The Grand Duchess Escape

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“You should have gratefully accepted it and lived as if you were dead.”

Even in her immobilized state, Asella recalled the dream she had a few days ago. The image of the man standing in front of the door engraved with Karma’s crest was vivid in her mind.

“You must have figured out who killed Adele, right? Isn’t that so?”

Asella froze for a moment. Her eyes lost focus and darted around.

Suddenly, a realization struck her forcefully like a thunderbolt.

“As you suspected, I am the head of Karma.”

Overwhelmed by an approaching terror, Asella’s body convulsed involuntarily.

‘…Be careful of Benvito…’

Be careful of Calix Benvito.

Her mother’s warning resurfaced vividly in her mind. However, her dying body did not grant her any more time. The spreading poison finally stifled Asella’s rapid breaths.

“You don’t have Adele’s abilities, so I even considered sparing your life, unlike hers..”

The cruel words from the man reached her still-functioning ears.

His chilling and merciless red eyes were fixed on her.

“But my mind has changed.”

Her struggling body collapsed to the ground. Her slow breathing gradually subsided. With only her blue irises trembling pitifully, her immobile limbs remained unresponsive.

Calix leaned over her, whispering gently.

“The Chartus bloodline must be completely eliminated.”

  *   *   *

“Your Highness… Your Highness…!”

Asella woke from her sleep at the worried voice of someone.

The anxious face of a coachman appeared before her. The evening sky was already ablaze with a crimson sunset. The group that had been engaged in lively conversation seemed to have already departed.

“We must return to the castle now. You are running quite late.”

She didn’t know how she had managed to get on the carriage in her dazed state. As Asella watched Mariel sleeping on the sofa across from her, she gently placed her hand on her left chest. Her heart was still pounding.

‘He… He tried to poison me.’

It was a dream too vivid to dismiss as a nightmare. It felt like a warning, cautioning her to be wary of her increasingly unsettled mind. She shivered with a mix of anxiety and fear, as a cold chill ran down her spine.

Hiding her trembling fingers within her sleeves, Asella tightly closed her eyes.

 *   *   *

The Grand Duke’s office was so silent that not even a breath could be heard.

Ryzen discreetly glanced around, observing his master’s demeanor. On the surface, his expression appeared dry and unremarkable, but that was far from the truth. There was an intense murderous aura emanating from him, so fierce that one wouldn’t dare to approach or speak.

It was a scene reminiscent of standing in the midst of a battlefield, with a lingering stench of blood.

‘I can only blame my bad luck.’

Moments ago, there had been a report from Karma. It was about the guards who had gone to escort the Grand Duchess on her outing to the town, following Calix’s orders.

As soon as the magical image projection device opened, Ryzen caught a glimpse of the Grand Duchess conversing with her sister. If only that had been the end of it… However, another person appeared, causing a problem.

‘We’re in trouble.’

That was the thought that crossed Ryzen’s mind as soon as he saw the man in the magic projector.

***

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