EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 211

Chapter 211

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The imperial princess had become a demon worshipper.

Even I, who had steeled myself for shocking news, felt my heart sink at those words.

‘I never even imagined it.’

I already knew that Serphin was obsessed with Lucio.

But I never thought she would go as far as to offer her soul to a demon.

When Raizel spoke of personal ambition, greed, and long-held desires… I didn’t realize that something like this—this one-sided emotion that I wouldn’t even call love—would be included.

‘They say brainwashing and manipulating minds is a specialty of demon worshippers.’

Those ensnared by their sorcery supposedly betray friends, lovers, even family, without noticing anything strange.

I used to think just the idea was chilling, but coming face-to-face with Lucio, who didn’t remember me and looked at me with suspicion, the shock was overwhelming.

How could someone who had been whispering sweet words of love just yesterday change so completely overnight?

The only fortunate thing was that, thanks to Diana, we were able to grasp the cause right away.

“Stop being stubborn and go to the Imperial Palace immediately.”

“Yes, we must inform the Emperor and hand the princess over to the temple!”

At that moment, my grandfather and mother shouted at Duke Elard.

But the Duke remained silent, lips tightly pressed together.

“What is wrong with you? What on earth are you hesitating for? Your own son has ended up like that, and you’re still worried about your loyalty as the Emperor’s sword? Even if she is of the royal family, she must be held accountable if she’s done this to the heir of a founding noble house!”

“…I have no intention of making this matter public.”

Even when scolded harshly, the Duke only repeated the same answer. Grandfather sighed heavily in frustration.

Having watched over the Duke like his own son since childhood, he looked utterly unable to understand his actions.

My father, Ascart, and the Duchess standing beside him all wore similarly troubled expressions.

The Duke gave a bitter smile.

I was probably the only one there who understood what that smile meant.

‘He must be hesitant to talk about anything related to demons with the Emperor.’

The Duke loved his son—how could he not be angry about this situation?

Deep down, he probably wanted to storm the princess’s palace that very moment.

‘But if the Emperor finds out that Serphin made a pact with a demon…’

He might not punish her. He might even ask how he could make such a pact himself.

The Duke knows the Emperor’s true nature better than anyone. He cannot recklessly report this to the Imperial Court.

Which is why I could only imagine how tormented he must feel.

For years, he had been bound to the Emperor through a demonic relic, and only recently had that finally ended.

‘And now, his son is bound to a princess who wields the power of a demon…’

A cursed fate passed down through generations. A tragedy repeating itself.

It must feel unbearably cruel.

And worse still, he must endure it all in silence.

I couldn’t just stand by.

“I agree with the Duke.”

“What? Adriana, you’re saying that even after seeing how Lucio was just now?”

A startled Ascart asked, but I replied with another question.

“What would you say if someone asked how we knew the princess was a demon worshipper?”

“What? Well… that is…”

“We have no proof of a demonic pact. Are you seriously thinking of revealing that Diana is the reincarnation of a saint?”

Everyone, including Ascart, seemed to realize the true reason the Duke refused to alert the Imperial Court.

Then my mother cautiously suggested,

“Can’t we just avoid mentioning the young lady altogether? It’s true that the young duke started acting strange after returning from the princess’s palace.”

“We must not let even the slightest suspicion fall on Diana being a saint.”

For that reason, I also said that taking Lucio to the temple was out of the question.

‘Even if we did, there’s probably no priest there capable of purifying him anyway.’

“Then what should we do? After speaking with Lucio, it seems he can still function normally. But… we can’t just let him continue living without remembering you, Lia.”

The Duchess trailed off, then turned to my father.

“Come to think of it… Your Grace. Didn’t you personally take down demon worshippers long ago? You must have seen victims of their sorcery, right?”

“…Yes. I did.”

It was something my father wished he could forget, but like a splinter under the nail, he never could.

I had never heard the story before, so I looked at him. Slowly, he began to speak.

“They looked perfectly normal on the outside, but in truth, they weren’t. No matter how much their families wept and pleaded, they ignored it all and protected the demon worshippers. Some even charged at holy knights on their own, trying to rescue worshippers being taken to the pyres, without any fear. They… acted as if the demon worshippers were their masters. And when those worshippers died, some went mad—or took their own lives in grief.”

He hesitated for a moment, but once he began, it seemed he decided to speak without holding anything back.

