Chapter 91: I took away Yeuju's first love.
"Go inside, Duke. I'll listen to your story later."
"If you go inside, you won't look at me."
Andrew didn't move an inch in the rain.
He extended his wet hand towards me.
I stepped back, avoiding Andrew's hand.
"Are you suggesting we talk here in the rain? I have no intention of doing so. If you're not coming in, I'll go ahead."
"Don't go. Just a moment, let's talk..."
His voice trembled pitifully.
Why was he looking at me with such a passionate gaze?
My mind grew colder and colder.
"I have nothing to talk about with you here."
Was my head affected by the rain?
If not, he couldn't treat me like this.
"Don't call me by my name. If the Duchess hears, she'll cry until she faints."
"Then, I guess I've said everything I needed to say."
I turned and left him behind.
Just as we were about to reach the hotel, Andrew grabbed me and turned me around.
"I've never loved that woman."
His voice was raised, as if he were excited.
I frowned and struggled to free my wrist from his grip.
"That woman deceived us. I was foolish enough to fall for it, but I..."
I thought I understood what he was saying.
It must be the reason why the relationship between Tatiana and Andrew wasn't the same as before.
It seemed that Tatiana could manipulate people's affection using the bracelet, though I didn't know how.
Andrew knelt in front of me in an instant and grabbed my hand.
"Give me one more chance. Please."
He touched my hand as if handling a delicate glass object, pressing his wet cheek against it, unsure if it was rain or tears.
His eyes, looking up at me, were brimming with intense emotion.
It was a deeper, more intense feeling than I had known before.
At that moment, someone intervened.
"Princess, what are you doing here!"
I pulled my hand back from his grip.
The man who called my name was Wilhelm, who was always by Tatiana's side. It was strange to see him here.
"What are you doing here, Duke...?"
He looked back and forth between me and the man kneeling with his head bowed.
"Since the Captain of the Knights is here, I'll go back. Take care of yourself."
I slipped away from them as if fleeing.
I didn't want to talk to anyone else.
Tatiana, who was left alone in the capital, vividly felt how much her world had changed.
"Your Highness, it seems you should make a statement."
At the butler's words, Tatiana's fist trembled.
She was being pressured from all sides.
Evidence of her connection to that man kept appearing, no matter where it came from.
The pressure on her intensified due to the interview where the investigator seemed to know everything.
"Nothing direct has come out yet."
"But that boy is in custody, the boy you brought."
He was talking about Dean.
Dean, who had saved Tatiana, was being held in prison on suspicion of human trafficking.
"Dean didn't buy or sell people."
"Then, you should just announce that it's unrelated to him. That you didn't know anything about it, even though he worked for the Gloucester Dukedom."
But it was true that he had threatened people as if buying and selling them.
And she had paid him to do it.
Tatiana clutched her head and curled up.
"I'll think about it. Leave me alone."
"And here's a letter from the Alchemists' Guild."
The butler placed a blue-tinged envelope on the table and left the room.
Once he was gone, Tatiana tore open the envelope from the Alchemists' Guild.
The Alchemists' Guild was nominally a guild but was essentially under the control of the Cassel family.
The letter stated that Raymond was attacking the Cassel family's research facility.
Raymond was already beginning to slip out of her control.
Although his affection was still high, he wouldn't grant all her requests like before.
The only person she could trust completely now was one person.
'Wilhelm needs to do well.'
Tatiana stood up, hoping that Wilhelm, who had gone south, would find a weakness in Karina.
She then left the room to find the butler.
"Tell him I'll make a statement soon."
The butler's face brightened.
Finally, it seemed he was going to deal with that annoying brat.
'Dean was too lowborn to say he worked for the Dukedom.'
The Duchess had also shown no interest in Dean when she first met him.
Since she didn't seem to think he was important, she thought it was fine to deal with him herself.
I barely lifted my heavy eyelids. I was just tired from not getting enough sleep last night.
Lily, who brought breakfast, asked with a worried face.
"Miss, are you feeling unwell?"
"I just didn't sleep well last night."
"Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, please make it strong."
After she left the room, I looked at Pio, who was licking his front paws, and said,
"There's a man I want you to see later."
His round face showed irritation.
I explained the situation to him.
"Whenever Tatiana forces people to do something, it seems distorted magic accumulates in her body."
When I explained kindly to Pio, he tilted his head.
"If distorted magic appears every time Tatiana uses the bracelet's power, analyzing my bracelet, which is almost the same, could help in creating a purification device."
Knowing Pio's request, I looked for a magician who could create a purification device.
But even my mother, who heard my story, only shook her head.
'You can't even feel the distorted magic you're talking about.'
It might be natural that my mother, the owner of the magic tower, couldn't feel it.
Otherwise, Raymond wouldn't have been unaware.
Pio also knew that the development was being delayed day by day.
[Alright. Let's meet him.]
He made a clicking sound, but I pretended not to hear.
[When do you plan to meet him?]
"If I'm not mistaken, he'll probably come to see me."
As soon as I finished speaking, Lily entered the room with a frown.
"Sir Wilhelm is here. I don't know what's happening in this small rural town."
"He's waiting nearby, saying he wants to meet you. I think you shouldn't go out today."
Was it because of what happened yesterday?
He probably came to interrogate me about what happened between Andrew and me.
"I'm fine. I have something to say to him too. Tell him to wait for me at a nearby café."
Well, considering Wilhelm's past behavior, it was understandable.
I reassured Lily by saying I would bring Pio with me.
Of course, she and the knights would also be with us.
I refused to meet him alone because he had a history of violence.
After finishing breakfast, I headed to the nearby café.
Wilhelm, with his blue hair, sat at a table expressionlessly.
"It's been a while, Sir Wilhelm."
This was the first time we had faced each other alone since he broke off our engagement.
An uncomfortable situation.
Unable to bear the long silence, I spoke first.
"So, why did you want to see me?"
"What happened there yesterday?"
"I'm not sure. Since you saw it, you should know, right?"
Wilhelm closed his mouth.
If he had eyes, he must have seen the Duke pleading with me.
"Why, why is the Duke...?"
"That's what I want to ask you. He suddenly appeared and begged for another chance."
I could feel his confusion.
Whenever I met Wilhelm, I was always caught up in strange rumors.
Even with someone I had only exchanged pleasantries with, there were whispers of a close relationship.
Though he didn't say it, his eyes were full of suspicion.
"Why did the Duke marry Tatiana...?"
"That's something the Duke should know."
As I shot back, Wilhelm clamped his mouth shut.
When our eyes met, he nodded.
It meant he could feel the magic from me too.
Whenever Tatiana used the bracelet's power, distorted magic flowed out.
'I need to check if mine is the same.'
I moved my hand to touch the bracelet.
A window showing affection appeared above Wilhelm's head.
It was slightly lower than the last time I saw it.
I could see the affection level if I wanted, but the choice window was different.
I didn't know what conditions made it appear.
I hadn't seen a choice window since Raymond.
How could I make the choice window appear?
"What about you? Do you still think about the Duke?"
As he spoke, the choice window appeared as if responding to my wish.