Ch.27The Royal Palace Banquet #4

Agnes hadn’t given an exact reason.

While there might be room for excuses in that regard, I didn’t think what I saw was wrong.

That woman clearly intended to toy with me.

Of course, without evidence it was merely speculation, but Helena gritted her teeth as if that alone was sufficient.

The grinding sound chillingly echoed in my ears. It was enough to freeze the heart of anyone who heard it.

“Haaah—. I understand.”

I didn’t know what Helena was thinking when she said she understood.

But looking at her sharp gaze with those lifeless eyes, one thing was certain.

She definitely had no intention of letting this go quietly.

◎◎◎

Evening came, and activity around the palace began to wane after dinner.

While some were still struggling with overtime work, most were busy preparing to rest and conclude their day.

Humans needed breathing room in their work to be more efficient.

And Helena, instead of resting, chose to move on her own.

She sent Zion back to his room and was now wandering the palace alone.

Having memorized the way back to her room, she had no fear of getting lost.

“Excuse me, just a moment.”

“Yes. Did you call for me?”

Helena stopped a man in the corridor, which was still as bright as daylight.

The man, recognizing her as nobility, tried to be respectful but found himself involuntarily stiffening.

It was due to Helena’s utterly cold expression.

“H-Helena Krauser… isn’t it?”

The man, extremely nervous, unconsciously sought confirmation.

Despite seeing a woman whose appearance matched exactly what he’d heard, her impression was completely at odds with the stories.

He’d heard that Helena was kind even to those beneath her, but he felt none of that gentleness now.

“Yes. Are you doubting me?”

“I apologize…! That was not my intention at all…”

The man dropped his head as if he’d committed a mortal sin and began trembling violently.

He even went so far as to kneel on the floor.

The usual Helena would have soothed the man with kind words, but the current Helena had no patience for that.

Agnes Killinear. She had waited for nightfall solely to pressure that woman more effectively.

As a result, her patience was at its breaking point.

Therefore, instead of comforting him, Helena gave off the impression that he could disappear once his business was done.

“It doesn’t matter. Anyway, please guide me to where Agnes Killinear is.”

“Y-yes! Of course! Please follow me!”

Perhaps seeing a way out?

The man jumped to his feet, his eyes burning with hope.

His steps quickened at the thought that his rudeness might be forgiven—that he might actually survive.

Fortunately, the man knew which noble was in which room.

Especially for the daughter of Duke Killinear, it would be impossible not to know her location.

“So it was the corner room…”

Helena exhaled in frustration as she looked at the room that was just a stone’s throw away.

Unlike other floors, this area was quiet with few rooms, so she had guessed it was special, but she hadn’t imagined it would be so close.

In other words, Helena’s cognitive abilities were currently almost paralyzed.

“H-here it is!”

“Thank you for your help. You may go now.”

When Helena dismissed him, the trembling man disappeared with great joy.

At that moment, his escape was more skillful than any assassin could manage.

Yes. This is the place.

With a heart swelling with anticipation, Helena knocked on the door very carefully.

She concealed her sharpness and displayed her usual gentleness.

This was to prevent the woman inside from becoming frightened and barricading herself.

“Who is it?”

“Excuse me. Is this the room of Duke Killinear’s daughter? I have an urgent matter to discuss with you.”

Rather than identifying herself as Duchess Krauser, Helena spoke like a maid with urgent business.

By doing so, she aimed to provoke Agnes’s curiosity and irritation, enticing her to come out voluntarily.

“Sigh. An urgent matter at this hour… Come in. I haven’t locked the door yet.”

A fortunate miscalculation.

Helena inwardly grinned, thinking this was even better than having the door opened for her.

But that joy was short-lived, as she slowly opened the door, consumed by frost-like anger.

“Hmm? Judging by your appearance and attire, you don’t seem to be an ordinary maid. Something must be happening.”

This was the first time Helena and Agnes had faced each other.

Naturally, neither recognized the other, but Helena was certain this was Agnes.

It was only natural that Agnes would be in the room known to be hers.

“Yes. I’ve come because of a very urgent matter. Please forgive my rudeness.”

“Hmm. I’ll allow it. But why do you seem familiar despite us never meeting before…”

While Agnes tilted her head with her arms crossed, Helena’s hand was locking the door.

She was pleased that the ceiling light fixture was emitting a brilliant light, providing clear visibility.

Even if it had been dark, she was confident she could pinpoint the woman’s location by her presence and breathing, but nothing was better than good visibility.

“Well, fine. Anyway, your business…”

Business? Good. Let me tell you my business up close.

Helena narrowed her eyes more sharply than usual and closed the distance between the door and the bed in one breath.

She moved so quickly that it felt like a breeze despite the closed door.

Though it looked like she had taken just one step, Helena’s body had already reached right in front of Agnes.

Naturally, Agnes was startled and fell back onto the bed, but the truly shocking part was yet to come.

“W-wuup?!”

“I covered your mouth to prevent a commotion. I’ve heard that cheap women like you always make a scene.”

Helena climbed on top of Agnes while covering her mouth. It was a position that completely pinned Agnes down.

