CH 111

Chapter 111. D-Day

The day has come.

However, before she told him the first passage of the story that she had been organizing in her head on the way, she had something to say to him.

“What I’m going to say may sound ridiculous to Your Highness.”

Perhaps, he would think she went crazy.

‘I would have thought the same thing.’

When someone suddenly came to him and talked about things like previous life, anger, and the door to dimension.

“That’s the reason why I’m asking you in advance to listen to me until the end. Even if it was so ridiculous that you feel it’s not worth listening to.”

“That’s a long prelude.”

Nelia mentally pouted upon Carlos’ words.

‘Once you’ve heard everything, you’ll understand why I’ve been rambling first.’

Nelia took a short breath and began to tell Carlos what she had learned recently.

She told him from the beginning when she just met Zenuit. Obviously, she left the part about touching Elena Tears that was stored in Carlos’ room.

’ ‘…It’s not important anyway.’

She saw his eyebrows curled up slightly at the unrealistic story of her meeting Sigrid’s subordinate, but Nelia continued her story determinedly.

Next, she told him about the secrets of the Hart Family.

She wondered if it would be fine to tell it to someone else, and not just someone but Carlos, but Zenuit said she had to.

Come to think of it, when Carlos decided to come to the duke’s mansion tomorrow, he would face the duke who turned into a monster.

Nelia began to move onto the next topic. Carlos frowned when she suddenly talked about the past of the ducal family.

At the end of the day, I would know everything, so I didn’t care, and I told him about the old curse of the Hart family and the identity of the owner. She didn’t pay much attention because he would know everything at the end of the day, he would know everything, so she didn’t mind telling him about the ancient curse happening within the Hart Family and the identity of the head of the family.

When it was said that the ancestors of the Hart Family were dragons, Carlos’ face seemed even more distorted than before.

However, contrary to his distorted face, she didn’t stop talking, as if she was trying to fulfill Sigrid’s request to the end.

Then, Nelia explained the story of Sigrid’s sons, Shilin and Carl.

“Shilin and Carl, who met their tragic ending, were reincarnated with anger blaring in their hearts.”

She finally reached her destination.

“And Your Highness is Carl that has been reincarnated and lives in this life. That’s why you two have to cross the door of the dimension together tomorrow and take a test to obtain Sigrid’s heart.”

“……”

“This is what I wanted to say.”

Carlos didn’t say anything even after she was done talking. He was looking down somewhere in the bed without moving even one muscle.

Nelia waited quietly because she thought he would need some time.

She was inwardly worried.

‘You’re…… not contemplating on telling the guard to take me out of the room because you thought I was crazy, right?’

Then, Carlos slowly looked up. And uttered in a subdued voice.

“Do you think I’m going to believe it now?”

Even so, she expected him to believe her even a bit, but his cold words gave her strength.

“I know it’s hard to believe my words. However, why would I come all the way here and lie to Your Highness?”

“You probably wanted to make fun of me by working with Duke Hart. to get back for what I’ve done.”

Carlos was sharp.

When the conversation didn’t work at all, Nelia sighed and kept her eyes lowly opened.

“His Grace is currently bedridden just like Your Highness. He’s suffering from the anger that remained from his previous life in a slightly different way from Your Highness.”

“……”

“That’s why I came here to ask Your Highness to come. I have to save the duke no matter what it takes.”

“……”

“Your Highness will know that there’s no way I am lying to you regarding this.”

Carlos, who raised his gaze, gradually dropped it again.

Nelia stood up after thinking it would be useless to explain it to him furthermore.

“If you can’t believe what I’m saying, you can come to the duke’s residence by tomorrow evening and see it by yourself. The thing that is going to take place there.”

Nelia spoke to Carlos, she didn’t know what he was thinking about just before she turned around.

“And…… I came to persuade Your Highness for His Grace’s sake, but I also hope for happiness, Your Highness.”

“……”

“I don’t know if you believe it, but I mean all the things that I said.”

He also had to get rid of his anger, so that he didn’t have to repeat his unfortunate life.

After saying so, Nelia left Carlos’ room. The guards seemed to say something when Nelia came out of the room belatedly, but she kept walking away as if ignoring them.

Nelia, who left the building and got into the wagon, looked at the building where Carlos was living.

‘I’m not sure if I did a good job.’

She didn’t want to express her wish for Carlos’ happiness.

She knew the man was still obsessed with her, therefore she wanted to act cool so that he wouldn’t feel there was a slightest bit of chance for him.

However, when she looked at him, who was getting thinner each visit, her heart was moved.

The fate of the two, the duke and Carlos, felt so harsh and cruel.

Therefore she wished for Carlos’ happiness, despite the thing that he had wanted to do to her.

That was all.

***

When she got off after arriving at the duke’s mansion, Zenuit ran to her as if he had been waiting for her return.

“Nelia, did you talk to him well?”

He seemed to be preoccupied for tomorrow, but he appeared more relaxed than I thought.

“I don’t know.”

Despite the weariness in her voice, Zenuit patted Nelia on the back.

“I’m sure you spoke to him well.”

The person involved said he wasn’t sure, but what was the point of listening to the third party’s affirmation?

“What if His Highness doesn’t come to the duke’s mansion tomorrow……?”

“Don’t worry, he’s going to come.”

“Why are you so sure about it?”

“Let’s just say it’s a sense of a thousand-years-old dragon.”

He even counted on his age so proudly.

