episode_0024

“Are you asking me to buy you for 1 billion kroner?”

Before Julia returns to the Duchess.

Lloyd grabbed her and offered to buy her.

Naturally, the princess was embarrassed. She must have felt that the guy who was holding Ortega was suddenly appealing to her to buy something.

Even in monetary terms, 1 billion is not a small amount. Julia is clearly gathering strength behind the scenes to compete for the right to succeed. It was clear that every penny would count.

In short, it was a dire situation for Lloyd.

But Lloyd took advantage of that point in reverse. If Julia’s lack of money was due to the struggle for the right of succession, then it meant that she would spend any amount of money for the right of succession.

Knowing a part of the future helps here, as does Lloyd’s characteristic political linguistic skills. In the end, Lloyd succeeds in persuading Julia. He also manages to get her to open up and feel a little more approachable.

“But I don’t think the Duchess will just hand Lloyd over to you.”

“You can ask for the token of alliance.”

“Sign of alliance?”

“Yes. The Duchess must have called the Princess to build a coalition of the weak.”

Lloyd picked up his pen.

The power of the First Prince and the Second Princess drawn on the notebook. The two of them were dividing up most of the space in the notebook. And the small area drawn below them was Julia’s territory.

— Ji-ik.

Then he tore off a blank page and stuck it next to him.

There was a circle drawn there, much larger than Julia’s, but smaller than the other royal heirs, and the words Duchess Grey were also written on it.

“If you were to draw a picture of the competition for the succession, it would look like this. To be honest, the princess’s influence is less than that of the Duchess of Grey.”

Knock knock.

Lloyd poked the pen alternately at Julia and the Duchess’ areas.

“But she is not of Estrid’s blood. She cannot take the throne by any means. Even the size of her power is meaningless.”

The Duchess of Grey’s domain, written on a torn notebook.

Lloyd crumpled it up and threw it into the trash can.

It goes straight into the trash can.

“The initiative in negotiations lies with the Princess. Even though the Princess also desperately needs the Duchess’s power, the Princess has something the Duchess can never obtain.”

“Estrid’s bloodline.”

“Yes.”

The princess stroked her chin as if she needed time to think.

But Lloyd didn’t give her time.

In these cases, it is advantageous for the proposer to push things through quickly.

“The Duchess happened to be listening to my opinion, so I told her a little bit in advance.”

“… What?”

“If the princess asks for something, do your best to grant it.”

He leaves the dukedom by clinging to the third princess. That was Lloyd’s plan from the beginning. And the moment he confirmed the third princess, he realized. The third princess was a better person than he thought, and therefore he had to catch her. For Lloyd, who had been gloomy, it was the only ray of light.

However, he was curious as to why the girl he knew was different from the real her.

Rather than being born with a similar madness to Ortega, she is a person born with the reverse eye that sealed Ortega.

“And. If you still don’t believe me, check this out. I’ll lend you my ear for a moment.”

So Lloyd made an assumption.

I wonder if Julia has also been brainwashed by Duchess Grey, just like the other cultists.

Well then, there is only one way.

There was only loneliness.

◆

Julia refused the tea offered by the Duchess.

— “It’s probably a tea that has been brewed with the bug called loneliness. One cup won’t do the trick, but if you drink it several times, it’s no different from regular loneliness. If the Duchess’s expression changes when you refuse the tea, then I’m right. ”

It was just as Lloyd had told me.

The Duchess’s eyebrows furrowed for a moment as soon as she refused the tea. Although she quickly regained her composure, Julia was capable of discerning the difference.

‘That kid was right.’

If I hadn’t made the decision to listen to that child’s words just once… … .

‘I guess I’ll just become this woman’s doll.’

A chill ran down my spine.

Julia swallowed dry saliva and raised her tension while maintaining her composure. Fortunately, there seemed to be no further attempts at brainwashing.

“In fact, the reason I brought Your Highness the Princess to this shabby place today is.”

Only after several dozen more minutes had passed did the Duchess finally get to the point.

In short, he wanted to lend strength to Julia’s war for succession.

— Ssuk.

The Duchess rose from her seat and approached.

Julia’s gaze was filled with ashen color.

It was the Duchess’s hair.

She bent down in front of Julia and brought her lips to her ear.

Gulp.

Saliva that is swallowed without realizing it.

The Duchess whispered in Julia’s ear, as if she found her cute and enjoyed the tension.

