Escalion dropped the unconscious man to the floor.
At first glance, there seemed to be no change in his expression, but the suddenly protruding jaw muscles revealed that he was very angry.
“W-who is that person?”
Belladonna asked in a faintly trembling voice.
“Sorry for waking you up when you were sleeping well.”
“That’s not the issue right now…”
Instead of answering, Escalion began to rummage through the body of the man lying on the floor.
“Is… is he dead?”
There was no answer to that either.
Belladonna pulled the blanket towards herself and hugged it tightly.
She was scared by the fact that an intruder had entered Gribblata Castle in the middle of the night, and into the marital bedroom where she was with Escalion, and also that he seemed to have just lost his life.
Discovering Belladonna trembling in fear, Escalion straightened his bent upper body and walked towards the door.
“D-don’t go.”
Belladonna cried out in a small voice, frightened at the thought of being left alone with the corpse.
A look of embarrassment crossed Escalion’s face as he turned to look at her.
Belladonna quickly lifted the blanket and swung her feet out from under the bed.
She wanted to go to him, but her legs gave out and she collapsed on the floor.
“Bella!”
Escalion rushed over in one stride and scooped her up.
He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly.
“I wasn’t going to leave. I was going to call someone to take you away. So don’t worry.”
“I’m scared…”
“I’m sorry.”
His steps towards the door while carrying Belladonna stopped. In front of the door, his golden eyes could be seen coldly sinking.
Belladonna looked up at him with an anxious face. Why, why…?
“It seems there’s one more.”
“…!”
There’s one more assassin?
Goosebumps rose on Belladonna’s back.
Before she could decide whether to get down from his arms or hide in the room, Escalion roughly flung open the door.
At the end of the dark corridor, the sound of someone running away quickly could be heard.
“Damn it… Lock the castle gates immediately and summon the knights!”
Escalion shouted towards the dark and quiet interior of the castle.
Soon, lights began to turn on one by one from the lower floors, and the sound of servants waking up and murmuring in surprise at the late-night commotion could be heard.
[This is the timeline separator]“Where the hell did that rat-like bastard hide?”
Graham scratched the back of his head as he entered the reception room.
Following behind him, Hazel came running from the opposite direction and said,
“Vice Captain, it doesn’t seem to be on this side.”
Belladonna was sitting in a plush chair in the reception room, wrapped in a thick blanket.
Cindy brought her hot tea.
Although she didn’t particularly feel like drinking it, Belladonna silently accepted it, needing something warm.
“What was found on his body?”
“There was no special evidence, sir.”
“Nothing? Damn it, what the hell is this…”
Graham raised one hand and rubbed his complicated face.
Belladonna looked up at them with an anxious face, still feeling her body trembling.
“My lady, you must have been very startled? Don’t worry. We will quickly find the culprits and eliminate them.”
Hazel approached her with a forced smile, having noticed her state.
What on earth is going on…
Still feeling as if she were in a dream, Belladonna pulled the blanket closer around herself.
At that moment, a very angry Escalion strode through the open door of the reception room.
“Oh, Captain…”
Before Hazel could finish his greeting, Escalion threw a heavy punch at Graham, who was standing in the middle of the reception room.
Caught off guard, Graham flew backwards and hit the wall.
As he collided, a nearby table toppled over and objects fell to the floor with a loud noise.
“Kyaa…!”
“Captain! Why are you doing this!”
The startled maids screamed, and Hazel rushed to stop Escalion.
“Ugh…”
Graham, lying on the floor, grimaced as he rubbed his jaw.
Looking down at him, Escalion asked with fierce eyes.
“How is the castle’s security managed that two unidentified individuals could break in in the middle of the night? And into the lord’s bedroom at that?”
“…”
“If I hadn’t noticed, Bella and I could have been killed. The Lord and Lady of Gribblata could have been murdered overnight!”
“I-I’m sorry.”
Graham bowed his head deeply as he uttered.
Hazel blocked Escalion’s view and tried to calm him down.
“Captain…! Please stop! I understand you’re very angry, but we knights couldn’t have done anything about this incident. We searched thoroughly, but there were no signs of physical intrusion.”
“Then what the hell is it.”
“T-that…”
“So are you saying they fell from the sky or sprang from the ground? Or are you making flimsy excuses because you didn’t search properly?”
Escalion, still unable to calm his anger, took a step closer to Hazel with a sharp demeanor.
Hazel, with a frightened face, slowly backed away.
“And you still haven’t found the one who escaped. What exactly are you capable of doing?”
“…I’m sorry.”
At his words, Hazel also bowed his head.
Belladonna, who had been quietly watching them, bit her lower lip and stood up from her seat.
Regarding this incident, it couldn’t be said that the knights, who were responsible for protecting the castle, were entirely without fault.
However, the intruders had left no traces, and nothing special had been found on the body of the person Escalion had dispatched.
Moreover, this kind of internal division was not particularly helpful at this moment.
“…”
Belladonna approached the enraged Escalion and grabbed his arm.
Escalion turned to look at her, breathing heavily.
As he turned his head and met her eyes, emotions such as relief, fear, regret, and apology clearly appeared on his face.
“Bella, I really…”
“…”
“If I hadn’t woken up in time, if that person had targeted you first instead of me…”
Belladonna shook her head.
Such a thing hadn’t happened, and now, rather than being angry at each other, finding the culprits behind this was the most urgent matter.
