CH 98

“Mary!”

As soon as I got to the ground, Astina ran to me and hugged me. Her voice was so moist, perhaps surprised by my disappearance. I patted Astina on the shoulder and soothed her. She seemed very surprised to see me kidnapped for the first time. If it were the original story, she would have been kidnapped by me once.

Next to Astina, my three brothers looked at me with worried eyes. Come to think of it, the three brothers liked Astina more than me in the original story so I thought it would be better if Astina was their sister. Even Aiden likes Astina.

As I was looking back on the original story and being pessimistic about my situation, Astina was holding me so desperately tight, and my three brothers’ expressions looked so miserable. So I decided to put off worrying about the original for a while. I need to soothe them.

“I’m fine, really.”

“I wanted to go where you were, but I couldn’t because I had to take care of the guests.”

“Yes, even though I was kidnapped, I feel safe thanks to my brothers…”

“Mary!”

Gilbert or Aiden would have understood what I had said as a joke to lighten the mood, but Theodore was so upset that I felt embarrassed for no reason.

Theodore yanked me from Astina’s arms, grabbed my shoulder, and looked me in the eyes.

“No, please don’t say that.”

“Yeah… I was just kidding.”

“There’s another thing to joke about.”

Gilbert agreed with Theodore. Aiden also  gave a nod in agreement. Okay, the three brothers need to stick together.

With a serious expression, Theodore fiddled with the bracelet on my wrist. Similar to the man’s earlier touch, but less offensive.

Yeah, that’s a given.

“Should we make one of these crystals as well?”

Theodore’s touch is tinged with anxiety.

As I stared at my wrist, I thought to myself, “I can’t believe this bracelet Rex gave me can track location. It’s kind of like a missing child tag.”

“Let’s create protective magic three times greater like father.”

When Theodore said this, his expression was very serious.

I had the unsettling impression that I might wear a genuine anti-missing necklace next time.

—

Demimore’s expression was not good as he looked at Mary from behind. Looking at his master, Jasper sighed softly.

‘Even though he grabbed the sword, things turned out simpler than I had anticipated.’

It was shameful to feel this, but he couldn’t help but experience this strange regret.

“Are you not going to talk to her?”

“She seems fine.”

“Your facial expression diverges greatly from what you are saying.”

“Mary would not want to speak to me at this time.”

Just in time, Theodore was talking about something while examining the bracelet on Mary’s wrist—yes, the bracelet that Rex Bluea gave Mary—while he was saying that, Demimore was standing still and staring at Mary.

Rex Bluea abruptly rose to speak and declared he could pinpoint Mary’s location shortly after Grand Duke Estin announced the search after claiming Mary was still inside the castle. As a birthday gift, he gave Mary a bracelet that contained some of his magic, and when he checked the scale, he noted that Mary was standing atop Conler’s castle tower.

Grand Duke Estin, Lucas, and Rex left the banquet hall as soon as they heard that. Gilbert, Aiden, and Theodore remained to allow the banquet hall attendees to leave for their homes. Demimore was powerless in the situation.

Astina, a friend of Mary’s from the orphanage, ran to her as soon as she arrived, hugged her, and started crying.

“You must be angry.”

“What?”

“There’s nothing you can do for Mary.”

Jasper, however, is familiar with Demimore. Demimore clenched his fist. He was aware that Jasper was constantly pushing him to become more ambitious. Demimore, however, did not give in easily.

Demimore felt at ease giving up. And that also entails relinquishing his right to succeed to the throne. He had no intention of taking it as long as his brother Cameron, who was greedy and drooling over it, was there. For him, it was sufficient to spend his entire life with his lovely and devoted mother. He therefore despised Cameron’s efforts to restrain him. He deliberately gave up everything while maintaining his lack of greed.

“Yes, I need to be resilient.”

‘Because only strong people can protect my fiance.’

***

“God of the underworld?”

Logan joined Lucas and Estin in Estin’s office. Logan expressed his disapproval of what he had just heard. God of the underworld was a concept he was unfamiliar with. Perhaps they’re referring to the king.

“There is a king.”

