The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 56

Blood dripped from the fish’s body, spreading gradually. As the fish’s body turned inside out, revealing a white belly, Evelyn’s expression turned worried.

“Just hold on a little longer, I’ll save you,” Evelyn said, gently stroking the fish’s back with her palm. The eagle, sensing the desperation in her eyes, called out to a passing maid, “Hey, you there, bring a bucket.”

While the maid went to get the bucket, Evelyn took a moment to admire her jasmine necklace and ring. “To make sure I don’t lose these,” she muttered to herself.

“Sorry about that, my friend,” she said with a grin, dropping the necklace and ring, which startled the now-revived eagle. “Well, you found them, didn’t you? Thanks to you, we also caught a beautiful fish.”

“What’s beautiful about that?” the eagle asked, regaining its strength.

Evelyn chuckled as she looked at the revitalized eagle. “We have the bucket.”

When the maid arrived with the bucket, Evelyn turned around. As the jasmine necklace and ring glimmered in Evelyn’s neck and fingers, the maid’s eyes widened.

“I think there’s a ring that matches this necklace somewhere else on the estate. Find it and bring it to me,” Evelyn instructed.

After handing the bucket to Bellina, the maid turned away. As she walked off, she lowered her head and grinned to reveal her teeth.

Bellina filled the bucket with water from the pond, then removed her shoes and waded into the pond to catch the injured fish. It seemed like the fish’s life was hanging by a thread as it lay on its side, belly up.

“Mistress, it may not survive for long,” Bellina said.

Evelyn’s face darkened with concern. The eagle, which had been pretending not to care about the fish, spoke up.

“Let’s go to the owner. If it’s the owner, they might be able to save it.”

After a brief moment of hesitation, Evelyn made up her mind and stood up. Bellina gestured, and Arthur, who had been standing behind, rushed over to lift the large bucket containing the fish.

“I’ll go to the manor first and inform the owner,” the eagle said as it soared into the sky. The three of them followed closely behind.

****

“Hmm, this seems like a job for a doctor rather than a wizard,” René muttered, looking perplexed as he gazed at the fish floating belly-up in the bucket. The faces of the three people and the eagle all registered mild disappointment.

They couldn’t help but wear expressions reminiscent of children who had lost their snacks, but René managed to suppress his laughter. Laughing now might have provoked their annoyance. After smoothing his expression, René spoke up, “I don’t think it’s the time for this fish to die just yet. Luckily, there’s a skilled doctor at the manor.”

At René’s words, the faces of the three people and the eagle brightened instantly. René left the room, stating that he would fetch the doctor.

“Is there a doctor among the nobility who can tend to fish injuries in the Duke’s mansion?” Arthur mumbled, and Bellina nodded in agreement.

Not long after, Bellina returned to the reception room with a middle-aged woman. She introduced her to Evelyn and the others, saying, “This is an old friend of mine, her name is Debbie. She used to work at Lord Loren’s estate, so you can trust her skills.”

At the mention of Lord Loren’s estate, Evelyn’s shoulders stiffened briefly. “Where is the fish?” the doctor asked.

In response, Evelyn pointed to the large bucket with her hand. The doctor approached and examined the contents, saying, “Hmm, the wounds seem quite severe. It looks like it was torn by something sharp, possibly a scale.”

The eagle spoke with a somber tone, “I dropped the necklace and the ring from the sky. It seems the fish mistook them for actual fish.”

The doctor didn’t even blink at the talking eagle and replied, “A necklace and a ring? They must have been quite large.”

The eagle nudged Evelyn forward with its head. “The human is wearing it right now, look.”

The doctor’s sharp eyes scrutinized Evelyn’s neck and fingers. “Should I take it off and show you?”

Instead of the doctor, René answered Evelyn’s question. “Madam, I’m sorry, but I’ll keep these necklace and ring for a few more days.”

“Yes, that’s fine,” Evelyn agreed. She took off the necklace and ring and handed them to René, who placed them on the table.

“Madam, once the treatment is done, I’ll have the fish sent to the annex,” the doctor informed.

“Thank you,” Evelyn responded. Then, as her gaze fell on the doctor, she added, “René, and…”

As Evelyn’s eyes met hers, the doctor replied politely, “You can call me Debbie, madam.”

“Debbie, thank you.”

Having accomplished her purpose at the manor, Evelyn stood up to return to the annex.

“It’s time for Libe to wake up soon. I’ll be going now.”

As Evelyn bid her farewell and turned away, René called her back for a moment. The woman who had approached Evelyn closely whispered softly, “Madam, have you seen the Duke recently?”

Evelyn hesitated briefly, then shook her head slowly. “No, not recently. He hasn’t been visiting the annex lately.”

At first, she had been afraid that Ilya would come and confront her, but as time passed, she had grown to miss him. But unless he made the first move, there was no way for her to meet him. Despite her husband’s status as a Duke, she was not the Duchess.

Evelyn swallowed her bitterness inwardly. “I’ll be on my way now. Thank you for today, René.”

Today, René thought that the little madam’s back looked unusually lonely as she walked away.

The butler, holding a tray, cast an anxious glance at Ilya. With a swift motion, the elegant paper in his hands was carelessly crumpled.

