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Grace, shaking her eyelashes at the sight of which she could not believe, carefully picked up the parchment she had dropped. After that, Grace brought it back to the front of the lamp and read it carefully, as if memorising what was written on it.
And when Grace's eyes read the last sentence, the words on the parchment were instantly distorted and returned to the "magical language" that Grace could not read. She gasped in surprise at the sight and dropped the parchment again.
'... ... What the hell is this?'
Grace still could not believe what had happened in front of her a while ago.
Suddenly, the letters shone and moved like dancing in front of her, changing from the magical language to the imperial one. And as soon as Grace finished reading it, the parchment turned back into a form she could not read again.
She felt her mind getting feverishly tangled like an entangled thread as the incomprehensible situation continued one by one.
'I can't read the magical language, but what was that? Could it be that I am able to read the magical language?'
Grace looked down at the piece of parchment she was holding with confused eyes and then immediately kept it down.
After that, she grabbed a book that stood out to her and brought it to the front of the glass lamp. It was in the hope that if she had the ability to read magical languages, she would be able to read other books without problems.
However, this time, the magical language that was written in the book did not appear to have changed to imperial language, and such a magical thing did not happen. So Grace became even more confused.
'Then what did I see earlier?'
Had she been dreaming while sitting a moment ago?
It was at that time when Grace had such doubts and closed a book written in a magical language that she still could not read.
[I have revealed the secret related to the deaths of Duchess Aileen and Duke Felix.]
Suddenly the voice of her father, Duke Alberton, came into her mind.
As if Duke Alberton was whispering directly into her ear, Grace was startled and dropped the book she was holding.
'What the hell is this? Ugh!'
Grace had to listen to the voices of the people who sounded like someone was compelled to speak in her head, with pain as if her head was going to split.
[It's a kind of 'forbidden magic' created by Duke Felix's mind.]
[Then.......]
[Using that magic, you can remove the curse mixed in his blood.]
The subtle voice of 'Duke Alberton', echoing in Grace's head, was persistently persuading someone.
And another "someone" who heard it soon hesitated for a moment at Duke Alberton's suggestion, and then replied as if he had made up his mind.
[Is that true? Can you really break the curse of the child and the curse of the royal family?]
[Of course. Believe in your convictions and your family, Your Majesty.]
Grace gasped at the following reply from Duke Alberton.
"......Your Majesty?"
Does that mean that the imperial family is behind the things that her father, Duke Alberton, has done so far?
If it's entwined, then why these alternatives. Do they mean to remove the curse that flows in the blood of "who"? Emperor? Empress? Or the Crown Prince?
While still confused by the persistent headache and the hidden implications of the conversation that was difficult to understand. Grace concentrated on the voices in her head.
[......But it takes a little sacrifice for him.]
[Sacrifice?]
[Yes. Naturally, some sacrifice is required for a cause. Your Majesty.]
Duke Alberton's voice was asking for someone's 'sacrifice' with a subtly voice to the 'Emperor', the other party in the conversation.
As soon as she heard that voice, Grace knew at once who was the object of "sacrifice". The subjects were Duke Arthur Felix, the women he married before, and herself.
"Huh!"
The moment Grace realised it, the voice she was hearing magically disappeared.
Grace breathed heavily and leaned helplessly on the sofa as if she had woken up from a dream when suddenly her headache and those voices had disappeared.
Not all situations have been clearly organised yet, but only two things were clear to her from that 'voice' a while ago.
First, behind Arthur and Duke Felix's family curse was the Imperial family, and second, that her father, Duke Alberton, was actively involved in it.
'It's a little sacrifice. Was it my life as well as Arthur in that sacrifice, Father?'
Did Duke Alberton send her to Duke Felix with this intention from the beginning? With a mind that he doesn't care if she dies or goes crazy.
Grace let out a helpless laugh.
It was not enough that he had caused her to die such a cruel and lonely death, who refused to marry in her first life. But now he was again aiming for her life and happiness by disguising his dirty schemes as if it were a 'curse attached to Arthur'.
'It won't happen.'
She knew too much to be as foolish as in her first life.
There is also a "new family" to protect. She couldn't lose the happiness she barely had in her hands and the people around her.
Grace clenched her teeth and stood up. It was to find additional evidence to more clearly confirm what she saw and heard.
