Chapter 67
Chapter 67
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 66
Chapter Title: Wicked Woman Isabella
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Right after Princess Arabella slipped out of the embassy, a man and woman approached her.
Their attire was no different from that of ordinary citizens, but she pierced through their identities with her senses.
"What business does the Hell Institution have with me?"
The pair warned her openly, as if they had no intention of hiding it in the first place.
"We strongly advise against going to the square, if possible."
"The square—you mean the one in front of His Excellency the Duke's residence? Is there something I shouldn't see?"
At the princess's retort, the knights glanced at each other nervously.
Soon, the man who seemed to be the superior spoke up.
"It's something rather inconvenient for outsiders to the duchy to witness..."
Their reactions were enough to pique the princess's interest.
'Is there something important in the square?'
She barely hid her rising smirk beneath her mask and added another layer of steel plating over it.
"I appreciate the concern. But I am a princess. No matter how inconvenient it may seem, I have a duty as the kingdom's representative to face the truth."
- Inconvenient? I'm the kingdom's representative. This is my duty and right, so step aside.
Having said her piece, the princess shot a mocking glance at the knights.
'They should have specified who would find it inconvenient.'
The word "inconvenient" could change meaning depending on the subject.
The knights were subtly warning her about a "scene that could trouble the duchy if the princess saw it,"
but Arabella interpreted it as "something inconvenient for her to see."
By redefining ambiguous phrasing in a way that favored her, she seized the upper hand in the conversation.
It was a noble art of speech honed over years of drifting through various superhuman families.
The knights couldn't bring themselves to refute her words and stepped aside.
"...We did warn you."
"?"
Normally, a knight delivering such a line would have anger in their voice.
But for some reason, their tones carried genuine pity toward her.
She found their reaction odd but soon recalled they were knights dispatched by Duke and shook her head.
'Impressive acting. Can't let my guard down.'
Turning away from the knights vanishing into the alley shadows, she headed for the square.
'Now, Duke. What secret are you so desperate to hide?'
Sending knights to warn her meant it was some cultural aspect of the duchy they absolutely didn't want outsiders like her to see.
Of course, they wouldn't openly display state secrets in the square, but perhaps the scene there allowed inferences about certain secrets, hence their desperate obstruction.
'Heh, careless, Duke.'
Before a substitution, the most crucial step was uncovering secrets.
People build trust in relationships by sharing their private secrets.
The number and location of moles on their bodies, physical traits, memories shared by just the two, hidden truths.
Through such things, they form bonds and gain certainty that the other is who they know.
Thus, the square's secret was irresistibly tantalizing to Isabella.
'So, what kind of secret...'
Her chest brimming with anticipation, she headed to the square.
And what unfolded before the princess's eyes was...
- "Your Excellency! Asparagus is good for virility!"
"...???"
A crowd sexually harassing the duke.
Elderly folk shouting about Rex's chastity as if to blow the mansion away, fervently encouraging his nightlife.
Knights behind them seriously echoing the old man's words.
And citizens behind them nagging the duke like critical mothers-in-law advising on child-rearing.
'What is this? A rebellion?'
Too peaceful for a rebellion, yet too humiliating to attribute to anything else.
She shook her head, trying to rationally comprehend the protest.
'No. There must be some hidden secret...'
- "Sseeeeek!"
"..."
No matter how she thought about it, it looked like the senility of the old man, who seemed like the leader of the rebels(?), had infected everyone.
Or perhaps the old man had brainwashed the masses with some magic. (Surprisingly, half-true.)
Either way, it implied the duke, who could only let this slide, had his own circumstances.
Determined to grasp those circumstances, she observed the protesters.
And after watching the protest for about 20 minutes, she reached one conclusion.
'The duke has less authority than I thought.'
It was a scene unimaginable in her home kingdom of Eschric.
If citizens protested the king's nightlife(?), he would deploy the military police and dye the square red with blood.
In other words, this protest meant the duke's power was weaker than expected.
'Maybe... I need to revise my plan.'
Originally, she planned to swap with Ari, Rex's favorite concubine, and reap the benefits.
But if Rex had less authority in the duchy than anticipated, those benefits might be meager.
'Plus, if I become queen, these protests would target me next.'
That thought made the position of Rex's concubine far less appealing.
To gauge the situation further, she killed time at a nearby cafe (a peculiar establishment in the duchy) until the protest ended.
As dusk fell, the protesters neatly cleaned the square and dispersed in unison.
She grabbed the old man who seemed like a leader and the knights among the departing crowd.
"Excuse me, everyone."
"Hm... That voice?"
The blind old man turned his ear toward the princess instead of his eyes.
"Could you be Princess Eschric?"
"You know me?"
"Of course. I heard your voice passing my shop last time."
A week later, Princess Arabella's face and presence were no secret in the duchy.
Thus, about one in three citizens recognized her when spoken to.
A blind man was a first, though.
