Chapter 12

~ Chapter 12 ~

Verndia quickly explained with his jaw gritted why he brought up his question, while massaging his temple.

“Just now, Princess Lillian had a talk with me. It was said that you arranged a meeting between me and her, thus she came to see me because she thought that I wasn’t keeping my promise. Is that true?”

“… No, I had never done that.”

She was speechless by Lillian’s ridiculous lie. Then she calmly continued to say, whereas Verndia had his eyes shooting knives.

“There was a time when Lillian wanted to see the Duke, and asked for your presence. But that was all.”

“Ha.”

Verndia lowered his gaze at an angle and muttered to himself inaudibly.

From his expression, his unstable breathing, and intermittent words, he seemed to be cursing Lillian.

She didn’t notice it first because she was preoccupied by Lillian’s unexpected lie, and was suddenly swayed by her emotions. Only then did her eyes caught the teapot and teacups on the table.

‘That was also the reason why Melissa kept on interrupting me to dress up quickly.’

Psychke, who figured out the whole situation, sighed and sat across Verndia.

“I will say this one more time, I have no intention of getting engaged to Princess Lillian. Please tell her to immediately wake up from her own dreams.”

“Can’t you say it to her yourself?”

“I already did it, but I just want to ensure.”

As expected. He was a tremendous person in many ways.

“Anyways, I’m not here to talk about Princess Lillian.”

His long and slender fingers wrapped around the handle of the teacup, was attractive. His red lips touched the edge of the teacup, and his throat trembled due to the tea, going into it.

Verndia, after taking a sip, started to talk. Although he had already changed the subject, he looked somehow offended.

“I heard that Princess Psychke will meet Lia tomorrow.”

If it’s Lia… isn’t she the Ice Wizard she was supposed to meet at the Magic Association? How did he know that?

She tried to inquire of how did he know that, but he was a second faster.

“Why do you want to meet with her?”

“Before that, Duke, may I ask how did you know that?”

Psychke’s voice was cold. Due to her sudden uncomfortableness, and wondered if he ever had someone tailing her.

Comprehending her reaction, he slightly tilted his head sideways, and explained unhurriedly.

“I was about to meet her because I had an errand for her, but I found out that she had a business with the princess. The Association’s wizard told me about it. “

Well, no one knows who are the guests of Magic Association.

She remembered that she told the Magic Association that she got along with Verndia well.

She felt bad from lying that they were, but decided to not ask any more, since she had no reason to do so.

“She is on her way to the Northern Castle for dealing with the monsters. My answer to your question.”

“The Northern Monsters for an Ice Wizard? Are you serious?”

His expression on his face after she confessed the truth, was distorted a bit.

She tried to hid the advice the Wizard gave to her.

Now that things have come to this, Psychke thought it would be the right thing to do, so Psychke confided about the characteristics of the monsters and things which are related to the moonstone.

“I am speaking under the name of Silkisia, so please believe my words.”

After her long explanation, he then opened his mouth.

“How did you know that monsters are being affected by cold weather?”

“I saw it in my family’s book.”

In the southern part of the empire, there were many dungeons within Silkisia territory. It was for this reason that Silkisia became famous for their swordsmanship.

Their family conducted how can monsters be minimized and their damages in the territory.

Of course, the results were not shared with other families as it was the intellectual property of their family.

Therefore, Psychke Silkisia’s words belonged to a highly reliable axis, and the Duke who knew it was pleased.

“That’s why. They kept on resurrecting.”

“Yes. They will gain immaculate strength after they gained warmth. Therefore, one must use the moonstone to hurt it. It won’t be easy considering that they are high-level monsters, but the good thing is that they are weak against cold, so even a small wound will slow their movements.”

Add moonstone powder to a regular weapon and it will be…

Moonstone is a mineral which accelerates the corrosion of iron.

It was a method that would never be used if it was just an ordinary battle.

There was no better way to wipe them out but to use this trick and hurt them inevitably.

Verndia calculated the number of monthly moonstones available at once, recalling his moonstone mines under his wing. In the meantime, he also measured the aspect of the battle to reverse the whole situation.

“If one could lower their temperature, and not just wait for them to be vulnerable… oh, so?”

Verndia’s eyes changed when he finally learned why Psychke tried to meet Lia.

He felt sorry for his late understanding and even misinterpreted her actions.

Psychke nodded at his words.

“Yes, but it’s hard to deal with it this way. Because—”

He looked at Psychke, who was explaining the characteristics of a magician-type monster, with his indifferent eyes.

He wrote the contract, but never did he expected highly of her.

