The Impact Of The Villainess’ Fake Marriage On The Ending - Chapter 100

Chapter 100

“I see you often these days, Your Grace. Your face is dark, so it doesn’t seem to be something worthy of a welcome.”

Peacefully reading a book in her cabin, Herma greeted Kael with a light sigh.

When Kael saw the small bottle, he immediately ran to Herma.

A person who did not know much about magic would have thought it was just an ordinary glass bottle, but it was made using special glass to prevent mana from leaking out. The red cork was also proof of this.

“This is a potion bottle, isn’t it?”

“Something happened, and I found it in that place. Can you see what kind of potion it contains?”

Herma moved to a place where the light was stronger and looked around at the vial. Suddenly, she took out a large basin, poured a purple potion on it, and placed the vial inside.

“The trail has been erased. I won’t be able to find exactly what was inside.” Herma said she couldn’t see anything, shaking her head. “However, looking at the remnants contained inside, it’s probably a potion that makes you hallucinate, or a potion used to control consciousness.”

As soon as she mentioned the words hallucination and control, Kael and Vero’s eyes changed at once. It was important evidence to prove the hypothesis that the emperor had deliberately approached Ramon, manipulated him, and slashed the imperial guard knight.

“Are you sure?”

“Of course, Your Grace. Did I ever talk nonsense about magic? I’m pretty sure it’s a drug used on other people, a drug that dominates the psyche. All potions leave a waveform like this, and each type has a fixed shape.”

Herma continued her explanation with conviction.

“Drugs that can make you control other people like this always leave a mark. It’s like karma. Magic always demands a corresponding price. As Your Grace knows well.”

Kael nodded as he listened intently.

“If you break the bottle, the same mark will appear on the person this potion was used on and the mage who made and used it. Both of them will be in quite a bit of pain.”

“It will appear at the same time?”

“Yes. You can see at the same time who placed that magic and who was attacked.”

If, when Kael broke the bottle, the same mark was revealed on an unidentified mage and Ramon, the situation could be explained perfectly.

“We just need to find the mage. I’ll send someone to the capital right away.”

“There is not much time. Move as fast as you can.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

Vero left the cabin as soon as he heard the order. As he was given the end of the week, they had to move as fast as they could to gather evidence.

“It’s a strong potion. That’s true of all magic related to one’s mental, but among them, it’s a potion with strong mana. It’s a drug no one can make, so how did you get a vial like this?”

“It’s a very long story. It’s a situation where something unfair has happened and I have to clear the charges. It’s enough to know this much.”

“Who was it used on? Tell me only that. Maybe there’s something I can do to help more.”

“Ramon. A knight of the Neave Knights.”

“I know Sir Ramon well. He is a good person, so how… Let me know if there’s anything else you need regarding magic. I will do my best to help.”

Kael nodded in appreciation.

“Oh, and one more thing. This has nothing to do with the current matter. It’s a personal request.”

Although learning about the magic potion was a top priority, there was another reason why Kael came here today.

“What’s going on?”

“I want you to make protective gear for Adeline. To be able to protect her from the strong dark energy.”

Herma’s eyes widened slightly. She had already assumed the situation through her conversation with Adeline, so Kael’s request didn’t feel light.

“Since it’s you, you must have guessed something long ago.”

Herma was the best mage in the academy. She was a genius that only appeared once in every 100 years. If her husband, Liam, hadn’t passed prematurely, she would have swept all the records as the youngest person to do so and gotten a high-ranking position.

Kael was always silent about the curse, and he didn’t tell anyone about it, but he vaguely assumed that Herma would have noticed it.

However, Herma always kept her mouth closed as if to prove his trust, and Kael didn’t talk about it until now.

But now, he had to reveal it. To protect Adeline, Kael could talk about his curse as much as it was necessary.

“About my curse.”

“Yes, Your Grace. There is an energy that I can feel,” Herma answered honestly, not shying away.

“The curse periodically appears, and I suffer in pain for a few days before it calms down. I couldn’t get rid of it with any medicine or spell. I couldn’t even ease the pain.”

