EWOWMAIBTYPF Chapter 212

Chapter 212

***

 

At that moment.

Following his family’s recommendation to rest, Lucio was lying in bed in his room.

Though he leaned back against the headboard with a languid expression, his mind was working faster than ever.

Lucio was a rational person, and if there was anyone he trusted deeply, it was his family.

So even if he himself didn’t feel anything was wrong, he accepted the current situation because he trusted their judgment.

“The princess has become a demon worshipper… huh.”

And not even for the throne, but just to possess him?

Whether logically or emotionally, it wasn’t something easy to accept.

However, every time he tried to think about Serphin, a dense fog clouded his mind, accompanied by a splitting headache. Slowly, even Lucio was starting to realize something was off with him.

Frowning, he ran a hand over his face and pushed thoughts of the princess aside. Instead, he recalled the young princess of Belus, whom he had just met.

The moment he regained consciousness, Lucio had immediately subdued the intruder who had dared to touch his body without permission.

And when he saw the woman pinned beneath him, he had been shocked.

A rush of complicated emotions he had never felt before had surged all at once.

Bittersweet… resentful… and at the same time—

‘She was… lovely.’

Lucio startled at the realization.

Objectively, the woman was stunningly beautiful.

But he had never once been swayed by someone’s appearance before.

‘I never thought I’d fall for a mere honey trap…’

He scoffed at himself for a moment, then quickly made a logical deduction about her identity.

Because of his high position in the foreign ministry, he was often targeted by spies from other kingdoms. Some of them stooped to sending women as part of their schemes, so he had naturally assumed she was one of them.

But to find out she wasn’t just Ascart’s younger sister—but his own lover?

It was harder to believe than the fact that the princess had made a deal with a demon to possess him. Lucio had repeatedly asked his family for confirmation.

Yet from that strange, inexplicable feeling he had when he looked at the grand princess…

⟨Lucio…⟩

The way his heart had pounded as if recognizing its rightful master when she whispered his name from those small lips…

“Even if I try not to believe it…”

Thunk.

Suddenly, his thoughts cut off, like someone had flipped a switch.

The faint smile that had crept onto his lips had vanished without a trace.

He blinked slowly, and his blurred vision cleared.

‘What… was I just thinking about?’

Lucio stared blankly.

His head throbbed, and his eyelids felt like iron weights were pressing them down.

It was becoming undeniable—even to him—that something was wrong, just as his family had insisted.

Lucio’s expression turned cold. He moved his lips slightly.

As if waiting for the cue, a man dressed in black, Bert, appeared and knelt on one knee.

“My lord.”

“Report everything that happened before and after I visited the princess’s palace today. Leave nothing out.”

He vaguely remembered leaving his office, but could recall nothing about what happened after entering the palace.

He needed to piece together every memory, even those that felt disjointed and broken.

Lucio’s gaze deepened as he gave the order.

 

***

 

“Lucio… no, the young master isn’t in his room?”

“Yes, Your Highness. The young master went to work like usual.”

I stared at the maid, dumbfounded.

Last night, I had something to say to him—something important, after he completely forgot about me.

So I rushed to the ducal estate at the crack of dawn, but… he wasn’t here?

“Wait, what do you mean, work? Then he’s gone to the imperial palace?”

I cried out in shock, only realizing it after the fact. Just then, the door to the parlor opened and Diana entered.

“Diana? Are you feeling okay?”

I hurried over to her.

She nodded with a smile, but her face was pale and spiritless.

Seeing the dark circles under her eyes, I felt concerned. As the maid quietly left and closed the door behind her, I cautiously asked:

“Hey, Diana. Is it true that Lucio went to work?”

“Yeah. I went to check on him first thing this morning, but his room was already empty.”

“Wait—he came back in that condition last night. Didn’t anyone stop him?”

“He’s always an early riser, so even the family didn’t notice. And what could the servants do to stop him? Besides, thanks to your healing, he looked fine on the outside.”

I sighed deeply at Diana’s explanation.

“I totally let my guard down. I thought he’d take some time off after everything that happened yesterday.”

The suspected place where the demonic spell had been cast on him was none other than the princess’s palace.

Furthermore, it was obvious he’d run into the princess at the palace. He wasn’t an idiot—how could he have gone there on his own…?

“Ah, no way.”

“Huh?”

“Could he have gone because of the spell, even if he didn’t want to?”

When I voiced my suspicion that Lucio might have acted against his own will, Diana’s expression grew serious.

“It’s possible… Since his soul is bound to the princess, we can’t rule it out.”

Then she added bitterly:

“If only we could confirm whether he has resistance to magic.”

