The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 68

After crying her heart out in front of the sleeping Libe, Evelyn thought she had forgotten everything. But suddenly, it felt like something warm had surged from her heart as if a flame had shot up.

Startled by her own words, Evelyn hastily blurted out, “It’s not about the necklace your Highness gave me; I just…”

Ilya stared at Evelyn with an unreadable expression. “I understand; you don’t have to say anything more.”

In a voice heavy with resignation, Evelyn looked at the man before her. The features of his well-groomed face revealed nothing. Only the faint sadness in his ash-gray eyes and the subtle shadows under them hinted at something.

As he took a step forward, Evelyn instinctively reached out towards his eyes. But before her hand could touch his face, he lowered his head. It felt as if every hair on his body stood on end when his smooth forehead touched his shoulders.

“I didn’t know you would dislike the necklace so much,” he muttered, his warm breath tickling her shoulder.

“It’s not that,” Evelyn began, but he interrupted, “Just wait; stay like this for a moment.”

Today, seeing his strange behavior, Evelyn felt confused. ‘Why did I say those things just now? It’s not like I resent him, so why?  ‘

Evelyn thought there was something wrong with her lately. How long had she been like this? When he raised his head to look at her, the tender man from a moment ago disappeared, and he wore the face of the Duke of Ajauntice again. Evelyn breathed a sigh of relief internally.

“I received a message from the commander who left as an envoy. Odin Mados has sent you a gift. He hopes you’ll attend when the envoy returns.”

“Yes, I will.”

Evelyn looked down at the jewel box in her hand, her mouth curving up. Illya, noticing this unfamiliar sight of his wife, furrowed his brow.

***

The next day, Evelyn moved energetically. Whenever she had a moment to spare, she couldn’t help but think of Ilya leaning on her shoulders that night.

“He could have just said it’s beautiful and that he’ll cherish it. Why did he say such mean things?”

Ilya was a man far from delicate. Even though it was a necklace he remembered and gifted in the early days of their marriage, she hated the fact that she had said such things to him. Although it was directed at Ilya, it felt like she was the one getting hurt these past few days.

“The Red Spider Lily necklace and the one he gave me… What’s the connection? Why did I unleash my frustration on such a stern person?”

The eagle, which had been playing with Libe, stared at Evelyn with a strange look.

“Human, why are you like this these days?”

“I just have a lot on my mind. Don’t you ever have that, Mr. Eagle?”

The eagle thought for a moment about the unexpected question.

“Hmph, eagles don’t have trivial thoughts when hunting. We focus only on the prey.”

Evelyn just laughed at the confident words of the eagle. Memories associated with the word ‘hunting’ suddenly came to her mind, making her laugh even more.

When Pia, the illusionist, ventured into the Black Forest, she paired up with the elite knights of the Black Forest Order, roaming the woods and hunting beasts. At that moment, a thought crossed her mind—could she capture people just as she captured beasts? Returning to the ducal castle, her mind was so preoccupied that she had completely forgotten about the deep darkness of the illusion magic. Perhaps it could be a clue to the tightly sealed secrets of the dark illusion.

Evelyn stood by the door, briefly glancing at Arthur, who was guarded. In her mind, she pictured Arthur wielding a sword and moving.

“If a man with such a massive build charges forward, raising his sword, can I avoid it?”

The answer was that she could. Before the man’s sword split her into two, she could cast an illusion spell to bind him.

The problem was speed. Whether she could predict the opponent’s attack and unfold the illusion spell before being caught in a dilemma determined Evelyn’s life and death.

Now, she imagined multiple people attacking her simultaneously. A smile appeared on Evelyn’s lips. There was only one solution.

Create a scenario where allies fight each other. If she made her allies believe they were attacking each other, chaos would ensue.

The gruesome end of her imagination ultimately led to the Marquis Maduse. After her father’s death at his hands, she would leave the ducal castle, no longer a sinner in anyone’s eyes.

Evelyn wiped her chest. The area around where her heart would be felt was tingling. Seeing her heart still ache whenever she thought of Ilya, it seemed like she hadn’t completely lost herself. Evelyn let out a melancholic laugh.

Libe, frolicking around the room with the eagle, caught Evelyn’s eye. She lightly tapped her own cheek. For the sake of the child, she needed to regain her composure.

Marquis Maduse had not given up on her yet. Hatred and love—nothing in the world was more precious than her young son.

“A Thousand Days Red Ring. An item that manipulates someone to carry out my will.”

As a gift that would hasten the day of departure with Libe, Evelyn eagerly awaited the day the ring would grant her wish.

