Honestly, I was scared.
If I'm found out here, it'll all be over.
But on the other hand.
'You were the first.'
The first awakened person who said that I am his salvation.
My clenched hand trembled, so I hid it behind my back as if I had put it there intentionally.
My facial features froze as I tried to hide my desire to thank him for his words.
“Well, I don’t know why you’re asking my opinion, but all of this is unbecoming of Your Majesty.”
I hope my voice doesn't shake.
I hope I look at this man with the same cold expression as usual.
Casey sat back in his chair slowly, as if he had never had passion in his eyes.
He crossed one leg over the other and looked at me as if he were daring me to speak arrogantly.
His appearance no longer seemed as disturbing as it had before, nor was it as frightening as it had been at first.
Is it because I'm used to it?
"truly?"
“Yes.
Honestly, it's annoying and weird.”
"annoying?"
"I'll ask again.
Why do you say such things to me in particular?"
I imagined Hilaria's appearance and sneered coldly.
“How long have we, Your Majesty, and I been in such a close relationship as master and vassal?”
“All you need is to give me evidence.
I am not concerned with Your Majesty’s feelings.
I am not concerned with anything personal.”
“Yes, I knew you would say something like that.”
“If you knew, it would be better if you kept these matters in your heart to avoid disturbing us both.”
As expected, Casey laughed with equal sarcasm.
"Haha, don't misunderstand.
I didn't say that because I love you, Duchess."
“I received a report that it was the gateway to a mental attack.”
“So what?”
“If I made such a strong impression on your subconscious that you saw someone who looked like me inside it, then that means...”
It seems that he understood what I did not finish, as signs of dissatisfaction appeared on his handsome face.
“Why?
Is this disgusting?”
“Isn't it?”
“Why are you getting more impudent day by day?”
I saw Casey running his hand violently through his hair, and I deliberately opened my eyes up and down.
It was a very rude gesture and look, but this man did not bother Duchess Ariel that much.
"I'm sorry, but you asked if it was disgusting.
Isn't that how you actually feel, Your Majesty?"
When I asked coldly, as if I was angry, Casey narrowed his eyes.
Even this situation was ominous.
Usually, when I annoy him this much, he immediately changes the subject.
But his gaze, still watching me with narrowed eyes, was heavy.
'Say something.'
How many minutes passed while we were in this terrifying silence, as if time had stopped?
In an instant, Caesis laughed coldly.
“Duchess, you have succeeded in spoiling my mood since early morning.
It seems that I was wrong and saw something wrong because of my confusion.”
“Yes, that seems to be true.”
I finally felt some relief.
Yes, it seems it was just a test on his part.
If he seriously doubted, he would have approached me and tried to push his energy onto me.
Or maybe he never wants to admit it.
After a while, the man who was staring at me finally changed the subject.
“This portal was similar to the one that occurred six years ago.
Both in location and form.
It may be a coincidence that it happened once, but twice is impossible.”
It was good that he changed the subject, but unfortunately, it was the same thought I was thinking, and I didn't feel comfortable.
"A person who uses drugs, a specific group.
And perhaps a group that is able to influence the gates."
Unlike me, who read the original story, this man knows nothing and yet he relates things and doubts in this way.
It was impressive and terrifying at the same time.
“And if you, the wizards, are not hiding my guide...”
Does he still cling to this doubt?
I stared at him without hiding my displeasure, and he added:
"It might be related to this group.
A group that uses unknown powers.
If they are hiding my guide, don't you think something dangerous will happen?"
No, it's not like that, so it's okay.
At that moment, my mouth stiffened for a moment.
What if…
‘The reason for the absence of the bright heroine in the original story.’
I thought it was just a change that happened because I showed up here.
But what if, what if the villains' power was much stronger than it was in the original story?
Did they know that the bright heroine existed?
The Emperor's only companion.
Did they plan to kill that guide?
Did they make her disappear without leaving a trace?
'This can't be true, can it?
