The End of Your Arrogance - Chapter 83

Ilya escorted Evelyn to the guest house and then returned to his office. He paused momentarily in front of the guard stationed at his door. It had been a while since he’d seen this particular knight, and he acknowledged him with a nod.

“Sir Alphonse, it’s been a while. You’ve done well.”

“No, Your Highness. It’s all my fault,” Alphonse replied, his face serious. He had been under house arrest at Suzdal Castle for six months as punishment for smuggling Lady Luten into the Duke’s bedroom. After giving Alphonse a reassuring pat on the shoulder, Ilya entered his office. He had sat down at his desk no sooner than a knock sounded at the door.

“Come in.”

A guard approached quickly and stood before his desk. Ilya had instructed his elite guards to follow Countess Edith earlier at the Tower of Repentance.

“Did Countess Edith return to her quarters?”

“No, Your Highness. She left the tower and went directly to the Grand Duchess’s chambers. However, her behavior was odd.”

The guard hesitated before continuing, “She kept pacing back and forth from the third-floor staircase to the Grand Duchess’s room… and then she returned to her quarters.”

“How peculiar,” Ilya murmured, bemused by Yulie’s strange actions.

“Good work. You may go.”

As the guard exited, Ilya leaned back in his chair, deep in thought. He recalled what Naz had said when they opened the magic circle leading to the underground chamber of the Tower of Repentance to store the Mandrake.

“It’s still fascinating. A door that only opens with the blood of the Grand Duke of Ajauntice.”

“It might not just be the Grand Duke; it could be any of his bloodlines,” Ilya had replied.

Despite her foolishness, Yulie, Countess Edith, has undoubtedly carried Ajauntice’s blood. Ilya mused over whether Count Edith had ordered her to retrieve the Mandrake. Yet, such an obvious move didn’t align with the cunning Count’s nature.

If the Mandrake stored beneath the Tower of Repentance disappeared, both Countess Edith and her mother-in-law would be prime suspects. This obvious risk kept them from acting.

Ilya tapped his fingers on the desk, the rhythmic sound echoing his train of thought. Yulie had visited the Tower of Repentance with Evelyn earlier that day. And then, that same night, she was lurking at the tower’s entrance alone, without even a maid.

“She’s looking for something in the Tower of Repentance. But what, besides the Mandrake, could it be? I should ease the security around the tower.”

A knock at the door interrupted his thoughts.

“Come in.”

Naz and Stas entered, their faces filled with questions, making Ilya chuckle. It seemed Rene had contacted them after Lady Luten left the Magic Tower. Ilya rose from his desk and approached the sofa to greet them.

“Have a seat,” Ilya said, settling down first. The other two followed suit, sitting across from him.

“As you probably heard from Rene, Lady Luten has returned,” Ilya began.

“Has she regained her memory completely?” Naz asked, leaning forward.

“Not entirely,” Ilya replied, shaking his head. “She remembers everything except for the time she was kidnapped.”

“That’s unfortunate,” Stas murmured, his disappointment evident. “That’s the most crucial part.”

After a moment, Stas squinted at Ilya and asked, “I heard there were issues with the drug the kidnappers gave Lady Luten. Is that true?”

“It is,” Ilya confirmed. “It’s a substance I’ve never encountered before.”

Ilya paused, searching for the right words to describe the situation. “According to Lady Luten, it’s a drug that stimulates the deepest, most hidden desires within a person.”

“That sounds absurd. She needs treatment for the aftereffects of the kidnapping, not to be here,” Stas responded practically, though he chuckled at his naivety.

“Commander, we ventured into the Black Forest to retrieve the Mandrake. Who can say with certainty that such a drug doesn’t exist?” Stas retorted, reminding them of the extraordinary measures they’d taken in the past.

As the two debated the drug’s legitimacy, Ilya pondered deeply. He didn’t fully believe Lady Luten’s account, but he couldn’t ignore it either, especially her final words that lingered in his mind.

She had spoken of the unbearable pain when one couldn’t obtain what they desperately desire, or worse when they give up on it. She described the agony as something that twisted not just her limbs but her very insides.

Ilya thought back to his brother’s end. He hadn’t witnessed it firsthand, but he’d heard the stories: how his brother had died coughing up blood amidst excruciating convulsions that struck without warning.

“Desperate desires…” Ilya mused aloud. Could a man born with everything except good health truly have such desires?

He shook his head, recalling his brother’s face, always ready to leave everything behind. Whatever his brother had wanted, Ilya now had his mountainous responsibilities as the Grand Duke. Looking back at the two men, Ilya posed another question.

“About that drug Lady Luten mentioned. If the kidnappers used it, it might already be circulating.”