“Because I sincerely wish that the princess would be called Your Majesty, not Your Highness.”

As expected.

As Lloyd said, this woman is after Estrid’s bloodline.

He must have intended to roast himself in loneliness and then sit on the throne. He would have been used like a puppet king and then thrown away. Even if he succeeds in ascending to the throne by some chance.

Of course, that possibility is also extremely low.

At best, it would have been used as a single piece of paper in this woman’s hands and then thrown away.

“… … .”

Julia realized.

The value of a boy named Lloyd.

1 billion kroner.

It was the price of Julia’s own life.

And Julia is the type of person who always repays what she receives.

“There is one condition.”

“Conditions… … ?”

The Duchess’s hand baring its fangs at herself.

Julia decided to take his hand.

Now that we know she has poison, the risk is reduced. In fact, the chances of them using her are increased.

In addition,

“Lloyd. Sell me that kid. I’ll buy it for 1 billion kroner.”

I wanted to check.

Lloyd, that kid’s words are absolutely perfect.

Will the Duchess, who obviously cares for him, sell him out? If so.

“… … .”

Lloyd will be right.

So it wasn’t a losing proposition for Julia.

If Lloyd’s words are true, he would be worth a billion kroner in addition to Julia’s life.

If he’s wrong, the Duchess won’t sell him out.

“… … .”

The silence was neither short nor very long.

The Duchess picked up the fan and struck it several times.

Then he asks,

“Did you meet that kid, Lloyd?”

“Yes. I like it because it looks pretty smart.”

“That kid told me once. If the princess asks for something, I should grant it. Hmm.”

She grins, her questioning voice exaggerated.

It was a laughter like a snake.

“I don’t know what you talked about during the short time you spent going to the bathroom.”

Another silence.

The woman, who had been observing Julia’s expression for a moment, nodded.

“Okay. I will hand over Lloyd as a token of my friendship with the Princess.”

◆

“Lloyd, pack your bags.”

The employees’ quarters.

Lloyd, who had been sitting quietly on the bed, stood up at the butler’s words.

“Are you talking about luggage?”

“Yes. From today, you become the property of the Princess. You will leave with the Princess. There is not much time. I will give you 20 minutes so you can finish preparing. ”

Lloyd nodded quietly.

bang.

The butler leaves the room.

Lloyd placed the luggage he had prepared in advance on the bed. He knew that Julia could do it, of course.

Rather than that… … .

“I want to check.”

The Grey Duke’s Mansion.

This was a mansion with many suspicious things.

There are rooms where mana is not felt here and there, or butlers wearing masks that are occasionally seen, or executives of the Blood Sect and their traces.

This mansion was special because it managed to hide so many suspicious items so well.

“And that basement too.”

The carriage before entering the mansion.

Stories about the duke found there.

I was also curious about the contents of the basement.

Even when I was extremely alert due to the sedative and Ortega’s awakening effects, I looked around the basement once, but as expected, there was no basement.

So what was the first thing they saw when they first arrived at the mansion? The children, except Lloyd himself, were taken to the basement. Their testimony that they had never been taken down to the basement confused Lloyd even more.

But it’s not like we found no evidence at all.

Items left behind by the White Knight Arno.

Lloyd took one of them out of his pocket.

A luxurious purple key.

Arnault said it in passing, but clearly.

There was a passage leading underground.

— Squeak.

Lloyd carefully opened the door and stepped out.

Now that it’s confirmed that we’re leaving the mansion.

It was the last 15 minutes I could wander around the mansion without taking any major risks.

Lloyd spread his wings.

There are rooms where you can’t feel any mana at all.

I had tried to enter several times before, but they were all locked with special locks and would not open.

Lloyd looked around, put the key in and turned it.

— thud

The door opens gently.

Lloyd took a quick peek inside.

There was a small mirror in the room.

And inside it was Lloyd himself, and a pure white, frighteningly pure white snake coiled around him.

“… … !”

I hear someone coming this way.

Lloyd hurriedly closed the door and put the key in his pocket.

From across the hallway, the butler from earlier looks at Lloyd and asks.

“Why are you out there? What was there to do in that room?”

“No. I was looking around because I lost something.”

“There is no time to search. It is time to leave. Just bring the luggage you have packed so far.”

Lloyd nodded.

The luggage wasn’t that much, just two large bags could fit.

Only a small mirror was added to the luggage.