Chapter 4
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Episode 2 - Third Imperial Princess [1]
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Sitting in the office of the lord of Ashford Duchy, he had sent Cynthia to call Kadia to come.
'I don't need to be tied down as lord of this place.'
Furthermore, in the previous cycle, the Duchy of Ashford passed from me to Kadia as the Duchess.
The duchy flourished and grew even more after coming under Kadia's control.
Toc. Toc. Toc. Toc.
As he drummed his fingers on the desk, two pairs of footsteps could soon be heard on the other side of the door.
Clanck!
The door burst open. Then Kadia, with her usual irritated and rigid expression, entered and spoke.
"What do you want? If you called me for nonsense, you better get ready."
Smiling warmly, I shook both hands.
"Oh, it's not that, sister, I just wanted to tell you something that will make you happy."
"Do you have something to tell me that will make me happy?"
"That's right."
Kadia looked at me for a second, then her irritated expression changed to a subtle, hidden joy.
"So... you're finally leaving."
"...?"
Tears of joy welled up in his eyes. Not only that, but he also flashed such a happy and joyful smile after saying those words.
Never in my entire life have I seen anyone as happy as Kadia is right now.
In an annoyed voice, I interrupted his greatest "desire" to get rid of me.
"That's not it."
"Hmm, what is it then? Don't make me cry with happiness, you know how happy I was."
"..."
I should punch him in the face, but if I do, I'll get a penalty.
'How lucky.'
With a continuous sigh.
"Congratulations, sister. From today, you will be the lady of the Ashford duchy."
"...?"
"...?"
Cynthia and Kadia opened their eyes so wide that, with their mouths open, they stared at me.
With question marks appearing on their faces, they both blinked at the same time.
The silence in the office was spectacular.
As if suddenly receiving a revelation she had never expected, Kadia shook her head and said in a bewildered tone.
Wait, wait... What!?"
"Surprised, huh? I'm giving you my position, that's all. Now you're in charge of Ashford Duchy."
"..."
Kadia looked puzzled.
He kept looking at me; his mouth opened and closed as if he wanted to say something, but no matter how hard he tried, he didn't say anything for a long time.
A piece of news that she had been waiting for for a long time came true, but in such an abrupt way.
"You're... kidding."
"No, not at all."
"Really?"
"Yes, really..."
However, Kadia suddenly laughed.
"Ha, ha, ha... Now, now I can kick you out of here, you damn bastard."
"But..."
Interrupting her happiness for the second time, I smiled and looked Kadia in the eyes.
"On the condition that I can do as I please with the duchy's funds. That is all I ask, and I will not use the family's influence."
To grow, I needed herbs, items, and financial resources.
Otherwise, I would limit myself to certain things.
Kadia frowned when she heard my words.
First of all, why are you suddenly giving up your position as lord of the Ashford duchy?
"I have things to do, and being lord of this place will tie me down too much. That's explanation enough."
Kadia rubbed her forehead and only after a while sighed, looked up, and looked at me.
You've really changed in just three days.
"I said it, didn't I? That I wanted to change things."
Even so, I won't trust your words one hundred percent.
"Whether you trust me or not, it's not my problem."
Kadia turned to leave, but before doing so she paused and looked at Cynthia, who had been silent.
Cynthia, keep an eye on that jerk. If he does anything suspicious, no matter what he does to you, you have to tell me. Understood?
Cynthia nodded in response to Kadia's words. I watched silently, without giving it much thought, then Kadia looked over her shoulder at me.
"I'll go get ready. See you in the carriage."
Kadia disappeared from view after a few seconds. In the silence, I sighed and said to Cynthia:
"Is the gift ready yet?"
"Yes, young master. I have obtained the 〖Ring of Havell〗 you requested as a gift for the third imperial princess."
"Great, then finish the rest and come downstairs."
"Yes, young master."
***
Illiana Ash. Alfheim.
That is the name of the third imperial princess, a woman whose thoughts are difficult to understand.
She is unpredictable, astute, and intelligent.
As the strongest villain in the game, I have intelligence far superior to most people, but there are people whose thoughts even I found difficult to understand.
Iliana is one of those people. In my ancestor's grimoire, it is described that Illiana was one of my most difficult predestined enemies to face.
Leaving aside Serena, the one destined to kill me, Illiana was more confident in how to handle me.
'If I killed her now, it would be a huge advantage, but...'
I was compelled not to commit evil deeds. If I killed Illiana, the curse would kill me immediately, even before I touched a single hair on her head.
It couldn't be avoided. However, even if he didn't kill her, he could do something else without being penalized, according to my hypothesis about the curse.
Crackling.
A large door began to open, then a voice shouted from the other side.
The special guests, Duke Ivanth V. Ashford and Duchess Kadia V. Ashford, have arrived.
When the door opened, I was greeted by a large crowd of staring eyes. Inside there were dozens of tables, nobles, butlers, and maids. A strong smell of liquor and wine permeated the air.
'What a welcome.'
As I walked through the center, the silence accentuated by my arrival was incredible, but I ignored all the aristocrats and headed straight for a woman surrounded by nobles.
White hair, golden eyes: Illiana Ash. Alfheim raised his right hand, and instantly, the nobles around him dispersed.
"It is a great pleasure to be invited by Her Highness, the third imperial princess."
