Chapter 55
Wouldnt it have been possible for them to run away by now? I thought I would be able to manage the sounds I was making more carefully, but I was wrong.
I lifted the cat inside my arms while thinking regretfully about the ruckus.
The cat looked at me with innocent eyes and rubbed her body against my chest.
Cute!
As I muttered quietly, Wyndert and Deleign were talking beside me.
A cute thing is holding a cute thing.
I shouldve brought a camera.
I absentmindedly ignored their chatter, I was getting used to the new surroundings and stroking the cats head.
Do you know where the person who made you like this went?
As I whispered softly, the cat wiggled its butt a few times as if understanding what I had just said, and lightly jumped onto the ground.
Oh?
Meeeeow!
The cat looked back at me, patting the floor with its tail, as if telling me to follow it closely.
Hey, the cat must know something!
I ran towards the direction where the cat was running.
When I suddenly started to run, the Grand Duke and my brothers clung onto me as if protecting me.
Shushu, it could be dangerous if you run off suddenly.
I was already starting to run away at full speed, but Wyndert effortlessly stopped me without any hesitation.
You promised not to act alone. The Grand Duke also voiced his disapproval with a stern voice, seemingly worried about my sudden running.
I-Im sorry! But first I need a moment it was so hard!
Ive never run like this before but after running after the cat at full speed, I was out of breath.
Fortunately for me, the cat stopped running not far from where we were.
Theres nothing here.
The cat was staring into the air between some of the trees.
It can see what can and cannot see with our naked eyes. Among basic magic, there is invisibility magic. Moving will break the magic.
The Grand Duke swung his sword towards the air the cat was looking at.
Ahh!
Then the wizard in a white robe was startled and stepped back. It was as if he was watching our movements while using the invisibility magic as the Grand Duke had said.
Its a mage from the White Magic Tower. Only wizards from the White Magic Tower wear that white robe. Wyndert said in a cold voice.
A unique pattern was engraved on the hem of the white robe using gold thread.
The wizard, who was discovered, turned his back and ran away wildly.
No! You must catch him!
I imagined a bubble of water catching the wizard. It wasnt really difficult to use force if Im not interfering with a life, and it was only about the size where I can contain a single person.
What is this!
Using my imagination, power spurted out from my fingertips, which then turned into water to form a bubble that trapped the wizard inside.
The wizard was very embarrassed and fell to the floor of the bubble as it changed shape into a net. It all happened in an instant.
No! Damn it!
Caught in the trap and sprawled on the ground, the wizard desperately struggled to escape.
However, the White Magic Tower is a magic tower that studies the power of healing and curative powers, so he couldnt even remove a net.
He used all kinds of crude magic, including some common basic magic, anything he knew that was not healing magic, but the prison of water wasnt removed.
You caught them. Since you caught a suspicious person, you should be rewarded. The Grand Duke slightly smiled and patted my head.
Until now, the Grand Duke had bought me so many things, and now hes rewarding me too?
I shook my head and watched the Grand Duke approach the wizard.
P-please s-save me!
Take a good look Wyndy, Del. Ill tell you what to do with a guy who dares to do something suspicious in my territory.
A slightly dangerous smile appeared on the Grand Dukes cold face. Still, it was daunting to see the Grand Dukes malice added to the already threatening cursed aura.
The wizard looked up at the Grand Duke, trembling in fear, still wrapped in the net.
The Grand Duke then stabbed his sword into the ground between the wizards legs, cutting the hard ground like tofu.
Hiiick! P-p-please!
The wizard begged with a pale face, perhaps becoming more frightened every time he looked at the sword stuck between his legs.
I guess thats why they were called villains.
My family is full of kind and good people! Why are you calling them villains?!
is what I thought but rationally, I understood that ones eyes are covered with bean pods.
(T/N: ones eyes are covered with bean pods is a Korean idiom that means youll only see the good thing about a person after falling in love with them.In Shuelinas situation, she already saw the good in the Grand Dukes family thats why her eyes were already covered with bean pods.)
If anyone saw the Grand Dukes face like that, it would be so misleading because of his terrifying attitude and dangerous expression.
I dont think I should completely change the impression some people have of him, those who believe that hes a rough and terrifying person, because its also quite good sometimes.
I liked this formidable attitude much more than someone who goes easy on an enemy, this type of personality makes it easier when you are trying to protect those around you.
But you cant kill the wizard yet.
I also think that such a bad person is a waste of air.
You cant kill him yet.
I didnt feel particularly incapable of ending a nobles life. It doesnt matter to me if a bad person dies.
However, I think there was a more benevolent way to make use of this wizard.
Hold on, Dad. I caught him so please let me do what I want with him for my reward!
Maybe I can really land a hit on Azuela with this situation.
I ran to the Grand Duke, who was swinging his sword down through the air like he was slicing through a pudding, and started clinging on his thigh.
What should I do, Shushu? I will destroy the tower so they wont be able to harm you again, and it would be perfect to use his separated neck as a declaration of war.