───※ ·❆· ※───
Meanwhile, the face of Duke Alberton, who had left the stone chamber and Owen, was filled with a strange sense of triumph.
It was ridiculous that Owen dared forget the hard work and hours he had put in and dared to escape from the influence of him and the Alberton family. Not only does it hold his life, but it also holds a fatal secret.
Duke Alberton smiled slyly and looked back at the soldiers behind him and the former Lady Reina, who was being dragged like a doll. Then he spoke to the soldier who stood at the front.
"As always, keep her in the secret mansion of the capital. So that it can be used at any time when the life of the 'monster' is in jeopardy."
"Yes, sir."
Upon hearing Duke Alberton's words, the soldier politely showed their respect and dragged her away.
Duke Alberton, who was watching them, swung his hand lightly in the air and uttered a teleportation spell when they were no longer visible.
After that, the space around Duke Alberton was distorted, and soon the surroundings of him began to change slowly.
He immediately got transported as the walls of the stone chamber, which had a dark background surrounding him, turned into the splendid Alberton mansion with beautiful walls that was far away.
The place where he was busy was his study. After confirming that there was no one around him, the Duke of Alberton entered his study. And he looked for a moment at the disorganised books and papers on the floor.
'That's strange. Who touched my study?'
In the eyes of others, it was just a cluttered landscape. But in the eyes of Duke Alberton, who had made the mess of it in a way that only he could recognize. Soon, he noticed that a stranger had touched his study.
Who could it be, the young servant or maid who was not familiar with the etiquette of Duke Alberton, who took care of things in his way?
Duke Alberton thought that he would not leave whoever "disturbed" the books and papers in his study in their way.
After that, as he walked in front of a bookshelf, which was cluttered with books, he tapped lightly on it. Then the bookshelf slid open, revealing a hidden space.
He entered it as if familiar with it. A place covered with thick black curtains to prevent light from leaking in and out and a small table, a crystal ball emitting a strange green light, and a blood-coloured magic circle were drawn in the centre of the place at which Duke Alberton glanced.
'It's an urgent situation right now, so where the heck has this jerk gone?'
And soon he shouted into the air with an annoyed voice.
"Belial! Where are you, you idiot!"
Then suddenly a dark green flame flared from the perch placed in the corner of the room.
Soon, the flames gradually began to change into the form of a person wearing a robe from head to toe. He was very small, and his bare hands were so thin and wrinkled as if he were about to die.
He shook his skinny hand once and said while turning towards Duke Alberton who was glaring at him with an irritating stare.
"Oh, dear. What are you so annoyed about, Duke Alberton? I heard you went to see the Crown Prince today, and did you hear anything bad there?"
"It's nonsense. Crown Prince, can he tell me what to do? I've got him in my grasp."
Duke Alberton responded bluntly, leaning his back against the high bookshelf, and then folded his arms. Then, wearing a robe from head to toe, he asked back with a sly smile.
"Then what made the great Duke of Alberton so irritable that even the Crown Prince could not be rude to him?"
"Ha! Do you ask because you don't know? Of course, it's because of the curse on Grace!"
"Aha."
He giggled low as if he knew why Duke Alberton was angry now. Duke Alberton, even angrier at the sight, raised his voice even more and pressed towards him.
"Are you laughing now? If only the curse had come sooner, things wouldn't have been delayed this far! The Crown Prince wouldn't have dared to say such nonsense, like wanting to break off his engagement to Marianne!"
"Why is that my fault? It's because of your foolish daughter who couldn't touch the crown prince's body even after using the love potion. You know that things would have been easier if your daughter had had the Crown Prince's child back then, right?"
Duke Alberton, speechless at Belial's reply, stared at him with cold eyes, who was staring back with a smirk.
Belial then approached Duke Alberton with a triumphant face, and with his hideous hand patted him on the shoulder and said.
"Hey, don't be angry. My human friend. If you make up your mind so hastily, nothing will happen."
"You know that, don't you? There's not much time left for the crown prince. The curse of the Great God will soon devour him! In that case, the Emperor, who lost his only heir, would immediately abandon me and Alberton for failing to save his only son, and after that, it will be too late to do anything!"
"I know, I understand. You're doing your best too. So......"
So, be a little more relaxed, that's when Belial said that. Under the crystal ball emitting a dark green light, a dark red light was emitted from the blood-coloured magic circle.
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