I Didn’t Tame The Beastly Duke!

Edna was on the verge of yelling when she heard the voice burst out of the darkness. But no words came out as the hand that protruded from behind her covered her mouth and squeezed her body.

“Shh. Although I was asked not to kill you. It is not a ‘must’ to do so. It would be good for you to be quiet.”

Dealing with a spy hiding in the duchy was something ordinary servants did not know. The spy’s existence was kept secret from everyone except the butler, the head maid, and a few other servants.

Edna trembled as she realised that her death was drawing nearer.  The man was quiet, but there was a distinct odour of blood coming from him.

“I have to tell you to run away, but you’re an idiot, so I have no expectation that you’ll listen. However, they instructed me to hand this over.”

While the man was talking, a carriage full of servants departed. Edna wanted to scream and yelled at them as they walked away from the commotion.

I’m here! She wanted to shout out that she was here, but she couldn’t breathe at the drops of blood dripping from the dagger thrust close to her neck.

His hand, which had been holding Edna and covering her mouth with his other hand, fell and the money bag landed at Edna’s feet. She could tell by the sound that it was a bag of money.

“You had better not do anything else that could hurt this family. Just keep in mind that everything that went right this time was pure luck.”

After saying that, the man tucked the dagger into his pocket and left through the door. As soon as the man’s expression seemed to fade completely, Edna shriffin sat down on the ground.

Her legs, along with the rest of her body, were violently shaking at the same time.

“That’s completely insane. What came to pass? I am……”

Why did you save me?

Even though it was terrifying, getting away was the most important thing. If the Duke of Cardian sent someone to abduct every member of her family, it was clear that something big had happened.

While Edna was reaching for the money bag that was sitting on the nightstand, she took a quick glance at the bed. The bed continued to protrude outward. It looked like a person lying down and sleeping.

Edna struggled to get to her feet and then lit a lamp by the window. Tak, as the flames began to ignite and the room began to become illuminated, could see the wretched state of the bed.

“Ugh!”

Edna turned her head towards the bed and masked her screams by covering her mouth to prevent them from escaping. On the bed, there were clear bloodstains. He had most likely been stabbed multiple times in the chest, and his mouth had been covered in order to prevent him from screaming.

‘The other two are…’

Perhaps they were the spies sent to the Ducal Family, whom the Duke of Cardian knew about but chose to ignore. It was obvious that he had given the order for them to be killed, as it is dangerous to let the family carry them while running away.

Edna’s hands were shaking so badly that she couldn’t try to open the bag containing the money. The bag was not very large, but it was full of money. It was even all gold coins.

‘Why, why am I the only one…?’

It was because the duchy took advantage of her in every way possible, and Billy, who acted as though he loved her deeply, was emotionally fragile, but Edna had no idea why.

She had to get out of here anyway.

The moment Edna blew out the candle, the room was plunged back into complete darkness.

✦ ✦ ✦

‘Michael is not my son?’

Orkhan had many children, but only Michael admitted that he was one of Orkan’s biological offspring. Giel has always been the child with the more positive attitude, but as of late, his behaviour has reached an intolerable extreme.

Michael, of all his sons… He would rather have been pleased if the target was Phil.

Phil, if it’s him, Orkhan can throw him away. In the past, it is known that he has clandestinely requested that one of his subordinates perform a paternity test on both himself and Phil, hoping that this would be the case.

He was annoyed when he said Phil was his biological son, but he thought there was nothing he could do about it.

But Michael, not another child. He was his favourite, and he put all his heart and soul into it!

‘Nell, you wicked bitch!’

As he thought about Nell, the first empress and a woman known for her cold beauty, the emperor clenched his teeth and grinned wryly.

Michael had been feeling nothing but pride and sadness up until this point; however, the realisation that he was not his father caused his heart to sink like a stone.

It was to the point where he thought even her voice was disgusting as if affection had morphed into cold hatred. When he finally realised that the appearance of the face he had spent so much time perfecting was actually an illusion, his rage was so intense that he was unable to contain it in any way.

“Michael, bring Michael! I mean, bring him!”

Even though the wounded emperor yelled, threw chairs, and caused a commotion inside the cramped room, the soldiers stationed outside the door pretended they could not hear what was going on inside.

At the very least, this was his hideout, and the space in which he was imprisoned seemed to be the first prince’s palace. If it were a room in the main palace, it could be recognised because of the pattern.

‘Since I am captured, my soldiers will not be able to move hastily.’

Now that Phil is dead, his only son is Giel. He had Amelia as his other child, but the Emperor hadn’t even thought of her.

