I immediately returned to the Grand Duchess's closet.
Through the hole in the door, I could hear a woman's voice.
“So, you're saying there's nothing wrong with anti-theft magic?”
“Yes, ma’am. It seems that someone touched it to activate the magic. Otherwise there would be no reason to activate it...”
“……”
Even after Maid Gemma finished speaking, the Duchess remained silent for a while.
Through the gap, I couldn't help but admire the Duchess's presence.
“Wow...”
It really looked like Somerset. The only difference was the undeniable elegance that emanated from her even when she was sitting still.
The way she was holding the teacup was elegant, and even when Jemma talked about the necklace that had made a mess, her facial expression did not change for a moment.
Soundlessly, the Grand Duchess placed the teacup on its plate.
“So, we don’t know who this ‘person’ is?”
"No, ma'am. That's still unclear."
“Hmm.”
“All this bragging and all these so-called magicians seem to be of no use, right?”
Her words were followed by a heavy silence. Slowly, the Duchess lowered her gaze, her eyes narrowing as she stared at the teacup in her hands.
I closed my hands together in the closet and prayed silently.
“Please, please, make the anti-theft magic wear off now, please!”
Finally, the Grand Duchess broke the silence and said in her usual calm voice.
“What is Deidrick doing these days?”
“The Junior Master is the same as always, ma'am. He stays locked in his room studying or sometimes goes for a walk, but doesn't come out otherwise.”
“Do you think he could be the culprit?”
“……”
“No, probably not.”
The Duchess let out a sarcastic laugh, as if she were making fun of herself for thinking the idea.
“I will have the anti-theft magic removed. This disturbance makes it impossible to live in peace.”
“Yes, ma'am.”
"finally!"
Without realizing it, I let out a loud cry of joy.
The moment Jemma picked up the necklace and started to walk out, she quietly walked out of the closet to follow her.
But suddenly, the door opened quickly and a pale-faced maid entered the room.
“Madam… Your Highness, the Duke, is…”
Before the maid could complete her sentence, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hall and echoed throughout the room.
Click… click….
Everyone in the room swallowed nervously...
Even though everyone lived in the Duke's Palace, seeing him in person was rare for anyone not part of his inner circles.
Even for me.
I didn't expect to see him here...
Squeak.
The door opened slowly, revealing a tall man entering the room.
His thick black hair, like Daedric's, was neatly combed, and his sharp eyes sunk into his face.
As his cold, low gaze crossed the room, a stifling silence settled, accompanied by an immense sense of dread that seemed to emanate from his mere presence.
Unconsciously, I curled up like a turtle returning to its shell and took a few steps back.
“…”
“…?”
For a short while, I felt as if the Duke's gaze met mine.
Hesitantly, she whispered softly, “Can you see me?”
But instead of responding, his cold, indifferent gaze returned to the Grand Duchess as if nothing had happened.
“Was that just my imagination?”
Lightly, I approached him.
The Duchess, Delaney, rose from her seat, feigning calm and composure, and gave him a soft smile and gentle eyes.
“You're welcome, dear.”
But the Duke did not respond to her greeting.
His apparent disregard caused Delaney to cup her hands together in an attempt to hide her trembling.
While I couldn't hide the sparkle of excitement in my eyes.
“This is my chance!”
I didn't expect the Duke to appear here.
Delaney quickly motioned to Gemma with her eyes, directing her to take the necklace and leave the room as quickly as possible.
If lightning strikes again here, the Duke will discover the existence of the necklace.
This shouldn't happen.
Why?
For if the Duke did not see something with his own eyes, he would not acknowledge it. If it is visible to him, the situation will change.
There was a similar incident before:
The Grand Duchess has repeatedly insulted Didric's mother. Unable to bear the constant insult, Daedric confessed everything to the Duke.
But the Duke responded coldly to young Didric, saying:
"Bring me proof. I only believe what I see with my own eyes."
And he didn't stop there.
The Duke believed that only visual evidence could solve everything. It was almost an obsession.
He may have had a previous experience where he was wrongly accused due to lack of evidence.
In short, he didn't care if the evidence was fake. As long as it was something he could see with his own eyes, he was ready to act.
This was my plan to take advantage of it.
“Visual proof!”
Without hesitation, she approached the maid holding the necklace and touched it.
Zap!
As always, lightning passed through my body.
“……”
The Duke's gaze suddenly moved and landed directly on the necklace.
Although Delaney quickly called out to him, the Duke blocked the maid's path as she tried to quickly exit.
“Wait!”
"my dear!"
Maybe I had been struck by lightning too many times, or maybe my body had built up a resistance, but this time, I did not lose consciousness nor was I forcefully summoned to the closet.
Forced summoning only seems to happen if I'm so severely injured that I'm unable to move.
As long as the treasury is fine, there is no need to worry about death.
Cough…
The lightning caused me to cough, and black smoke evaporated from my mouth.
"brother!"
The maid sighed as smoke formed in the empty air, but the Duke paid no attention to it, still holding the necklace in his hand.
“This souvenir… didn’t it go to Daedric?”
The Duke's presence increased his ferocity. The atmosphere in the room became cold, and everyone in the room shook in fear.
I felt it too. The killing intent in the air was making my body shake uncontrollably, something I had never felt before. I didn't want to feel this way, but my body was responding to the stress.
But for a moment, she felt as if the killing intent had subsided, as if she had been calmed down for a moment.
“I want to see what excuse you have this time.”
The Duke's icy voice made Delaney stiffen for a moment, but she quickly regained her composure, brought her hands together and raised her chin.
“Yes, this necklace is actually a souvenir from Amelia.”
She didn't even try to hide it.
Her face, smiling as if nothing had happened, answered with feminine grace.
“I found it late, and I was going to bring it to you, but you seem to have noticed it first.”
“What is the magic on the necklace?”
Now that I thought about it, the Duke had touched the necklace, and yet the lightning had not struck him. He was still holding it, unaffected by the magic.
“Sexy, Duke Blackwood...”
I was hit hard by the lightning, but he seemed unaffected. I was fascinated and couldn't stop myself from taking a look around.
“It's a charm to prevent theft.”
“Was it necessary to keep it on?”
“Because it is a valuable Daedric property.”
Delaney's response was smooth, as if there was a snake hidden in her mouth.
The smooth lies that came out of her almost caught my attention.
“So this magic won't work on Daedric, right?”
Despite the subtlety of the question, Delaney answered calmly.
“…Because Daedric had to be there. I was going to put the magic back on, so that only he could touch it.”
“……”
In the heavy silence, I saw Delaney biting her lip nervously as the Duke's cold gaze bore upon her.
He looked at her for a moment, then added indifferently,
“You're very good at avoiding the truth.”
“….”
“If there are any other mementos, bring them all to me. I will ignore this for now.”
It was clear that he knew she was lying. However, he chose to ignore it.
It was disappointing, but I understood.
In this case, it would have been better to find the mementos and return them to Deedrick rather than have Delaney asked one by one.
If Delaney had deliberately hidden them, even the Duke might not be able to find them.
While physical threats were an option, she was still the Duke's wife, and the Duke made sure to show her basic respect.
However, she did not move from her place.
The Duke held the necklace tightly.
A small magic circle appeared above the necklace, engraved with symbols. Then, with a cracking-like sound, it shattered and disappeared.
“……”
Was it
Able
Should I do that too?
While I was carefully trying to touch the necklace, the Duke's hand dropped slightly.
It looked like he was adjusting it to align with me.
This was the second time he acted like he knew I was here.
I narrowed my eyes at him suspiciously.
“...Can you really not see me?”