Marquis Somnes hurried to take a place in one of the empty corners of the Imperial Palace, preparing to use his special ability.
'I have to hurry'
His heart was pounding from tension due to Empress Rubelia's insistence.
He closed his eyes and focused with all his might, until the thread of reason that had previously surreptitiously linked him to the Duke appeared before him.
'I will now send a nightmare to Duke Balthazar!'
The Duke already had an accumulated hatred towards the First Prince deep inside him, so the Marquis kept making him see the day he hated him more than any other in his dreams over and over again.
The Marquis succeeded in getting him to stay away from politics in the Imperial Palace, but...
'I have to push him to commit something'
To push him into more aggressive action, through which he would deal a fatal blow to the First Prince's side.
After the Marquis had used up his ability to the maximum, he hurriedly left the Imperial Palace.
* * *
On the road leading from the Imperial Palace to the eastern area of the capital…
In the darkness of the night, those standing by nodded their heads when they heard the approaching sound of the carriage.
Elias was the first among those wearing the black uniform to speak: “… What the miss said was true.”
Marquis Somnes has communicated with the Second Empress.
If Lillian had not suspected it, they would not have been able to plant their spies properly.
But her warning made them pay attention to every suspicion.
‘It may seem like just an ordinary interview, but the Empress is summoning him to put pressure on him.’
This is in order to completely remove Balthazar's family side.
This was an issue that concerned Prince Evren's life and the lives of many others.
‘The Empress did not directly extend her hand to the Duke because that would definitely leave evidence behind… Nightmares are more comforting than deadly poisons.’
There was nothing wrong with what she said.
Although families were usually keen to hide the details of their abilities, Lillian was an exception.
‘The Marquis is currently attached to the Duke, so he shouldn’t come to any harm now in any way.’
'So how can we break that connection?'
'Normally, the link can only be broken by the controller of the Marquis himself. But-'
Even the solutions you provided were perfect.
Lillian had a very extensive knowledge of the other families' abilities.
Perhaps they would have been suspicious of her if this had been their first meeting.
But at this point, Elias and the rest of the shadows have come to accept it normally.
How much she studied and worked hard to possess all this knowledge despite all the neglect she suffered in Tilard’s palace...!
As they were thinking the same thing, the shadows whispered various words: “…If it were not for her, what would have become of us?”
“Really, if Duke Balthazar died-”
Not only were their lives at risk, but the First Prince's influence himself was at risk, even if the relationship between the grandson and his grandfather was at its worst.
Elias interrupted the shadows' conversation: “Everyone, be silent.”
Then he moved forward in front of the approaching vehicle.
The dirt road in front of the horses suddenly rose like a small hill, and in an instant, chaos reigned in the carriage in the middle of the road.
It did not take long for the shadows to take control of the Marquis' knights.
Elias opened the carriage door, to find the Marquis inside, trembling in horror after his meeting with the Empress.
“Who are you, you bastards?”
There was no time to look for clean evidence of his manipulation of the Duke, or to try to persuade him.
“Marquis, we are kidnapping you now.”
So, kidnapping was the only answer.
* * *
The Marquis Somnes was led away blindfolded.
“W..what are you doing! What is this..!”
“If you stay calm, you won't get hurt.”
“You've already kidnapped me, and you're saying this?!”
What is the benefit of blindfolding?
Once they hear the sound, everyone will know who it is, one way or another!
'You crazy prince and his crazy relatives...!'
It seemed that the fearsome race was not House Tarania, but House Balthazar.
At that moment, a woman’s voice was heard: “Here is the poor lamb who has been deceived by the Empress.”
“……?”
“Ah, you're not young enough for me to call you a lamb.”
Who is this?
But the Marquis gathered his courage and screamed with veins bulging in his neck.
If the kidnapper had been one of the Balthazar family, it would have been terrifying, but as for the owner of this delicate female voice, there is no need to be afraid of her.
“Y-You slut! I don’t know who you are but-!”
“The Empress was speaking to you so confidently, wasn’t she? As if everything she wanted would come true.”
“……?”
“She definitely promised you that she would pay off the Somnes’ debts, and make your family a great family if you helped her bring down this house in a natural way.”
The Marquis's lips immediately dried up.
K.. How did you know that?
“I know that more than anyone else. I learned from her how to throw pieces of dried meat to dogs.”
Dried meat pieces...?
“What will you do? If this continues like this, the truth is that the Empress will sacrifice you alone to save herself.”
“Huh...what nonsense!”
And most importantly…
'My power cannot be broken by anyone unless they have compatibility with me.'
Is it possible to find such a person now?
‘So, they will never be able to disengage…!’
“You bastards, wait until tomorrow’s sun rises! Then, even if you are from the Five Families- k..ghh!?”
The Marquis felt intense pressure from two thumbs firmly planted in the middle of the top of his head.
Lillian tilted her head slightly and said, “Oh, you felt relieved? But why did you feel relieved?”
She asked sincerely because she didn't understand why he was so reassured.
She felt a slight wound in her pride; Despite her appearance, she went through a lot of hardships...
Lillian looked at Jan sadly: “Jan, am I really not scary?”
“Does that make sense?”
If it were Margaret, she would have answered truthfully that it was very scary, but Jean was not, but rather gave her two thumbs up encouragingly and smiled.
In the eyes of the Balthazars, this pink-haired woman seemed very gentle and harmless.
“Miss is the most feared person in this world!”
But she honestly meant it.
When the meaning of “most fearsome” is transformed into “most powerful,” “most great,” or “most efficient,” the meaning becomes almost identical.
Isn't everything good useful in the end?
Lillian felt a little embarrassed by this compliment, but she quickly returned her gaze to the Marquis.
'Power usually appears in the organ that is used the most'
For this Marquis, the organ was the head.
Lillian began to press her thumbs on the top of his head as if she were pressing vital points.
The Marquis flinched from this unexpected torture.
“Ah, m.. who!”
“Stay calm, let me break this connection.”
“Uggghgggg!”
“Oh my God, I told you to stay calm!”
When Lillian showed her annoyance, the shadows grabbed the Marquis's arms tightly.
“Ugggh…ghh!?”
The Marquis's eyes widened in shock.
'How could this happen!?'
Knock.. Knock.. Knock..
No one heard that sound except him. It was the sound of threads tearing at his ears.
They were the threads of the mind he connected to Duke Balthazar to send nightmares.
But those threads were being cut off one by one.
And in a very precise and careful way so as not to cause him any permanent harm...
Wait a minute, if this happens, what will happen to me?
“Ah...leave me! I told you to leave me...!”
“Oh God, please”
“Aaaah!”
The Marquis struggled desperately with his body, but he reaped no fruit from that struggle.