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Episode 89: Acting Out
“I want a fragment of Zephyross’ tombstone, Grand Duke.”
Zephyross’ tombstone fragment—
The curses of this worldview were divided into two types.
The first were curses started by magicians.
These could be solved by destroying the magician who cast the curse or the object containing the power of the curse.
The ‘blind’ that Deborah put on Rixus when he was young was one of them.
And the other


Were curses made by Zephyr and Ross, who were witches.
This was called the ‘Zephyross Curse’.
The two witches were lovers, but it was said that they were burned alive during a witch hunt.
However, their aspirations did not burn, leaving traces on the tombstone

The monument was erected in the village where the witches were killed. However, it was said that all the seeds of that village dried out.
If a woman had a child, he or she would die, and when the woman gave birth to a child, she died.
Eventually, people found the tombstone and broke it, but the powerful curse still remained.
The only way to break the curse was to obtain the ‘Zephyross tombstone fragment’.
‘There is only one in the world.’
The rest were scattered, it was unknown as to where they were buried.
‘And that one, Johann
 It’s with him.’
It was placed in the temple of Johann, where expensive and rare artworks, paintings, and holy relics were located.
Johann remained silent and opened his mouth.
“Did you see it the last time you came to my temple?”
“Yes, you don’t seem to remember, but you described it to me yourself.”
“
That’s right.”
Johann said that the tombstone was particularly difficult to obtain, and that most would not even know it existed.
It would have cost a lot of money. It was obvious even if I hadn’t seen it.
‘He won’t give it away for free easily

 What should I bet on?’
As I looked at Johann with such thoughts in mind, a slight uneasiness rose.
He still had his arms crossed, as if he had locked his heart.
Did he lose his temper so easily? While I was contemplating, he said,
“It’s not difficult.”
“

Yes?”
“I’m happy to give it to you.”
I beg your pardon? For free? That precious thing?
My eyes widened. A smile crept across his lips.
“But only if you pay the price.”
“Of course
 I thought so.”
It was an absolute secret that until recently, I thought like a takoyaki head who liked freebies.
(PR/N: takoyaki head = slang for bald man.)
Understandably, he couldn’t just give me that precious thing.
It would be nice if the ‘price’ he stated was something I was willing to pay.
Or the negotiation would get complicated from then on.
‘Let’s not be surprised.’
He might even want to exchange it for something really rare.
For example, a treasure from the Spinel royal family


I might have to pay for it with the most valuable thing in my treasury.
I imagined the worst and opened my mouth with a firm promise that I would never be surprised by the crudeness.
“Please speak.”
“Go on a date with me, please.”
“!?”
I rolled my eyes in surprise.
‘

A date with his nephew’s wife

? What kind of shitty drama is this?’
Surprise spread across my face, and he smiled lowly at my expression.
Mild eyes fluttered in delight.
“It’s just a time to talk and eat like we are doing now, Your Majesty.”
“

