The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 29.1

At that moment, chaos erupted in the Magic Tower. A piercing scream ripped through the air, as if a woman was being torn apart. “Lady Luten!” Rene’s heart raced as she rushed to the window, where she found the convulsing woman. She wrapped her arms around Lady Luten and begged, “Please calm down and come to your senses, Lady!” But Lady Luten rolled her eyes and shrieked like a wild animal. Amid the cacophony of incomprehensible sounds, Rene caught one sentence that chilled her to the bone. “When the full moon rises, the path between the valleys will open.”

Rene’s face twisted in fear as she struggled to make sense of the cryptic message. Valleys? What did it mean? Her head swam with the possibilities, and she clutched it in confusion.

Then, a knock at the door interrupted her thoughts. “I brought some good liquor, let’s have a drink…” Nazz’s voice trailed off as he walked in and looked up to see Lady Luten screaming and thrashing about. He dropped the bottle and stepped back in horror. “I should have just gone to bed. I must be crazy,” he muttered to himself.

“Nazz, what are you doing? Hurry up and come in and help hold her down!” Rene shouted, and Nazz rushed to assist. He couldn’t touch the noblewoman, so he chose another way. While Rene held her, Nazz snuck up from behind and hit Lady Luten’s neck, causing her to pass out.

Rene’s troubled eyes darted around the small room, searching for a suitable place to lay Michellini Luten’s limp body. Finally, she pointed to a corner, and Nazz carefully scooped up the woman, cradling her in his arms.

As Nazz returned, he extended a glass of alcohol to Rene. “Is this for me to drink?” she asked. Nazz nodded, though the alcohol was originally meant for Ilya. “Yes, I found it in the basement of the Tower of Penance. I brought it to drink with you,” he lied.

Rene sipped her drink, the alcohol washing down her throat in a smooth, burning wave. As she looked at Nazz, she burst out laughing.

“Did you hear what the lady said earlier, Nazz?” she asked. “When the full moon rises, the path through the valley opens.”

Nazz drained his glass, the strong liquor making his head spin. The woman had been tight-lipped until now, but those cryptic words had slipped past her lips.

“The Lady is not in her right mind yet,” Nazz remarked, attempting to dispel the ominous feeling in the air. “It must be meaningless talk.”

But Rene’s eyes turned serious, and Nazz felt a shiver crawl down his spine. He had seen that expression before, and it had never boded well.

“No, I don’t think so,” Rene said softly.

“Is His Highness in the study?” she inquired.

“No,” Nazz replied, “he went to the annex.”

“Nazz, do you think His Highness is truly in love with madam?” Rene asked.

Nazz hesitated. He knew much about Ilya, but the man’s feelings towards his wife remained a mystery. Ilya had vowed to divorce Evelyn when he returned from the war, but Nazz sensed that the man’s heart might not be as steadfast as he claimed.

They knew all too well how stoic Ilya could be, a man who ate whatever was placed in front of him and married at his brother’s command. It was rare to see any emotion from the duke, much less an outpouring of feeling.

“Even a monk would be more emotional than our Highness,” Rene remarked, her voice tinged with nostalgia. She remembered Ilya from their childhood, a boy who kept his feelings tightly locked away.

Nazz nodded in agreement. “It’s true. But the mistress was the first to reveal any emotion. I heard rumors in Tatar—” He stumbled over his words, unwilling to reveal too much. But Rene seemed to understand.

“Are you talking about the rumor between the former duke and Madam?” she asked. “Well, it’s true that His Highness Nasir was a charming man. Even I prefer him to our stoic Duke-”

Nazz leapt up from his seat, unable to contain his outrage. “Rene!”

“I’m just joking,” Rene smiled slyly.

“What a terrible joke!”

She only chuckled in response. “Anyway, it’s true that there are emotions towards the mistress, although I don’t know if it’s love.”

Nazz nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, there’s something there. But they have a lot to work out between them.”

Rene shifted in her seat, her gaze focused intently on Nazz. “Well, let’s work out something between us.”

Nazz felt an ominous feeling wash over him, and he tensed in response. “What? What are we working out?”

“We need to find out where the valley is.”

Nazz rubbed his temples, frustration mounting within him.