The white, thick hair was not the main issue. The eyes that lacked focus, the mouth hanging open without energy—those were the real problems.

The most significant problem was the smell.

The smell of decay, lingering from the Duke’s stay—smell of filth.

It meant that Duke Phellion could no longer manage his own filth due to his deteriorating condition.

“Oh, not again…”

The butler muttered with a disheveled face and quickly left to fetch someone who could help.

“He seemed to have regained consciousness when we took it from him…”

Dekan trailed off.

Dekan was the one who had told Lacelia that she had the ability to counteract the power of the demons. Just as Lacelia had saved Evette and Serven, he believed that Duke Phellion could also be saved through her.

“He probably did.”

When Lacelia spoke while looking at the Duke, Dekan raised an eyebrow.

“Ah… Do you happen to sense anything?”

“It’s the opposite. I don’t sense anything. There’s no trace of demonic energy.”

“I see. Then, Duke Phellion right now…”

“Perhaps it’s an illness. If my eyes are not deceiving me, the Duke looks older than he did just a few days ago.”

“I see that too. Even his hair is thinning… Perhaps the loss of strength is due to the severe fatigue from having his consciousness taken away.”

“Probably.”

There was no strange feeling emanating from the Duke, unlike what Lacelia and Dekan felt from Evette and Serven back then. He just looked much older.

“It feels very ominous… Could it be that when magical power is manifested, it consumes the human life force? The death of the Imperial Foundation’s clergy could also be explained that way.”

“Lady Shurayden and Sir Sigress didn’t experience anything like that.”

“Those two were exposed to magical power for a relatively short time. Fortunately, Your Majesty was present at that moment.”

Dekan said so, and it was then.

“…Diarena?”

The focus returned to the Duke’s eyes. He was looking at Lacelia.

“Diarena?”

When Lacelia expressed her confusion about an unknown name, Dekan quickly informed her.

“It is the name of the late Duchess.”

“If it’s the Duchess…”

The Duke couldn’t distinguish between his deceased wife and daughter. Dekan’s expression darkened.

“Unfortunately, it seems Duke Phellion is showing signs of dementia.”

“Diarena!”

Suddenly, the Duke grabbed Lacelia’s arm with astonishing strength.

“Ugh.”

“Empress!”

Dekan tried to pry the Duke’s arm off. However, the Duke didn’t easily let go of Lacelia.

Twisting his face frighteningly, the Duke touched Lacelia—or rather, gestured towards the deceased Duchess.

“Tell me where you’ve hidden it! Quickly!”

“……?”

“Hiding it won’t solve anything! You must find it now!”

Dekan grabbed the Duke from behind.

“Your Majesty, please let go. The person acting rudely right now is not the Duchess but Empress Lacelia.”

Dekan forcefully separated the Duke. The Duke struggled even more violently and shouted louder.
“I have to find and eliminate… I have to make sure to kill and erase!”

“…Kill?”

The Duke’s words left Dekan stunned.

The Duchess had hidden something. The Duke had to find and eliminate it.

As he mentioned eliminating, it meant killing, implying that whatever the Duchess had hidden was a person. Given that the Duchess had died over twenty years ago, there weren’t many who knew about it.

The Duke’s long-buried secret came to light as his dementia revealed it.

“Whom do you need to find?”

Lacelia, signaling Dekan to step back, asked the Duke.

Though it was an old matter, one couldn’t pretend not to know if the Duke intended to kill someone.

“Is the person still alive?”

The Duke, now free, grabbed Lacelia with a terrifying force.

“You know, Diarena, if that girl is alive, she could be a threat anytime! Not only to the position of Karti’s Empress but the entire family!”

“What are you saying?”

Lacelia recoiled in shock, and the sound of fabric tearing rang out as the Duke forcefully pulled Lacelia, tearing her sleeve.

Dekan quickly pushed the Duke away and supported Lacelia.

“Empress! Are you alright?”

“I’m fine. I need to hear more from the Duke. If there was something threatening the Empress’s position, I should know.”

“I agree. With your permission, let me handle this.”

“I permit.”

With a nod, Dekan turned to face the Duke.

The Duke, meanwhile, had once again lost focus in his vacant eyes.

Dekan placed his hand on the Duke’s head and muttered an incantation.

A strange flow filled the air surrounding the two. However, it was a momentary sensation.

“Ugh!”

Phellion, Duke of Pheellion, suddenly closed his eyes and collapsed. Dekan quickly laid him down and checked his pulse on the neck.

“His body has become too frail. He lost consciousness before the magic took effect.”

“Ah… it’s a pity.”

The Duke’s illness was regrettable, and it was also unfortunate that the magic didn’t work.

Moreover, the Duke, suffering from dementia, couldn’t clarify the mysterious and suspicious words he had uttered.