“Mmm.” Catherine wasn’t sure where she was or what she was doing, but Rashid was as vivid as the fact that he was himself. Even when she tried to push him away, the shoulders she was grasping didn’t budge.
Her chin slightly trembled from the thrilling sensation that seemed to swallow up everything inside her.
This couldn’t go on. Catherine couldn’t handle this anymore. While she stood on her two feet, she felt suffocated by the never-ending sensation of being drawn in.
Yet, she couldn’t resist pushing him away until the moment her exhausted head was about to hit the wall behind her. “Ah.”
However, there was no pain as she expected. As if finding solace in Rashid’s palm, which touched her head softly instead of cold marble, a warm breath burst out. “Hah!”
She pretended as if she couldn’t see anything. When was the last time she saw him? For me, it was an unbearable heat, but for Rashid, it seemed to be a level of intensity that wouldn’t drive him insane. The thought of how much hotter it would be if he truly lost control made my spine shiver. “…Your, Your Highness.” “Katherine.” Rashid’s thumb slowly grazed my lips. It seemed that he also realized where we were. Whew. Red eyes, as if forcibly holding back a flame, fell from my eyes, and his hand naturally supported my arm. “Don’t expect too much next time.” “N-next time?!” Unbelievable. It couldn’t be. I jerked my head back, but my disheveled hair somehow got caught in his hand. Shh. As the footsteps of the people outside the mansion roared nearby, Rashid’s delicate gesture pushed my hair behind my ear. “Well… Then, let me do it next time.”
◇ ◆ ◇
“How dare you?” Lania’s anger had been circling in the same place for hours. She didn’t care about Rebecca, who had fallen to the ground.
Until Ronin entered without making a sound and removed his robe, she incessantly berated him. “Please calm down, My Lady.”
“How dare you come here on your own? What if someone sees you?”
“Who would see us, my Lady? There hasn’t been a rat near the Emperor’s vicinity for a while.”
“What did you say?” Lania’s anger intensified, but the reality remained. She would instinctively know whether there was someone around or not. Whether it was nobles or servants, for whatever reason, no one could approach this vicinity. “It’s unbelievable. How could this happen?”
“…”
“It must be the ring, Rebecca. Unless it’s not spinning by itself, she would have thrown it into the lake!”
“S-sister, I…”
“Shut up!”
Lania threw the diamond ring aside in frustration. Rebecca flinched and trembled, but she was clearly lacking in capturing her sister’s attention.
“She must have used some trick! Otherwise, how could the ring that fell into the lake end up here?”
“That’s right.”
“Perhaps she used magic? If she has that kind of power…”
“Have you forgotten? When I first cursed the Duchess, I confirmed that she had no power at all.”
Lania flinched at Ronin’s words. Wasn’t she there too? If there had been any kind of power in the first place, they wouldn’t have placed the Duchess in that position, even to prevent an aftermath. That’s why this had reached such an insane level.
“So, why did this happen now? Whether you knew it beforehand or intentionally caused it, there must be something!”
“My Lady.”
“It can’t be just you but His Majesty wouldn’t have helped…”
Unbelievable.
Lania shook her head vigorously, as if she didn’t even want to think about it. Just as she sincerely believed that she had no intention of relying on that mischievous Catherine.
“Even if I accused her of doing something like that, there’s no other evidence. Without you, Ronin, there’s no evidence at all.”
“That’s precisely the power of dark magic. Unless I reveal myself and use dark magic.”
Ronin confidently raised his hand, and the black aura that hovered at its tip spread in all directions, and his body shook like mist. Unlike others, he was not a promising successor to the Mage Tower. If he had to hide at least one part of his body, it would have made him laugh out loud.
“Even if they discover me, the palace’s sorcerers or anyone else will never be able to capture me. If they could restrain me to that extent…”
“Shut up. Are you bragging now when you have nothing to do?”
“…”
“We need to find out. What tricks did she use? If it wasn’t magic, then what method did she employ?”
Lania glared fiercely at Ronin and approached him with determined steps.
“If it continues like this, it’s all over! Don’t you know what kind of creatures the nobles are? Since that woman has gained power, those people will quickly flock to her and bow their heads.”
“…”
“She pretended to be innocent, holding onto that little swan, and now she’s striking me from behind.”
Letting out a bitter laugh, Lania tightly clenched the hem of her extravagant dress. Not only did Catherine take away her authority today, but the thought of Rashid’s gaze upon her ignited her anger, causing her blood to boil.
“Your Majesty came to find the princess. How could he be enchanted by such a person? Your Majesty has no reason to do such a thing.”
Wait. Lania, who was about to unleash all her anger, stopped in her tracks. Since when had Catherine been carrying around that swan as if she was her child?
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