Ines nodded, swallowing dry saliva. She had anticipated to some extent, but she hadn’t expected him to reveal himself directly to her.
“If Prince Anthony is behind this, the former Empress is probably not far away.”
“Yeah… I guess.”
“Just bear with it a little longer. The knight who was with me surely returned to the palace to report the situation.”
When Marcus arrived in Hallivin on Ines’s orders, it was already late at night.
Hoping to find some clues, the two of them searched the place. The deserted old casino building emitted an eerie atmosphere.
As they were about to move again, a carriage with suppressed sound slowly approached their surroundings.
The sound of carriage wheels rolling on the ground with sporadic raindrops made their ears feel stuffy. The fact that the luggage carriage was full indicated that something was being transported.
Marcus soon realized that what was in that carriage was probably the barbarian’s wine.
After the grape wine was moved somewhere among the casino buildings, it seemed to be on the move again. It was clear that they were deliberately relocating it multiple times to avoid tracking.
Marcus patiently waited for them to unload all the luggage.
In a moment when there was no one around the carriage, he slipped inside. He was sure that if the knight also rode along, they would feel the weight, so the knight chose to follow them on a horse.
Whether he succeeded in following Marcus to where he was now was unclear at this point.
However, Marcus wanted to reassure Ines.
“I’ll untie you for now.”
As he spoke, he moved to untie the rope with the dagger he had. Ines felt her consciousness becoming clearer as she focused on giving strength to her eyes that kept getting sleepy.
“No, there’s no need to untie the rope urgently. Please loosen it a bit.”
“Are you in a state where you can’t move at all?”
Ines tried to get up by putting strength into her legs, but as soon as she raised her body, her knees broke.
“I don’t know when they’ll come back. If they know I’m free, I don’t know how they’ll react.”
Marcus nodded.
“How did you get in here?”
Although he knew how she came to this place, he hadn’t heard how she managed to get into this building.
“This is a two-story old building.”
He climbed up the wall to the second floor. After entering the balcony of the adjacent room, he could come over to the balcony of Ines’s room.
He could use the path he came through to escape, but with a body that couldn’t move well, leaving the building was impossible.
“It shouldn’t be difficult for you to move in about three hours.”
But that would be midday. Although the security was lax, escaping the mansion in broad daylight would be challenging for the two.
“I don’t know exactly where we are inside the carriage, but it’s certain that we entered the road from Hallivin to Reuvin.”
If it was Reuvin, it was on the opposite side of the bustling district. It meant it was in the opposite direction from where Anthony lived.
“The carriage came directly toward this building’s warehouse. They sneaked around in the darkness. There weren’t as many guards as I thought. I’m not sure where this is exactly, but it’s certain that it’s a building unrelated to the former Empress or Duke Mainsuit.”
Marcus didn’t find Ines immediately. While searching to find out who was behind the embezzlement related to the grape wine, he saw the carriage carrying Ines arrive at the mansion.
Seeing Ines being dragged out of the carriage unconscious, he felt as if the blood inside him was drying up.
“Perhaps you were drugged with Guesco.”
Guesco was a dangerous substance that, if consumed in a certain amount, could not only cause loss of consciousness but also threaten one’s life.
“But I didn’t drink much.”
“That’s very fortunate. Thanks to that, your consciousness seems to have returned early.”
Ines nodded. Other than feeling weak and having a headache, there didn’t seem to be any major issues. And her mind was becoming clearer.
Ines tried to gather her thoughts and assess the situation.
“Anthony Prince appearing in front of me means I’m going to die soon.”
“Your Majesty.”
“Their plan is like that. Since they have no intention of keeping me alive, they revealed themselves. They must have orchestrated this thinking it’s their last act. But before harming me, they will inflict harm on the Emperor for my sake.”
It was a dismal statement, but Marcus agreed that the situation seemed to be like that.
Having escaped from the palace without any power, the former Empress and the bound Anthony couldn’t have orchestrated such a significant event. So it was obvious that someone behind them was Duke Mainsuit.
Thus, what he desired was the rise of a new Emperor.
“It’s better to wait for Your Majesty now rather than moving recklessly.”
“But they will be here soon. If they intend to harm Empress Your Majesty, we have no choice but to attack.”
In response to that statement, Ines laughed somewhat emptily.
“Lord Marcus is a member of the Assembly.”
“I’m a knight-turned-member.”
“I know, but please promise me just this one thing.”
“Please tell me.”
“Don’t risk your life. If you’re not sure you’ll win, don’t step forward. Don’t waste the lives of both of you for something that will end when I alone die.”
The Male lead Always Seduces Her with His Beauty (Matriarchy)
Xin Jiao Zhou is the leader of the world’s premier sect. She has just experienced betrayal from all sides, was poisoned in an assassination attempt, and faced death squad attacks while the poison was taking effect. After finally clearing out the scum from her sect, she was drugged again while trying to detoxify.
After waking up from a night of unconsciousness, she gained a “beautiful and kind-hearted” husband.
Xin Jiao Zhou: “???”
He fell ill.
She came to see him, bringing breakfast.
As she put down the breakfast and was about to leave, his hand slipped while holding the spoon. “Clank!”
She turned around upon hearing the noise.
He looked up at her, his eyebrows drooping: “My hand… has no strength.”
“Shall I… feed you?” she asked tentatively.
He opened his mouth cheerfully: “Ah—”
Thinking she was drowning, he jumped in without hesitation to save her, but nearly drowned himself. In the end, it was she who swam over to rescue him, giving him air underwater.
After emerging from the water, his ear tips turned red. He lightly brushed his cheek, tucking his sideburns behind his ear, revealing delicate, pink-tinged ear tips. He lowered his gaze, too embarrassed to look at her.
Xin Jiao Zhou: He’s truly beautiful, kind-hearted, and adorable.
A certain someone when disciplining subordinates behind the scenes: “If they don’t obey, just kill them.”
What’s that? She might already have someone she cares about in her heart? A certain someone: Find out who it is, kill them, and then there won’t be anyone.
What? She met a man by the riverside? What? That man even hurt her? A certain someone: Whichever hand hurt her, chop off his entire arm.
Love at first sight without realizing it, gradually falling in love, slowly getting closer…
Family and national grudges, schemes and desires, good and evil, crime and punishment, she and he face the future together, seeking justice with passion!
A naturally dark female lead who could accidentally destroy the world but is actually an honest person VS a weak, pitiful, and helpless but skilled fighter, beautiful white-cut black male lead
My heart is not of stone, how steadfast is your love? — Tao Yuanming “Imitating the Ancients (No. 3)”
— Reading Guide —
Cold female lead & dramatic black lotus with hidden yandere traits male lead