“Not openly, but it could be found in the underworld,” Naz speculated.

“If by ‘underworld’ you mean Count Edith’s domain, it will be difficult to track. Even Lord Loren failed to plant spies there,” Stas added.

Ilya was well aware of this. It was precisely why he had invited his cousin, Countess Edith, to the Grand Duchy on a flimsy pretext.

“Count Edith’s territory is quite interesting. Since the cathedral explosion, the shadows coexist with the light,” Ilya remarked.

The explosion at the cathedral had split Count Edith’s lands, creating a unique blend of openness and secrecy.

At that time, Countess Glenn, who had been the Grand Duchess, took charge of relief efforts in place of the Grand Duke, who had lost his mind to love. Pouring in her wealth inherited from her imperial mother, she became a saint to her people, providing meals and medical care from a humble tent. This spot is now the largest medicinal market in the empire.

However, where there is light, there is also darkness. Those who had thrived on the tourism brought by the Grand Cathedral were left destitute after the explosion. Forced to abandon their homes, they left behind the largest brothel in the northwest in their wake, and the Grand Cathedral became known as the Abandoned Cathedral.

“I want to place some spies in the underworld of Count Edith’s domain,” Ilya stated.

Naz’s eyes widened. “In the brothel?”

“If that strange drug is circulating, it’s bound to be there,” Ilya replied.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll find someone suitable to send,” Naz reluctantly agreed.

Stas interjected, “I heard Rene has a contact doing business there.”

“Whether a contact or an informant, that’s good news. Ask Rene to assist,” Ilya ordered.

“Understood, Your Highness,” Stas acknowledged.

With Count Edith’s domain settled, Ilya turned to a question that had been on his mind for a while.

“When did Sir Alphonse return? His probation was supposed to be six months.”

Seeing Ilya’s puzzled expression, Naz’s eyebrow twitched. “Sir Alphonse’s father, Count Alphonse, pressured the deputy commander so much that we brought him back early. That insolent brat still annoys me, but he’s part of the elite guard, so what can we do?”

Ilya, feeling a bit guilty, chuckled and changed the subject. “I was busy and forgot. It’s not like I was almost assassinated… good work.”

Naz narrowed his eyes, watching him closely, so Ilya played it off. “Isn’t the morning schedule to observe the training of the apprentice knights? Let’s have breakfast together and head to the training grounds.”

The three men hurried out of the office as the morning sun rose.

*****

Yulie, who had returned to her room at dawn, woke up late. She didn’t want to get up and lingered in bed.

“I told you not to act like a child.”

Startled by the cold voice, Yulie peeked out from under the covers to see the scowling face of her mother, Countess Glenn. Yulie froze.

“M-Mother.”

“Do you recognize me as your mother? I thought you’d forgotten, given how you ignored my words. You dodged the head maid and ran away! Did I have to come here myself?”

Countess Glenn shouted at Yulie’s maids, standing nervously by the door.

“What are you doing, just standing there?”

The maids scattered in fear. Soon, one returned with a basin of water and a soft towel to wash Yulie’s face and hands. Another maid brushed her mane-like hair, while others lined up with dresses and accessories.

Yulie felt suffocated just looking at the dresses and accessories and bowed her head. Countess Glenn watched the maids help her daughter dress with a cold gaze. Once the preparations were complete, she dismissed them, leaving a heavy silence in the room. Countess Glenn broke it with a question.

“What did your husband say before you came here?”

“He said I didn’t have to do anything, just to have fun with Evelyn Maduse,” Yulie replied.

Countess Glenn’s face flashed with disdain for her daughter. “Did Count Edith truly say that?”

The night before she left for the Grand Duchy, Yulie recalled her husband’s words. She blushed, remembering how he had hugged her tenderly, not wanting to part.

“My lady, as you carry Ajauntice’s blood, you should be able to enter the underground chamber of the Tower of Repentance. There’s something I need you to find there.”

He had mentioned looking for a beast’s horn. When Yulie had asked if it was a deer’s antler, he had laughed and shaken his head.

“He said he lost the horn of the first beast he ever hunted and wants me to find it,” she explained.

Countess Glenn, absently touching her collarbone, asked, “How do you plan to find it? Entering the Tower of Repentance won’t be easy.”

“He said he’d make sure there were no watching eyes… then I could enter easily,” Yulie murmured.

Her husband had planned to lure Ilya out of the Grand Duchy temporarily. If Ilya left the castle for a few days, the task would be much simpler.

“Hmm, if my son-in-law needs something, I can’t just stand by,” Countess Glenn said, her eyes glinting with renewed purpose for the first time in a long while.