The blind old man positioned the knight youths behind him and continued the conversation.
"Do you have business with this old man?"
"I have questions about this protest."
She removed her mask and consciously flashed a warm smile.
Most men lowered their guards easily before this smile.
The duchy's knights were no exception; those behind the old man gaped, unable to tear their eyes from her face.
For a moment, she basked in the male gazes drawn to her beauty.
'Oops.'
Fortunately, the old man was friendly toward her.
"I see. Shall we talk over a meal, then?"
His demeanor held a hint of suspicion, but he welcomed her warmly regardless.
It felt like a grandfather looking at his granddaughter, so she deemed it a success.
"Since this is fate, allow me to treat you all."
Playing the kind, gracious princess, she led the way.
The knights inwardly praised her and followed.
"Hmmm..."
And at the rear of the group, the old man—Peter—stared meaningfully at her back with his milky-white eyes.
Isabella returned to the embassy after dinner.
The meal with the protest leaders had been highly satisfying.
She'd gathered quite useful information during it.
'The duke is more constrained by the law than I thought.'
From the knights' conversation, she couldn't shake the impression that the duke was trapped by the very laws he had established.
A prime example was the protest he had permitted.
He allowed it but couldn't control it himself.
In other areas too, the duke was less harsh toward citizens than other royals or lords.
Whether due to his frugality or weak personality, she wasn't sure, but...
'Even as queen, there might not be much to enjoy.'
Her actions could be more restricted than during her princess days in the kingdom.
With her thoughts reaching that point, her interest in Ari's position had plummeted.
No, she had lost interest entirely.
Instead, her attention turned to another superhuman.
'Real power lies with the second-in-command, more than expected.'
Of course, most authority—administration, personnel—was concentrated with Rex.
But Duke held the mightiest powers: military command and enforcement.
Above all, Duke faced no behavioral constraints.
He adhered to chivalry by personal conviction, uninhibited by external factors like laws.
And his authority was too tempting.
'As expected, I prefer the sword over makeup.'
As a woman, she favored sparkling jewels and fine clothes.
But the main reason she leeched off superhumans was to bask in the superiority of seeing others bow beneath their prestige.
She didn't want to become the mountain lord herself but to wear its skin and feel superior.
Her abilities had developed this way because her mental image and aspirations aligned with it.
And the decisive blow came from the conversation with Matthew and the other knights.
- "Why protest only Rex and not Duke? Because he's not someone we can presume to advise."
- "He seems capable of handling it himself... Unlike the duke, I can't imagine danger befalling him."
- "Honestly, it's unease because the lord doesn't show himself. But Duke gives certainty—like, we've seen him so much, yet no one has seen him falter..."
- "He's the perfect superhuman. Even mentioning him feels irreverent."
- "Besides, he already has a fiancée, so commenting on his private life would be rude."
She wanted to retort that it wasn't rude for Rex, but barely held back.
Anyway, the knights' expressions showed respect, admiration, and a touch of fear.
If summed up in one word: awe.
It matched perfectly with the tiger skin she wanted to wear.
In the end, she revised her plan.
'Conveniently, that knight Duke has a woman he's matched with.'
The engagement between Lord Sneria and Duke was known to those in the know.
They were often seen walking side by side on dates, so it wasn't much of a secret.
Not broadcast widely, but not suppressed either—just accepted as a fitting match.
Thus, devising a plan wasn't hard for Isabella.
'Easier, even.'
In her view, swapping with Lord Sneria was lower difficulty than with Ari.
Unlike Ari, who stayed by Rex's side 24/7, Duke and Hana met only weekends amid busy schedules, leaving far more openings to wedge in.
"Heh..."
Isabella let out a low chuckle in her empty room.
'Thought it might come in handy. Good thing I collected them in advance.'
As she retrieved three strands of black hair from a case in her vanity.
A breathless week passed, and the weekend arrived.
Duke and Hana, burdened with heavy duties, were like weekend spouses, lacking time to meet otherwise.
Thus, Saturday evening was thrilling for Hana.
'Tomorrow, wake at 7 a.m., spar in the morning, then...'
Weekends weren't for sleeping in for her.
They were for militantly spending every packed 24 hours with her lover.
Humming, she planned tomorrow's tight schedule.
But her happy time didn't last.
- Lord. There's something you must see in the territory yourself.
A single letter from Sneria's lord deputy.
Her mood sank upon reading it.
'Ah...'
She wanted to refuse using her lordly authority.
But she was the one who insisted on her identity as intelligence director and Sneria lord.
Having started tending the territory, she wanted to finish it herself, collaborate as colleagues in roles close to Duke.
Since she'd indulged her greed without abandoning her dream, she had to humbly accept.
'Can't let the territory's people suffer because of me...'
Weekends skipped like this weren't rare anyway.
Though a week would vanish traveling to her territory, knowing Duke loved her shining dream self, she steeled herself and rose.
"My liege. I must attend to this matter."
