CH 144

Demimore doubted his hearing for the first time today.

“I want you to take part in a hunt with the Grand Duchy of Conler,”

His “older brother” was now idly sipping tea in front of him after having “asked” him to join him in a hunting bet with his fiancé’s family.

Among the things that drove Demimore insane were the siblings Mary and Theodore from the Grand Duchy of Conler.

“You’re telling me to join a hunting bet against my fiance.”

In reaction to his brother’s words, Demimore couldn’t help but laugh at the hint of siblings versus siblings hunting bets.

To be honest, calling Cameron “older brother” was awkward for Demimore. Because his mother was different, Demimore’s favorite person in the imperial family was Lausanne. In this cold imperial family, her mother was the one Demimore had to protect, while Lausanne was the one he could rely on the most.

“Do they know I’m coming?”

“Uh, yes.”

She knew, and yet she allowed it.

Demimore tried to make excuses, but couldn’t keep a straight face. He was a little disappointed in Mary for accepting this bet.

But Demimore knew Cameron would push Mary relentlessly until she accepted the hunt.

Even at a glance, Cameron had many flaws, but Demimore tried not to point out his shortcomings.

Now that Cameron’s power was much stronger, anything Demimore would say about Cameron’s weaknesses would make him seem inferior to his position.

Although Cameron’s weaknesses were clearly evident, if they came out of Demimore’s mouth, it could become a source of Demimore’s insecurity.

He didn’t want that. As he got older, there were things he could give up on for his peace of mind.

However, when he behaves so unreasonably and arrogantly at times, he falls short of being acceptable.

He can’t believe he demands him to join him to exact revenge on his fiance.

She knows.

Demimore continued to feel upset, as Mary didn’t seem to think about his feelings when she accepted this bet.

He’s not the type to be easily upset over something but Mary made him feel so.

It was like she didn’t care about him as much as he cared about her.

Mary was different from Cameron. He knew giving up would make things easier, but for Demimore, Mary was worth the discomfort.

“What if I say I don’t want to do it?”

“I’ll make you do it.”

Cameron’s expression looked so confident. It was as if he knew Demimore wouldn’t refuse.

Demimore felt annoyed by his nonchalant attitude. He had to restrain himself from grabbing Cameron’s neck and punching him right away.

“Because I know.”

“Know what?”

“That your mother is in danger of being poisoned.”

The cup in Demimore’s hand crashed to the floor with a clatter.

The nearby maids tried to rush over, wondering what the noise was, but Cameron waved his hand and chased them all away.

Demimore realized that the urge to grab Cameron by the collar he had just felt was not a joke.

Demimore had to clench his fist tightly to keep him from punching the man in front of him.

His well-manicured nails dig into his palm.

“I can stop you. I know all their plans.”

“…….”

“You don’t even have Laminaicho anymore to save your mother, do you?”

He couldn’t say anything.

He wanted to ask if this was the Empress’s doing, but if he did, he could end up in jail for blasphemy.

His mother’s safety was at risk. Demimore clenched his molars tightly.

“It’s not my mother this time. Your mother has more enemies than you think, Demimore.”

Cameron spoke as if he knew exactly what Demimore was thinking. His sunken eyebrows looked disgusting and treacherous.

“Can you believe that?”

“What if I don’t believe you?”

The sarcasm was clear in his voice. Demimore really didn’t want to believe it, and he didn’t want to get caught up in it.

He felt a surge of anger, but also a pang of pity.

“Is it okay for you to talk to me about this?”

“I can say whatever I want.”

“If I… What if I participated in the bet and helped Mary?”

At Demimore’s words, Cameron put down his teacup.

“Of course, I don’t completely trust you either. Well, if you want to help Mary, help her.”

His response was unexpected. Cameron looked at Demimore sharply and said.

“But don’t bother me.”

“…….”

“Then… I have no choice but to hope that what you’re saying is true.”

Cameron smiled tenderly again. And this time, he spoke in a soothing tone to his younger brother.

“Demimore, think carefully. I can save your mother. I’d be glad if she died, but what’s the point? Demimore, I need you.”

***

“This is utterly depressing.”

Aiden, who was teaching me magic, shook his head and said. I tried my hardest to go beyond just lighting up my fingers, but I was unsuccessful.

No, really, isn’t that enough? How exactly do you extinguish fire with your palm? Is anyone capable of doing that in reality?

“Why is this not working?”

In Aiden’s hand, a silver sphere materialized. The sphere quickly transformed into a stream of fire that extended forward.

I’ve seen a stream of water, but never a stream of fire, so I gaped in awe at the breathtaking scene. It was fortunate that there was no grass in the area around us.

“Imagine wanting to send fire from your palm and open your hand; why isn’t it working?”

Yes, you can use a pen to write and a spoon to eat rice.

Aiden’s words and actions, which implied that he was a genius, annoyed me a little.

I’d rather learn from Theodore……. No, he’ll treat me like a fool. Aiden is better.

“Do it again.”

At Aiden’s words, I stretched my arms out into the air again.

As Aiden taught me earlier, I imagined a scene where fire was shooting out of my hands with my eyes closed tightly and my body relaxed.

I felt something hot in my palm.

Will I succeed this time?

Excited by the sound intuition, I slightly opened my left eye. The sphere in my palm stopped spinning as soon as I opened my eyes.

“Hehe…”

I failed yet again. What a great hunch.

In embarrassment, I smiled awkwardly and turned my head to the side, and Aiden gave me an angry look.

With my arms outstretched, I felt like a fool, so I lowered them and trudged toward Aiden.

Aiden gave me a deep sigh.

“Turn around,” he said.

As soon as I heard him speak, Aiden quickly turned around and placed his hand on my back. Starting from my back, I felt a strange energy fill my body. The energy initially felt like fire before quickly turning icy cold. It moved around inside me like it was looking for a way out, but it was unable to escape or be absorbed. My nose and mouth were blocked, and I couldn’t breathe.

I steered clear of Aiden’s hand out of unease and flopped to the ground. I could feel the energy leaving my body like smoke as soon as Aiden’s hand left my body.

I vomited wildly with my head hanging forward.

“Heuk, Heuk, heuk!”

“Are you okay?” Aiden asked, looking worriedly at me as I retched.

I unconsciously tensed up as Aiden reached out to ruffle my untidy hair. Because what I had just gone through had not been pleasant.

“I’m not okay.”

Seeing me like that, Aiden obediently withdrew his hand. He handed me a bottle of water.

I drank water and eventually stabilized, but for some reason I felt uncomfortable.

When he noticed that I had calmed down, Aiden, who had been sitting on the floor next to me and watching me until I was okay, reached out and stroked my hair.

“I couldn’t inject any mana into you. Is it not possible for your body to receive it?”

So the act earlier was an attempt to inject mana into my body. I felt despondent, realizing that I might only be capable of producing a little magic with my fingers.

Aiden hesitated for a moment, then petted my head again. He seemed worried that I might recoil from him again. I offered him my head willingly.

After stroking my head for a while, Aiden asked in a curious tone.

“It’s amazing, no matter how much I think about it.”

“What do you mean?”

“How did you catch the demon back then?”