Chapter 26: Yuju's First Love Was Taken Away
Aster was smiling as she looked at him, but a faint aura of killing intent was emanating from her surroundings.
The expression on the Duke's face quickly faded.
The immense anger soon transformed into magic power.
The air in the room became heavy with the magic power and killing intent exuded by the ruler of power.
"I already know that the Duke and Duchess don't have good intentions towards Karina. I'm just wondering if all of this is part of your plan."
The Duke slowly opened his lips to make an excuse.
It wasn't the right time yet.
"Your Majesty, it's a misunderstanding. I only went there because I felt a strong magic power while returning after finishing my work. As you know, Raymond, who is a headache, is in the capital, isn't he?"
"Did you go to check on Raymond?"
"And coincidentally, you ended up saving the lady, right?"
The Duke released a small amount of magic power to avoid backing down in the face of the Emperor's increasingly sharp momentum.
A cool aura spread through the room, which had been heated by the heat emanating from Aster.
Absurdly, the Duke was a winter mage.
Thanks to that, his late father loved Andrew the most among his siblings.
Aster had been compared to him since childhood.
And I had to give him many of the things I possessed.
When the previous Emperor died, Andrew was the first one he tried to kill.
On the day the second prince instigated a rebellion, if Andrew's nanny hadn't spirited him away, he wouldn't be alive in this world anymore.
But the Duke still had his uses. At least for the sake of his public image.
Aster retracted his magic power and said to the Duke.
"I understand. Regardless of your intentions, you did save the lady."
Only then did the Duke relax at the Emperor's words.
His hands and back were drenched in sweat.
At Aster's dismissal, Andrew quickly left the palace.
He needed to find out why the Duke suspected him of being the arsonist.
Upon arriving at the scene of the fire on Veris Street, he immediately realized the reason.
Though very faint, his magic power traces were still there.
Mages born in the royal family are not registered in the Magic Tower.
Thus, it was difficult to trace them.
However, Aster knew the Duke's magic power.
He must have noticed it as soon as he arrived. Moreover, it was a considerable amount, not just for saving Karina.
Perhaps he thought I was the arsonist.
The one who set this fire was indeed Raymond. The information was obtained by beating him before he fled.
Andrew thought of someone who could have commissioned the arson and provided Raymond with his magic power.
Grinding his teeth, Andrew stood up.
Returning to the Duke's residence in one swift motion, he searched for Tatiana.
"Your Highness, you've come?"
"She is in the lady's bedroom."
The butler, seeing the Duke's unusually sharp demeanor, was tense.
It seemed the atmosphere in the Duke's residence had become more brutal than before.
Even Tatiana, who always smiled and was at ease, seemed precarious.
Only the butler knew the truth about this couple, known to the public as lovebirds.
He, who had managed Andrew's rise to the Duke's position and their marriage, still couldn't forget the day after the wedding.
'They were trying to kill each other, even putting a knife to each other's throats.'
After the first night, the butler had struggled to keep the servants' mouths shut for the sake of the Duchess's honor.
It was also a mess to separate the couple's bedroom, which he thought they would inevitably share.
"Why is he acting like this?"
The butler, worried about the still cold relationship, watched the Duke's back as he ascended to the second floor.
Until now, they had lived quietly because the Duchess didn't engage in much public activity.
But lately, rumors had started to spread.
All he could do now was hope that things would work out between them.
Tatiana, who was inside the room, was startled by the sudden sound of the door opening.
She was already on edge, so even a small noise made her react nervously.
However, the oppressive presence behind her made her body involuntarily jump.
Tatiana quickly turned around.
"What? Why? Why are you doing this?"
Andrew roughly pulled Tatiana's arm as she retreated step by step.
As soon as he touched the bracelet on her wrist, he confirmed that the magic power he had infused on their wedding night was gone.
He felt his vision turn blood red with anger.
"What did you do with the magic power I gave you!"
Tatiana forced a laugh and shook her head.
"How would I know it's gone? I'm not a mage. That's strange."
"Did the crazy Raymond take it out on his own?"
She realized that Andrew knew everything and closed her eyes tightly.
