Chapter 71: CH 69

“… Fine, I’ll believe you. However, you must do your best to prove your innocence.”

“Yes?”

At Mikael’s words, Marina asked back as if she couldn’t understand. She shook her head, then looked at him.

“But how can I prove something I didn’t do?”

Marina raised her voice in frustration. No matter how terrifying the Archduke was, she couldn’t help but feel unfair and resentful.

Mikael looked at Marina slowly, as if he had noticed Marina’s feelings.

“There is no way to prove it. So I just told you to do your best, I didn’t ask you to prove it.”

“What is that…”

“You just have to cooperate with me.”

“This is not fair!”

She cried out in his shrill voice. Up until now, she had no choice but to keep an eye on him because of the Archduke’s murderous intent, but she couldn’t do that forever.

Besides, she had no need to do anything great or take any risks. However, she was afraid that the Archduke might ask for something against her will, but she couldn’t not follow his words.

“But, one thing. I will cooperate with you as well.”

Marina’s eyes widened at his unexpected words. She looked at Mikael with surprised eyes.

“I’m sure you have something you want too. The fact that a noble noble lady came to the hunting competition must have been for a reason. I don’t know exactly why, but you pretended to know me there. Aside from countless others.”

“That, that…”

“Your father, Count Major Wilson, is a man whose true colors are plain to see. He covets my family name. If you also have the same goal, then what you want is me.”

“…”

Marina couldn’t say anything. Because what Mikael said was half right and half wrong. However, regardless of whether it was true or not, there was no point in arguing. She preferred not to talk about family matters as much as possible.

Mikael stared at Marina. His piercing eyes searched her, as if he could see right through her.

“But the strange thing is that you are not interested in me. You wanted to win my favor, but that day you were looking at a man other than me. You don’t want me as a man, but as an Archduke. It’s funny I should say that. You seem to want to become the Grand Duchess Orlov and have a paramour at the side, don’t you?”

“It’s not like that! That’s not what I want!”

At his sharp questioning, Marina exclaimed, shaking her head vigorously.

She was resentful and frustrated, but he had a point. It was true that she approached him because she needed the title and power of the Archduke. However, she had no choice but to approach him because it was the only way to save my mother, who was almost imprisoned.

It was the only way to live for her. Because of this, she could not stand Mikael’s sarcasm.

“Then what do you want? Speak.”

“That’s…”

“If it’s something the Orlov family can do, I’ll listen to it. However, you must cooperate with me.”

Mikael said firmly.

His words carried several meanings. Even as he spoke of the power of the Orlovs, he drew a clear line between himself and the family.

In other words, he also meant that he wouldn’t give her any of his feelings. Marina also correctly grasped the meaning of the words.

It was just as well. Because she had no desire to win his affection. She just needed enough strength and money to guarantee the safety of her mother and herself.

“Alright. I will cooperate with the Archduke.”

Not knowing what it would be like to cooperate with him, Marina reluctantly took the hand that was extended to her.

* * *

Clink!

The sound of wine glasses being shattered echoed through one’s eardrums. Small pieces of glass shattered.

“Crazy, you’re all crazy!”

The man screaming nervously was Duke Constantine Esirene. During breakfast, he had just heard from Robert that Archduke Orlov had been cleared of the black magic accusation.

As if throwing away the wine glass wasn’t enough, he threw plates, forks, spoons, and even knives at random. Even then, his anger did not subside, so he yanked on the tablecloth violently. As a result, all the tableware on the tablecloth was thrown to the floor.

“You really believe that Archduke Orlov of the world was playing with puppets? The Holy See just withdrew like that? You’re all out of your minds, you’re insane!”

As Robert watched Constantine rampage, he thought profanely about who the real madman was. He didn’t care whether Archduke Orlov was really crazy with black magic or not. He just shrank his shoulders, hoping that Constantine’s anger would not be directed at him.

“There must be a connection between the man Orlov cares for and the doll! It’s not just a simple puppet. Everyone is seriously mistaken. Can you believe he’d play puppets with his personality without going insane being out of your mind?”

“T- That makes sense.”

Robert the butler hurriedly agreed to please Constantine. However, Constantine, the person who asked the question, continued to talk to himself as if he could not hear him.

“How appalling! What the hell is the Holy See thinking?”

Constantine hit the table with both fists. Even so, the anger did not go away, so he wheezed for a while and was lost in thought.

“The Holy See has no intention of confronting the imperial family yet, is that it…”

The easiest direction he could think of was this.

It was more appropriate to say that the Holy See decided that it was not yet time to try to break the power of the imperial family in the wake of the scandal involving the Archduke Orlov, and gave up.

If there had been more solid evidence, they would have pushed to the end, but they hadn’t found such evidence, and the imperial family was still strong, so it was clear that they they didn’t want to overreach and involve Archduke Orlov in black magic.

“Stupid people.”

He cursed under his breath. It was understandable with rationale, but emotions didn’t always follow reason so easily.

“Well… But as long as that man exists, Orlov will continue to show his weakness. Robert, keep investigating the man!”

“Yes, I understand!”

Robert bowed his head in response to Constantine’s order.

The air that was still quite chilly surrounded the Duke Esirene.

* * *

A few days after the black magic commotion ended, a peaceful time passed.

Although things went well, there was nothing wrong with keeping as quiet as possible. Therefore, Mikael and Yul did not leave the mansion as much as possible.

For five days. Finally, Yul had enough.

“I’m bored, teacher.”

Yul, who was rolling around on the floor out of boredom, grabbed Mikael by the leg as he was reviewing paperwork and whined. Mikael glanced down at Yuri, then returned to the papers.

“No, teacher. Aren’t you bored?”

“Why am I ‘teacher’?”

“Originally, in my world, when we pay respect to someone, we call them teachers.”

“I really don’t understand that world.”

“There are other honorifics. It’s a slightly offensive expression, but would you like to hear it?”

“Why should I listen to that…”

“Hey, man1!”

“…”

Mikael didn’t say anything to Yuri’s words. He didn’t even know the meaning of that word, and it was the first time he heard it, but it made him feel strangely offended.

In a way, he thought that Yul had done a great job explaining it. It was amazing that he could say something he didn’t mean and put it into such an offensive tone.

“That’s a good word, I swear. There is also a brand called Yangban Kim. It’s a good word, so it’s a trademark, right? Yangban Kim is delicious.”

Seeing Mikael’s stiff face, Yul added more and more as if making excuses. He rebuked himself, saying that he must have lost his mind because he was so bored that he suddenly started arguing with Mikael, a gwanggong.

However, Mikael was forcibly holding down the corner of his mouth that was slightly rising. It was because it was so cute to see him looking at me with his big eyes.

“What do you want to play?”

“Yes?”

“You said you were bored. Tell me what to do so you won’t be bored.”

Yul thought he would be angry. Yuri, who heard the words, widened his eyes as if he was surprised. Then he smiled brightly, supported his plump cheek with one hand, and rolled his eyes as if deep in thought.

Yul, who was lost in thought for a long time, recalled the time when he was a slave and a graduate student, and shouted in a self-deprecating voice as he slapped himself on the forehead with a thud.

“Hmm… What did I do when I was bored in that world… hmm, hmm, hmm. Oh! I was a graduate student who never got bored!”