When the Nemesis Eats the Wicked Woman - Chapter 84

* * *

One hour before Ires returned—

It seemed that Seryl couldn’t get enough work done.

She watched Laura, who was working like a machine next to her, and said, “Ahh…” I saw her whining and being dazed.

‘Cotton candy head, it’s okay because you’re good in other areas…’

Well, I kept this to myself. Anyway, her speed at sorting those letters was too slow.

I glanced at Seryl and turned my gaze back to the paperwork.

Then Seryl uttered, “Ah!” and raised her hand as if she had suddenly remembered something.

“By the way, Your Majesty, are you not going to reply to Archduke Marquis?”

“You haven’t sent it yet?”

I had so much to do that I forgot.

And then all of a sudden Laura brought me some data about Pamela, and I was distracted.

“You’re right. I haven’t sent it yet.”

With a serious expression, I opened the letter from Johann again.

{I’ve never had a woman say she wants me. It’s very attractive.}

……Looking at it, he had changed quite a bit……

Of course, the gift he sent was a bigger change.

“Huh…”

I shook my head to erase the ‘bulky’ afterimage in front of me, and calmly raised my pen.

Then I thought a little about what to write.

Shall I put the facts precisely in his face, or turn it in a slightly roundabout way?

“…….”

I was having a hard time deciding which one to choose, so let’s do both.

I made up my mind and started writing. The scratchy sound was nice to hear, and the soft flowing text was nice to see.

{Dear Archduke.

…If you feed the cat,

One day, the cat will bring a dead mouse to repay you?

It must have been the most delicious thing for it.

But the recipient will be shocked.}

I folded the note and handed it to Seryl.

“Give it to him like this.”

I think he would understand this well enough, Archduke Stray Cat.

* * *

The Archduchy of Marquis.

A three-headed crow with obsidian eyes guarded the entrance to the Archduke’s residence.

Johann, reclining in the bedroom of the dark mansion, was enjoying wine.

The Dew of Montaigne, the wine that the monarch of Spinel gave as a gift.

‘No, should I call her the Crown Princess of Aktoum now?’

“Your Excellency, a reply has arrived from the Crown Prince’s Palace.”

His butler, Melfis, approached and politely held out a tray.

An envelope with Spinel’s seal was placed on a silver tray covered with red velvet.

“…Hmm.”

Dressed in a black tunic shirt which exposed his neckline, Johann lifted the envelope in a debauched posture with his long legs on the chair.

Then he opened the envelope using a piece of glass from a shattered cup as a letter knife.

“…….”

As he skimmed through the contents, his lips went up.

Her reply was cute.

It seemed like she was speaking in reverse, but the metaphor was so perfect that it felt completely straightforward.

Therefore, it meant that the wine in the man’s naked body was as terrible as a ‘dead rat’.

So, let’s interpret… 

‘I don’t like this just because you like it, so you can drink this!’ He guessed that was roughly what she meant.

“Was the wine gift too mean?”

He shook his head and laughed.

Berylia’s unique expressive face seemed to appear in front of his eyes.

“Thank you, but it’s useless. Take this ugly thing away.”

He wondered if she would have reacted like this.

“….…”

Johann put down her letter and drank some wine, imagining her face.

She was a really strange woman.

Even though she came with a bribe and did things that were clearly visible, the data she meticulously collected was sufficient to persuade even those who opposed it.

She returned home with a determined expression as if she would definitely get his stamp.

But she never came back.

Instead, the news about her were available to him through the ‘voting’ of the nobles.

At Lady Mavis’ birthday banquet, he lost count on how many servants of nobles came and left the Archduchy of Marquis.

All of them were people who wanted to change their ‘disagree’ vote to ‘agree’.

At first, he thought it was possible for her to do that to one or two votes, but when 10 votes passed, he wondered what was going on at the birthday banquet.

In the end, even that strict and iron-willed margrave sent his servant to change his vote…

It was true that he was honestly a little surprised at the time.

‘There’s something special about her.’

How did she convince him? How did she move people’s hearts?

“….…”

The goal she tried to achieve, even if it meant coming with a bribe.

That tenacious woman achieved it, by convincing the people who hated her.

