CH 76

Yulif slightly bowed his head as if in silence. It was an ambiguous attitude, neither positive nor negative. Then he turned around as if the task was over.

Deltinus’s face flushed red at the attitude of treating his subordinates and the plasticity of Yulif’s instantaneous expression.

“Answer me, Duke Rubius! I asked if you dare intimidate me!”

“I just do what I have to do. If I do not take care of the unsavory things that happen on my estate, my castle, who will take care of it?”

“They tried to harm the Emperor, so they are traitors, not ordinary criminals. And the first name that came out of the rebels’ mouths was Duke Rubius!”

“They had brainwashing magic. It’s a fact known not only to Your Majesty, but to all who remain here, that the name that came out of its mouth has changed when the spell is dispelled.”

“It is impossible to rule out the possibility that the duke may have cast a new spell while pretending to cast a spell. I will investigate this case myself.”

“It sounds like you’re telling me to be a traitor.”

“Of course not. I know the Duke’s loyalty. However, it means that it is difficult to ignore the testimony. I’m sorry to have to say that, Duke.”

Yulif turned his body towards Deltinus and stretched out his arm. Deltinus knew for a moment that he was heading towards him and took a step back. One corner of Yulif’s lips twisted. His outstretched hand caught one of the five remaining intruders.

Yulif grabbed the man’s neck and pushed it towards Deltinus. The man was blocked by the shield, unable to advance further and began to be terribly crushed.

“Ugh, uh…!”

“Who gave you orders?”

“Duke Rubi… us.”

Look at that. Deltinus snorted. Unless Yulif could solve the brainwashing magic, the answer would be the same even if he asked thousands of times. Even if he did solve the brainwashing magic, they will lose their life the moment they put the emperor in their mouth, not the duke’s. Wasn’t it a great honor to use it for the emperor when it’s a humble life?

“Look straight ahead.”

With the protective shield in between, Deltinus and the man’s eyes met. He looked at Deltinus with earnest eyes like a man begging. Please, Your Majesty. Please save me. Despite the silent cry, Deltinus only smiled coldly and had no intention of saving the man.

“I look a lot like His Majesty. It’s hard to tell just by looking at them. Are you sure you are mistaking the person who gave the order?”

“You’re going too far, Duke!”

Deltinus’ shout echoed through the hall. The imperial guards, who had been pressed by Yulif’s momentum to deal with the assailants, came running in surprise. They surrounded Yulif and drew their swords and aimed them.

“I tried to think of the duke whose wedding was ruined, but his reckless words and deeds continue without knowing the end.”

“I see. Your Majesty thought of me, so I’ll step aside now.”

Yulif laid down the man with his half-faced man smashed into the shield. And the shield that had imprisoned Deltinus was also removed.

“Please pass on this man to the Imperial Guards now.”

“Where is the guarantee that the duke won’t hurt me? As the duke said, this is the duke’s estate and the duke’s castle.”

“Your Majesty knows better than anyone. As long as I have the shackles of the oath, I will never harm Your Majesty.”

Deltinus looked around him.

The eyes of the nobles staring at him were never favorable. Tired of the sudden attack, they did not want to see the battle between the emperor and the duke. He just thought that he wanted to end the chaos as soon as possible and plan a way for each of them to live.

Yulif knew that and withdrew from the proper place. While giving the grounds that he could never be a traitor.

And suddenly, Yulif’s enlisted men around the hall were quite intimidating. Judging from the movement when dealing with the assailants, they were using a considerable level of swordsmanship. Many wizards were also a burden. If Deltinus fights here, he’ll have very little chance of winning.

After making his decision, Deltinus raised his hand and lowered it. The bodyguards withdrew their swords.

“It must have been when the shackles were firmly attached to the Duke’s neck.”

“If you want to return to the Imperial Palace, I will help you.”

“I am mentally traumatized and plan to recuperate in Pionia for the time being. Lucian, you are welcome too. I’d rather be with you.”

“Mo-mother…”

“The Empress must be uncomfortable with me. It’s rather good for the empress. I will be locked in the room so that I won’t get in the way, so the Empress is free to do whatever she wants, whether it’s a conspiracy with the Duke.”

Estella, who suddenly became the target of Deltinus’ wrath, showed no reaction other than politely bowing her head. Deltinus turned his head away with a tired expression on his face.

“Bring Her Majesty the Empress and His Highness the Crown Prince to the lodgings prepared for them.”

“Yes.”