With Rex's permission, she left her director post temporarily and departed the capital.
En route to the territory, she repeatedly looked back at the capital's walls, reluctant to let go.
'Next weekend... We'll meet next weekend...'
She clung to her lingering attachment until the walls vanished from sight.
*
Four days later.
A letter arrived before Duke, who was slacking off paperwork to his aides and subordinates.
Sir, could you come home early today?
- Yu Hana
"..."
Duke tilted his head but followed the request.
- Sir? Are you ill?
- What's wrong? Secret mission?
- Incognito knight? Take me too!
The duke's mansion flipped when he took unexplained leave for the first time in nearly 10 years, but Duke was oblivious.
Beaming inside his helmet, he headed home with light steps.
The massive mansion granted by Rex after the last war.
Conspicuously grand even in the capital's residential district.
Its style followed his homeland, the Eastern Allied Kingdoms, but the structure fused local culture.
Since they were engaged, Hana and Duke lived together there.
Though their rooms were a 5-minute walk apart, under one roof.
Answering his fiancée's request for early return, Duke cheerfully headed to her room.
'Must be tired from the long trip.'
Sending such a letter before reporting to Rex suggested she'd accumulated much fatigue.
Today, he'd indulge her whims as nursing duty and went home.
As he entered the mansion, servants welcomed him, saying the lady had returned.
"She's inside."
Guided by head butler Sebas, with his distinctive white mustache, Duke reached Hana's room.
Knock knock.
The knight, who never removed his helmet indoors, knocked with eager anticipation.
- "Come in."
With the room's owner's permission, Duke cautiously opened the door.
There sat Hana in thin sleepwear, greeting him with a seductive smile.
"You came early, sir."
"...You're back early."
"I got word from the lord deputy en route. The matter's resolved, so I had to return."
"Good work."
She perched on the bed, arms open toward him.
"Sir. I was so lonely last weekend. Could you share your warmth with me?"
Duke nodded, shed his cloak, and locked the door.
As he touched his helmet, Hana's cheeks flushed faintly.
Then, Duke spoke in a deeply sunken voice.
"Hana and I use 'husband' and 'dear' when alone together."
At those words, the blood drained from her face.
She whipped around, lunging toward the window.
But before her body touched the glass, it floated midair and slammed onto the bed.
Springs shot from beneath the bed, piercing her limbs.
The wires threading her flesh pinned her to the bed.
"Aaaagh!!"
"There's no such rule between us."
In truth, they called each other as they pleased.
"Sir" at work or formally, mostly "husband" alone, but sometimes "Duke."
Duke hadn't fully grasped the pattern, but suspicions abounded.
She added "-nim" when embarrassed,
and since Duke and Hana had never consummated, a virgin like Hana wouldn't initiate embrace.
Even without such intuition, Duke wouldn't fall for her half-baked transformation.
"Sloppy reconnaissance, Isabella."
"How...!"
"No need to know."
Anyhow, a character like Duke knowing wouldn't be odd.
But current Duke wasn't rational enough to consider such minutiae.
"Why me?"
"I don't know what you mean, but I'm sorry, Duke-nim! I merely admired you and..."
Before she finished, a spring extended like wire, wrapping her neck twice.
"I don't like repeating questions."
"I'm sorry! I was blind! Please spare me! I'll prove my worth!"
"..."
"Use me as a Hell Institution slave! I'm skilled in espionage! A maid is fine! Just let me live!"
Duke gazed coldly at the wicked woman impaled limb by limb.
Her sight evoked her original fate.
- "Who... who am I?! Kill me! Just kill me!"
After nearly losing his beloved to substitution, Rex flew into rage and inflicted Isabella's cruelest punishment.
Confiscating all her makeup, clothes, possessions, and locking her in the mirror room, changing outfits and makeup daily.
Isabella could assume any appearance, voice, or impersonate anyone.
Her greatest fear was loss of identity.
Rex pierced that instantly, burning every means to define herself.
Her clothes, makeup, ID, even culinary culture.
Irregularly reissuing and incinerating replacements.
Trapped amid mirrors, watching her ever-changing self, her identity collapsed.
After a month, shrieking like flesh torn away when taking clothes; by three months, she hanged herself with one.
Duke knew Isabella's wretched end well.
Dragging her to Rex now would yield the same furious punishment.
But Duke knew a better one.
"Death is a blessing. The higher the realm, the less they realize. As if they'll never experience it."
The wires piercing Isabella delved deeper into her body.
They began slowly stitching her organs.
An ordinary person would shock-die from small and large intestines fusing, but sadly, 6th-circle vitality didn't extinguish easily even pierced.
"Aaaagh!"
"Know the tale of Kongjwi and Patjwi?"
"Uwaaaah! It huuuurts!!"
"Not listening, I see."
Duke continued sewing her.
Like an innocent child crafting a creepy stuffed doll.
Three months later.
A mysterious jar arrived at Eschric's royal castle.