'How can I get out of this?'
Seeing her silent, Andrew threw her hand down as if discarding trash.
Tatiana felt a pang in her heart at his dismissive attitude.
Thanks to the bracelet, she could finally face the black void above his head after a long time.
"You really are a woman who tires people out. I'm utterly fed up."
"I already told you not to call me that."
Tatiana's blue eyes shimmered with moisture.
Luminous tears rolled down her rosy cheeks, leaving dark stains on the carpet.
She looked pitiful to anyone who saw her.
If others had seen her, they would have rushed to wipe away the tears of the elegant and refined lady.
However, contempt boiled up in Andrew as he looked at her.
"Please don't cry in front of me. I'm the one who really wants to cry."
"I was wrong. Can't you forgive me now?"
"Forgive? You've ruined my entire life, and you want forgiveness!"
Andrew's gaze, filled with hatred, was directed at Tatiana.
She felt fear as she fully absorbed his hatred.
Shrinking her shoulders and crying with a pitiful look, Andrew gritted his teeth.
"Remember, the only reason we're still married is because you can make me Emperor."
He growled at the crouching Tatiana.
"I need that position to get back everything I've lost."
His words were a declaration that her only value was as a tool.
Even though she was used to hearing these words, her heart still ached.
Tatiana lowered her head.
Andrew looked at her for a moment before leaving the room.
After a long while, Tatiana got up.
She couldn't afford to fall apart like this.
She locked the door and changed her clothes.
The black dress that covered her neck and arms looked like a mourning gown.
She tied her silver hair into a bun, covered it with a black veil, and hid it in a hat.
She took off the bracelet and put it in a deep pocket, then put on black gloves and headed for the wall.
With a creak, the escape route prepared for emergencies opened.
She checked behind her one more time before stepping out.
The outside was already shrouded in darkness.
The sky, which had been red, was gradually being devoured by the black night.
Tatiana got into a carriage on the opposite side of the Duke's residence.
The driver took her to a forest on the outskirts of the capital without asking any questions.
Tatiana got out of the carriage, leaving money on the seat, and walked further into the forest.
A small cottage appeared.
She lightly knocked on the door, and it opened as if waiting for her.
"Ray, you look much better?"
The Raymond she hadn't seen in a long time had a much improved face.
At first, his face was so swollen that she didn't recognize him.
Tatiana thought the Master of the Magic Tower had done this to him.
She would have done the same.
For some reason, she didn't expect Andrew to have done it.
"Ha ha ha. Of course. Come in this way."
Despite the simple exterior, the inside of the cottage was spacious and looked like an ancient castle.
All of this was achieved by Raymond's magic.
The sweet floral scent enveloping the entire house gave Tatiana a sense of relief.
"Would you like some tea?"
"Sure. I always welcome tea from Ray."
Tatiana sat at the table and waited for a moment.
How long had it been since she last came here?
Feeling a strange emotion, Tatiana touched her wrist, where the bracelet she wasn't wearing should have been.
But she soon realized it wasn't there and lowered her hand.
"Here, this is the cherry blossom tea you like."
Seeing the beautifully bloomed petals in the transparent cup, her heart sank.
When she first received this tea, she never imagined she would be in such a situation today.
"There must be something wrong for you to come to me. Do you have a favor to ask? Like stealing the recipe book again?"
"No, that's fine now, Ray."
Tatiana fiddled with the teacup, lost in thought.
The recipe book and Nivaya weren't worth going to such lengths to obtain.
She had said it in a fit of anger, not expecting things to escalate this much.
Nor did she expect Andrew to find out.
"Then what is it? You always hesitate when you have something difficult to say."
"Um, but this time, I caused you to get hurt too."
As Daniel began to keep his distance, Tatiana started to rely more on Raymond.
Raymond found this very satisfying.
It was easier to exploit the cracks as her heart weakened.
"I can do anything for you, Tit."
Tatiana, who had been hesitating, slowly raised her head.
She knew how dangerous these words were, but she believed Raymond would understand.
"Help me kill Karina, Raymond."
This time, things had to be different.
Tatiana was that desperate.