# Chapter 76
Chapter 76
“!!
— Jedaiah felt a shiver and quickly backed away.
Thud-!
A dull noise was heard.
“Aghh-!
— Something flew into the darkness.
One of Jedaiah's colleagues had fired a crossbow, but inside everything remained still.
They couldn't see anything because of the darkness.
They were hit by something.
How many guards were hiding inside?
Jedaiah broke out in a cold sweat.
“What are you?
Who are you?
Jedaiah realized that his premonition was correct.
"Damn.
I knew it was a trap!"
What kind of trick was this?
No one could find out what had happened.
“Eup!
— One by one, the voices of his colleagues were silenced.
Jedaiah barely managed to escape.
The priority was to survive.
He couldn't allow himself to be killed here.
Bang—!
As soon as he left the building, there was a deafening crash.
“His Highness is in danger!
— Outside, exceptionally well-armed knights began to enter the building.
“This is crazy…!”
The knights wore armor marked with the seal of the Kedrey Duchy.
The contractors were caught in a perfect trap.
Heinrich must have deliberately thrown money at them to use them as bait.
It was strange how he only hired five people to kidnap the princess…
Jedaiah spat out a curse when he realized that Kedrey knights must be around everywhere nearby.
He tried to escape her eyes by erasing his presence as much as he could.
Suddenly…
“Cough!
— Someone grabbed your clothes from behind.
He immediately turned around, but he didn't feel his clothes stuck to anything.
“Who's there?!
—No matter how much he looked, no one was there.
Even in the middle of the cold night, sweat ran off him like rain.
At that moment, a dress flew towards her as if possessed.
“What is that?!”
He tried to scream, but the dress blocked his mouth.
“Mmph!
Eup—!
“Shh.
Keep still.
It was a woman's voice.
Jedaiah, caught in the dress and lying on the floor, looked up.
“I almost lost the most important person.
The woman was hidden under a cloak.
“Could it be… the princess?”
However, Jedaiah didn't know because he couldn't see her face.
“Don't scream.
What if the Duke's knights come?
“…
He didn't know why, but the woman seemed to be trying to make a deal with him.
As soon as he stopped struggling, the dress came loose from his mouth.
He felt like his heart was going to jump out of his mouth.
A dress that moved of its own accord!
Jedaiah thought that the strange attacks from the previously empty room were all because of the woman in front of him.
He spoke in a polite tone.
“… I have a question to ask you before I die.
Jedaiah closed his eyes and thought of his little brother at home.
He always knew he would die like this one day.
The boy must find the money he hid under the bed.
“What is your true identity?
His sharp eyes turned to Cayena, who was still concealing her appearance.
“You're not going to die, so I'm not going to answer that question, Jedaiah.
Jedaiah couldn't understand why this strange woman knew his name.
“You must be burning inside, having to break your knightly pride and play contractor to your sick brother.
“…who are you really?
“I am the person who will solve your problem.
Jedaiah couldn't help but be shocked when his body was lifted as if someone had grabbed him.
Still, no one was after him.
Goosebumps appeared all over the body.
Cayena smoothed Jedaiah's clothes with magic.
“Don't you need Elixir?
Jedaiah instinctively widened his eyes when he heard the word “Elixir”.
“As expected, she is a mage…!”
He had dismissed the thought before, but his opponent was actually a magician.
In that case, she was someone who could make Elixir.
“Aren't you happy?
In the past, Jedaiah had a great obsession with magicians.
From the moment he knew that Elixir was the only way to save his little brother, he had been looking for someone who could use magic.
Everyone called him crazy.
He was treated like a madman, told he was the only person in the world who was looking for a magician.
Jedaiah acted cautiously, even at this once-in-a-lifetime moment.
“What guarantee do I have that you will help me?
I don't think someone like you has much use for a contractor.
She smiled, satisfiedwith Jedaiah's response.
People who were objective didn't tend to make stupid mistakes.
