Serena and the Mysterious Labyrinth - Chapter 128

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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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128. The Reason That Count Went to Heuji (2)

How did Philia and Count Randy meet?

The Count, who visited the royal palace to pay his respects to the King of Heuji out of courtesy, fell in love with Philia at first sight and tried to talk to her several times, but was completely ignored.

“Philia takes it for granted that most people who see her become dazed, stutter, or show off trying to impress her, so she doesn’t remember anyone unless she shows interest in them first. She at least remembers women if they have unusual hair colors, but men aren’t even on her radar.”

Though there must be limits since she’s human, Philia’s beauty seemed to know no bounds and only grew more radiant each day.

Serena judged that it would be happy for both her friend and others if this friend who was only pretty in face found a partner early and settled down.

The Princess secretly searched for a husband candidate for her friend.

Since the maid’s beauty was what it was, finding a decent husband candidate wasn’t difficult.

Distinguished noble young men knelt before the Princess and introduced themselves for the honor of becoming Philia’s husband.

While Serena was selecting suitable groom candidates from her pool, a big fish called the Empire’s genius alchemist entered.

The Imperial Count who lost his words and could only gape in front of Philia was of appropriate age, not bad-looking, and had a decent reputation.

His wealth went without saying.

‘At this level, even if the Imperial Emperor came, he wouldn’t lose his wife.’

Serena secretly invited Count Randy, who said he was traveling in Heuji.

The Empire’s genius alchemist canceled all his scheduled plans and knelt before the Princess.

Several one-on-one interviews and personality evaluations, proof of wealth and status. She gave him a chance to prove his feelings for Philia, and Count Randy passed all of Serena’s tests.

But the most important test remained.

Making an impression on Philia.

“If I introduce the Count directly, she’ll remember him, but then it would mean Philia married the Count according to my will, not hers. I want Philia to marry someone she loves and live happily.”

Count Randy received advice from the Princess and underwent special training to make an impression on Philia and win her favor.

If he failed to remain in Philia’s memory at the lakeside, the story would end there.

The opportunity would go to other candidates.

Count Randy, who went to the lakeside clutching his heart that felt like it would burst, succeeded in making a deep impression on Heuji’s greatest beauty.

***

“Mark was interested in Heuji’s long history and ancient documents, so he came traveling. It seemed to be a long trip combined with vacation. We ran into each other by chance several times after that.”

‘As if it was by chance.’

‘I wondered why Mark was loyal to the Princess. He owed her a great debt.’

‘I just asked casually, but I’m glad I did. This is interesting!’

The Countess, unaware of what others were thinking, continued speaking.

“Since Lady Serena became interested in alchemy, Mark stayed at the royal palace as a guest. After that, the two of them had frequent conversations. Mark was really different from other people.”

“How was he different, Countess?”

“How was he different? Other people, when left alone with me, would suddenly become quiet, praise my beauty, offer gifts, or suddenly recite poetry and sing songs. Or they’d brag about themselves. But Mark listened to everything I said about Lady Serena.”

Philia smiled brightly.

Everyone in the lobby saw an illusion as if flowers were blooming in full. They even felt as if flower fragrance was wafting.

“It’s not that no one had listened to me before, but in the end, they wanted to hear about me rather than about Lady Serena. What I liked rather than what Lady Serena liked. What I did yesterday and what I planned to do tomorrow rather than what Lady Serena did yesterday. But Mark focused on stories about Lady Serena until the end.”

The Countess raised her delicate hand to cover her cheek.

“He said I looked happiest when talking about Lady Serena, so he liked that.”

Kyaa. Lavenda let out a small exclamation while clasping her hands together.

“How wonderful! How truly romantic.”

“We had conversations occasionally after that, and Mark was the first person who made time spent with someone other than Lady Serena not boring. I even often thought of Mark when I was with Lady Serena. When I asked Lady Serena if this was love, she said Mark wasn’t bad.”

Philia giggled with a charming sound.

People became dazed as if enchanted by a fairy.

“Rich, secure status. When I said I would unconditionally follow Lady Serena, he said he would follow too. This much isn’t bad. No. When I realized I was in love, Mark proposed to me.”

