. Like the chandeliers or the exhibits.’
He would find fault in the smallest things just to nag her.
After years of marriage, Grace had to admit the truth.
Argen lacked the capacity to rule a nation.
Though he was a brilliant mage, he was a man who had yet to learn the basic decencies of being human.
How could such a man rule a kingdom?
‘…He even used black magic on Lady Aisha….’
Her breath hitched at the horrific thought.
Grace had been feigning ignorance until now, but she had suspected it ever since she unraveled the complex formula engraved on Aisha’s body.
She knew that she and Argen were the only ones capable of creating such an intricate sequence.
‘I should meet him, if only to ask about that.’
She needed to have a serious conversation with him before anything worse happened.
“Go and ask His Majesty King Argen if he is available for tea tomorrow afternoon.”
Grace sent the maid immediately and waited for Argen the next day in the warm glass greenhouse.
“Now that the tea is steeped, everyone may leave.”
Because the topic could be sensitive to listeners, she dismissed even the servants.
After waiting alone in the greenhouse for ten minutes…
“Grace.”
Argen arrived slightly late, shrugging his shoulders without a hint of apology.
“What brings this on? To think you’d actually want to have tea with me.”
“I heard you’re holding a public duel with the House of Crost?”
Grace didn’t bother with the tedious question of why he was late.
She knew she wouldn’t get a straight answer, and her trust in him had already hit rock bottom; she hadn’t expected him to be on time anyway.
“Ah. Right. The public duel. I forgot to mention it to you. I’ve been so busy lately.”
It was a flimsy excuse.
Grace handled most of the work; all Argen had to do was sit on the throne.
Suddenly, Argen looked at Grace and scowled.
“By the way, you really ought to learn more about noble etiquette.”
“Pardon?”
“Shouldn’t you greet someone first when you’ve invited them? To jump straight to the point like this… how dull.”
Surprised by his tone, Grace studied Argen closely.
There was only one occasion when he, who usually walked on eggshells around her, would speak so boldly and rudely: when he was drunk.
Looking closer, his face was slightly flushed.
It was clear he had been drinking late into the night, arrived late due to a hangover, and was still feeling the effects of the alcohol.
Grace sighed, ignored his comment, and got straight to the point.
“So, why this sudden public duel? I heard Duke Crost himself is participating.”
“Ah, that. People have been anxious ever since that incident with the Duke of Pose and the monsters. I summoned the Duke personally to calm them down.”
“…….”
“Seeing the ice ability will improve the public’s mood. You should attend with me. It’ll be quite a sight.”
“I see.”
Grace gave a slight nod, her expression hardening imperceptibly.
It was time to bring up the other main point.
“Your Majesty. There is one more thing I am curious about. May I ask?”
“Of course.”
“It’s about Lady Aisha.”
The moment the name Aisha left Grace’s lips…
Argen’s eyes, which had been dull with drink, widened sharply before narrowing again.
‘So he knows.’
Grace watched him and realized.
She hadn’t wanted to hear it, but now she had no choice but to listen.
“Did Your Majesty not notice anything strange?”
“What do you mean by that?”
“During the banquet incident, I found that Lady Aisha was under the influence of black magic. I dispelled it, but the formula was incredibly complex.”
A moment of silence followed.
Becoming surprisingly serious, Argen lifted his teacup and asked, “And?”
“I believe there are only a few people in the Frozen Kingdom capable of creating such a complex formula.”
“And how many would that be?”
“Two.”
There was no hesitation in the clear, pale green eyes staring at Argen.
“I believe there are exactly two.”
As soon as she answered, the silence became even more suffocating.
They both lowered their heads, tilting their teacups toward their lips.
Clink.
As if in a race, their teacups landed on their saucers with a sharp, synchronized sound.
“…….”
Argen was the one to look up first, but he chose silence over an answer.
And through that silence, Grace finally realized.
The one who had cast that black magic was indeed the King of this country and her husband.
And he had done it to a human body—to Lady Aisha of the House of Crost, when she was nothing but an infant.
‘Publicly, it’s known that the Duke of Pose was the one who used black magic on the young lady.’
In truth, the Duke of Pose didn’t even know how to use magic.
Since he possessed the poison ability, he had no reason to learn it.
But people didn’t care about the facts. They just wanted a juicy piece of gossip to tear apart.
If they were to learn the truth…
“Grace.”
It happened then.
A voice, suddenly dropped low, echoed in her ear.
When she looked up, Argen, who had looked so serious just a moment ago, was smiling.
For some reason, he looked hollow.
“How tragic. You mean to say that of those two people, one is you and the other is me?”
She had expected him to snap in anger or feign ignorance.
Faced with such an emotional question, Grace felt something was wrong, yet she answered nonetheless.
“No. I am not trying to corner you. I am asking because I, too, know nothing…”
Her mouth snapped shut mid-explanation.
Grace had certainly dismissed all the servants before Argen arrived.
And yet, a strange sensation prickled her skin.
She began to feel a blatant gaze from behind her back.
“……!”
Grace turned her head, her eyes trembling slightly.
The servants were there. Even the knights.
She had clearly told them to leave…!
Then it dawned on her.
To a man, they all wore cold expressions. They were all Argen’s people.
“…I only asked because there was no other way to know. As far as I am aware, the only mages capable of creating a formula to control someone’s brain are myself and Your Majesty.”
“I see.”
Growing anxious, Grace quickly gave her answer and thought of the people who should have been outside the greenhouse.
She had stationed her personal guards there just in case.
If anything happened, she just had to scream…
“Grace.”
Her racing thoughts ground to a halt at Argen’s voice.
“I’ve known you since we were children. Whenever you’re thinking hard, you’re so focused you don’t even blink. It’s quite impressive.”
Before she knew it, he had risen from his seat and approached her, slowly tilting her chin upward.
“Even now. You aren’t blinking.”
“…….”
She should have kept her own guards by her side, even if she dismissed everyone else.
At the very least, she should have told them to come in if anything seemed strange.
But she hadn’t.
She hadn’t imagined such an irrational thing would happen in this peaceful palace.
“I don’t want to make an enemy of you.”
But just as in the history books she had read, wars and emergencies always broke out when least expected.
Like a single pebble being nudged, causing a landslide through the butterfly effect.
“Your Majesty.”
The knights were already surrounding Grace.
Though momentarily panicked, she only shifted her gaze to look at Argen.
He looked down at her with a relaxed smile.
“And yet, you dare to slander the King of the Frozen Kingdom and attempt treason.”
“That isn’t it…”
“If that isn’t it, you shouldn’t have even suspected me in the first place.”
Something was wrong.
“I have no desire to see you commit treason.”
Something was very wrong.
“So please, just stay quiet.”
Thump.
With that single command from Argen, her vision was dyed black.