"It's nothing, Duke Ashford. Inviting a figure such as yourself is an honor for me and for the imperial family at my birthday celebration."
A normal duke would have said "honor" instead of "pleasure," out of respect for the superior power of the imperial family.
But like Ashford, my power, influence, and prestige were far superior to those of the imperial family itself.
I said I would not use my family's influence, a promise I made to Kadia, but that will be until the official announcement of my retirement as patriarch of the duchy.
Noticing a slight frown on Illiana's face, I knew she was a little upset. But as soon as I noticed it, her expression disappeared, replaced by a warm smile.
"Why don't we talk somewhere else? Although I am the protagonist here, your presence is more important, Mr. Ivanth."
"If that is your wish, then so be it."
Illiana rose from her seat and gestured for the servants to leave. They nodded.
'It seems like it wants to tell me something.'
In the previous cycle, I refused to attend Illiana's birthday party.
And he never contacted me until I began to slowly overthrow the empire.
That's when she approached me, but all she got was a clear threat. From that moment on, it was extremely difficult to continue with my plans until I finally killed her.
Following Illiana, we arrived at a large room with a terrace, a table, and two seats set with a bottle of wine and two glasses.
I smiled when I saw the scene.
I wonder what his expression was like in the previous cycle when Kadia told him that I didn't come.
While I was thinking, Illiana led me to the table on the terrace. She sat down, and I sat across from her.
"Would you like some?"
Taking the bottle of wine, Illiana asked.
"Of course."
She poured the wine into a glass, handed it to me, and then filled her own.
After a small sip, he smiled and said.
"You know why I brought you here."
"No, not really. So, princess, why did you bring me here?"
Since he never sought me out in the previous cycle, beyond threats and warnings, I wasn't sure what he wanted to talk about now.
First, you have to be careful with her... even I couldn't do much.
I extended my senses, making sure there was no one around.
Fortunately, it was just Illiana and me. I thought there might be someone hiding, but unexpectedly, that wasn't the case.
'If I had killed her at this very moment in the previous cycle, I could have gotten away with it.'
Of course, it would be difficult. But the current imperial family was corrupt, and Illiana suffered resentment from her brothers and the empress.
The emperor bore her no ill will, but he paid her no attention either. If he killed her, they would do nothing against me.
Not only that, but also because I was someone the imperial family could not touch.
Illiana smiled and answered my question.
Mr. Ivanth, I would like to ask you a favor.
I raised an eyebrow at his unexpected response.
"And what kind of favor?"
"It's not complicated at all. It's something that will happen soon."
"Mhm."
Illiana took a sip before answering.
"As you know, in a couple of months, the empress, my mother, plans to host a banquet."
"...."
I opened my eyes slightly as I heard his words, registering the events of the previous cycle.
The banquet Illiana refers to was the day the imperial family, with the exception of Illiana, were murdered.
At that banquet, the empress planned to betroth Illiana with ulterior motives.
So, the rumors that she hired the killer... are true.
The problem was that, even with my contacts and my own investigations, it was never known who hired the killer.
Well, it could be explained, but it's not sufficient proof.
The conversation was turning toward those future events.
Illiana then continued.
"At that banquet, the empress wants to betroth me to someone. I don't know who, but I doubt it will be someone I want to marry."
I looked at her for a second; it was clear what she was asking for.
"So... you want me to be your fiancé."
Illiana smiled and nodded.
"Exactly, but of course, it's a false compromise. I just need to trick the empress into letting me move around on my own for a while."
"You basically want it to be your temporary shield."
"You understood quickly, so what do you say, Mr. Ivanth?"
It was something I could easily do, but there was a problem.
Not only does he want to use me as he pleases through a false 'commitment', but he also wants to move around unseen to put his possible plans into action.
I don't know exactly what she's planning, but in the previous cycle, if she was the one who hired the killer, it was because I never received her request. But now it's different.
I couldn't let his plans go as he originally intended.
The imperial family is too troublesome; moreover, there was a high probability that the curse would force me to 'correct' the imperial family.
'Therefore, the imperial family must die, just as in the previous cycle, and Illiana must be made empress, but with one significant difference.'
As she was a sworn enemy, I could not allow her to remain free while she became empress.
I slowly took out the gift I had prepared for Illiana.
"Before answering, princess, I will give you my gift."
"No problem."
I smiled to myself; it was a very special gift that would completely change the game.
"Oh, wow, that's a beautiful ring."
When she saw the ring, Illiana took it with a smile.
"Why don't you give it a try?"
Iliana nodded quietly and put on the ring. When the ring slipped onto her finger, I smiled deeply.
Now, regarding my answer... My answer is no.
"What...?"
"I say no, because there is a better way for you to become empress. But of course, letting you become empress just like that while you used me... of course I couldn't allow that."
"What do you mean?"
"What I'm saying is: I will kill the imperial family, I will promote you to the throne as empress, but you will repay me with your loyalty. That ring you just put on has the 〖Bond of Bondage〗. Once you put it on, you are obliged to do whatever I want, and if you don't listen to me, then you'll know what will happen to you."
A ring that was difficult to obtain because it was unique, but I knew where to find it.
That place, unexpectedly, was the Ashford family warehouse. A ring that binds the heart of the wearer, forcing them to do whatever the person who gave it to them asks.
In a nutshell...
"You are my slave."