“Wow! No matter how much we urged, he wouldn’t return. You were having a wonderful romance with Aunt!”

After suddenly losing contact and hearing news that he married a foreign noble and even acquired dual citizenship, Grey had suspected ‘Is this bastard betraying the Empire and His Majesty?’ but it was a pure love story full of manipulation.

Grey suppressed his anger and clapped.

“This is the first time I’ve heard a story that seems like romance but isn’t quite romance.”

Prince Willow also nodded in admiration at Count Randy’s amazingly well-timed luck in choosing when to visit Heuji.

***

“The Count successfully made an impression on Philia and gradually built up her favor. He changed his short-term plans to stay in Heuji the entire time. In the end, didn’t he marry Philia?”

“It’s all thanks to Lady Serena’s grace.”

“I can’t say it was all my doing. In the end, it was the Count who succeeded in winning Philia’s heart. However.”

Serena narrowed her mysterious orange eyes.

“As I know it, the reason the Count visited Heuji was to examine ancient documents. But that wasn’t it?”

Count Randy made a tearful face.

“Lady Serena. Though I’m not completely innocent, half of this is unfair. My initial purpose for visiting Heuji was truly to examine ancient documents. But since I was going to Heuji anyway, I received orders to scout the labyrinth explorer who appeared like a comet and then disappeared, since they were in Heuji.”

“So. That was Duke Oren?”

The Count prostrated himself flat.

“Don’t you know, Lady Serena? Though I received information that the missing newcomer explorer was Duke Oren, I swear on my beloved wife and respected Lady Serena that I have never once met Duke Oren! Because.”

“You saw Philia before that?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

When Count Randy received orders to meet the royalty of the country while traveling, he didn’t think much of it.

But after meeting his destined lover at the travel destination and learning that the royalty he was ordered to contact was in political tension with his lover’s master, he immediately called for mission suspension and bet his life on his destined lover.

It was a gamble impossible for other nobles, but Count Randy could do it.

Because Count Randy was an irreplaceable genius alchemist.

“I have never exchanged personal correspondence with Duke Oren, nor have I ever had a conversation with him. The relationship Lady Serena knows is everything.”

“But you hid from me that Duke Oren was the labyrinth explorer the Empire was targeting.”

The color drained completely from the alchemist’s face.

“It wasn’t intentional! I wasn’t even certain whether Duke Oren was really the newcomer labyrinth explorer!”

Though Philia clearly loved her husband, she would throw divorce papers without a moment’s hesitation at one word from Serena.

Count Randy prostrated on the ground like a beast walking to its death and bowed his head to the Princess.

He didn’t care even if his face was submerged in dirty water.

Serena deliberately looked down at the Count with cold eyes.

‘Actually, he didn’t do anything terribly wrong.’

If the Count had been serious about carrying out his mission, he wouldn’t have fallen for a foreign noble lady he met by chance, settled down, and even married her.

‘No. He might have been serious but became less serious because of Philia.’

With the beauty of the maid Serena cherished, it was a possible story.

‘A big fish in the fishing ground. There’s also a shortage of fish. I thought it was good when a whale invaded the fishing ground, but there was a reason.’

It was her own fault for being blinded by the golden whale called a genius alchemist and not investigating thoroughly.

Usually she was suspicious, but the maid’s beauty was plausible, so she didn’t doubt Count Landriole’s sincerity, and thus missed the reason for his Heuji visit.

Serena sighed. Count Randy trembled as if struck by lightning.

‘I have no intention of divorcing them over something like this.’

Serena had no intention of separating the lovey-dovey newlyweds over such a trivial matter.

But Count Randy, imagining who knows what, prostrated and begged like a criminal.

‘Medieval sensibility? Even in medieval times, it probably wasn’t like this. Or is the Empire strange?’

Serena, who was about to blame medieval sensibility for this incomprehensible behavior, remembered a fact she had forgotten due to constantly dying.

‘Right. Richard killed Grandfather.’

In a situation where he already had to distance himself from Duke Oren as a political enemy, Duke Oren had killed the King and become both a traitor and mortal enemy.

From Count Randy’s perspective, even if he had to bury his head in filth, proving he had no connection to Duke Oren was the right choice.

