“By any chance, are you suggesting to provide it in the form of jewels, swords, or armor… something like that?”
The Duke smiled a little more modestly than before.
“Would I perhaps bother my niece with such a troublesome method? I will give it to you in the form of gold bars, so rest assured.”
“Ah… gold bars.”
It was fortunate news. It would be much easier to transport and handle gold bars than goods.
Liz showed interest in his proposal and asked,
“But where is such a substantial amount of funds, and how can you bring it so quickly? Is it in the Duke’s residence, by any chance?”
“No, it’s here in the imperial palace.”
“It’s in the imperial palace?”
“Yes, all my possessions are here in the imperial palace. I left everything behind when I withdrew from the regency.”
“No, why here of all places… Why not in a safer place?”
“Because the imperial palace is the safest place in the world.”
“Ah…”
Come to think of it, she had heard something similar from Hershis before.
In the deep underground of the imperial palace, there were private vaults of the nobles, accessible only to members of authorized families or those delegated by them.
‘What should I do?’
Liz pondered for a moment, but it didn’t take long for her to reach a conclusion.
Accepting this proposal was beneficial in many ways, both in terms of cost and other aspects.
“Alright, I’ll leave it to you.”
“Oh, thank you. However…”
“…?”
“I need to borrow Your Majesty’s identity for a moment.”
“My identity? Why?”
Liz raised her eyebrows and asked.
“Your Majesty, because the Emperor has blocked my access to most places in the palace. Hehe.”
It was a somewhat bitter situation, but he laughed as if it were amusing.
“I see. However…”
There were two problems. The first problem was that even if she lent her identity, the guards might not distinguish between the Duke and Liz.
The Duke intervened, seemingly aware of what she was thinking.
“Don’t worry. The guards will see a different woman, not me. A woman who has been delegated authority by the Empress.”
“…”
Liz didn’t feel angry at the Duke, who spoke as if he knew everything. She already knew the truth, and there was something else she was more curious about.
“Then, how will you deal with the uncertain part, whether I will be granted access to the vault?”
That was the second problem Liz was concerned about. However, the Duke spoke with confidence.
“Your Majesty, you can enter.”
“…”
“No, not just to a certain extent, but the Belkmeer Imperial Family’s vault is yours, Your Majesty.”
“What do you mean?”
“The fact that the Empress has entrusted you with the entire palace administration means that she appointed you as the owner of the vault of the Imperial Family of Belkmeer. Your Majesty can use the Imperial Family’s assets as you wish. No one knows, not even the Emperor.”
Faced with the unknown fact, Liz couldn’t say anything with a bewildered expression. The Duke continued speaking.
“Since two seasons ago, have people not started to look at you a little differently? That’s because of this reason.”
“…”
“Because you hold the real power of the imperial family.”
With such a sudden revelation, Liz was dumbfounded.
There was such a reason behind entrusting her with the internal affairs of the palace. All of it… was about handing power into her hands!
Come to think of it, there was a time when a mother-of-pearl box containing a gold key was handed to me. I thought it was just a symbol representing the owner.
“That was the key to the vault.”
In the brief moment of being dumbfounded, the Delude Hall, now completely devoid of light, was engulfed in an intense darkness that even affected the adaptability of the eyes.
After a while, with a determined look, Liz spoke.
“Alright. I’ll lend you my identity.”
“…”
“Send your envoy to my residence right away. I will provide her with the letter of delegation on behalf of the women’s side.”
Even though she could freely manage the wealth of the imperial family, Liz didn’t want to use it just for the three-day ceremony. And… there was another purpose.
“Wise decision, Your Majesty.”
The Duke appeared very satisfied. Then, after making an extravagant salute by raising one arm to his chest, he promptly turned away.
Liz stared at the darkness that swallowed him for a while. When she finally felt that he had completely distanced himself, she murmured quietly.
“Come out.”
⭐⭐⭐
Rene, appearing from behind a wall pillar, walked gracefully and stood next to Liz.
“She’s a dangerous person.”
Rene said. However, contrary to her words, there was a flicker of interest in her eyes.
“You glanced at my direction twice just now. Although it seemed like you didn’t notice.”
“…”
“I’m good at hide-and-seek.”
It wasn’t a pleasant evaluation.
Perhaps because they were teacher and student, he resembled Hershis in many ways. Intelligent, agile, and sometimes cunning and cruel.
‘I guess it’s easy for each other to understand each other’s thoughts.’
But even that wasn’t an advantage for Hershis. In cases where their temperaments were similar, the lever of experience eventually tilted towards the one with more accumulated experience.
‘Ugh.’
Shaking her head to dispel the ominous thoughts, Liz spoke.
“Isn’t it time to stop following me?”
“Well, I was going to do that anyway.”
Smiling at Liz’s words, Rene said, “Go and bring back everything without missing a thing. No, bring it back to me.”
To avoid displeasing Rene, Liz carefully adjusted her expression with diplomatic words.
She watched as Rene, with a joyful expression, gracefully leaped over the darkness.
After five leaps, she quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Liz cautiously gazed at the direction where she disappeared. However, as she was about to take a step forward, she suddenly stopped in her tracks, standing tall at the sight of a suit of armor.
Beyond the helmet visor, it felt like a pair of eyes would suddenly flash in the pitch-black space.
Creak .
Somewhere, the sound of rusty iron moving in the joints could be heard.
It was an eerie and bizarre atmosphere.
Originally, Liz should have been in contemplation, tapping the hallway with her heels. However, her expression, stepping forward slowly while swaying her hem, was much calmer than when she first arrived here.
Ghosts, whose existence is uncertain, were no longer a source of fear for Liz. The anticipated fate was approaching.
‘What is destined to happen is already set.’
It was felt through her ears, skin, chest, and entire body.
Above all, that was the most terrifying.
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