This is extremely over-thinking.'
The conversation with the Emperor did not end, and I could not relieve my tension until the end.
"Anyway, even if she died, you wouldn't be the same.
It was just a disgustingly similar face."
My heart contracted violently.
Several red warning windows appeared in the status window.
"please."
But I laughed.
“Stop with those nasty jokes.
They make me sick.”
I denied it forcefully with clear words.
“Those are the most annoying words I've heard this year.”
“But your overreaction is also true.”
She looked at me with those slow looks again.
I felt coldness in my back, as if his blue eyes were piercing me.
“I will find her.”
I felt as if his words were a warning directed at me.
“I will check and find her.”
Because it seemed like he was still holding on to his doubts.
“And I will make her bear my responsibility.”
I noticed his blue eyes looking at my lips, which I had been biting without realizing it.
“Do you understand, Hilaria?”
Since when did you start calling me by my name like that?
My heart skipped a beat.
“That doesn't matter to me.
Today's report is over.
I have a mountain of work backlogged, so I'm leaving.”
I left the reception hall without waiting for the Emperor's permission.
The annoying sound of the door closing rang out in the hallway.
I stumbled and almost fell from the collapse of my strength.
Ah, damn it.
I was annoyed by the system window that was constantly beeping and then calmed down.
'This man.'
He can't really think that guide is me, can he?
Two days have passed.
During these two days, the palace was filled with a tense atmosphere.
Especially since the Duchess was absent for two days under the pretext of conducting research for the show.
The rumor that the Emperor and the Duchess had a falling out spread like wildfire.
And during this period.
'You didn't come.'
As if she were someone avoiding me.
'Then you ask me not to doubt her?'
Casey couldn't hide his fierce laugh as he relaxed.
He was now in a battle, where a high-risk S-level portal had opened.
'It seems I've really gone crazy.'
Even in this dangerous situation where his life was in flux, at this moment he couldn't keep his thoughts off that woman, and he felt disgusted with himf.
He's already tested the Duchess.
How would she react, and whether what he saw was true or not.
But instead, his doubts increased.
It was hard to believe it, but he was certain that there was a great, inexplicable relationship between his guide and the Duchess.
Moreover.
'Did she have to show such a disgusted expression?'
Of course, when he assumed the Duchess was his mentor, he had the same reaction.
But isn't he the Emperor, and she is just his subordinate duchess?
While applying trivial criteria, Casey compared the night's memories of his guide and the day's memories of Duchess Ariel as if solving a puzzle.
The doubts that had been gradually accumulating came together.
Although in the past, when he thought about the relationship between his mentor and the Duchess, he had harbored hatred and vowed not to leave her if she was hiding it.
'This makes me crazy.'
He needed a clear trap, a moment when he could accurately capture her.
How could he leave evidence like this?
If his doubts are deep, he should keep pressing until he is sure.
He must see it with his own eyes.
‘Since she didn’t come, I will force her to appear.’
Kwaak─
Ice arrows in huge quantities spread around him like flowers, hitting them all at once while the mud monster's body let out a majestic howl.
Boom, boom
Terrifying sounds echoed.
Amidst the sound of vibration, the power of Caisis alone clearly spread out.
He ordered the waiting knights coldly:
“All of you, back off.”
Finally, he gathered all the pent-up energy, and struck the Gate Master's heart.
Kouwang!
“Your Majesty!”
Casey clenched his blood-soaked hand and opened it several times
Blood flowed from her disgustingly.
He felt his physical condition deteriorating rapidly, and looked at the sky of the gate that was beginning to collapse.
With a feeling of annoying pain.
Kwong─
The monster that was the head of the gate collapsed, leaving thick dust and a loud sound.
The knights erected barriers with their strength while under the shock of the scene, as if they had seen a mountain collapsing.
Through the thick smell of blood, his blue eyes sparkled terrifyingly.
“Today... you will come.”
His dear and beloved mentor, towards whom he also holds some grudges.