I realized now that the Grand Duke was holding back a lot of anger from almost losing his daughter, me, several times now.
It was clear that this had become a source of intolerable anger for the proud and highly responsible Grand Duke.
I have absolutely no desire to forgive this person but I think there is a better way to solve this. I said with my eyes shining.
If its to protect a villains family, it seems Ill end up becoming a villain too.
Let them fall for their own tricks.
Like the wizard caught in a net I decided to cast a large net to catch the Empress and Azuela.
* * *
All the employees bowed quietly as he walked downstairs.
Ignoring all the greetings, he went down to the dungeon and looked down at the wizard lying on the floor.
You came, my lord?
The knight who was watching the wizard greeted him politely.
Youve worked hard.
Its nothing!
The knights had a hard time monitoring the wizard they had caught in the monster forest.
It was because the knights, not ordinary soldiers, were sent to the monitoring station in order to prepare for any unexpected situation.
If its about my Shushu, I cant afford to be sloppy.
It was because of Shushu that the wizard was locked up like this.
It was the first thing Shuelina asked of him, other than bringing her to the monster forest as a birthday gift.
For the safety of my daughter.
He wanted to carry everything out perfectly without any flaws.
Upon entering the prison, the pale-skinned wizard was quietly tied up.
Sir, please! I didnt do anything! Is it okay to treat the magician of the White Magic Tower like this?
He claimed innocence on the first day of his captivity. The wizard was persistently saying he had only come to study magic and the cat staring at him was only a misunderstanding.
It was, of course, unbelievable.
Chop it up properly. [e/n: it being the wizard]
He doesnt have enough time to play with Shuelina as is.
There was no need to spend so much time interrogating and torturing criminals.
He gave instructions to his loyal knights to deal with the wizard instead.
The wizard he met the next day had a face like his brain was absent from work.
Ah.
The wizard didnt say anything and only let out a long moan. His face was shriveled, and he had scars all over the place.
It was impossible for him to move because of the shackles, so he opened his eyes and looked at the Grand Duke.
Why Why.
Eyes full of fear, asking him why the Grad Duke came.
While the Grand Duke stared intently at the wizard, he walked back out without a word. This pattern continued for a few days.
Because of these guys.
The errand people that the Empress sent to try and manipulate him.
Thinking how Shuelina had suffered at their hands, he couldnt quell his anger even if his head exploded right now, but Shuelina told him she had something she wanted to use the wizard for so he had to let him go.
What he had done on purpose now was nothing more than to deliberately intimidate the wizard.
The person who made you do this will contact you, correct?
Th-thats r-right.
The magician nodded softly.
About two weeks before the new year, he was scheduled to receive a call.
Tell them its going well. Its your job to reassure them.
Everything is going well. Turning the cat into a monster is going well, so we should be able to raid the private estate on schedule.
He intended to reassure the Empress in that way.
When the time comes and she realizes something is wrong, she wont be able to make any moves at all.
You set this trap yourself.
Shuelinas eyes were shining as she said that.
Even with a conspiring face, she was invincible and cute.
Just thinking about losing such a gentle and lovely child was extremely upsetting.
He liked that Shuelina wasnt only kind.
An attitude of counterattacking rather than holding back an attack. It was a perfect fit for the Grand Dukes house, called the villainous family.
Why do you think I let a bastard like you live? If you dont do it right, Ill show you what you should fear even more than death.
Hearing the direct threat from the Grand Duke, the magicians face became paler in an instant.
On the other hand, the Grand Duke felt a little better when he saw the wizards pale face. The wizard said that his elder was the one who told him to do the work and it wasnt all that unexpected because the Empress was the actual owner of the White Magic Tower.
However, she seemed to have given her instructions to a lot of people so as to not be directly involved at all.
Neither Shushus tutor nor this wizard, no matter how tortured they were, never said the name of the empress.
Since there was no direct evidence, there was no way to bring the empress to court.
He tried to open push the wizard for other information, but even that didnt work.
It was because he (wizard) didnt know anything about Shuelinas spirit powers, the empresss plans, or anything actually significant.
Yes.
The wizard shook his head helplessly. During that time, he suffered severe torture and lost most of his will due to the trauma.
Even calling him a wizard was a little ambiguous now. In the process of torture, his mana container was also injured and it would be difficult for him to do well in the future.
His eyes, which burned with hatred in the beginning, were weathered down after repeated torture.
Those who tortured and tormented Shuelina all her life were so weak.
The Grand Duke hoped that the Empress would not be too fragile and break so easily since he has so much planned for her.
This was not enough to repay them for Shuelinas stolen spirit power and her pain as much as he used to think it would. The Grand Duke intended to let all those people pay dearly for what they did to his daughter at any cost.
I will come again tomorrow.
The Grand Dukes words filled the wizards eyes with fear.
Advanced Chapters!
Rate the novel on Novel Updates.
Join our discord to receive the latest updates as soon as possible!