“It seems Lord Maduse has finally lost his mind,” the butler brought the troublesome letter from Lord Maduse directly to Ilya. As he watched Ilya, who was pacing restlessly, the butler silently thought he did the right thing.

“You may leave now,” Ilya ordered.

“Yes, Your Grace,” the butler replied and disappeared, humming to himself. Stas, who had been sitting across from Ilya, asked, “What does it say to upset you so?”

Ilya sharpened his gaze and said, “He says he wants to meet his illegitimate daughter on his birthday. Since when did he start caring for her like this?”

Stas grinned happily and said, “Oh, so Lord Maduse is even coming to the Grand Ball? Then it’s a perfect opportunity to deal with him!”

One corner of Ilya’s mouth twisted upward. “That conniving man will surely be up to something. He wants me to send Evelyn to the neutral zone in the East. If he doesn’t trust himself, he suggests sending Black Forest Knights along with her, which is an absurd proposition.”

“East, Lord Basil?” Ilya chewed on his words until his lips bled.

“The primary aim is to unsettle Your Grace. The secondary reason might be the perverted old man in the East.”

“Why is that pervert involved?” Stas asked, his brows furrowed.

“Disturbing rumors are coming from the East. It’s said that Lord Basil has been buying up slaves in their early twenties, with blonde hair and emerald green eyes.”

In their early twenties, with blonde hair and emerald green eyes—the face of a confident woman immediately sprang to Ilya’s mind. He clenched his fist tightly at the thought.

“They say in the Eastern slave market, fair-haired women are becoming scarce,” he said.

“Only innocent women will suffer and die like that,” Stas nodded in agreement.

“I hope nothing like that happens, but… If Your Grace ever considers sending the mistress to the Eastern neutral zone, it seems you might hand her over to Lord Basil immediately.”

“Never will that happen,” Ilya declared.

Not long after returning from the war, Ilya had heard a similar story from Stas. At that time, she had felt a little embarrassed, but she had thought it was the fate of a woman born from Maduse’s blood. However, now… it felt like her whole body was boiling, blood coursing through her veins, ready to explode. She felt she might need to resort to violence against those two old men to relieve this rage.

“I’m not in my right mind right now,” Ilya pressed her fingers firmly against her temple.

“Why go down the difficult path when an easier one is right in front of you… Honestly, I still don’t understand,” Stas said. He couldn’t believe his lord was so enamored that he couldn’t let go of the enemy’s daughter. There was something he didn’t know between them.

Ilya chuckled self-deprecatingly. “I know I’m a lunatic, so don’t say anything.”

With a worried expression, Stas replied, “Your Grace, the movements of the visitors since the portrait incident have been unusual. I apologize for bringing this up, but…”

“I won’t hand over the Ducal seat to a lovesick lunatic, is that it?” Ilya interrupted.

“You are well aware,” Stas replied without needing to be prodded.

Not mentioning what wasn’t spoken was typical of Stas.

“Even if he’s a man madly in love with a woman, what if he performs well in his duties? Will there still be someone wagging their tongue?” Ilya asked.

“Well, for now, they won’t dare speak up against Your Grace out of fear,” Stas replied.

A smile played on the corners of Ilya’s mouth.

“Stas, I think it’s time to give Lord Madus a piece of our minds. What do you think?”

“The time has already passed,” Stas replied.

They looked at each other and chuckled.

“As expected, no one can outwit Lord Maduse. Thanks to him, I had a brilliant idea. We can give those old men a taste of their own medicine and find a way to appease the Duke’s discontent.”

“While you’re giving Lord Maduse a piece of your mind, I’ll have time to look for clues about the late Duke’s assassination,” Stas said, lifting his eyepatch with a mischievous grin.

“Your Grace, it’s your father-in-law’s birthday, after all. We can’t just sit idle,” he added.

A faint smile spread across Ilya’s face.

“Stas, what was Lord Madus’s seal?”

It was an unexpected question, but Stas responded without hesitation.

“It’s a priest wearing a blue robe.”

A sly smile crept onto Ilya’s lips.

“There are plenty of blue stones in Beningsan; it won’t be difficult. Summon the craftsmen and have them create a statue. Tell them to make it meticulously, as it’s a gift for Lord Maduse, and use the finest materials.”

Stas clapped his hands together and chuckled.

“That sounds like it’ll be a lot of fun, Your Grace.”

A little while later, Stas wore a contemplative expression.

“But to deliver the gift to Lord Maduse, someone would have to go to Acrid Castle in person, wouldn’t they? I’m worried about the safety of the messenger.”

“It’s not necessary to go all the way to Acrid Castle. Lord Maduse mentioned he wants to meet his daughter in the Eastern neutral zone,” Ilya replied with a sly grin. “And we have that fellow with us.”

Ah! Laughter burst out of Stas’s lips.

“I completely forgot about that. We’ve been keeping him locked up in the underground dungeon. He’s still… alive, isn’t he?”

Ilya picked up a neatly folded jacket from the nearby seat and put it on.

“You’ll have to go and see for yourself. Since we’re already talking about it, why don’t we go check right now?”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

The two of them immediately made their way to the underground dungeon.