Let the Whales Fight, This Shrimp is Leaving! - Chapter 47
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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When I stepped into the vast hall, a servant pressed flat against the wall flinched in surprise and bowed his head deeply.
“G-Grand Duchess! You have returned.”
“What is going on?”
When I demanded an answer immediately, the servant confessed the situation in a voice that was nearly weeping.
Joaquin Perez had actually dared to throw a violent tantrum inside the Main Building.
My blood boiled instantly.
Perhaps because my body temperature had already turned icy cold, the heat rushing to my head felt even more intense.
‘That son of a bitch.’
I squeezed my eyes shut, letting out a hollow laugh.
Habit must have already taken over, because even in a situation like this, the corners of my mouth twisted upward into a smirk.
“There is a horse outside. Will you look after it?”
“Yes. Of course, My Lady.”
“Thank you.”
I cleared my throat as much as possible to speak to the servant in a calm tone about what was needed, then told Deyan, who was following behind me, to wait here.
Thus, I climbed the stairs alone, my steps quickening with every stride.
But I could not even make it halfway up.
“Your Highness!”
For an familiar voice echoed down.
Reflexively, my steps ground to a halt.
That was unmistakably the butler’s voice.
Throughout all his time working at this mansion, he had never once raised his voice.
So why was he shouting in such a desperate tone?
A sharp foreboding wrapped around me that something had gone terribly wrong.
An alarm blared frantically inside my mind.
As if paralyzed by fear, my feet clung to the floor and refused to budge.
No, I was the one refusing to move.
I was terrified to confirm what exactly was unfolding up there.
It felt as though everything I had worked so hard to build was about to crumble away.
I tried to dismiss it as mere emotion. Because my person had died right before my eyes. Because I had accompanied the enemy who killed my person under the pretext of having no choice.
Because of that, I tried to convince myself that my heart was simply worn down, but…
“The fragile Grand Duchess must have been utterly heartbroken all this time?”
As if mocking my efforts, Joaquin’s voice pierced cleanly through my eardrums.
“Her mother is dead, her father is mad.”
Unable to bear it, I squeezed my eyes shut and snapped them open again.
“And her only remaining sibling is said to be ill.”
Ah. You are truly intent on dragging me down to my absolute rock bottom.
“In truth, has the young master also lost his mind rather than suffering from a chronic illness? Or is he already a corpse?”
A bizarre sense of euphoria seeped from Joaquin Perez’s voice as it drifted down the stairs.
As I chewed over the intent behind his words, a firm resolution finally crystallized within me.
‘Fine, let us kill him.’
The Cordi Kingdom would certainly protest, but considering his usual conduct, disguising it as a plausible accident would not be too difficult.
What did it matter if it escalated into a diplomatic issue?
What did it matter if Cordi held me responsible for Joaquin’s death?
If only I could quench this burning rage right now by killing a man who deserved to die.
After that, I felt like I could return to my usual self.
‘After all, that man was the root cause of almost every single problem.’
Yes, in fact, if only he vanished, a great many problems would be resolved.
How Joaquin had come to suspect Deyan’s Demon Contract, and the true identity of the Holy Relic.
Their collusion with the Temple and whatever hidden motives they harbored.
The volatile situation where war could erupt at any given second.
If only this single trigger named Joaquin Perez was dealt with…
“You will not need to step back. I believe the Grand Duchess will want to have a very long conversation with me now.”
“Sigh.”
My head dropped forward.
The silver blade of the sword hanging from my belt gleamed like a jewel.
The reflected light felt exceptionally cold today.
“Am I right, Grand Duchess?”
‘I am so exhausted.’
With hands stiffened from the cold, I gripped the handle of the Dagger.
‘Let us just resolve this matter and rest quickly.’
Yes, let us get some rest today.
My reason had been paralyzed, its warmth stolen away by the rainwater.
Splat.
The instant the sound of my rain-soaked boots frictioning against the stairs echoed miserably.
A hot hand was placed on my frozen shoulder.
“You…!”
Simultaneously, a massive dark shadow surged past me as if springing forward.
“How did you—argh!”