“Yes, of the ‘world’.”

“You do a lot of things.”

“I’m not sure of the precise name, but I’m certain that a king is in charge. If there are those who require darkness, they step forward. However, this is the first time I’ve heard that they serve a separate god.”

“Is the power of darkness similar to the blessing of a demon?”

“I’m also considering that, but the Grand Duke’s order for the Empire only extends to land.”

Estin shut his eyes in response to Logan’s words. He was indeed very busy making sure the land was in order. It was obvious that the imperial emperor had no knowledge of the underworld. Should he be happy that Logan Reilly, who has a strong understanding of the underworld, is Mary’s tutor in that regard?

“But how exactly does Logan know that?”

Lucas, along with Estin, who were suspicious of Logan’s information, questioned Logan, who was ranked second in the academy and applied to become Mary’s tutor.

“I had a hard time collecting actual cases as well, but I was interested in that, so I read and studied the literature.”

“Why did a person so preoccupied with researching the underworld decide to become a tutor?”

Logan is still under Lucas’ suspicion. Estin did nothing but silently observe the verbal combat between the two.

“First off, I apologize.”

“What?”

Logan’s sudden apology left Lucas perplexed for a moment, and he then developed a wary expression. Logan’s apology caused Grand Duke Estin, whose expression remained unchanged, to raise an eyebrow as well.

“I made the decision to work as a tutor for the Grand Duke because I was fascinated by Master Rex Bluea’s power and believed that the underworld was connected to it.”

“You mean there was a dishonest intention?”

“What have you discovered about Rex’s power, then?”

“Grand Duke!”

Lucas yelled at Estin, who was acting friendly, despite Logan’s admission that he had an intention when he entered the Grand Duchy.

“Ah, I know. Lucas, be calm.”

“Yes, please relax.”

“How can I relax at this moment?”

“Just listen to the story.”

“Yes, let’s hear the story first.”

Lucas was perplexed by the two people who consoled him, but he remained silent for the time being. He immediately wanted to open the door and leave, but he made the decision to hear what he had to say instead.

“With the blessings of the demons and the power of the underworld, Young Master Rex is an unusual case.”

“Did Morgan visit the underworld?”

“You don’t really know your brother. Even though the Duke of Bluea is a very ambitious man, he won’t use underworld influence to dirty his hands.”

That’s right.

Yes, that noble man is incapable of doing that. The logical statement received a nod from Grand Duke Estin. He was able to observe how hard Logan had worked on his research by the fact that he even knew Morgan’s nature.

But Lucas, who was quietly observing their conversation, had a thought. What’s the difference between keeping a dark-haired concubine and borrowing underworld power for an heir? Then discard them if they do not have his desired hair color or ability. Despite coming from the same family, he is truly awful.

“Then it’s Rex’s mother’s side, I suppose.”

“Yes, unfortunately, I couldn’t hear the story properly because she died; in fact, I entered the Grand Duchy to get closer to Master Rex; but the fact that Miss Mary met the God of the Underworld…… It’s quite unexpected for me, too.”

Logan grew increasingly interested. He appeared to be very pleased to have discovered a lead for his investigation. Lucas was therefore a little bit miffed. Mary is in a very dangerous situation, but he still has that appearance.

“So I’m going to stay with Miss Mary and find out why she met the underworld god. I want to be your strength.”

“How can I trust you?”

Estin responded with a question this time. Lucas was even more taken aback by Estin’s response as he kept nodding in agreement with Logan’s words. Logan was adamant, though.

“You don’t trust me.”

“Yes, I don’t trust you; how do you know about the underworld’s visitors?”

“It’s a probability. They look for the weak and desperate.”

“A desperate and weak person…….”

Estin believed that Logan’s “desperate and weak” personality would fit Rex’s mother, whom he had never met in person. She must have been fighting like hell to keep her child safe.

Everything Logan said made sense, but the more it fit the situation, the more suspicious it seemed. Why is he so fixated on the underworld?

“I have to tell you my story now in order to sail with the Grand Duke on the same ship.”

“Same ship.”

“My loved one has been to the underworld as well.”