I was surprised.”
“No way.”
Of course. There was no way such a faithful man could have harbored such a treacherous heart.
Didn’t some god say, ‘You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife’?
But, much more so, if he coveted his ‘nephew’s wife’, then God would come with a sledgehammer and break Johann’s head.
After a moment of disrespectful misunderstanding, I was all embarrassed.
‘No, but the price is too small.’
“
Is that really enough?”
He was surprisingly generous. He smiled and nodded his head.
“Treat it as a gift. Since you came to Aktoum.”
“I’ve already received a lot of gifts.”
“If you continue to decline, I will cancel the offer.”
“Thank you, Archduke.”
He smiled slightly when I said thank you in a flash. But he soon frowned and spoke.
“But there is a small problem.”
‘Please don’t use such an ominous tone.’ Usually, with those words, I had experienced a lot of cases where it was not a small problem, but a pretty big problem, so I raised my eyebrows.
“What’s wrong?”
But it was a really small problem.
“I have placed a curse on the fragment of Zephyross’ tombstone, so I, the owner, will have to perform a ritual for one day to get rid of it. After that, I can give it to you.”
“Does that mean that it will be delivered in just one day?”
“That’s right.”
“It’s not a problem. Please.”
“Isn’t it urgent?”
“I can wait that long.”
I smiled and drank tea. Waiting for a day was really nothing.
I wasn’t planning on going today anyway.
Johann examined my expression and asked.
“May I ask what purpose you plan to use it for?”
“
I can’t tell you that. Please understand.”
I couldn’t bear to say that I was going to Yggdrasil as one who was the monarch of a country and the crown princess of this country.
After all, I was going to make a deal with a man who was stuck in the most rotten part of the country
 Even if I died, I couldn’t speak.
Fortunately, Johann didn’t ask further if he had expected me to have an issue.
This was a great deal.
The meal was delicious, and it was decided that I would receive the fragment of Zephyross.
Having accomplished all my goals, I got up from my seat.
“Well, I’ll get going now. Thank you for your hospitality today.”
“You’re going right after you’ve accomplished your purpose.”
There was a sharp rebuke, but I brazenly held on to my attitude.
“Yes, I’m going right away.”
“
Are you not following my butler too much?”
“This is my way of speaking, Archduke.”
I quickly moved away from him, who seemed to be regretting something.
‘I guess it’s true that he has nothing to do at home. Look at that, he’s just trying to catch me because he’s bored.’
‘If I’m caught by such a person, my head will hurt.’
He might ask that we pray together?
“I can’t help it.”
Johann stepped up to see me off as if he had given up.
Then, instead of saying goodbye to me as I opened the door and left, he asked as if he had suddenly remembered.
“Oh, the ‘price’. May I ask for one more thing?”
“The deal is already over.”
I saw a deal on terms that were as good as free, and I reacted sharply like a knife.
Then he slowly folded his arms.
“Listen and decide.”
“
To my letter, please reply immediately.”
In short, he was asking me to not simply ‘read it’.
He wished I could do something small like that
 It was really surprising.
Then I loosened my arms and stood outside the door opened by the servant and answered.
“That would be difficult.”
“Why?”
His dark eyebrows narrowed.
“As it is bothering you, Archduke.”
“!”
It was so good that we decided to be honest with each other.
I could say nonsense like this
?
Johann could not have imagined such an answer, one that was like slapping his face.
I glanced at Johann as it was, and leisurely walked out through the door.
“Ha!”
While ignoring the breathless exclamation that came from behind my back.
* * *
‘Even dogs follow their owners less than this.’
Deborah thought so when she saw Kalen rushing and panting over less than three minutes after she contacted him.
If she told him to come, he was like a dog who would come as she said, and he was the kind that never went away even if she told him to.
And she wondered, ‘How far can I use that love to control that man?’
Today, she would measure it.
“Honey! You contacted me very quickly.”
Kalen seemed to have jumped out in a hurry. One of the buttons on his outer garment was fastened wrongly.
“
By the way, why is your expression like that?”
A man in love was alert to a woman’s change. Especially for someone who was sensitive and attentive like Kalen.
Deborah hid her true feelings and lowered her gaze sadly.
“You look sad, honey.”
“
.
”
“
Did something happen?”
Kalen’s expression quickly turned serious. The fever was like a lake under his blond hair, and worries lingered in his blue eyes.
“What’s going on
? Tell me everything.”
Kalen’s hand held Deborah’s tightly, and the wedding ring, which she had put on him, was still attached to his finger.
Kalen never took the ring off his body when he ate, slept or showered.
Deborah said as she shook off his desperate hand.
“Kalen, let’s break up.”
“!”
“I went back and thought about it, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to convince Pamela.”
Kalen froze for a while, as if he had been hit by a carriage.
Then Deborah soon reddened her eyes and stiffened her cheeks pitifully.
“Deborah, Deborah! What does that mean
 we’re breaking up.”
“I love you too, but Pamela can’t
”
Deborah lowered her head tearfully.
“It’s best for us to break up.”
“Don’t say that, please!”
Kalen’s face turned completely red.
As the innocent-looking man became flushed, he appeared as lovely as a freshly bloomed flower.
Of course, Deborah was not swayed by his appearance.
That shell only gave her inspiration in the bed.
But Deborah, who was good at acting, wrapped his cheeks tenderly as if she loved him.
Then her olive-colored eyes leveled with his blue ones and she whispered sweetly.
“Leaving behind the one I love breaks my heart, Kalen.”
“You’re leaving? Where
?!”
He asked, almost screaming.
“Now, I’m going to organize everything and go home.”
“

.”
“Goodbye, Kalen Caruso.”
For a while, Kalen looked as if his soul had been ripped out, and soon he was completely blown away.
“How can I get along without you!”
Tears were dripping down from the soft blue eyes.
“I can’t live without you
 So please, stop saying that cruel thing. Wahhhhh!”
Kalen bit his lower lip and collapsed on the spot.
He then fell to his knees as he was and hung onto Deborah’s legs.
The cheeks of his small face and fine blond hair splayed through her shoes and her ankles.
He was weeping and pleading with a sad, earnest, pitiful face.
“Please stop saying that. I’ll do anything
!”
Deborah stared blankly at Kalen hanging at her feet.
‘Is this enough?’
Deborah savagely gauged whether Kalen had become miserable enough.
‘If I do this, will I be able to make him do it?’ To make someone do what you wanted them to do

Drive them to a corner, push them off the cliff, drag them down to the bottom of hell.
This was the basic principle. This modus operandi was always effective.
‘What do people do when they are desperate?’
“Kalen
”
Deborah bent over and cupped his cheeks, raising his head.
With affection, she spoke to Kalen, who was breathing painfully and covered in tears.
“Can you really do anything?”
“!”
Kalen nodded frantically.
“Really, did you say anything?”
“I’ll give you my life, leave anything to me, Deborah.”


Great.
Deborah’s eyes twinkled cruelly.