The Obsessive Male Lead Is Jealous Of My Doll - Chapter 68

Chapter 34.2

‘I thought it would be heavily guarded and grand in scale…’

Contrary to her expectations, the large circular magic circle had a surprisingly simple appearance, with ancient script engraved around its perimeter. The lack of grandeur left her feeling oddly deflated as it was far less impressive than she had imagined.

Ignis glanced at her.

“Lady, come this way.”

Karentina swallowed hard, her nerves tightening as she hesitantly stepped onto the teleportation magic circle.

“….”

With a faint sigh, he reached out and gently pulled her closer.

Before she could react, she found herself held firmly against his chest. His embrace carried a refined, pleasant fragrance that made her momentarily freeze. She squirmed awkwardly, trying to regain her composure.

“Huh? W-what are you doing?”

When she looked up at Ignis with an incredulous expression, he spoke indifferently.

“If I leave you like this, you might fall out of the magic circle. I know you won’t like it, but just endure it for a moment.”

Karentina let out a hollow laugh. She wasn’t a little kid like Stella, and this much was fine!

Just as she was about to wriggle free from his stifling embrace, light suddenly surged from the magic circle, and she instinctively squeezed her eyes shut.

‘Huuk.’

Mysterious, shimmering colors, like an aurora, radiated outward, wrapping around their bodies. It felt as though she were being sucked through a straw, and in a panic, Karentina instinctively clung tightly to Ignis’s waist.

̊ · : * ✧ * : · ̊

At the same time, at the Duke of Horton’s estate.

The duke’s aide hurriedly strode down the hallway, his footsteps urgent. Struggling to catch his breath, he grabbed the handle of the office door and flung it open. The room was thick with swirling cigarette smoke, its harsh, acrid scent enough to make anyone’s nose burn.

Without realizing it, the aide held his breath.

“Your Grace! An urgent message has arrived from the north. The gates of the Lorraine estate have been opened.”

“What?”

The Duke of Horton crushed his cigarette in the ashtray with an angry twist, turning his piercing gaze toward the letter in the aide’s hand. His eyes widened as if they might pop out of their sockets.

“The report says a carriage left the estate, boarded a teleportation magic circle, and traveled somewhere. The destination is said to be the western region.”

“The west?”

They went to some backwater western region instead of the imperial palace? What could Handmaiden Timothia be plotting?

‘Surely, she isn’t going to betray us and stab us in the back?’

Unable to conceal his shock, the duke raised a single eyebrow.

“Who was the person that used the teleportation magic circle?”

The aide, still suppressing his breath due to the smoke, bowed slightly and answered.

“It was reportedly a young woman and someone who appeared to be her escort knight.”

A knight, let alone a young woman.

There weren’t many knights from the Duchy of Horton left at the estate right now, so why would they send one out? A frustrated groan escaped the duke’s lips. It was an action he couldn’t even begin to comprehend.

Leaning back heavily in his chair, the duke stroked his chin repeatedly, deep in thought.

“Your Grace, there’s one detail that stands out as strange.”

“Strange, you say?”

The aide stepped closer to him.

“The knights’ investigation revealed that the Lorraine estate received approval to use the teleportation magic circle just a day ago.”

“What? Only a day ago?”

“Yes, Your Grace. Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

The Duke of Horton clenched his fists, nodding in agreement. Unless you were from an imperial family, even someone of his status as a high-ranking noble had to go through procedures and wait several days for approval to use the teleportation magic circle.

“Was there any word from the imperial palace?”

“No, Your Grace.”

At that moment, an ominous sense of foreboding crept into Duke Horton’s mind.

‘Could it be… the Crown Prince?’

Bang!

The duke slammed his fist on the desk and sprang to his feet. His thunderous voice, laced with fury, boomed through the room.

“Did anyone see what the knight looked like?”

“According to the letter, they were wearing their hood deeply, but the color of his eyes was completely different from the Crown Prince’s.”

Relief lasted only for a moment.

As Duke Horton recalled Ignis’s fiery red eyes, which seemed to burn everything they looked at, he ground his teeth in frustration. A wave of anxiety instinctively coursed through his entire body.

“Send out all our spies in the western region immediately. Have them track the ones who used the teleportation magic circle!”

“Yes, Your Grace. I issued those orders as soon as we received the report.”

The tense, furrowed expression on the Duke of Horton’s face relaxed in an instant.

“Well done. For now, capture them and find out the reason for their trip to the west. If they’re working for Handmaiden Timothia, they’ll surely have a proper explanation.”

“Your Grace, what if they’re not connected to her?”

The duke’s voice, chillingly cold, cut through the air.

“Kill them and shut their mouths.”

“Yes, Your Grace.”

After the aide swallowed nervously and bowed deeply, quickly leaving the room, Duke Horton glanced around the empty office with a restless gaze. He pulled out a fresh cigarette and crushed it in his hand.

His heart raced so fast it felt alarming.

With a bitter smirk, he muttered to himself, trying to convince himself otherwise.

‘Everything is flawless. This thought must be nothing more than a baseless fear created by that perfection.’

As the bright morning sunlight poured in, he glanced outside, letting a small smile curl across his lined lips.