The Head of Silkisia hated Lestir. So, let alone helping him to ask the Imperial Knights to move finding out about monsters was almost impossible thing, and they didn’t even share the same characteristics of wiping them out.

Hiring excellent mercenaries to find out their names was difficult enough, however knowing how to treat the monsters efficiently was another trouble. So Verndia was very grateful to Psychke for she violated the will of the head of Silkisia, and gave him information of the monsters.

And as he went so far, he began to wonder sincerely why she wanted to break up their marriage.

“So, I’m going to ask the wizard if there’s a way to catch Asum’s attention.”

As soon as she finished talking, Verndia changed the subject quickly.

“Princess. Isn’t the princess helping me for a quick breakup? To be precise, to take off the engagement ring?”

“Yes, that’s right.”

“Why do you want to take it out?”

“……..?”

It was the first time he had shown pure interest in her, who in the past only had him in her mind.

Suddenly being frustrated, Psychke couldn’t answer him immediately. She was a bit taken aback.

Verndia, who mistook the action for a different meaning, knocked on the handle of the chair and said again.

“Judging from the fact that you hadn’t said anything in the meantime regarding it, it doesn’t seem like there is a problem with the ring itself… Do you have a lover?”

“It’s not like that.“

“You can be honest with me. Was it because we’re not in that kind of relationship?”

“It’s really not like that. It’s because of personal circumstances that have nothing to do with such reasons.”

He knew it was true with the determination in her eyes.

However, Verndia pretended not to know and smiled with his chin on his hand.

His attractive eyes folded.

“I seem to not believing it.”

He decided to admit it. Like Isolet’s assumption, she may be getting bored without his attention and asking for a breakup.

It was just an excuse to take out the ring because it was hard for her to say it straightforward.

However, the curiosity has not been completely resolved to move on.

Psychke, who had been watching so far, was not a woman who would go against the family for personal reasons. If she gave up everything for the family, she gave up. That’s all in it.

Why did a person’s personality changed so much overnight?

He was very curious. And he was the kind of person who had to put an end to anything he was interested in, so that he could be at ease.

“It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe it.”

Whatever he thought of, he reckoned that it would be good. Psychke answered straight to the point where he thought she was acting at him.

“Hmm…”

Verndia glanced at his fiancée, who couldn’t read what he was thinking.

He inherited his title as a child after the previous Duchess of Lestir died in an unexpected accident. He had knack for dealing with anyone with his experience.

For him, Psychke was a woman who gave him a very strange feeling.

‘You don’t sound like an idiot as the rumors said, so why are you hiding your real you?’

It was not long after they got engaged.

Standing in harmony with her hostile family, he realized that others did not notice her knowledge.

Psychke Silkisia was never a fool. Rather, she was smart enough to lead the evaluation of others in the direction she wanted.

The problem was that the direction was a negative path.

‘Why?’

Yeah, to be honest, he was interested in her in the beginning.

He was curious at her due to her unfamiliar moves that he wasn’t accustomed of, a person he never encountered previously.

However, as the days went by, he attracted too much attention, so he kept a distance from her.

He couldn’t believe she was acting like such a fool with her excellent skills. While being wary of what kind of plan he might have.

But now…

He looked down at her white hands which were pouring tea into his teacup.

Now I know.

It was not visible because of her gloves, but the fact that her swordsman’s skills was underneath it, was a small but refreshing shock.

Breaking their engagement, swordsmanship, moonstone, knowledge of monsters…

Those small shocks that occurred within a short time gathered and drew a huge stir in his quiet mind.

Curiosity, which had faltered, ate the food and grew like a snowball.

“You’re cold-hearted. Still, we’re engaged.“

That line caught in his red lips, became darker.

Surprisingly, he was nervous. This was because he did not understand the other person’s feelings.

“Oh, okay. Since we’re here, I will ask a favor.”

“Say it.”

“Tomorrow, to the Magic Association, let’s go together. You said that you’d be going to the Lestir estate, but it seems a bit unusual for me, who’s concerned could stay still.”

Isolet voice which he heard while crying, was saying, ‘What if she find out that Lestir, the owner of the flame, cannot control the flame itself?’ but he ignored it.

That wasn’t what was important now.

“Okay.”

Verndia looked at the woman who answered expressionless. As if you couldn’t approach her.

He was curious and eager to know what she was thinking.

It was the first time in his life to have this much of curiosity to someone personally.

And Psychke, who didn’t understand him, whose attitude suddenly changed.

‘What’s wrong with him?’

His always cool purple eyes were burning, as he was staring at her.

With an unknown burden, Psychke avoided his gaze.

(TN: Me to Verndia: Oho! This kid has admitted his feel—

Me to Psychke: You go girl!)