Bill couldn’t say anything more. He felt a firm determination in Askan’s eyes, making it clear that he wouldn’t allow any objections when it came to Tanzania.

Thus, Askan moved along with Calton into the area of the Imperial Guard within the palace.

In the room, a man dressed as a palace servant was bound.

Askan immediately removed the gloves he was wearing and lightly grasped the man’s neck with one hand.
It seemed like a simple gesture, but the man, whether due to breathlessness or embarrassment, turned red and struggled intensely.

“Argh!”

Askan, without much emotion, looked at the man writhing in pain and asked, “I’ll tell you in advance. If you don’t answer my questions immediately, you’ll be better off dead.”

The man knew who Askan was right in front of him. His face was filled with terror at being caught by the infamous chief of security.

And now, in the present.

I had never expected Askan to come and rescue me, so I was suddenly taken aback, staring at him.

Askan, who approached in an instant, scrutinized my face and reproached, “Why aren’t you following orders?”

“No, how…”

“I told you to go back to the mansion first.”

I looked blankly at Askan, and he spoke while gently stroking my face with his large hand, “Are you okay?”

Although I had smelled the perfume Rulpho had sprayed a while ago and felt dizzy, thanks to Askan’s arrival, I no longer experienced any unusual symptoms.

However, that wasn’t the crucial point.

‘Wait a moment!’

I was grateful for the rescue, but this completely disrupted the plan.

Regardless of what might happen tonight, Bill had emphasized the need to redirect Rulpho’s attention elsewhere.

‘But what if you’re here right now?’

I couldn’t bring myself to ask, and I could only purse my lips.

While silently observing Askan and me conversing, Rulpho spoke up.

“Marquis Arteas coming to this place was unexpected. You were supposed to protect Brellope Youngae, and it seems you were truly sincere.”

He had an indifferent attitude, as if nothing had happened a moment ago.

However, I could sense deep regret in Rulpho’s gaze as he looked at me. It seemed quite disappointing to him that the hypnosis failed due to Askan’s arrival.

“Marquis Manoco, a while ago, you praised my mental strength and sprayed perfume on me. What was that all about?”

Although I wanted to question whether he had attempted to hypnotize me just now, there was not enough evidence to do so.

The sound of the mysterious clock, the unidentified perfume.

I knew he was skilled in hypnosis from reading the original novel, but that information was not publicly known.

Moreover, Rulpho was a powerful Marquis in the Kalua Empire. It was not easy to prove that he, of all people, tried to hypnotize me.

Rulpho seemed to be aware of these facts and shrugged his shoulders, answering as if he didn’t understand.

“I only praised your mental strength because Brellope Youngae doesn’t blink an eye even in such a remote place. The perfume… I used it to improve Youngae’s mood.”

It was a blatant lie.
I don’t know what kind of device it is, but when I smelled the sound of the mysterious clock and the scent of perfume, my mind became hazy.

Certainly, there was no doubt that someone tried to hypnotize me, but it was frustrating that I couldn’t prove it right away.

However, I couldn’t just step back like this. I had to take advantage of it at least, so I made an effort to smile and said, “It’s not that I don’t believe Marquis Manoco, but from my perspective, it feels a bit uneasy. I need to check directly if there are any harmful ingredients in the perfume you just sprayed on me.”

At my words, Rulpho narrowed his eyes. I could feel his displeasure immediately.

“Even if it’s Brellope Youngae, you’re making quite a demand. Are you worried that I might have done something to Youngae?”

“We’ll find out when we investigate.”

To avoid falling into such danger again next time, it was necessary to examine Rulpho’s perfume.

Askan, perhaps realizing my intentions, spoke in a low voice.

“I will report what happened here to Her Majesty the Empress. We will thoroughly investigate the circumstances of Brellope Youngae coming here and who guided her here, leaving no room for suspicion. If Marquis doesn’t hand over the perfume here, we’ll consider it non-cooperation with the investigation and take you to the Chief Guard’s interrogation room.”

Suddenly, I heard Rulpho’s sigh.

“Marquis Arteas, you’re acting without even understanding Her Majesty’s trust.”

In response, Askan’s eyes showed a hint of a smile. I could sense that he was mocking Rulpho’s words.

“I am entrusted by Her Majesty to protect Brellope Youngae. Do you not know how serious a crime it is to threaten an invitee personally invited by the Empress? I wonder who doesn’t understand the current situation.”

Askan’s words were eloquent and right.

Once again, I admired Askan, looking up at him. Perhaps it was because he was a villain in the novel, but I didn’t expect him to be so articulate.

Taking advantage of the pretext of fulfilling the imperial decree to protect me, Askan now had a reason to protect the imperial decree.

If Rulpho didn’t hand over the perfume here, it meant that there would be no problem even if he was taken to the Chief Guard’s interrogation room.

Rulpho glared at Askan with an angry look. However, he wasn’t a fool, and he knew that the current situation was not favorable.

With a displeased expression, Rulpho reluctantly extended the perfume he had sprayed a while ago.

Askan casually took the perfume and said, “We will investigate and return it.”

Rulpho stared at Askan without saying anything. Then, he turned around and walked out of the dark room.

If I had sent him away with no results, I would have felt unfairly treated and might not have been able to sleep. Fortunately, I could gain some benefit by taking away the perfume.

Now that only Askan and I were left here, I smiled and said, “I didn’t know you could speak so well.”
In response to my compliment, Askan looked at me with an amazed expression. However, soon after, he firmly grabbed my hand with a hardened face.

“What’s this blood?”

“Ah, ouch!”

I unintentionally made a sound of pain. The pain was quite severe as the needle was stuck in the palm of my hand. Moreover, it was made in a way that made it difficult to even remove the needle easily, making it hard to open my hand.

“That… it’s a ring made to avoid falling into hypnosis…”

“When on earth was something like this made?”

Askan frowned, looking at my hand where blood was flowing.

His gaze, looking at the wound with distaste, was so fierce that the fear seemed to be greater than the pain I was feeling now.

“Stop looking. It’s nothing.”

“Is this nothing? Ugh, let’s go to the doctor right away.”

Askan sighed deeply and led me outside. However, I remained motionless and looked at him seriously.

“Just a moment, there’s something I want to ask before that.”

Askan looked at me with a puzzled expression.

I deliberately fell into a trap to divert Rulpho’s attention. However, unexpectedly, since Askan appeared, I didn’t know if something had gone wrong.

Now that the situation had turned out like this, I needed to know what was planned for tonight.

“Today…”

I was just about to open my mouth when suddenly, Calton rushed into the room in a hurry.

“Captain, Marquis Manoco just declared that he would supervise the transport of Calspelliver.”

Calspelliver?

Upon hearing Calton’s report in this situation, a possibility I had never imagined came to mind.

In the novel, Askan wanted Calspelliver. And now that he unexpectedly appeared, something unexpected might have happened.

Since the situation had come to this, I had to find out what was planned for tonight.