“Resistance to magic?”

I tilted my head in confusion, then soon remembered that it was one of the abilities that priests at the temple trained to resist demons.

“If he has that, could he break free?”

“It’d definitely help. Depending on the spell, there’s a high chance the brainwashing wouldn’t work well.”

That was why Diana had gone to check on Lucio that morning.

We had thought there was nothing to do but wait for Raizel to return and purify him, but this hopeful news made my ears perk up.

Lucio was very adept at mana control—so much so that he could move without leaving a trace.

Since magic resistance stems from mana, maybe he…

“Young Lady!”

At that moment, the parlor doors burst open, and a maid hurried in.

“What is it?”

“Young Master has returned.”

“Really?”

Diana rose from her seat without a hint of surprise, she must’ve already told them to inform her as soon as he returned.

I also stood up to follow her when…

“Um, actually…”

The maid glanced at me nervously, clearly uneasy.

“What’s wrong?”

“Well…”

As I stared at the hesitant maid, she squeezed her eyes shut and said it all at once,

“Lord Lucio has returned with the First Princess.”

 

***

 

“Please be careful.”

Lucio stepped out of the carriage first and offered his hand. Serphin took it naturally as she slowly descended.

She usually favored elaborate red dresses to match her hair, but today…

Serphin wore a light yellow dress with frills, the kind a young lady might wear on her first date, complete with matching hair accessories.

Her expression, too, was full of joy and excitement—she looked every bit like a woman in love.

Diana and I, standing outside the mansion entrance, silently watched Lucio escort Serphin.

Outwardly I tried to remain calm, but inside I was boiling.

I wanted to run up to Serphin, grab her, and shout: ‘How dare you show up here so shamelessly after what you did?!’

But I couldn’t let a moment of rage ruin everything.

‘Lucio could be in danger.’

That’s what I told myself inwardly, but deep down, I knew the real reason—I was more afraid that Lucio might take Serphin’s side and look at me coldly.

Unconsciously, I clenched my fists and grabbed at the hem of my dress.

Pfft.

A soft, mocking laugh reached my ears.

I turned instinctively and saw Serphin looking straight at me with a smirk. Then, as if to show off, she gently stroked Lucio’s shoulder.

I froze for a moment, then quickly widened my eyes and looked to see how Lucio would react.

I was hoping—desperately—that he would push her hand away in displeasure, or at the very least, show some discomfort.

But instead…

“Yes, Your Highness?”

Lucio tilted his head slightly and responded in a polite, flat tone.

For the famously cold and composed Young Duke of Elard, his demeanor felt almost gentle.

Serphin withdrew her hand with a satisfied expression, saying something ridiculous like, “There was dust on your shoulder.”

As I watched the whole thing, fuming inside, an even more absurd scene unfolded.

“I’ll carry it.”

Lucio took a parasol from the maid who had followed them from the carriage.

Then, as if worried that Serphin’s skin might be damaged by the autumn sun, he opened it and held it over her.

Flushing, Serphin murmured,

“You don’t have to do that yourself, my lord.”

“It’s my pleasure.”

Lucio replied with a faint smile.

The expression on his face didn’t seem fake—and instead of burning hotter, my rage suddenly turned cold.

At that moment…

“Your Highness, what brings you to the duke’s estate without so much as a word of notice?”

Diana had approached Serphin and asked in a sharp tone.

“Oh, Lady Diana! It’s been a while, hasn’t it?”

The princess didn’t scold Diana for her rudeness or acting as if Serphin were an unwelcome guest.

Instead, she smiled warmly—like she was dealing with a cute younger sister. Or rather, like she wanted to make a good impression on the family of the man she liked.

‘How dare she, after turning that man into a puppet, how can she be so shameless?!’

I glared at Serphin, my eyes practically sparking with fury. But she remained perfectly composed and said lightly,

“I just happened to mention wanting to see the duke’s famous maze garden in passing, and Lord Lucio was kind enough to invite me. Am I imposing?”

“Of course not. It’s an honor for our house to receive a personal visit from Your Highness.”

Lucio answered, not even sparing a glance for Diana, acting as if Serphin were the only person that mattered.

Seeing Diana tremble with fury, her fists clenched tight, I quickly stepped forward.

“Your Highness, it is an honor to see you.”

“Oh, Grand Princess Belus is here as well?”

She already knew I was here.

Annoyed by Serphin’s feigned innocence, I spoke bluntly.

“Yes. Lord Lucio was seriously injured last night. I was worried, so I came early this morning.”

Then I turned to look at Lucio.

And at that moment—he was already looking at me, and our eyes met.

 

The next update will be on Monday (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠❤