Free Web NovelChapter 85: Disaster came back
The door to the lavish private chamber was pushed open slowly from the outside.
Duke Herold stepped in with his usual calm demeanor, no longer showing the slightest hint of anxiety or concern like the performance he had put on in the courtyard earlier.
In the dim corner of the room, Delia’s figure stood tall, staring out the large window.
Even though she knew Duke Herold had just entered, there was not a trace of fear or nervousness in the mysterious servant’s chest.
Her expression was completely composed, as if she knew for a fact that she was in a perfectly safe position. Delia smirked without turning her head.
She knew full well that the black-armored knight in the dungeon would never be able to open his mouth to reveal the truth about the mastermind behind it all.
Before the villain was sent to the forbidden forest last night, Delia herself had forced him to drink a mysterious magical liquid given by Duke Herold a secret concoction that guaranteed the villain’s lips would remain sealed forever.
Duke Herold, seeing Delia’s composure, showed no sign of surprise. He walked casually toward his luxurious desk, then settled into the plush chair.
His aged hand reached for a bottle of expensive red wine, poured it into a glass, and he took a slow sip with an incredibly relaxed air.
Seeing Duke Herold’s demeanor, Delia finally turned around.
The smirk on her lips widened. She approached the old Duke without any of the respect typical of a servant; instead, with bold confidence, Delia hopped up and sat on the luxurious wooden desk right in front of Duke Herold.
The two locked eyes, then both smiled with cunning, raising their glasses to drink the wine together.
"Javien... Javien..." Duke Herold spoke again after setting his glass down, a sinister smile etched onto his wrinkled face.
"He thinks... he can destroy us that quickly with his military power?"
Delia chuckled, spinning the wine glass in her hand with an elegant yet toxic aura. She stared at Duke Herold with a sharp gaze.
"It seems... our pact tonight didn’t succeed, Duke?" Delia said in a casual tone, as if the failure to kill Olivia last night hadn’t affected her mood at all.
"What is our next move?"
Duke Herold placed his wine glass onto the table with a soft yet firm clink. The smirk on his aged lips slowly shifted into a flat line filled with deep deceit. He leaned back in his plush chair, watching Delia, who was still sitting cross-legged on his expensive desk.
"Next move?" Duke Herold asked in a low, gravelly voice. He let out a small, sinister laugh.
"We don’t need to rush, Delia. Let Knight Javien waste his time and energy in the dungeon investigating that half-dead villain."
Delia raised an eyebrow, finishing the rest of the wine in her glass before looking at Duke Herold with great interest.
"What do you mean, Duke?"
"The liquid I gave that villain doesn’t just lock his mouth,"
Duke Herold leaned forward, closing the distance between them while his eyes glinted sharply.
"In just a few hours, the liquid will react with the black aura that Javien absorbed last night. The result? The villain will die with signs of having been struck by a cursed magic... as if he were killed by the ’illegal power’ inside Javien’s own body!"
Delia, hearing that explanation, paused for a second before her eyes widened and she let out a laugh of pure satisfaction.
"Ah... so you want to frame Knight Javien? You want to make him the scapegoat in front of Lady Ophilia and the palace guards?" Delia guessed with an excited tone.
"Exactly," replied Duke Herold with a cruel expression.
"If the villain dies under Javien’s watch with traces of strange magic, Javien’s reputation as the ’pure General of War’ will be totally ruined.
Furthermore, Olivia’s position in this residence will become even more unstable because she will be considered a bringer of bad luck and chaos."
Duke Herold stood up from his chair and walked slowly toward the large window, gazing at the heavily guarded dungeon building outside.
"Let them think they won tonight. Javien’s investigation will only end up consuming him. What you need to do now, Delia... return to your servant’s room, pretend to be sick or shocked, and act like the most innocent servant in this residence,"
Duke Herold commanded without turning around.
Delia smiled broadly, jumping down from the luxurious wooden table with a light step. She placed her empty glass on the table before bowing slightly, pretending to give a respectful salute as a loyal servant.
"As you command, wise Duke," Delia whispered with a tone full of sweet irony before she turned and walked out of the secret chamber with a victorious flair.
Bright morning sunlight began to pierce through the silk curtains of the infirmary, illuminating the room that had previously been gloomy.
Olivia slowly opened her eyes. After such a deep sleep, her body felt refreshed and energetic. Even the scar on her shoulder didn’t feel painful anymore.
Olivia was just about to pull herself up to lean against the headboard, when suddenly...
BANG!!
The door to the infirmary was pushed open violently from the outside, loud enough to shake the room! Olivia, still dazed, immediately jumped up in a total panic!
