Chapter 79
The Marion group arrived. The Marquis Fernandi was waiting for them together with Damian.
“Marquis Fernandi! I heard that the Demon King is holding my grandson hostage here. Open the gate!”
The Grand Duke Baltstein shouted toward the firmly closed castle gate. The marquis had no time to feel glad at hearing his voice after a long time.
“The Demon King…?”
He looked at Damian. He had thought he was a demon, but he was an existence far above that…? He was so surprised that words wouldn’t come out.
The marquis glared at Damian with eyes demanding an explanation, but he simply looked at the castle gate with an impassive face and said.
“Open the gate.”
The marquis could not leave the guests outside indefinitely. He suppressed his confused feelings and ordered the guards to open the gate.
Since the day the lava boulders fell, for reasons of stability, the massive castle gate that had been closed for a week slowly opened.
Through the widening gap in the gate, Marion standing in a straight posture was visible. The Marquis Fernandi’s heart pounded fiercely.
“I greet the marquis.”
The group except for the grand duke politely greeted. The marquis looked at Marion with fresh eyes.
The red hair color was the same as Charlize’s, and the slightly upturned eye corners seemed similar too. But the eye color was gray, not blue. However, since the marquis’s own eyes were gray, this might perhaps resemble him.
The marquis barely suppressed his trembling heart and opened his mouth.
“…You must have had a hard time coming a long way. Everyone, please come in.”
The Marion group entrusted the horses they had ridden to the marquis’s soldiers. They stepped into the garden under the marquis’s guidance.
“It’s been a long time, grand duke.”
“Yes, have you been well in the meantime, marquis?”
“It’s always the same. Have you eaten?”
“I ate breakfast and came.”
The marquis exchanged brief greetings with the grand duke. The stiff atmosphere seemed to thaw a little, but a strange tension remained.
The situation itself was not good. The Demon King who had taken hostage someone’s grandson and fiancé, and the king of the north, was right beside them, so who could feel at ease.
Even the marquis found it absurd. Damian being the Demon King. He slightly turned back.
Damian was naturally walking standing next to Marion. Marion’s face was completely stiffened. There were no words exchanged between the two, but Damian was unilaterally staring at Marion.
Fernandi was engrossed in examining her closely.
Since he had distanced himself from news of the capital after holding Charlize’s funeral, he had not seen Marion in detail. He had only heard rampant rumors.
A rascal who often couldn’t control her temper and destroyed buildings, had severe promiscuity with men, and her origin was also a lowly orphan from the slums.
All sorts of bad rumors were stuck to her thickly. Thus, the Marquis Fernandi was tormented by guilt.
If she is truly my granddaughter, I would have raised her very preciously. Without letting a drop of water touch her hands, dressing her only in good clothes, feeding her only the most delicious food in the empire.
But he could not yet conclude.
He had investigated Marion for a week. Since she was such a famous person, the investigation was done quickly, and he could receive documents on her past record and recent activities.
Most of it was stories he already knew. However, the part that said ‘She had an unrequited love for the crown prince, but it turned out she was meeting the grand duke, and she was pregnant and scheduled to marry soon.’ was new.
She had been pregnant.
Even though it was not yet certain that she was his granddaughter, his heart ached, but he soon controlled his emotions.
However, while reading the documents, there was one thing that caught his attention.
It was the part where Marion and Kaiden had purchased a large amount of wedding gifts at the Asil jewelry store in the capital a few weeks before the wedding.
He suspected that perhaps the bracelet Damian had shown might have been purchased there.
When he found the clerks and asked, they said there was no such bracelet, and that they had just bought an armful of various jewels and accessories.
At this, the Marquis Fernandi felt relieved. Perhaps…, really perhaps Marion might be his granddaughter.
But this morning, he found a person who had a very deep relationship with Marion.
The investigator, just in case, captured him and sent him to the marquis family’s prison. Setting aside his character, he was clearly one of the important witnesses, so he decided to keep him alive for a while.
The marquis had not yet met him, but when proving that Marion is Charlize’s daughter, he could conduct a confrontation interrogation.
When everyone entered the marquis castle together, the Marquis Fernandi suggested to them.
“Please rest a bit. I will prepare the meal soon.”
“Before that, I want to see His Highness the Grand Duke first.”
Marion stepped forward and demanded. The marquis was about to readily agree, but Damian was faster.
“No. Meal first.”
The atmosphere instantly became cold as if doused with cold water. Damian said.
“It might be the last supper, so it would be good to eat.”
The Marquis Fernandi wanted to clutch his head. Damian was now threatening that if you are not my daughter, this will be your last meal.
But Marion did not back down.
“Checking if the hostage is safe comes first.”
Damian stared blankly at such Marion. Marion also glared back without yielding. The people around watched their staring contest with tense faces.
“Did you bring the evidence?”
“I cannot say anything until I see His Highness the Grand Duke.”
“Is that so?”
Everyone tensed up. It was unpredictable what action Damian would take.
“Then let’s go see.”
It was a moment when the tension slightly deflated.
* * *
In my mind, I poured all kinds of curses at the Demon King.
‘Because of that crazy bastard, I can’t live because I’m scared. His eyes are bloodshot, why does he keep staring and acting up? I want to pluck them out.’
[Marion, no matter what, saying such things to the Demon King….]
Bled, sitting on my left shoulder, muttered while watching the Demon King and me. I glared at him with axe eyes.
‘Whose side are you on now.’
[No, where is there such a….]
‘Me or the Demon King! Whose side!’
[Let’s not be childish. Rather, the Demon King… seems to see me. No, of course he can see me.]
I glanced at the Demon King with displeased eyes. He was looking at me and Bled with strangely amused eyes. Those eyes were annoying.
‘Can he hear your words too?’
[No. I’m speaking directly into your mind, and you’re transmitting directly to me too.]
‘But he’s a god, right. Why doesn’t he know inner thoughts? Isn’t he incompetent? Is he really a god?’
To me who was intent on belittling him, Bled kindly explained.
[Do you know why people pray? It’s because only earnestly wished and desired hearts barely reach the god. Ordinary thoughts probably won’t reach at all.]
When he said that, I had nothing to say.
But there are many moments in life when you doubt if god really exists. Like now, when the Demon King holds everyone’s lifelines.
I grumbled inwardly.
‘A god who pretends not to hear ordinary prayers. The prayers people make to Nyx asking to be saved will form a sea. Damn. I’m shaking with fear and dying. Why does he keep staring like that.’
[He seems to know you’re his daughter. Poor Demon King….]
‘Do you find the Demon King pitiful?! He’s trying to destroy the world as he pleases?! You’re on the Demon King’s side!’
I had to try hard not to jump in rage. But inwardly, I was bombing Bled. Tired of it, he immediately raised the white flag.
[Ah, alright. Let’s just think about now for the moment. It’s going well so far, right.]
That was true.
Until before arriving at the marquis castle, I was worried sick that the Demon King would immediately cut my throat upon seeing me, asking where I’m pretending to be his daughter.
But fortunately, from the castle gate until now heading to Kaiden, he had just been looking at me. The gaze was burdensome and I wanted to stab those eyes, but it was still bearable.
One more burdensome thing was the Marquis Fernandi’s gaze. He kept turning back and glancing at me.
‘He must be curious if I’m his granddaughter….’
Another load of guilt piled up in my heart. But I also had a mission. So I decided to atone later if I survive.
“Here it is.”
The marquis stopped in front of the guest room. Finally, seeing Kaiden after a week. My heart was pounding.
The marquis turned the doorknob. The moment the door fully opened, I couldn’t hold back and ran in.
“Your Highness the Grand Duke!”
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