“If it’s a hidden scent….”

“I don’t exactly know what it is. But there was something strange. It was so trivial that even the Duke’s butler wouldn’t know.”

La Silia reviewed the Duke’s letter again.

“There seems to be a reason why he told me not to intervene in Duke Pielion’s affairs. Something that should be kept hidden from me.”

“That could be true.”

La Silia’s concern was whether the Duke overheard the conversation in his bedroom and realized that she was not Cartahena.

“We shouldn’t rule out that possibility.”

The Duke wanted to find and kill the child who could threaten Cartahena’s position as Empress. If that child happened to be her, he didn’t know what measures he might take if he found out that she had become Empress by some means.

“I will track the whereabouts of Duke Pielion.”

Decan, who understood the situation, immediately found what needed to be done.

“Do it without delay. …Ah, and.”

In fact, Decan had something to do first. It was to chase away the Delarta prince and his party.

Having noticed the glance Lescale threw at him, Decan gave a quick nod and left the study.

Meanwhile, Lescale gently grasped La Silia’s hand.

“Isn’t it inconvenient now that the Duke has come out like that?”

“What are you talking about?”

“He said he would give money to the Delarta prince.”

“Ah… Have you already heard about that?”

“I should know about your affairs.”

Lescale loosened his stern expression. He looked like a beast that deliberately became quieter after causing an accident.

“So, what I’m saying is, can I provide that money?”

“What? Your Majesty?”

“The royal family is wealthy.”

In fact, providing financial support was a tricky issue for La Silia as well. It was difficult to judge whether it was right for her to use the private property of Cartahena Pielion, and it might not be enough for certain purposes.

It turned out to be a fortunate turn of events that she was going to ask Lescale for help anyway.

“I’ll handle it well to avoid diplomatic noise. Let me help you.”

“I am in a position to thank you, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t mention it. If I can do something that pleases you, I should be the one to thank you.”

Lescale, leaving affectionate words as if they were melting, quickly added while kissing La Silia’s forehead.

“I’ll handle it quickly. No need for you to wait.”

For a moment, she felt that there might be more to his words, but La Silia decided to let it pass. It would be better to receive support from Ecellion as soon as possible.

“Then, as Your Majesty wishes.”

Lescale took a deep breath abruptly.

“Why are you doing that?”

“…Because I like it too much.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You.”

Lescale, omitting the words that he permitted without a word, kissed La Silia’s lips again and, holding her hand, turned away.

“Shall we return to the bedroom then?”

“Ah, wouldn’t it be better to wait until morning to greet the sunrise? I seem to have nothing else to do here.”

Lescale blinked his eyes.

“That’s a really good idea.”
Yeah, there was no need to stay in this damn place where humans beyond the subject like the prince of Delarta could come as they pleased.

Moreover, demons appeared as well. It would be better to leave without waiting for the morning.

“…Wait a moment,”

However, something came to mind at that moment.

The part where demons appeared.

“This can’t be! How is this possible!”

Hasdeya cheered.

He had just discovered another way to deal with demons.

As long as there was vitality in the body of a human used as a gateway between the demon realm and the human realm, it would not close. This meant that another demon had come out of the corpse that the Imperial Guard had already deemed hopeless.

That demon followed the will of the summoner and pursued the blood of Pielion. However, due to a lack of vitality, it clung to the wrong Pielion, not the intended woman.

What Hasdeya had originally instructed the demon was not about La Silia’s death but to cling and drain vitality.

The power La Silia possessed was gradually growing through consecutive awakenings, and Hasdeya was determined to obstruct that by draining vitality.

Anyway, the dying demon clung to the Duke. Unexpectedly, after sucking up the remaining vitality, it began to assimilate with humans.

No one would know how surprised Hasdeya was at that moment.

Not only the woman’s power was increasing. As it took in human vitality, its own power continued to evolve.

Controlling the demon that had taken over the human body was a piece of cake.

Hasdeya calculated calmly in his mind.

Right now, he could manipulate the Duke and play with that woman and Bahamut. However, Bahamut would smell the scent of the demon, and the woman would notice that something was wrong.

So, the conclusion he reached was to hide the Duke. With a letter written in the Duke’s handwriting, his lackeys would do anything.

Whether it was a huge fortune or a social status in the human world, Duke Pielion was a useful person in many ways.