Having calmed Escalion, Belladonna turned and picked up paper and pen.
[Please call a magician.]“Why suddenly a magician now?”
Escalion frowned as he read the writing.
At the unexpected words, Graham, who was sitting on the floor, and Hazel, who was standing in front of him, also turned their heads.
[You said there were no signs of intrusion, right? I have an idea.]“What?”
Belladonna moved the pen with a calm face.
[Please request a magician specialized in teleportation magic.] [This is the timeline separator]The magician, summoned to Gribblata Castle early in the morning, adjusted his thick glasses and swallowed dryly.
He felt nervous as the lord with an enormous physique standing before him seemed to be in a very bad mood.
“G-good morning, my lord.”
“Thank you for coming so early.”
“Oh, no. We’re just people who move for money…”
The magician trailed off, rolling his eyes.
As his gaze met with nothing but intimidating and scary individuals at every turn, he noticed a small woman sitting in a corner.
“Oh? That person is…”
Just as he recognized the Saint of Astanya, a dark shadow blocked his view.
“Uh…”
“I heard that teleportation portals can be created not only in designated places but also in undesignated areas.”
The magician looked up at Escalion, who was blocking his view. W-what is this pressure…?
The magician swallowed dryly once again before slowly opening his mouth.
Throughout the Ellinerus Empire, there were specific places where magic flowed for installing public or private portals.
This client seemed to be curious about that.
“Ah… Yes. Are you asking if it’s possible to create a portal to secretly enter the castle without passing through the gates? It is possible, but that’s only in theory.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you know, installing teleportation portals in places other than those authorized is strictly prohibited by Ellinerus Empire law. Moreover, since it involves creating a portal in a new place where no magic flows naturally, rather than along existing magic paths, it requires extremely complex formulas and consumes a lot of magical power. Therefore, it’s impossible for ordinary magicians to even attempt. There’s no reason to do so either.”
He began to speak out what he knew in the calmest voice possible.
“Especially in Gribblata, where magic doesn’t flow well geographically, to install a teleportation portal without anyone knowing, other than in already established places…”
The magician trailed off, looking at the rough terrain visible through the window.
Escalion, looking down at him, opened his mouth again.
“So, you’re saying it’s impossible?”
“Ah, yes. But a high-level magician might be able to… No, no! It’s impossible!”
“A high-level magician?”
Escalion frowned, repeating the magician’s words that had passed in an instant.
The magician hastily waved his hands and answered.
“Ah…! I misspoke. The truth is, only a Mage Tower Master could install a portal in this kind of terrain. So it’s practically impossible. Besides, even they would struggle to create a two-way portal. Even if possible, it would probably be just once…”
The magician, muttering, continued to speak.
“B-but why would such people bother to create a teleportation portal inside the castle? There’s a perfectly good spot for portal installation not far from the castle gates! The one I used to come here!”
Escalion turned to look at Graham and Hazel with his arms crossed.
When they nodded slightly, he asked again.
“Where is the Mage Tower Master now?”
“What? A-are you suspecting the Mage Tower Master now? He’s not the kind of person who would create such a trivial thing!”
“Just answer the question.”
The magician flinched and backed away slightly before opening his mouth.
“W-wouldn’t the Saint over there know better than me?”
“What?”
At the magician’s words, everyone’s gaze turned towards Belladonna.
Belladonna felt dizzy as she let out a small sigh. She had hoped it wouldn’t come to this…
Soon, the magician spoke in a cheerful voice.
“Oh? Didn’t you all know? He’s right there at the Papal Office! He’s very close to the current Pope!”
Male lead is a Divorced Husband
She said to him: “Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change it!”
Liu Changning transmigrated into a female cannon fodder character in a female-dominant novel.
After reading the first half of the novel’s plot, the first thing she did upon transmigration was to divorce the Pan Jinlian-style male protagonist she had just married.
She indulged herself, pretending to be ugly and poor.
But as time passed, the way that man looked at her became more and more unusual…
Liu Changning was dumbfounded: Tell me, what makes you like me? I’ll change!
――
This lifetime, Pei Yuanshao was rejected by the same woman twice!
The first time, she drove him away. Forced by the situation, he endured the waves of anger in his heart, yielding and humbling himself.
That person lay slanted on a rocking chair, her sallow face emotionless: “If you don’t want a divorce, go cook!”
Pei Yuanshao’s face was dark and gloomy: “You!”
The second time, after the crisis in Jinling City was resolved, the new emperor sent someone to pick him up. He turned around, stammering: “I… I have to go. If you keep me…”
That person lay on the kang bed, her back to him, as if she had long anticipated this day, crisp and clear: “Goodbye!”
Pei Yuanshao was so angry his fingers trembled: “You… you!”
The mission of family and country made him restrain himself, averting his eyes and turning to leave this broken household.
Two years later, they met again. Seeing her ethereal face, his body shook like a sieve.
“She was originally a ‘she’!”
At the Qionglin Banquet, the top scholar of the imperial examination, a talented person with exceptional speech and conduct, all the unmarried young gentlemen from aristocratic families looked at her with shy and timid eyes.
The peerless imperial official Pei Yuanshao felt the anger in his heart erupt. He pointed at the woman surrounded by the crowd at the Qionglin Banquet, his thin lips slightly curled: “Little sister, I wants that person to be the wife-master of my Mingde Prince Manor.”
[Touch the gear icon in the bottom right corner of the screen to move to the next chapter if you want.]