“How are you preparing for tomorrow, Zenuit?”

“Right. I’m a bit nervous thinking about returning to my true self after such a long time, but there won’t be any problem.”

She wondered if it would feel like looking in the mirror for the first time in a while.

It was difficult for Nelia to understand Zenuit’s feelings because even she was not used to the concept of his true self.

“However, I am concerned because His Grace the Duke is not in a good condition. I think he’s going to go even wilder than I imagined.”

“Yes……”

Nelia suddenly had a question.

She could see that when he returned to his true self, he would have the power to control the rampaged duke.

However, what would he do after he was able to control the duke?

“How are you going to control His Grace who would turn into a monster tomorrow? He has to be conscious and turn into the human form in order to take the test……”

“I’m going to take away the duke’s power after he turns into a monster and force him to return to his human form.”

“You can really make anything become possible, Zenuit.”

Nelia murmured out of admiration.

“I wondered how powerful was Sigrid when you are already this powerful, Zenuit?”

“……”

Zenuit was usually rowdy about anything, and became quiet when they talked about Sigrid.

It seemed that it was true when he said that he was just the loyal servant and the only subordinate of Sigrid.

“Anyway, Nelia. There must be absolutely nothing that stimulates the duke tomorrow. As I said, I’m going to put all the employees in the household to sleep, and I’m going to put up a barrier so that the harm will not be inflicted on the surroundings.”

“……I understand.”

Nelia’s back became stiff after seeing Zenuit’s serious eyes.

‘I have to pull myself together, too.’

That way, there would be no accident.

If there was no accident taking place, the duke would be able to take the test safely.

Nelia hoped that tomorrow would go by safely.

The next day.

The sight of the street was quieter than usual. People who deemed the total lunar eclipse as an unfortunate phenomenon refrained from going out and stayed inside even though it wasn’t dark yet.

However, unlike other houses, there was a particularly noisy one among them.

“Leighton, where are you going again on a day like this?”

“There is a place I have to go to in the evening.”

Leighton ignored Lily’s remark and packed his coat.

“I don’t know what you’re up to lately, but if you cause another accident, I’m going to send you back to the monastery and never bring you out of there, you have to remember that.”

Leighton, who was getting dressed, paused in his movement.

“I’m not just saying it randomly. I’m going to send you to the monastery and cut off all financial support to you.”

“Don’t worry about that. You said I’m a kid, so I will get into trouble.”

Lily just sighed at that. Leighton walked past Lily just like that.

“I’ll be back. I’m going to be late today, so don’t wait for me.”

Leighton meant to go to the Crow Store today. He just asked about the price of the cloak that could make him invisible yesterday, but he couldn’t borrow it because the rent for one day was quite expensive.

However, he had stolen his mother’s money today, so he should be able to borrow it for about one day.

The clear-sounded bell rang when he opened the door of the Crow Store.

Crow, the shopkeeper, knew that the customer that just came was Leighton, and offered a leisure smile.

He had tried to sell the duke’s energizer before and ended up not selling it to him, so it felt like he wasn’t very welcoming toward him. Yesterday, he just asked the price of the invisible cloak and walked out.

‘However, it’s different today!’

Leighton proudly walked to the place where the transparent cloak was displayed and pointed to the shelf.

“I’m going to rent this for a day.”

“Do you mean the invisible cloak?”

“Yes.”

Leighton quickly pulled the money out of his pocket trouser, just in case Crow refused.

“Here, the money.”

Crow, who was handed the money, counted the bills and nodded his head.

“The rental period is 24 hours, and each hour of belated return will be charged. If it’s damaged, you have to compensate 10 times the current price.”

“What do you mean I have to pay you back ten times?!”

“The invisible cloak takes two years to be carried here. Please understand that the charge also includes compensation for it.”

Although the terms for borrowing this thing was somewhat burdensome, Leighton absolutely needed this cloak today.

“……I understand.”

This cloak wouldn’t be damaged anyway.

All he had to do was sneak into the duke’s residence in this invisible cloak, see what happens when the total lunar eclipse comes by, and retrieve the evidence.

Therefore, he was sure this expensive cloak would be returned unscathed.

Leighton signed the contract written with terms he had to abide by in renting this cloak and left the store.

The sun was still high in the sky.

‘Although it’s still a while until evening, it’d be better to go to the duke’s mansion ahead of time and wait there.’

Leighton headed to the duke’s mansion in a good mood, thinking there would be a lot of changes happening in his life after today.

***

“When the moon is completely covered, I’m going to take the duke to the garden.”

When the sun set slowly, Zenuit really put all the employees in the mansion to sleep, and gave Nelia a notice.

Nelia nodded.

Originally, the duke was supposed to be locked in the warehouse on the day of the total lunar eclipse just before he turned into a monster, but Zenuit said it wasn’t necessary. The duke couldn’t get out since the barrier would be set up within the wall of the residence anyway.

“Nelia, it can be dangerous for you, so you can wait in a safe place.”

“I got it.”

“When Duke Hart returns to his human form, I’m going to open the door of the dimension, and let Carlos come along with him.”

Nelia’s face was filled with a sense of dismay upon his explanation.

“Oh……”

Carlos hasn’t arrived at the duke’s mansion yet.

Nelia looked out the window.

“What if he doesn’t come?”

The moment she bit her lips in worry, a carriage stopped in front of the main gate.

The carriage, which had an emblem of the gray dragon, Sigrid, definitely belonged to the imperial family.