It all happened in a flash.
The dark shadow pounced on Joaquin.
The sword Giselle had been leveling at his neck snapped in two and rolled across the floor.
Having trained to maintain her composure for a long time, she looked back at me with eyes full of confusion, then hastily rushed down the stairs.
“Grand Duchess. Are you alright?”
Giselle grabbed my waist to support me.
Only then did I realize that my body had collapsed.
“Ah! Argh, ugh! Get off me…!”
I could see Joaquin’s flailing feet.
Deyan, who had mounted his body, rained down fists without a moment’s pause.
Thud. Thwack. The sounds of bone colliding with flesh were chilling.
Everything felt surreal.
Leaning half my weight against Giselle, I sank to the floor, blankly watching the violence unfolding above.
Deyan did not make a single sound; he simply beat Joaquin within an inch of his life.
At some point, Joaquin’s legs went completely limp, no longer even capable of groaning.
“S-Stop this instant!”
Just then, an unfamiliar voice bellowed in a panic, and someone rushed toward Deyan, clinging to his arm.
It was Joaquin’s subordinate.
While his master was throwing a violent tantrum, he had stood by helplessly, stomping his feet, but now that his master was on the verge of being beaten to death, he seemed to have found the courage to act.
“This person is the 3rd Prince of Cordi!”
The arm that had been driving into Joaquin like a machine ground to a sudden halt.
“Right, let us stop.”
His deep voice growled like an enraged beast.
“I did not realize he was a prince. I merely disciplined him, thinking he was an insolent scoundrel. My apologies.”
Deyan apologized to Joaquin’s lieutenant in a voice I had never heard before.
It was not a genuine apology.
It was merely a shallow apology meant to grate on the opponent’s nerves.
“G-Glay Holdin! Do you not realize how massive a conflict this action will trigger?”
“It seems you know who I am.”
“What…!”
“Have you seen my face before? Do you know my name as well?”
Deyan stepped fiercely toward the lieutenant while holding the bloodied Joaquin by his collar.
Overwhelmed by the oppressive aura radiating from his entire being, Joaquin’s lieutenant faltered backward.
“As it happens, it seems I suffered a major incident somewhere. I have no memory.”
“No, what on earth do you mean…”
Joaquin’s lieutenant stammered severely, continuing to retreat, and only looked back at me after nearly losing his footing on the stairs.
However, I could not offer him any particular response.
To decipher this situation and manipulate it to my advantage, I was already far too exhausted today.
“Gratefully, the Grand Duchess over there saved me. I felt wretched having no way to repay her while staying as a dependent, but this turned out quite well.”
Deyan took large strides, closing the distance with the lieutenant once more.
“Because I was at least able to handle a disrespectful wretch who dared to offend the noble Grand Duchess’s mood and disturb her mind and body inside her own castle.”
“Glay Holdin!”
“Is that truly my real identity? I am not so sure. For now, it seems like a good clue, so I shall keep it in mind.”
Deyan spoke without any inflection.
His hazel eyes burned with a quiet rage the entire time.
He looked ready to snap the lieutenant’s neck at any second.
“Now. Take this trash with you.”
Joaquin, who had been gripped in his fist, was tossed aside like a piece of luggage.
“W-What insolence…!”
Though furious, the lieutenant could not bring himself to finish his sentence, his mouth merely gaping open and closed.
Carelessly wiping his blood-stained hands on his clothes, Deyan approached me.
Dropping to one knee, he inquired about my condition with genuine concern.
“Grand Duchess. Are you alright?”
“……Sir.”
He gave me a signal with his eyes.
I barely managed to jumpstart my thoughts, which had become as hazy as fog.
“Yes, I am fine.”
Fortunately, the smile I had practiced alone in front of the mirror until my face cramped formed on my lips.
“Sir Elaine.”
I blurted out the first random name that crossed my mind.
Deyan was currently an unidentified individual who had lost his memories, and I was supposed to be in a state where I had grown fond of him while monitoring him.
Because that was the premise of the play we had orchestrated to make a fool out of our common enemy.
Even in a situation like this, I had to play my part.
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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