The smile of a beauty without any ulterior motives was fatal.

Though she was referred to as a devilish woman, Ermedillin was clearly the most beautiful woman in the Trivian Empire.

The power of her beauty, seen up close, far exceeded Pellio’s imagination.

Her long and lustrous hair, like a pitchblack night sky without even a star, seemed to absorb all the light around. And it perfectly contrasted with her clear and transparent, almost translucent, white skin.

Beneath her long black eyelashes lay vivid purple eyes, known as the greatest mystery in the empire.

The purple eyes of the Franshwar family were more famous for their peculiar beauty than any other meaning.

Facing these mysterious eyes was rumored to curse one with a horrible spell.

Their beauty was always an object of fear and caution rather than praise.

Pellio, too, was no different in finding Ermedillin’s inhuman appearance unpleasant.

No, except for the past few weeks, whenever he faced Ermedillin’s dazzling beauty, he thought, without a doubt, that she was not human but a witch.

Pellio never dreamed that he would come to think of Ermedillin as beautiful.

But now, Pellio even feels jealous of the small dust that’s lightly resting on Ermedillin’s long eyelashes.

His mind was a mess, something he never expected from his feelings.

He wanted to hide his flustered self, but his appearance, reflected in those transparent purple eyes, was nothing but a mess.

“My lord, why are you sweating so much? This is just a small token of gratitude for the various ways you’ve helped me recently.”

Without even having made too bold a flirtation, seeing Pellio, rigid as if turned into stone, sweating profusely, Ermedillin carefully observed him.

“I tried to choose something that would suit my lord… Compared to the help you’ve given me, it’s not excessive. I’d be grateful if you would accept it.”

Ermedillin’s mood rapidly sank as she noticed Pellio’s reaction.

Pellio knew that his foolish response was the cause, but he missed the smile disappearing from Ermedillin’s face.

“No, thank you. I’ll gladly accept.”

Once the emotional storm passed and his mind was completely empty, cold reason returned.

He didn’t even know why he had arranged the meeting.

He knew that Ermedillin kept watching him, but Pellio could say nothing beyond the prepared legal matters.

Like a competent lawyer, his thorough preparation for the trial had helped in unexpected ways.

Indeed, diligence seems to be rewarded somehow.

Pellio maintained an utterly formal and polite attitude to the end.

“Thank you for the gift. I will see you in court tomorrow.”

Ermedillin was bothered by Pellio’s unbreakable demeanor but sent him away without a word at his firm appearance.

Inside the carriage on the way home.

Pellio casually took out a box from his bosom and opened the packaging.

Inside was a brooch with a deep blue sapphire that matched his hair color.

He had never discussed his preferences, yet somehow she had chosen a gift that he liked so much.

Unaware that the person who picked it was Loony, Pellio felt strangely thrilled that his heart had connected with Ermedillin.

‘Thrilled? Thrilled, me? By that witch?’
The moment Pellio realized his emotions, he paled and threw the brooch to the floor of the carriage.

The whirlwind of emotions that he had been suppressing with reason suddenly rushed at him all at once.

His mother, who was dying and turning black, couldn’t even leave her last words properly.

Since they were a magical family, the people of the Batistian house fundamentally had some resistance to magic.

Therefore, Pellio’s mother, who always carried a small magic circle that nullified or reduced the power of magic within her body.

So, the Duchess of Batistian died within minutes after the curse spell was activated, rendering all such efforts useless.

Unlike her father, who was close to the Emperor, her mother was always a step back in politics, coming from a family that was venerable but located on the fringes and had little to do with the capital’s political situation.

A situation where she could not make enemies because she hardly participated in external activities.

But that mother died due to a curse spell.

And that happened on her bed in the Duke of Batistian’s castle, surrounded by layers of barriers.

In the face of unbelievable reality, the Duke of Batistian ran around in every way to find the murderer who killed his wife.

After investigating like a madman for several months, he caught a thin lead.

The Duchess had attended the same ball as Ermedillin two months before her death.

Since Ermedillin was reclusive and hardly attended social events at the time, the Duke suspected her even more.

However, Ermedillin vehemently denied having met the Duchess of Batistian.

Although the powerful curse spell could only be used by the Duke of Frangchouar and his talented daughter, Ermedillin, within the Trevian Empire, it was only circumstantial evidence and not conclusive proof.