The wizard, who received Yulif’s orders, took the lead, followed by Deltinus and Lucian surrounded by the bodyguards. While almost being dragged by Deltinus, Lucian looked back several times. His mother was so worried about him being left alone.

Yulif saw Estella talking to Count Enderk, and looked around the hall and said,

“My men will guide you to each room. Please take a break and think about the compensation you want.”

*******

“Maybe you were too harsh…?”

Derek looked at Yulif’s eyes. Yulif held his forehead with his interlaced hands and closed his eyes. Being immersed in the darkness, it was difficult to see Yulif’s expression.

In Derek’s mind, the wizard Yulif dealt with in front of Deltinus in the Great Hall came to mind.

Derek, who had been a close assistant to Yulif for a long time like Roana, had never seen Yulife so emotional in public.

Yulif was a rational person who valued efficiency as the highest value. He used magic because it saved time and resources, but he didn’t want to show off his skills.

However, Yulif in the hall today felt anger and agitation. It wasn’t Yulif’s intentional display of things, but the things that filled him and overflowed without being able to contain them any more.

Yulif deliberately killed the assailant in front of the nobles and stepped on his head. He even threatened the emperor by using the intruder. He was too exaggerated to get rid of the accusation of treason. If he had been the usual Yulif, he would not have shown it to the people, even though he would inflict brutal torture on the assailants.

It was as if he was trying to impress on people how powerful he was and how ruthless he was.

*******

“His Majesty seems very angry because things didn’t go as planned. He seems to have been stimulated a lot in the hall, so he is destroying things in the room.”

“Leave him to destroy anything but not to kill people.”

“All right. This is a list of compensation our guests want.”

“Give more than they want so they don’t make other noises later.”

“Yes, well, it’s not that difficult… Can’t you see?”

Yulif nodded his head. Derek quietly folded the paperwork with the list of rewards and put it in his pocket.

On the way, he thought he was lucky to hear from Roana that she would take care of herself if he gets caught wrong today and his neck will not be intact. If it weren’t for her, his own neck would have been rolling on the floor by now for violating Yulif’s heart.

“Is the emperor quietly locked up in his room?”

“Yes. As you instructed, it is the farthest from Canaren’s room. There is no chance that the two of them will meet by chance.”

Upon hearing the name of Canaren, Yulif opened his eyes. The sound of her mournful cries lingered in his ears. He wanted to avoid it even by plucking his ears.

However, he couldn’t avoid it by tearing off his ears, and he couldn’t either. Because it was a punishment she gave to Yulif.

Though locked in his room now, Deltinus would not stand still. Not returning to the palace meant that there was still work to be done in Pionia. Now that things had come to this point, he would try to meet Canaren somehow. And he would hurt her. To her who was already in a mess because of him.

“Are there many people who will feel uncomfortable if the Emperor remains here?”

Derek nodded his head coldly. The manpower required to monitor the Deltinus was also overwhelming, and all the items he smashed were expensive, so they shed tears every time they received a report.

As if Yulif had hardened his heart, he stood up slowly.

“I’ll let him go back before dawn tomorrow.”

*******

At dawn, the day after the wedding, Deltinus really left Pionia and returned to the Imperial Palace, just as Yulif said. Externally, he said that he would go to the palace for safety reasons, as he did not know when other intruders might invade, but it was a reason far from the truth.

There was no reason for Deltinus to remain in Pionia because all the remaining intruders who were imprisoned in the dungeon of the ducal castle had died.

‘What the hell are you up to?’

*******

Deltinus thought that Yulif would dispel the magic that he had placed on the assailants and get the statement to drive himself. But Yulif did nothing and killed them. Even knowing that Deltinus ordered the raid.

What greeted the imperial guards, who had gone to prison to destroy evidence, was their horribly dead bodies. Some of the guards did not show good expressions as they reported being shocked. It was a warning that Yulif left for Deltinus.

‘I’m sure he’s not trying to cover up the truth.’

‘The other side knows all of this side’s hand, but this side doesn’t know the other side’s.’

‘I have one card in my hand… I wonder how much it’ll work.’

There was one piece of information that a spy who had sneaked into the guest procession and entered Pionia recently bought it. Deltinus shook his head as he recalled the information.

The image of Canaren shining brightly in a wedding dress she saw in the Great Hall yesterday shimmered in front of her eyes. Deltinus lost his appetite.

‘I can’t give up. I will put the beautiful bird in my arms.’

‘If you can’t force the bird out of the cage, you can induce it to escape on its own.’