‘As expected of a genius. Smart.’

If only Grandfather’s head were attached to his body.

Since his head and body were separated, Serena also had to sternly reprimand the Count.

The Princess questioned the Count sternly with a dignified voice.

“Does the Fifth Prince also know about the Duke Oren matter?”

“He probably knows.”

“What about Duke Pein?”

“My master was the one who ordered me to meet Duke Oren while I was traveling. He naturally knows about it.”

“Is the Empire certain that Duke Oren is indeed a newcomer labyrinth explorer who appeared like a comet?”

“I’m not sure about that either. It seems they were tracking the whereabouts of an explorer who suddenly disappeared, discovered the explorer had moved to Huji, and became suspicious of Duke Oren who appeared around the same time, so they investigated.”

“If there are any related stories, tell me everything you know.”

“There’s nothing more. It was a private mission I received from my master, and after meeting Philia, I had no contact with Duke Oren whatsoever. This is also the first time I’m hearing about the 8th-Level Dungeon being conquered.”

“Did you truly not know?”

“I’m an alchemist, not someone in charge of dungeon conquest. While I do appraise strange items that come out of labyrinths, I was too busy with research to pay attention to dungeon conquests.”

“Hmm. So you say.”

When Serena sent a cold glare at the back of the Count’s head, Ralph made a pitiful expression.

Normally he would have pleaded for forgiveness together, but it seemed he couldn’t intervene since regicides were involved.

Serena deliberately took her time before pretending to sigh.

“Who could have known Duke Oren would commit such a terrible act? I’ll question you later about your sin of coming to Huji and not reporting about the Duke in advance.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Now get up. Even if you can’t match your wife’s beauty, shouldn’t you stand beside her with a clean face?”

When she indirectly said he wouldn’t have to part with Philia, Count Randy beamed and raised his head.

He bowed, overwhelmed by the Princess’s mercy.

“Thank you. Thank you so much!”

“Wow~ The Princess’s mercy pierces the heavens!”

“Is there nothing more you know about Duke Oren’s time as a newcomer explorer?”

Olive, who had been exploring the deep levels of high-grade labyrinths during Duke Oren’s active period, shook her head.

Count Randy had also told the Princess everything he knew earlier.

Ralph naturally knew nothing.

“I see. Then let’s finish what we were doing and head back.”

“Yes.”

As the party, having unexpectedly delayed their schedule, was collecting the remaining silver ingots, Ying, who had been quiet, suddenly spoke up.

“This isn’t enough.”

“In Zero’s opinion, is there not enough silver? Or is it Count’s bag capacity? The capacity seems plenty though?”

“The Darling of the Labyrinth said this wasn’t enough after conquering the Empire’s 8th-Level Dungeon. And Olive. Take out the silver ingot you put in your pocket.”

The archer who had made the bombshell statement out of nowhere pointed at the guide’s pants pocket.

Instead of taking out the silver ingot from her pocket, Olive pressed her pocket with her hand and shook her head.

“I, I, I didn’t steal any! The subspace bag seemed to lack capacity, so I stored it here! And how do you know Orange Duke said such a thing? Did you hear it from people who conquered the labyrinth with him?”

Olive shamelessly insisted, apparently forgetting her own statement that the subspace bag had plenty of room.

When a thief sees a box of silver ingots, they might secretly swipe one or two.

Serena focused on a different part.

Darling of the Labyrinth?

This applied to Serena as well, so it wasn’t important. The important part was something else.

‘What’s supposed to be insufficient?’

What exactly did Richard, who had conquered an 8th-Level Dungeon no less, consider insufficient?

Why didn’t he return to Huji immediately and instead conquered labyrinths in foreign countries?

There were already mountains of unresolved questions, and now another one was added.

‘Ah, I don’t want to use my brain. I’m not smart, so when I use my brain, my head hurts.’

Conquer the labyrinth, save the trapped 100,000 people, and live happily.

How simple and nice that would be.

In life, using her brain for finding husband candidates for her maids and manipulating romance should be enough, so why do things keep getting complicated?

Serena frowned. Even if wrinkles formed, they wouldn’t be as deep as the wrinkles in her brain anyway.

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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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