And when he finished his explanation…

“Ah…”

The Duchess, stricken with shock, leaned on the Duke’s shoulder, her face as pale as a sheet of paper.

But though the Duke wrapped a firm arm around her shoulders, his expression remained rigid—completely unmoved.

He wasn’t surprised. He already knew just how evil and vile anything related to demons could be.

But he seemed unable to suppress his rising fury as he spat out bitterly:

“Being forced into absolute obedience without will or thought—that goes beyond even the relationship between master and servant.”

The Duke, who rarely showed emotion, sounded unusually sharp. My mother narrowed her eyes.

“Dominique, if I remember correctly, you’ve never directly taken part in purging demon worshippers. But you speak as if you know them well.”

“Why wouldn’t I? I’ve raided their hideouts more than once while searching for relics…”

“Relics?”

My mother tilted her head, and the Duke immediately shut his mouth, his face showing a rare flicker of panic.

He had clearly made a mistake—blurted something out he’d never meant to reveal, swept away by emotion.

I was just as shaken.

‘That d***n Emperor.’

I’d always wondered why the Emperor had demanded the extermination of demon worshippers as a condition for the independence of the Principality of Belus. Now I finally understood.

The Emperor, obsessed with keeping my mother close at all costs, must have suspected that the demon worshippers still had other demonic relics.

‘So he planned to annihilate them and plunder their hideouts to seize any relics they had.’

I felt anger surge up again—how could he have forced my father to carry out such a mission?

“Dominique.”

When my mother called his name accusingly, the Duke swallowed hard and snapped irritably:

“Is that really what matters right now? Even before His Grace took command of the purge, demon worshippers were a cancer on the Empire. While I served as Deputy Minister of War, I dealt with them myself a few times. Of course I know what they’re like.”

But the more defensive the Duke became, the more suspicious my mother seemed.

Just as she began, “That’s not it—about the relics…”, I quickly changed the subject.

“For now, please don’t worry too much. We have Lord Raizel, don’t we?”

Raizel had broken the illusion spell cast on me, returning my real hair and eye color.

He hadn’t yet been able to release the part of my soul bound by the necklace, but surely he could undo the spell cast on Lucio.

At my words, the Duchess, still looking pale, asked in a trembling voice,

“Will it really be okay?”

“Of course. Absolutely.”

Truthfully, I wasn’t sure about how long it would take, or even if it was possible. But I forced myself to hide my unease and nodded firmly.

The Duchess let out a sigh of relief, as if a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Hearing that from you makes me feel a little better. Lia… even if Lucio hurts you right now, please don’t take it too hard. Once he comes to his senses, I’ll make sure he gets a proper scolding.”

She looked worriedly toward my parents, clearly anxious that this incident might ruin the marriage discussions.

I quickly took her hand.

“Please don’t worry. When he comes back to his senses, he’ll probably feel even worse about it than I do. If I throw a bit of a tantrum then, just pretend not to notice.”

“Of course! After everything you’ve been through, you’re allowed to make him suffer a little. Or a lot.”

Please don’t give up on him.

Though she didn’t say the words aloud, I could feel them.

When I nodded, she finally managed a faint smile and rose from her seat.

“I need to go see Diana. Even though Allen’s with her, I can’t help but worry…”

“Then I’ll… no, never mind.”

I had started to rise to go with her but quickly sat back down.

⟨Why! Why won’t it work—why!⟩

Diana, in tears, had screamed as the foul energy clinging to the princess began to reek more viciously, binding Lucio’s soul even tighter.

She immediately tried to purify him by summoning her holy power.

But no clear, sacred light shone from her hands the way it did from Raizel’s.

Despite repeated attempts, Diana eventually collapsed from exhaustion.

She must have regained consciousness by now, but I was sure that seeing me again would only sadden her.

‘She cried before, apologizing for not awakening in time…’

After everything that had happened today, I feared she might once again blame herself for something beyond her control.

If only I could resolve this myself, like I had absorbed all the demonic energy from that relic not long ago.

But unfortunately, I had no knowledge of how to break the spell cast by demon worshippers.

I didn’t even know what kind of spell was on Lucio. If I tried to meddle recklessly, I could make things worse.

‘Lord Raizel really has to come.’

Thankfully, because of the monsters’ attack earlier, we had contacted him right away—and he had replied that he would return to the Empire soon.

‘So he’ll be here soon. And then, surely…’

Lucio will be okay.

I clasped my trembling hands tightly together, repeating the thought to steady myself.