Count Joseph obtained the information from the servant he had placed to watch over the princess.
'Have you met Lillian Taillard again? Is it true that I told her to get rid of me?'
'Yes, Count, I heard it clearly with my own ears.'
He was also able to know the descriptions of the character who accompanies Lillian; Margaret Robley.
She seemed to be the arrogant type who could easily be fooled.
“This is really very sad...”
The Count had a bitter expression on his face as he addressed Marguerite: “It seems that my student has fallen completely under the spell of Liliane Taillard. Her talent for seduction seems to be as amazing as her nickname ‘Butterfly’ suggests.”
“That's true... exactly.”
“It's possible for Iris Taillard to make a mistake with the artifact, but for an incapable human to repair it?”
“Ah...”
“I'm very worried, so I was looking for the piece. Please, can you help me?”
Margaret clenched the hem of her dress tightly and said: “...follow me.”
The Count smiled secretly; It was clear that she harbored a hidden inferiority towards Lillian Taillard.
For this reason, she simply led him to where the workshop was located.
The Count looked at the workbench mischievously and muttered: “Foolish girl. Things are quite clear here.”
The malachite necklace sparkled with a dazzling lustre.
Lillian fixed it with amazing precision in a very short time.
If she stayed like this, the princess would definitely be able to control her illness…
“…as if I would let that happen.”
The man's face distorted as he gritted his teeth.
Such artifacts are very delicate; Just a simple touch of decorative wire in certain places will throw off its balance.
And when the princess wears it without knowing?
'Huh. The disgusting snake scales will explode from her body!'
The princess was the one who chose to believe a notorious incapacitator like Lillian.
Because of this mistake, her trust in the Count will increase even more.
'Even if it is revealed'
It would be enough to blame that woman called Margaret who brought him into the room.
'It's so easy'
He shook his head, feigning concern as he left.
* * *
On the day the repair of the necklace was completed—
Lilian met some shadows, and the princess's delegation in the inner garden of the temple.
On that day, Count Joseph also came after the princess.
The Count looked at Lilian sarcastically: “Huh, time has really been corrupted.”
“…….”
“A person who has responded to the wrath of the Genesis Ruler, walks around like this and interferes in everything!”
Jean's eyes and shadows flashed with a suppressed killing desire, but Lillian responded coldly: "Would you like me to summon a priest for you? You seem to be afflicted with an illness."
“What?”
“The disease of talking to oneself and crying alone. These are early symptoms of delirium.”
“……!”
“It's dangerous, so go and get counseling immediately.”
“You slut!”
The Count's face flushed with anger, but Lillian no longer paid attention to him.
Instead, she turned to the princess with the necklace in a velvet box: “Please try it on.”
“Okay”
Princess Meliora waited warily as the lady-in-waiting put the necklace on her.
'Is her Impact Making skill really superior to Iris?'
The artifacts that Dominators place their influence on have tremendous power, but vary greatly depending on rank and skill.
If anything goes wrong in handling it, it may lead to horrific adverse results...
Everyone held their breath at that moment.
But as soon as the cold metal of the necklace touched her skin —
“……!”
The princess's facial expression changed immediately.
“Ah”
Those snake-like veins, which were so prominent as to appear on the skin, had completely subsided.
“Ah!”
That suspicious and annoying movement under the skin also stopped.
The traces of peels that were visible under the light disappeared.
This was not just a question of whether or not to be visible in social circles.
Rather, it was a serious defect that threatened her right to inheritance under the pretext of “lack of control.”
“What the hell...!”
Meliora stood up, staggering with emotion: “All traces have truly disappeared...!”
The Kingdom's delegation, who were monitoring the situation, rushed in with concern: “Her Highness the Princess!”
“Congratulations!”
“Oh, how your heart has been tormented all this time...!”
The only pendant made by Iris Tillard was effective in soothing these symptoms, but even that has begun to work less recently!
But Lillian did not intend to end this touching atmosphere here.
It would be disappointing if they thought she was just fixing the necklace.
Lillian took out the weapon she had prepared; At first glance it looked like a small onyx brooch.
“Your Highness, can you see this?”
"Hmm? What is this?"
“This is called a photographic stone.”
Originally, this was the monster core that she took from the villain.
Monsters store visual information in the nucleus, not in the brain.
'Using the principle of retrieval of what has been seen!'
Since monster cores were dangerous materials, obtaining a Photography Stone was much more difficult than a Recording Stone.
Lillian pressed hard on the polished core.
buzzing...
After a slight shaking, an oval image the size of a face appeared above the pin.
Everyone from the Empire and Kingdom held their breath in astonishment.
“What the heck-”
“Is it a mirror?”
“No, look, Count Vespin appears over there!”
“Where is this place?”
The temporary workshop was in the temple.
'I left this core running constantly while I worked.'
Isn't insuring expensive pieces a necessity?
At that moment, the Count appeared in the video mocking someone and then opening the box.
“Foolish girl. Things are quite clear here.”
His face full of greed and hatred was clearly visible in the video.
“As if I would let that happen.”
Then he began to manipulate the parts of the artifact with his fingers.
The princess's face turned pale, and the ladies-in-waiting were stunned.
“Count, how could you do something like this?”
Lillian smiled delicately: “Oh my God, your taste is really good. You knew exactly how to touch the circles that cause agitation.”
“E..this...!”
“Thanks to you, I finally examined the piece carefully, very carefully, you know?”
“……!”
The Count opened his mouth without uttering a word. The princess slowly approached him: “Count.”
“S.. Your Highness! This is a trap, this is malicious magic...!”
“I've been suspecting your tricks for a long time.”
“Your Highness! How can you say that-!”
“The assassination attempts, and the accident of falling from a horse, you did not deliberately prevent until the last minute. So that I will always be grateful to you.”
“……!”
“I wanted.. I wanted to believe you...”
The princess inhaled a deep breath and said forcefully: “Count Josef Vespin. As of today, I declare that you have been stripped of the position of my guardian.”
“This is impossible! I am your mother’s appointed guardian-!”
“I'm not an adult yet, but with such conclusive evidence, I have the authority to fire you.”
“……!”
“You will be deported to the kingdom under guard. Arrest him!”
The princess's knights advanced quickly, but Lillian saw something.
She saw the Count's black eyes shining with malice; This is how people act when they think they have the last trump card.
The Count quickly erased a mark on the back of his hand.
'He's also prepared a rampage magic...!'
There was a similar inscription on the back of the princess's hand; It was the key to making her irritable.
But as soon as he pressed the back of his hand —
"Egg!? K..kh, aaaaak!"
The Count clutched his chest and began vomiting violently.
The magic had bounced back on him.
'He fell into the evil of his deeds'