CH 60

“Marina, have you heard the rumor?”

“What rumors are you talking about?”

Marina responded calmly to Count Wilson’s question. She had been called early in the morning and was irritated by it, but she couldn’t express it. She pretended nothing was wrong as much as she could, and she had to be calm.

“Tsk, I guess you don’t know. What the hell are you going to do, being so in the dark about rumors! The ladies of other families attend all the salons, balls, and social events to hear all sorts of rumors, but you don’t ever leave the mansion, tsk!”

“I’m sorry.”

“I’m tired of your sorry, I don’t want to hear it.”

He looked clearly angry, but honestly, from Marina’s point of view, it didn’t matter if her father was angry or not.

For the sake of her mother, she tried to be as accommodating as possible. This was because due to the nature of the Count, it was impossible to know what he would do to her mother if she upset him.

Marina pictured the worst imaginable situation and she clenched her fists without the Count’s knowledge.

“It’s a rumor related to Archduke Orlov.”

At his words, Marina’s expression hardened. Archduke Orlov was the one who almost killed her in the hunting competition. Just hearing his name made her tremble.

‘He’s a madman.’

“Has something happened to the Archduke?”

She asked in a voice of deep concern instead of letting out the curse she was thinking. Then, Count Wilson clicked his tongue again and muttered, “You really don’t know.”

“Rumor has it that Archduke Orlov is involved in black magic.”

“Yes?”

Marina asked in surprise, for once not feigning it, but due to genuine surprise.

Black magic, it was not just any normal serious matter.

“The Archduke? But how come that rumor…”

“They say he carries a strange doll with him. I’ve seen it once too. He brought a doll to the banquet held at the Duke Esirene. At that time, he made an excuse of having a child, but it turned out that it was related to black magic.”

“A- A doll?”

Marina was taken aback by Count Wilson’s words and asked again.

It didn’t matter to Marina whether he really used black magic or not.

But it did matter that it involved dolls. Because she was the one who saw the doll talk and move.

Archduke Orlov reacted very sensitively to the identity of the doll.

Of course, she too thought the doll was strange and suspicious, but she didn’t bother to dig in and find out what it was. The reason was simple. It was because Archduke Orlov had tried to kill her when she found out about the existence of the doll. If she tried to dig into the doll’s identity for no reason and was caught by the Archduke, it could cost her her life.

That’s why she deliberately kept quiet about the doll, but it was startling for Marina to hear that word had gotten out about it anyway

Surely, Archduke Orlov must be pointing to her as the one who revealed the existence of the doll. Maybe he already had a plan to kill her.

She’d met his ferocious eyes at a hunting tournament, and she couldn’t help but be afraid. He was truly a man who could kill her without blinking an eye and without a word.

“W- What about the doll, why did such rumors come about?”

“I don’t know, nothing has been revealed about it yet. Word just had it that it’s weird. Well, it’s related to black magic of all things, so there’s no way such a rumor would spread without foundation. Isn’t that right, Marina?”

He laughed sinisterly. Marina, who knew better than anyone why he was smiling and why he was asking for her corroboration, couldn’t help but nod her head.

“I suppose so. It’s black magic, and there must be a good reason for that.”

“Yes, and that’s the problem. If that’s true, then the Archduke’s life would be over. If that happens, our plans will also be disrupted. So, I’m thinking of the Duke Esirene as a possible replacement for the Archduke as your husband. What do you think, Marina?”

At Count Wilson’s words, Marina gritted her molars. If the Archduke were to be executed for using black magic before pointing her out for exposing the doll, it would be welcomed by Marina.

But it was not a good thing for him to die and have another marriage partner take his place.

In fact, it didn’t matter who the marriage was to. Because she only needed a family that was worth using. But it was disconcerting that Count Wilson was thinking the same thing. Because it means he only sees her as just a commodity.

“… That would be good.”

“Yeah, it should. Well, it’s a more disappointing choice than the Archduke, but it can’t be helped. Tsk, this is why you should not get involved in black magic. It’s bothersome. Marina, you should leave.”

Count Wilson, who seemed to have finished his business, drove Marina away, as if chasing a fly, showing his annoyance. Feeling a deep sense of humiliation, but not showing it, she turned around and left the Count’s room.

“Yes, be arrogant to the fullest while you still can, for the day will soon come when I will bring you down with my own hands.”

Marina muttered as she glared at the locked door. A burning rage rose from the depths of her chest. She took a deep breath and soothed her burning heart as if she had swallowed a fireball.

“Sigh… First of all, I’ll have to take care of that first before the Archduke makes his move.”

She tried to avoid touching the Archduke if she could, because it could backfire on her if she did, but now she had to move before he did, or else she could get herself killed. Marina strode down the long hallway, kicking up a cold breeze.

***

Bang!

Andrei slammed his fist down on the desk. Isaac’s eyes widened in surprise, but he remained mum. Because he knew why his lord was so angry.

“I warned him to be so careful, damn it. Where the hell did that rumor come from… Ha, this is really bad.”

Rumors of Archduke Orlov’s black magic eventually reached Andrei’s ears in the imperial court.

The thing he feared the most happened.

When it came to black magic, even if it was just a rumor with no hard evidence, Andrei had to step in. It was the imperial law that if such a rumor reached the ears of Emperor Andrei that a proper investigation team should be formed to confirm it.

There was nothing to worry about if they simply formed a team with only members of the imperial family. The problem was that the Holy See also intervened.

Originally, the papacy and the imperial family were not on good terms. It was because they had kept the balance of power by keeping each other in check for a long time.

The Holy See doesn’t like the idea of the Archduke Orlov empowering the imperial family, so they’ll want to seize this opportunity and find a way to bring him down. Of course, it was clear that the investigation would also become tenacious.

Then they would eventually find out about the existence of Yuri. Although Yuri was not the product of black magic, what looked normal to his own eyes could not look normal in the eyes of the Holy See.

If they find out about Yuri’s existence, it would be over for Mikael. Of course, the same was true of Yuri whom he wanted to protect so much.

Otherwise, the imperial family could come into conflict with the Holy See. He had to do it in order to protect Mikael, his close friend and strongest support base.

Of course, that had to be postponed as a last resort. The Holy See was not an easy opponent.

In a stuffy situation, Andrei rubbed his face. Then he remembered the instructions he secretly gave to Isaac the other day, and he looked at Isaac.

“Isaac, what happened to what I asked you to find out before?”

“I’m still checking, but when it comes to ancient magic, we have no choice but to be cautious… But I will find out as soon as possible.”

“Yes, it will be difficult, but that is the only way for now. So find out as soon as possible. We have to do it first before the Holy See makes any moves.”

“I understand.”

“And immediately send a message to the Orlov residence to invite Mikael to the imperial court. No, I’d better go, since him moving right now might draw attention. I will move silently at night. Know that and be prepared.”

“Yes, I will take your command.”

Isaac paid his respects and hurriedly left Andrei’s room. After he was gone, Andrei let out a long nervous sigh.