‘Giel, that guy is brave, so it is most certainly going to be him who comes to my rescue! That’s right, I still have a son!’

The emperor was heartbroken that Phil, who had been stupid until the end, died while trying to tell the truth. It’s just annoying that he didn’t tell himself sooner.

“You are my child, but you were such an idiot. Still, I did my best as a father…… I have no regrets.”

realIt was completely unfair that the child who had been born to Nell as a result of her cheating should have killed his own child.

If Phil had been the ‘proper’ son, he should have killed Michael on the spot. If he had been Giel, he would not have been killed on the site.

‘The only person who will succeed me is Giel!’

He thought he had a thunderous realisation, but it was already too late.

✦ ✦ ✦

It seemed that something big had happened.

The soldiers who were watching the entrances to the capital judged that. It was late, so the person in charge of them was not there. The knight, who temporarily took his position made the decision.

Because of the critical situation, dozens of nobles had already opened the city gates and escaped the capital. It seemed that several carriages and barricades were packed to evacuate or run away at night.

“Today is going to be a good day.”

It was on this day that the Imperial family invited nobles to a banquet that they hosted. It was known that Prince Michael had awakened to his power just a few days ago, and the emperor was greatly delighted.

He did not intend to throw a banquet for him, but he said it would be a celebration of him. However……

From the vantage point of the watchtower, he noticed an unusual fire at the imperial palace. It looked like there was a fire in the imperial palace. What’s that over there?

“The military soldiers?”

It was late at night, but they were still able to see it clearly.  The entrances to the capital city were quickly approached by a group of knights mounted on horses and carrying torches.

They numbered in the dozens, and were wearing uniforms they had never seen before.

‘What exactly are they?’

As for the location, they seemed to be heading towards the north gate. Three of the four gates in the capital had already been opened, and one of the remaining two was about to be shut.

Many nobles escaped from the east and south gates, but only one, the Duke of Cardian and his knights, were known to have exited from the north gate.

‘Ar-Are they chasing the Duke of Cardian?’

Following the preceding knight, a flag was hoisted into the air. Since it was the imperial flag, the guards who were in charge of the north gate opened the gate in a hurry so as not to hinder their way.

Because of this, the knights were able to keep running until the door was finally opened without having to stop.

Doo doo! The knights that were galloping on horseback were all of an abnormally large build and had their heads completely covered by helmets and armour.

‘Was there ever a knight like that?’

They were knights in black armour. The watchmen at the gate paused to take a look at the cloud of dust they kicked up before closing the entrance once more.

It was an ominous night.

✦ ✦ ✦

‘All families related to the Cardian family must have escaped.’

Even his mother-in-law and the rest of Ramona’s family were about to take action to force them to flee the capital. They were going through the east gate instead of the north gate that Leonis and his party had passed through.

The Marquis of Montague and his wife were also with them.

“Prince Michael will not let go of Your Excellency.”

These are the words of warning that were issued by Zeppel.

Michael and Phil confront each other, and if Michael ends up killing Phil, he will try to put the blame on someone else or cover it up.

If that failed and all the sins were revealed…

‘Treason!’

That was the one and only choice Michael could make.

Although the first empress gave birth to her child through her cheating, the emperor declared Michael his son and gave him his last name. Even if he did not recognise that he was someone else’s child, he could claim the right to succeed to the throne with that alone.

If all the emperor’s other children were dead and gone.

Therefore, as soon as Michael came to his senses, he would have tried to kill all the remaining Giel and Amelia.

Since he is a cunning man, he will notice who is the most dangerous competitor to him ever since.

The closest relative to the Hermos family is the Duke of Cardian.

Leonis Cardian was already holding half of the empire in his hands. There was no one more threatening than Michael, who committed treason, killed the prince and princess, and imprisoned the emperor.

A potential rival needs to have his seeds stomped on before he can grow into a threat.

Also, Celia had placed a curse on him just a few ten minutes ago, so he would try to capture her alive by any means necessary.

Celia, who was seated in the bouncing carriage as it continued to move along, was concerned about Leonis. In order for Leonis to keep a closer eye on the one who was chasing him, he was going to ride on horseback rather than in a carriage.

As was to be expected, someone or something carrying a torch could be seen approaching the capital when viewed from the north gate.

The figure depicted atop the horse was similar to that of a knight, but it possessed characteristics that set it apart from human beings. Leonis, who possesses the heightened intuition that comes with being a sword master, was able to detect its presence despite the darkness.

The Knights of the Red Lion, who were riding after him, were about to notice them.

They were not familiar with this imperial knight at all. They had just finished hunting and killing a huge number of monsters when they became aware of the approach of an unknown creature.