Chapter 137
by Sienna
Ariadeline bit her teeth together to regain her composure.
“Let go of Madam! What is this? Let go!”
She could see her maid, Dolly, being caught by the Marquis’s maids.
Ariadeline struggled to lift her body, but it felt as if she had taken a paralysis drug; her mind grew more and more distant, and her fingertips wouldn’t move as she wished.
“When you wake up, everything will be over.”
The chilling voice of Dolorante, scraping against her eardrums, was the last sound she heard.
Seth Dolorante held Ariadeline gently in his arms.
Now, all he had to do was take her to the Emperor, and his job would be done. But why did his chest feel so heavy?
‘It’s strange. I feel like there was something I wanted.’
Aside from obeying the Emperor’s command, there was something he desperately desired, but why couldn’t he remember?
He shook his head. For now, he just needed to do what he had to do.
He carried Ariadeline out of the reception room. In front of the door stood:
“What should we do?”
The Marquis’s knights were binding the Duke’s knights. The Duke’s knights had dazed looks in their eyes, as if they were under the influence of something.
The Marquis’s knights were each covering their mouths and noses with cloth.
Seth Dolorante frowned and shook his head once.
“Open the window. The smell is too overwhelming.”
“Understood.”
Then, the maids who had subdued Dolly inside asked:
“What should we do with this maid?”
“Madam! Please come to your senses. Madam…!”
Dolly shouted with all her might towards the limp Ariadeline. However, her closed eyelids showed no sign of opening.
“Along with the knights.”
Seth Dolorante looked down at her lovingly as he held her in his arms, responding in a gentle tone like that of a reaper.
“Kill them all.”
“Yes.”
“Madam!”
The knights each drew their swords. A sickening sound of flesh and bone being pierced echoed.
“Cough…”
Dolly, whose throat had been slit, collapsed to the ground, coughing up blood. The knights, intoxicated by the scent, fell cold without even a final scream.
Seth Dolorante continued to carry Ariadeline as he headed outside the mansion. When he reached the front gate:
“You’ve arrived.”
A pitch-black carriage stood waiting. Even in the bright daylight, it absorbed light as if it reflected nothing, resembling a shadow woven together.
“Has His Majesty been waiting long?”
“…….”
The coachman of the black carriage said nothing. Seth Dolorante clicked his tongue, lifted Ariadeline, and climbed into the carriage.
Squeak, clatter.
The carriage started moving, and Seth continued to whisper to Ariadeline as he held her close.
“……When I take you to His Majesty…”
So, whatever was going to befall him. Just thinking about it made his head throb, leaving him unable to think straight. And he felt something was missing.
‘What I wanted wasn’t this doll-like girl.’
It was her who shone her eyes towards someone, enduring pain yet never giving up…
A jolt.
A brief pain flashed through his mind. Seth Dolorante let out a slight sound and quickly blinked, turning his gaze away.
‘First, I need to take Ariadeline to His Majesty.’
Clatter, clatter.
The carriage carrying the two passed through alleyways and arrived somewhere. When Dolorante looked outside the carriage, he saw the Imperial Palace.
The carriage began to roll deeper into the palace, passing through the entrance where palace attendants wandered. It finally stopped in front of a quiet palace.
The surroundings were silent, with no one around. There were a total of 24 palaces within the Imperial Palace, and it seemed he was going to use one that was unoccupied.
Seth Dolorante lifted Ariadeline out of the carriage and approached the palace with light steps.
He moved as if entranced, heading towards the underground of the palace.
And step by step, he began to descend the stairs. The underground was dark, damp, and thick with the smell of darkness.
“Oh dear.”
When Seth Dolorante reached the underground, he smiled.
“It seems His Majesty didn’t come personally?”
Only the Emperor’s attendant stood alone in the middle of the underground. To the left of the underground, iron bars were visible. It looked like a prison used to confine someone.
“Hand over Duchess Denaves here.”
“Ah.”
In that moment, Seth Dolorante furrowed his brow. A sharp pain throbbed in his head.
While he thought that he had to hand her over, an impulse arose within him that he didn’t want to. So, he stubbornly resisted.
“She might wake up early because she’s uncomfortable, so I will take care of her.”
“You have more to do.”
“Is there something else I need to do?”
“Yes, you need to inform Duke Denaves that the Duchess Denaves has disappeared.”
“How am I supposed to…?”
Do you think I won’t look suspicious if I go? He wanted to say that. But before he could utter those words completely:
Swoosh—
“Uh…?”
Something sprang from behind him and slit his throat.
Slash—!
Blood spattered against the cold stone walls of the underground.
☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓 ☪︎ ִ ࣪𖤐 𐦍 ☾𖤓
The sky darkened, and the moon was obscured by clouds. As the wind blew coldly, the trees, losing their leaves, crackled. The sound of branches colliding filled the air.
Carlothian anxiously paced around his room and looked at the clock.
It was already one in the morning. Ariadeline had not returned. He contemplated sending someone to the Marquis’ residence.
She’s probably just delayed. The conversation must be taking longer, he thought, but he felt he could no longer wait.
He was afraid she would recoil from him, scared of his obsessive behavior, but if this delay continued, he felt he might lose his mind.
Ultimately, Carlothian called for a servant and gave orders.
“Send someone to the Dolorante Marquisate. And bring Ariadeline.”
His mind was a mess. Her pushing away his hand. And the steps she took towards Seth Dolorante. That image spiraled into a vision of Ariadeline cradled in Seth Dolorante’s arms.
Gritting his teeth.
I can’t let you go. Ariadeline.
“Then I’ll send someone to attend to the Madam at the Marquisate…”
Knock, knock—
Before the servant finished speaking, someone knocked on the door. Carlothian turned his head, and the responding servant opened the door.
“What is it?”
“Well, a strange object has arrived from the Dolorante Marquisate.”
“A strange object?”
“Yes, this.”
The servant held up a heavy-looking wooden box. Carlothian caught a whiff of a peculiar smell coming from the box. As he approached, the servant extended the wooden box toward him.
“It seems there’s something inside, but I haven’t opened it yet.”
Carlothian felt a sense of unease. Yes, there was a scent of disturbance emanating from the box. It was the same smell he had experienced when he lost his parents.
And the smell he had sensed when Ariadeline had her first seizure.
No, it was even more dreadful…
Click.
Unable to withstand the smell, Carlothian opened the lid of the box. Then,
“Ugh…!”
Both the servant and attendant gasped in shock.
Clang, thud,
The lid that Carlothian was holding fell to the floor with a sound. Inside, there was.
“…Seth Dolorante.”
It was the severed head of Seth Dolorante. His eyes had not even been closed.
Carlothian’s hand holding the box trembled uncontrollably. The anxiety that had been creeping up his ankle suddenly felt like it was choking him.
“Right now…!”
His breath quickened.
“Release the knights to search for Ariadeline…!”
He threw the box away. Crash, bang! The head rolled pathetically across the floor.
“Duke…!”
As the head rolled and the box toppled over, the servant pointed at something.
“There’s something like paper down there!”
“Paper?”
The servant picked up what was lying at the bottom of the box. Carlothian took the letter.
With trembling hands, he broke the seal on the letter. Inside was a concise sentence.
[Come alone to the entrance of the western forest.]
And below that was written.
[If you do not come alone, the hostage’s life cannot be guaranteed.]
It was a clear threat. Carlothian clenched the letter tightly. The paper crumpled in his grip.
The servant asked.
“Sh-should we send out the knights as you said?”
At those words, Carlothian whipped his head around.
“No.”
“B-but, Duke…”
“I’m going alone.”