Having such a person would reduce the variables in your plan.
"A talented man who could poison Olivia despite the rigid defenses of a dukedom.
This man is someone who only touches what he can beat."
He and Cayena were acquaintances in a previous life.
She hired Jedaiah to poison Olivia in exchange for great wealth.
His brown hair, gray eyes, and even the long scar on his left cheek were like a trip down memory lane for her.
“I need your weakness.
Cayena's countenance was revealed in the moonlight.
“You have a reason to obey my commands and be faithful to me.
I need someone with that kind of desperation.
Jedaiah felt thirsty, hearing her dry and heartless words in a soft and melodic voice.
She was making a sappy proposal while hiding.
Just like the devil.
“…what should I do?
It was a proposal he couldn't refuse.
Jedaiah had no choice.
The person in front of him was definitely a magician.
He could receive Elixir.
His younger brother could live.
Jedaiah swallowed.
Without pausing, Cayena took out an envelope from her chest.
The envelope flew into the air and stopped in front of Jedaiah.
“…
He felt possessed by a ghost.
He took the envelope carefully.
“Go to Heinrich immediately.
Tell him that the princess had hidden guards and that you barely escaped.
The contract business will disappear today.
“What is that…?
“Learn about the corruption of the Evans family and burn the paper.
Even at first glance, the envelope seemed expensive.
Jedaiah's hands shook as he found the envelope's seal.
It was the seal of the imperial family.
“This was all the princess’ trap.”
His intention was clear.
The imperial seal was deliberately placed on paper that would be burned so he could see it.
He should become a double agent.
He thought something was strange, but to think that the princess herself knew magic!
At that moment, Jedaiah was struck with fear.
But his despair was enough to overcome him.
“So, when can I receive the Elixir?
“Come to the imperial palace.
“The-imperial palace…?
Could a commoner like him enter such an exalted place?
He looked at Cayena agitatedly.
She didn't say anything else.
Instead, she flew over a bag that was obviously full of coins.
It was an adequate salary.
Jedaiah was not as surprised as when he received the envelope earlier.
Suddenly, they could hear the sound of armor clinking.
The knights were close.
“Now go.
It was urgent for him to leave this place immediately.
Jedaiah hid the bag of coins in his clothes and ran away.
As Cayena watched him leave, she sent away her robe and dancing dress.
She ruffled her hair.
“So, should I go and detonate the powder keg?
His gaze turned to the inn.
The loud bang that Cayena had made earlier had been a gunshot.
Raphael secretly gave her the gun.
The moment he heard the gun fire, Raphael ran to the temple's annex.
“Is everyone asleep?”
There were intruders.
The interior of the annex was completely shrouded in shadow because the candles were out.
As the knights lit their torches, they saw an astonishing sight.
Beside the sleeping escort knights, four suspicious people were tied up.
“Capture them.
With that order, Raphael ran to the room.
“Your Highness!
—But there was no one inside.
Cayena had disappeared once again.
“Your Highness is missing!
Go and find her!
— His heart was beating unpleasantly.
"Please.
Let there be nothing wrong!"
Raphael had a feeling something was going to happen here.
He thought that Cayena wouldn't stay here without a reason.
He was stupid to think that everything would be fine as long as he had knights on guard around the temple.
He felt like he was going crazy with anger and regret.
He respected Cayena.
He admired her and held her in high esteem.
He did not dare to intrude on their territory.
But that thinking was wrong.
He had to do everything he could.
Rafael ran to the back of the temple.
The fact that enemies might attack him was not even taken into account in his calculations.
Finally, he found Cayena, walking towards the temple under the moonlight.
His face was pifilled with joy.
“Oh, duke…!
— Before she could finish speaking, Raphael ran to her and hugged her tightly in his arms.
He buried his face in the back of her head and placed his arms behind her back.
It was clearly Cayena's sweet scent.
She was safe.
Only then did he feel that he could live.