Time flowed like an arrow as the envoy that had left for the neutral zone in the east returned. Ilya summoned several high-ranking generals and clan members to the ducal castle. When they gathered after a long time, they formed small groups and whispered among themselves.

“Have you heard the rumors? His Grace suddenly passed away.”

“Careful with your words! It’s unlikely, but just the thought of a bloodbath sends shivers down my spine.”

Count Luten burst out, but then lowered his voice after scanning the surroundings. The wealthy Count Luton, who managed the upper echelons, had recently located his estranged daughter, who had gone missing. He wanted to avoid getting entangled in another troublesome matter.

“Tears of blood in the portrait, didn’t you hear? The entire empire is in turmoil!”

“He wasn’t the one to mess with unless you wanted trouble, even when he was alive.”

In the end, Count Luten’s voice rose. Unpleasant emotions played on his face. He was a born merchant, and although he didn’t know the details about the former Duke’s circumstances, meddling with the deceased only stirred up trouble for the stable reign of the current Duke.

“It’s not like there’s no one willing to do such things. If not the current Duke…”

Following his gaze, Lady Glen, adorned in a golden dress, appeared. She exchanged a knowing glance with Count Luten. After a light nod and a brief greeting, she turned her attention to the young man seated beside her. The two engaged in a cheerful conversation, appearing affectionate like a mother and son.

“Every time I see them, I can’t help but feel that Countess Edith is more like a son-in-law than a daughter.”

Countess Glen had a daughter, who, at the age of twenty, married Count Edith. After spending half of the year in the capital, Countess Edith returned to her territory, responding promptly to Ilya’s summons.

“His grace has partaken.”

Everyone stared at the entrance with tense faces. The heavy doors creaked open, and knights adorned with the conquest of the Black Forest entered in a single file. They split into two groups and surrounded the meeting room.

Thud, thud. Walking with the escort of the commander and high-ranking knights, Ilya entered the meeting room. The twin-headed eagle insignia on his shoulder gleamed ominously.

Ilya lightly bowed and took his seat at the head of the table. He scanned the attendees with sharp eyes.

“It’s been a while, everyone. I should have arranged such a meeting earlier, but with the aftermath to deal with, things got hectic.”

Everyone listened attentively to the Duke’s words with tense expressions.

“I called you here on the day the envoy to Marquis Maduse returned.”

The fact that Ilya sent a statue to Marquis Maduse with its head severed was already known to the gods. The gesture of filling the empty statue with gold to indicate the change in power during the war with the Tartars had also been widely spread.

As a distant rumbling echoed from outside the door, Ilya shouted, “Bring them in.”

The commander, clad in the conquest of the Black Forest, entered the meeting room with confident strides. Two Black Forest knights carrying a large sack followed him.

Kneeling with one knee on the ground, the commander bowed to Ilya, smoothly performing the gesture despite the absence of his right arm.

“Your Grace, the Deputy Commander of the Black Forest Knights, returns your greetings. He has just arrived after completing the envoy mission in the eastern neutral zone.”

“Thank you for your hard work. Well, then, is our esteemed Marquis Mados healthy?”

As Ilya teased, the commander chuckled.

“Your Grace, it seems the Marquis has aged quite gracefully… or perhaps, unfortunately, like a robust young man. Whether that’s unfortunate or fortunate, I’m not quite sure.”

The commander’s humor elicited laughter from the gods present, except for Lady Glen, who remained serious. As the atmosphere lightened, Ilya got to the main topic.

“Well, did Marquis Maduse receive the gift I prepared for him?”

“Of course, Your Grace. We even received a return gift.”

The commander turned his head, and the knights reversed the large sack they were carrying. Blood-red gems spilled onto the floor, creating a loud sound. The gods winced at the endless shower of gems.

“It’s a return gift for the Marquis’s son-in-law,” the commander explained with a wry smile.

Ilya smirked at the commander’s words. “The distribution is quite generous. I’m almost unsure how to express my gratitude properly.”

With a gesture from Ilya, the knights collected the gems and returned them to the pouches. It took quite a while to gather them all due to the abundance. Once the gems were cleared, the commander spoke again.

“Lastly, there is a gift from Lord Odin to his sister.”

The people in the meeting room stirred. Ilya whispered something to Stas, who was behind him. Seeing Stas leave the room, Ilya spoke again.

“I can’t possibly prevent Lord Odin from sending a gift to his sister. It seems to be a birthday present for my wife. It would be better to deliver it in person.”

Creak, the massive door of the meeting room opened, and a woman wearing a white veil entered with Stas escorting her.