Although the room was soundproofed, she covered the woman’s mouth to avoid being distracted if she struggled.

Moreover, she was completely restraining Agnes with a Master’s strength, making it impossible for an ordinary woman like Agnes to escape.

Cheap. The moment Agnes heard that word, she displayed anger.

She couldn’t tolerate the arrogance of someone oppressing a duke’s daughter in this palace.

Though Helena’s hand covered her mouth, making it impossible to read her full expression, her eyes and furrowed brow clearly showed her fury.

“First, let me introduce myself. I am Helena Krauser, the Duchess who formally inherited the title from the previous Duke, Ise Krauser.”

“Mmph?!”

Agnes’s anger turned to shock the moment she heard Helena’s name.

While she had the high status of being a duke’s daughter, she was still just a daughter.

It was natural that she was far outranked by Helena, a true duchess.

Moreover, the atmosphere, dignity, and appearance were on completely different levels.

Agnes had great confidence in her own appearance and indeed had a body worthy of that pride.

But she was no match for Helena, and she found herself involuntarily intimidated.

Helena knew this and deliberately used a dignified tone to maximize her positional advantage.

To suppress Agnes even more.

“You must be wondering why I suddenly came to see you. Or not?”

“Mmm…”

Since Agnes couldn’t answer with her mouth covered, she nodded in response.

Then, a frost-like voice flowed from Helena’s lips.

To answer the question, and furthermore, to threaten that woman.

“Earlier today, at sunrise. You seem to have met a young attendant in the rose garden and had various conversations. Is that right?”

Attendant? Could she be talking about that pretty, arrogant youngster?

He did seem suspiciously arrogant, as if he had backing, but who would have thought he was under Duchess Krauser?

Agnes finally realized that there was some relationship between that attendant, Zion, and Helena.

“Yes. You seem to remember. Of course you would. If you said you’d forgotten what happened today, it would only prove that your head is completely empty. Well, that would be a joyous occasion in its own way.”

Helena deliberately grated on Agnes’s nerves with provocative words.

Thanks to this, Agnes regained her composure in the current situation and began to feel angry again.

Even if she was a duchess, it was hard to accept being trampled on like this.

However, that resolve crumbled the moment Helena applied pressure with her hand.

The unprecedented pressure and pain began to invade her face and brain. It was too painful and agonizing.

“Listen carefully. The attendant you messed with, Zion Altram, is my fiancé. Though you claim ignorance, the sin of touching my man is worth more than your life. Especially if the reason was to cool your lustful body.”

Helena’s voice grew increasingly sinister.

More eerie than a midnight cemetery, colder and more chilling than a winter wind.

With the added pain, Agnes’s reason was gradually being colored by fear.

To think that youngster was her fiancé!

No matter how self-centered Agnes might be, she wasn’t crazy enough to mess with a duchess’s man of the same rank.

She was the typical type who was strong against the weak and mindful of the strong. At least she could make that judgment.

She was simply unlucky in not knowing who Zion was.

However, for Helena, the current situation was no longer something that could be overlooked because of ignorance.

Attempting to violate Zion Altram was harder to forgive than laying hands on herself.

For example, Helena had exercised patience even when pirates roughly handled her body.

It was she who had accepted Zion’s intention to crawl into the enemy’s mouth to end things quickly.

Above all, the biggest reason was that they hadn’t crossed the line.

“But… you tried to touch my fiancé. No, you already did. You slapped his cheek for an unjust reason. So I absolutely cannot forgive you.”

With her right hand covering Agnes’s mouth, Helena slowly brought her lips to her ear.

At the same time, she applied a little more pressure to the hand covering her mouth. As a result, Agnes’s muscles and bones began to gradually scream in pain.

If she applied more force here, the facial muscles might become distorted.

However, Helena maintained that line very precisely as she slowly spoke.

“If you had lived with even a little consideration for those beneath you, none of this would have happened. We would have first become acquainted at the banquet, and even if there were complaints, I would have quietly buried them.”

But.

Helena paused briefly to catch her breath, then spoke in a gentle yet firm tone.

It was the result of thinking that she might accidentally cave in Agnes’s face due to her agitated emotions.

“Since you picked the fight first, I cannot forgive you. To think that someone like you would dare touch a man who is not of such low rank… This is not a situation that can be forgiven due to ignorance. Therefore, I feel like I should cut your throat to be satisfied.”

“Mmph! Mmph! Mmmmph!!”

Cut her throat. At the creepiness contained in those words and the killing intent emanating from Helena, Agnes was completely terrified.

The proof was that she began struggling desperately despite knowing she couldn’t escape.

“However… I won’t kill you here and now.”

Helena exhaled a languid breath and removed her lips from Agnes’s ear.

Then, looking down at her arrogantly as before, she raised the corners of her mouth with eyes like an abyss.

It was a chilling smile that only murderers who had been stained with countless blood would make.

“It is the father’s fault for raising an arrogant daughter. So isn’t it only fair that your father should pay the same price as you? Therefore, when your father arrives, tell him secretly.”

That Duchess Krauser is challenging Duke Albus Killinear to a territory war.