The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 44.2

“When I was young, I had a puppy. It was a stray that my brother and I found while sneaking out. But my brother had many watchful eyes upon him, so I ended up raising it. That mutt loved me dearly. It wagged its tail every day, licked my face, and even jumped onto my bed when I slept.”

Evelyn rested her face against the man’s chest, listening attentively to his words. He grasped her nape and gently pressed her backward.

The grayish-green eyes and the emerald ones intermingled in the air, intertwining deeply. He softened his sharp gaze and let out a soft chuckle.

“It wagged its tail with an innocent face, just like you. Just like you…”

A solitary tear finally rolled down from his pensive eyes. He tenderly brushed Evelyn’s temple with his hand and spoke.

“But when my brother came around, it clung to him and showered him with affection.”

Evelyn closed her eyes, sensing what he intended to say.

“How do you think I would have treated that conniving little mutt that betrayed its master? Answer me, my lady.”

Why did this man always choose such wicked words?

Evelyn opened her previously closed eyes and glared at him. The once blurry irises gradually filled with venomous resolve.

She raised her sagging arms and grabbed his forearm, lifting her heels and pressing her face tightly under his chin. From a close distance, where their lips almost touched, Evelyn whispered.

“I don’t know what you did to that poor dog, but…”

As her soft lips touched the delicate flesh under his jawline, Ilya’s body tensed up. With a fierce bite, Evelyn clenched her teeth as if about to speak. Despite the blood flowing, Ilya didn’t push her away. After a moment, Evelyn wiped the blood off her lips with the back of her hand and spoke with determination.

“Just remember one thing. Sometimes even dogs bite their owners.”

She quickly left the bathhouse. As the cold air touched her wet clothes, her whole body trembled. It was only then that she seemed to regain her senses.

“What am I doing? Am I going insane?”

Evelyn fled without looking back, afraid of being caught by him.

****

“Evelyn, did that wench dare to ignore me?”

“I apologize, Miss.”

The housekeeper lowered her head with an embarrassed expression. ”

“She should have been dragged here! ”

“I’m sorry. The knights are not to be trifled with, and this time even His Highness is accompanying…”

Selice fiddled with her celestial red necklace around her neck. A few days ago, in the early morning hours, Selice felt the necklace speak to her.

“Tear out the heart of Duke Ajauntice.” Selice echoed the words of the necklace.

Since she first put it around her neck, the necklace has whispered to her occasionally. She instinctively followed its instructions. Every time she did as the necklace commanded, her life prospered.

“This celestial red necklace is my guardian angel.”

The housekeeper cautiously spoke up.

“What could it mean to tear out a heart…?”

“We can’t simply stab a sword into the heart of the strongest knight in the Empire. So, it must not be a command to kill.”

Selice spoke in a composed tone, her face expressing a joy that could lead to her demise.

“Deborah, who is the one who tore out my father’s heart?”

It was a loaded question.

“It is the second Duchess, Your Highness.”

Selice  raised the necklace to eye level and kissed it.

“The one who will tear apart the heart of my second cousin… It’s the two of them.”

Selice spoke with a face brimming with delight.

“Now it’s my deceased first cousin and Evelyn Maduse.” A deep smile spread across the housekeeper’s face.

“Coincidentally, Lord Lauren, who resembles His Highness so much, is also here at the Duchy.” Smack! Selice clapped her hands, laughing.

“If we play our cards right, we might be able to get the Duke and Lord Lauren to act as allies,” Selice murmured with a hint of regret on her face.

“If only we had an illusionist, then things would be much easier,” the housekeeper cautiously suggested.

“What if we contact the Arcane Tower? Isn’t that woman still in the royal palace? If we ask for their assistance…”

As she pictured the wretched woman with a venomous face, her mood sank. Selice resolutely shook her head.

“The Arcane Tower is too far away. Among Lord Lauren’s subordinates, there is a mage. They’re a clan that will do anything for the right price. It shouldn’t be difficult to buy their loyalty.”

The housekeeper’s eyes narrowed. “How can you trust someone like that with the task?”

“There’s a way to verify everything. Don’t worry,” Selice told the housekeeper.

“As soon as the day breaks, send a letter to Lord Lauren. Ask him to bring the child and attend the tea party I’m hosting.”

“Yes, Miss.”

The eyes of the two women meeting shimmered.

****

The next day, Ilya was busy catching up on work, sitting in the study since dawn. During a short break, he rotated his neck to relieve the stiffness in his body. He remembered the hands that firmly massaged his neck and shoulders last night. Perhaps because of that… His shoulders felt noticeably lighter. And… Iliya absentmindedly touched the wound beneath his chin. It wasn’t even a real dog, and it had to bite there, of all places.

No matter how he thought about it, it was absurd, so Ilya chuckled to himself.

Tap-tap!

A knight guarding the door knocked urgently. Ilya wiped away his smile and called out toward the door.

“What’s the matter?”

“Your Highness, the Commander of the Holy Knights…” Before the knight could finish his sentence, Nikolas burst into the room.