"Olivia!! It’s a disaster, Olivia!!"
Celine stepped in, panting heavily, her face as pale as if she had just seen a ghost, while behind her was Lady Ophilia, who also looked incredibly anxious while clutching a handkerchief.
"Eh, Celine? Lady Ophilia? Why are you both so frantic?" asked Olivia, her forehead furrowed as she looked at their expressions. Her heart immediately sank.
Celine gripped the post of Olivia’s bed, trying to catch her breath before speaking with a trembling voice.
"T-The guy... the black-hooded villain locked in the dungeon last night... he... he died this morning!"
Zap!
Olivia’s eyes widened.
"What?! Dead?!"
"Yes!" Lady Ophilia chimed in with a voice that was almost crying, stepping toward the bed.
"The guards just came to report it. They said the villain died suddenly in the dungeon in a horrific state. His body was covered in black marks as if... as if he were killed using forbidden magic!"
Olivia, hearing that report, froze on the bed. Her genius brain, accustomed to being an avid novel reader, immediately went into overdrive. fɾēewebnσveℓ.com
Dead from sudden black magic? Under the watch of Javien’s knight squad?!
Olivia’s thoughts screamed.
In an instant, Olivia recalled Duke Herold’s expression in the courtyard yesterday, and Celine’s report about the strange servant Delia isolating herself.
A piece of the cruel puzzle finally clicked in Olivia’s head!
Damn it...! This is a trap! Duke Herold and Delia purposely killed the villain using magic fluid so that all the blame and accusations would fall squarely on Javien’s shoulders!
Her heart whispered with pure anger. Her grip on the blanket tightened until her body trembled with fury.
They want to make Javien a scapegoat because he was the one who brought the villain back from the forbidden forest! If this rumor spreads to the imperial palace, Javien’s reputation as a pure General of War will be completely destroyed, and he could be accused of practicing illegal magic to silence a witness!
"What’s the situation outside right now?!" Olivia urged seriously, completely shedding her innocent servant mode.
"Duke Herold is heading to the dungeon with several high-ranking guards to interrogate Knight Javien’s squad!" Celine reported with a look of extreme worry.
"The Duke looked furious; he said Knight Javien intentionally killed the prisoner to hide something!"
Olivia couldn’t just sit still anymore.
Javien... don’t worry. I won’t let those two demons destroy you this time!
Olivia vowed in her heart with the burning fire of a fangirl on a mission!
Olivia did not immediately jump down from the bed. She sat on the edge, taking deep breaths to calm her racing heart.
Don’t be reckless, Olivia. If you rush to the dungeon like a madwoman now, Duke Herold will instantly accuse you of conspiring with Javien. You’re just a maid. You have to use your head, not your muscle.
She watched Celine and Lady Ophilia, who still looked anxious. She needed to ensure they wouldn’t stop her, but she didn’t want to put them in danger either.
"Celine, please fetch me some hot water. I feel a bit dizzy," Olivia instructed with a feigned, weak tone.
"Oh, let me call the doctor!" Celine replied, visibly worried.
"There’s no need. I just need a moment to rest. Please?"
The moment Celine stepped out of the room, Olivia stood up. She didn’t run straight to the dungeon. Instead, she moved with extreme caution, navigating through the back corridors that were rarely used.
She moved like a shadow, slipping behind large pillars while her ears remained tuned to the sound of every guard’s footsteps.
Every time she heard the tramping of guards, she would stop and hide behind heavy curtains or large statues, holding her breath to avoid being detected. She intentionally chose the longest and darkest paths.
I have to make sure I know what’s going on before I show my face,
Olivia whispered to herself.
She stopped at a corner of a wall that overlooked the dungeon from a distance.
From there, she could see Duke Herold walking toward the dungeon with an arrogant gait, surrounded by his personal guards in full armor.
Olivia gripped the hem of her dress. She saw Javien standing firm in front of the door, completely surrounded.
Javien... he’s still keeping his cool.
Olivia didn’t step in right away. She hid behind the furthest pillar, observing with sharp eyes. She was waiting for the perfect moment the moment when Duke Herold was most intoxicated by his own victory.
She knew that if she appeared now, she would just be a lowly maid who could be cast aside. But if she waited just a little longer... perhaps she would spot a flaw in the Duke’s plan.
Olivia closed her eyes, thinking through every move she would need to make next. Each passing second felt like an hour.
She deliberately dragged out the time, letting the Duke bask in his trickery, because she knew the longer he felt secure, the greater the chance he would make a fatal mistake.
Just a little longer, Olivia... be patient. Let him make a massive blunder first.