“…”

“But when I come into contact with Adeline… The pain of the curse disappears. I feel like Adeline has been cursed and has become my purification medium.”

Kael continued speaking with a confused face.

“What is the probability that the medium will not be injured?”

It was the most important part. It was also something Kael always wanted to know.

“To be honest with you, there is no probability that won’t happen, Your Grace. At least as far as it is known.”

Kael’s face turned dark as Herma answered firmly.

“But I think Her Grace is a little different.”

Kael looked at Herma with a puzzled face. Why was Adeline different, and if she was different, how did she find out about it? The questions continued one after the other.

“Her Grace came to me before. She said she had a question about black magic and curses. At that time, Her Grace asked me the same question.”

“She did?”

“Yes. She asked me if there was a way that the medium wouldn’t get hurt when the curse of darkness was lifted. It seemed that if the energy continued to accumulate and start to put a strain on her body… she might have to leave Your Grace’s side, so she wanted to confirm it.”

It was heartbreaking, but it was something she had to clarify.

“At that time, I couldn’t ask back, so I just let it go, but now I can, so I will ask Your Grace. Is Her Grace in pain when she purifies you?”

“No. She doesn’t feel any pain.”

Herma nodded slightly as soon as she heard the answer. It was exactly what she had assumed since Adeline asked her about it.

“In that case, Her Grace might be an exception.”

“How so?”

Kael’s eyes sparkled as hope blossomed.

“An ordinary medium will be destroyed as soon as it receives the dark energy. Especially if it’s a person. It’s extremely painful. If the dark energy is as strong as Your Grace’s curse, it is even worse.”

“…”

“If that doesn’t happen, you can be hopeful, Your Grace. I don’t know what the reason is, but it can definitely be different.”

Kael only fell into contemplation, without giving much of an answer. He just thought about it with an expression where various emotions were mixed together.

Herma looked at him and wished silently.

She wished for a miracle to reach Kael and Adeline. She wished for Adeline to be able to lift Kael’s curse.

She wished for no one else to be hurt because of love.

***

“In my bedroom?”

“Yes, Your Grace. She’s asleep now.”

The butler explained Adeline’s location and condition.

As he told her, Kael arrived at the castle only after midnight. Naturally, he thought Adeline would be in her bedroom, so he intended to go there as soon as he finished taking care of everything, but he heard that Adeline was sleeping in his room.

He smiled, wondering if she had found a place where many traces of Kael remained. Kael nodded in understanding and headed to his bedroom.

“Adeline?”

No answer followed the name he called in a low voice. Kael sneaked up to the bed. Adeline, wearing a thin chemise, was lying on the wide bed, sleeping heavily.

Kael smirked and lay down beside her. He watched Adeline’s sleeping face, using one arm as a pillow.

She was always a beautiful woman, but when she was asleep, Adeline had an extraordinary feeling, so he kept looking at her mesmerized.

‘She told me to wake her up, but I can’t.’

He wanted to face the light green eyes that were tightly closed, he wanted to tell her that he had returned, but he found it difficult to wake her up because her sleeping figure was particularly peaceful.

“… Kael?”

Just as he was staring at her quietly, Adeline suddenly woke up. Her sleepy eyes met Kael’s.

“When did you come?”

“Just now.”

“Liar. I told you to wake me up when you came. You were just looking at me again, weren’t you?”

Adeline laughed like she couldn’t stop him and looked up at Kael.

“Why do you keep not waking me up?”

Kael smirked at the sight of her asking as if she were scolding him.

“Because you’re pretty. I can’t wake you up because I’m so mesmerized.”

The way he said those calm words so casually made Adeline’s face grow hot.

Adeline, who was as red as a cherry, rolled her eyes around and tried to cool off the heat.

“Ahem, what about Sir Ramon? How did it go?”

Adeline struggled to hide her embarrassment, but soon gave up and quickly changed the topic. She felt like it would be better to talk about something else.

Kael, who was quietly watching Adeline as she raised herself, met her gaze.

“It’s a long story.”

There was so much to say.