Johann was deeply curious about Berylia’s inclination.

Eventually, uncharacteristically, he picked up the pen again.

He then scribbled a reply and passed it onto his butler, Melfis.

“Deliver this to the Crown Princess immediately.”

* * *

“There’s a reply again?!”

Right away like this? Immediately…?

‘It hasn’t been long since I sent him a reply…’

It was like, as soon as I sent the message, the ‘1’ in the message window disappeared in real time, and I was watching a reply with a typing speed of 1,000 strokes.

This was at a speed similar to that of sitting face to face and talking.

Usually, nobles would not send and receive messages like this so many times, and they would not respond right away.

This was definitely…!

‘He has nothing to do at home.’

That was why he sent me messages for no reason.

‘He can pray. Pray.’

All he could do was pray that favorite prayer… 

While I was so busy I could die… I took the black letter, as if it had copied the theme of the residence, and examined the seal.

The three-headed crow that was stamped had a stylish and antique taste.

I took the black paper knife he had given me as a gift, opened the letter, and thought.

‘Aktoum’s hotline is amazing.’

Teleports were installed in major families and buildings in the Imperial Palace that were close by, so this message could be delivered quickly.

Spinel was still analog. A person either walked on foot or used a carrier animal.

It was true that such a quick reply was very burdensome because I was accustomed to that speed.

‘But, let’s see what it’s about.’

{When will you come to my residence?}

That was all. A person who didn’t seem to like being persuaded, so why the nuance to come?

If I were to go, I would only be persuading him to change his opinion.

“Hmm.”

I thought about it, then just folded the letter, and shoved it back into the envelope.

Maribel asked cautiously.

“Your Majesty, shall I return a reply to the Archduke?”

“No. It’s not necessary. I’m not going to reply.”

‘I’m sorry, I’m busy, although I read it.’

I should think about it for a bit before replying.

‘It’s a question of when I will go, so if I answer it right away, I’ll have to go then.’

If I sent an answer in a vague way, it was as good as not sending it.

Since I was going to visit as soon as possible anyway.

After delaying the reply, I buried myself in paperwork again.

“Haaah.”

When Seryl yawned in tiredness, I also felt drowsy.

‘If I could nap a little, I’d have no other wish.’

As I was thinking that, there was a knock on the office door. What amazing timing.

Ires’ voice came from outside, and I asked him to come in.

He brought something very small, shiny and strange.

I felt like I was suddenly awakened from my sleepiness.

“What is this……?”

“The Crown Prince has prepared it.”

“Of course he has. I was asking what’s its purpose.”

It was like a blue, twinkling crystal, shaped like a ‘bird’.

To be exact, it was the shape of a baby crow-tit?

‘Oh my, such a cute thing.’

That was kind of what half my mind thought. 

‘What kind of plot is he trying to get me into?’

And this was the other half.

What else did this unpredictable and sudden trouble-like man plan?

Even though I was wary, I was a little excited.

That alone seemed to have relieved some of the accumulated fatigue.

“Hmm, you can open the note he sent you.”

“Ahh…! The note is also blue. Be careful!”

“Oh my God, what a cute bird.”

“…What do you use it for…?”

The maids huddled together like bees that clung to honey.

They must have been too tired from work.

I felt a little apologetic.

As if to repay that interest, I slowly opened the note and checked its contents.

{Put the bird on the palm of your hand and say:

‘Latemo, Veloterica.’}

‘…It’s a starter. So it’s a magic tool.’

Now that I examined it a little closer, what was embedded in the bird’s pupil was a very small magic stone.

It was something I had missed earlier as I was drowsy.

Tempted, I put the baby bird on the palm of my hand and recited.

“Latemo, Veloterica.”

“Beep–!”

Then, the crystal bird cried and ran around my palms again and again.

‘Oh, how cute.’

It had been awhile since I thought that way.

Suddenly, its eyes flashed white, and a tremendous force pulled its legs together like a hand.

Suddenly, the view in the front of my eyes flashed white, and a tremendous force like a hand pulled my legs.

“Ahhhhh, Your Majesty!”

The screams of the maids were heard from a distance!