My Illusion Is Survival - Chapter 43
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 43
On the way to the ducal palace following the Duke.
Thud!
“Chase!”
The Young Master, who had been walking unsteadily on the snowy path, finally fell to the ground.
“Are you okay? Are you hurt anywhere?!”
“I’m, fine.”
“Does it hurt a lot? Can you walk?”
“I can walk. Don’t worry.”
Despite falling quite hard, only Camela was concerned about the Young Master.
The Duke and the knights just watched silently without even approaching, which was puzzling.
‘Something seems a bit strange.’
The attitude was too peculiar to simply be contempt toward an illegitimate child.
At that moment, the Duke’s voice continued.
“We don’t have time to delay any further, so get up quickly. Do you know how much time has been wasted because of you alone?”
“I’m, sorry.”
“You should have known this would happen from the start, yet I don’t understand why you insisted on being so stubborn.”
Her attitude was cold enough that the Young Master, who didn’t know the Duke cared for him, could understand.
As expected, the Young Master couldn’t offer any rebuttal and struggled to get up.
“Your Grace! Chase was only trying to find evening primroses for the Duchess!”
“Only you two don’t realize that such a thing is pointless stubbornness. I’ve already told you several times that evening primroses don’t bloom in these snowy plains.”
“But-!”
“Enough! I don’t want to hear any more. When we return, I plan to give you both appropriate punishment for today’s events, so don’t cause any more commotion, Camela.”
‘Wasn’t Camela the Young Master’s maid?’
While observing Camela calling the Young Master by name even in front of the Duke, we finally arrived at the Egmund Ducal Palace.
Only after crossing the threshold of the manor did the Duke turn to look at us.
“What have you been looking at this whole time?”
Just then, my eyes met with the Duke’s as I was admiring the interior.
“The interior is unique. Did Your Grace decorate it personally?”
“Is that so. It’s not particularly something I had a hand in. It’s been like this from the beginning. More importantly, since the day will soon end, let’s continue our remaining conversation tomorrow. Is that acceptable?”
I nodded appropriately.
“Thank you for your consideration.”
“Dinner will be sent up to your rooms separately, so rest comfortably.”
That was the end of my conversation with the Duke.
*
“There’s something urgent I need to tell you, Miss.”
Right after being shown to our room, Linoa Marigold, who had been consistently sparing with words, spoke for the first time.
“The Duke seems to have figured out our identities from the beginning. It’s all due to my oversight. I apologize.”
Linoa Marigold immediately offered words of apology.
“It’s fine. I already knew.”
“You knew?”
“The Duke tried to test us by mentioning the Crown Prince from the start. If she had thought of us as mere strangers, she wouldn’t have bothered mentioning the Crown Prince.”
But the Duke didn’t do that.
“You already saw Linoa Marigold cut through an attack in one strike, didn’t you?”
Linoa Marigold didn’t simply block the incoming attack but ‘sliced’ through it.
“How many people in this Empire could display such divine skill?”
She was probably already suspicious of our identities from that point.
On top of that, we rode a carriage that flew through the sky, which only confirmed her suspicions. So it would have been stranger if she hadn’t noticed.
“More importantly, no one wanted to get close to the Prince. Could that be related to the curse-suppressing mask the Prince was wearing?”
Just as Linoa Marigold glanced at Azel and declined to answer, Dekan casually picked up the conversation.
“That’s probably because of the curse.”
“A curse?”
“It’s quite a famous story in the North. There’s a rumor that anyone who touches Egmund’s Prince will go mad or die from the curse.”
I suddenly felt puzzled.
“Then what was that about offering to carry the Young Master earlier? Don’t you believe in the existence of the curse, Dekan?”
I couldn’t understand Dekan’s action of stepping forward readily despite knowing that fact.
“No? I believe it. The Duchess is actually dying from that curse, so it’s probably true.”
“No, you offered to carry him knowing that?”
But Dekan’s way of thinking far exceeded my expectations.
“A curse like that, well, you just overcome it with mental strength! Hahaha!”
I’ll just say it was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard in my life.
“…Right. Anyway, what’s the deal with the Prince’s curse?”
“There are stories that the Prince violated some taboo, and others that heaven was angered by the existence of an illegitimate child and sent down punishment. There are only rumors.”
“What kind of taboo?”
“I don’t know that much. It’s just rumors after all. However, I heard the Duchess was quite fond of the Prince, but she started falling ill after getting close to him.”
“And that wasn’t a normal illness?”
“I heard her skin all over her body turned purple and swelled up strangely.”
I felt a sense of déjà vu at Dekan’s words. I had seen something similar recently.
Linoa Marigold seemed to be thinking of the same thing as me.
“Miss, didn’t those impure beings we saw look similar?”
“Impure beings?”
“We’ve recently seen the appearance of those who consumed demonic energy, and the Duchess’s characteristics you mentioned are similar.”
I nodded slightly, agreeing with Linoa Marigold’s words.
‘This seems like it’s going to get more complicated than I thought.’
As soon as I thought that, Azel’s cold voice cut through the silence.
“I’m sure I warned you to refrain from unnecessary talk. Linoa, and Dekan.”
But somehow the atmosphere felt strange.
“You’ve been taking my words lightly lately.”
“I apologize, Master.”
“I’m, I’m sorry.”
Even as the two flustered people hurriedly bowed their heads, Azel’s anger showed no signs of subsiding.
His anger even extended to me.
“The same goes for you. Stop with the pointless behavior.”
“…Excuse me?”
Wait, what did I do?
“You said you’d win the Duke’s favor, so why are you curious about the details?”
“That’s not it,”
“The Prince’s curse has nothing to do with us. Whatever it is, it’s not something you need to worry about.”
“That may be true, but-”
“We only came here to find out who made the Crown Prince come to this place. So don’t look elsewhere.”
“…Let me speak too, Azel.”
Azel’s sharp reaction was simply absurd.
“I just thought that whatever we do, we need to understand the situation to be able to handle it. That’s the only reason I asked.”
“Then that’s already enough. Don’t take any more interest.”
“But the Prince’s curse doesn’t seem related to demonic energy, does it?”
“So what if it is.”
“…What?”
“Even if the Prince’s curse is really related to demonic energy, what does that have to do with us.”
Azel raised his voice as if he couldn’t hold back any longer.
“Are you really going to insist on saving them?”
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to answer hastily. I needed to calm down the madman in front of me first.
“…No?”
“Then why are you- what?”
“I never had such thoughts though?”
Azel looked at me with suddenly dazed eyes.
“…What did you say?”
“I said I have no intention of saving them.”
“…Huh?”
“Miss Elpis?”
This time even Linoa Marigold seemed flustered, but honestly, I was the most bewildered one.
“You’re not going to save them?”
“You’re really just going to leave them be?”
“Of course. What could I possibly do by recklessly stepping forward.”
That was something for the protagonist Yulia to handle, not a problem for me to worry about.
‘If it seems dangerous, I should get out of there as fast as possible. What nonsense.’
Meanwhile, as if he hadn’t expected this at all, embarrassment appeared on Azel’s face for the first time.
“Uh… oh, um… right, you thought well.”
Thanks to that, the atmosphere only became more awkward.
“Why was I getting scolded?”
When I asked outright, Azel’s eyes wavered.
“I can’t take this anymore, Azel.”
Unable to watch that pathetic sight any longer, I finally uttered those problematic words.
“We need to talk for a moment.”
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This chapter was translated by Lunox Team. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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