“B, but……! At that time, I……!”
Certainly, when the people of the Holy Empire came, the documents were opened when the family seal was stamped. It was impossible without the real family seal.
‘I definitely got it from Merida at the time…….’
“Oh, that. I just returned it because I had already used it before that.”
Merida said calmly.
Cedric took care of all the material for Meldon to become a duke as soon as Merida gave him the seal.
And within less than three hours, he had her return it to the Duke.
Now that she thinks about it, how many steps ahead did he look?
Did he predict that the Duke will hand over the information to the Holy Empire that day, and that the method would need to use the family seal?
It was thoroughly planned. Seeing that, Merida thought that she did well to join this side. Of course, although it was by force…….
‘As expected, you shouldn’t touch the Imperial family.’
Merida shuddered.
It’s fortunate that she managed to avoid the worst because Dalia had already laid the groundwork in advance.
“But, but I, I’m sure I……!”
The previous Duke Artus, who had only one card left, lamented.
‘Clearly, clearly, the Holy Empire said it was a drug that makes the transcendents run wild…… !’
Why is Meldon still fine even after drinking it?
Did they really deceive him? Did he fall for their unguaranteed words?
However, Meldon’s patience was running out as he answered each and every question.
He looked at Merida and pointed to the previous Duke Artus with his chin. Merida also raised her chin and pretended to scratch her neck. It was meant as a signal.
“I’m disappointed with your work, sister.”
“I wrote a little less for a dramatic effect, but I must have made a mistake.”
The previous Duke’s eyes widened because he didn’t understand what they were saying.
When he saw his daughter again, he felt a sense of betrayal. He now turned and yelled at Merida.
“You, how dare you betray your father and stick to that illegitimate child? Are you still a human?”
“I was born as a piglet, do you think I’m human?”
Merida replied sarcastically.
It was the way of speaking that often set fire to him. There was a deep sense of betrayal. He thought he loved his daughter equally with his eldest son. But what came back was a disastrous betrayal.
“How, how can you!”
However, as he spoke, his eyelids became strangely heavy.
‘Me, Merida, that bitch put drugs in!’
If he falls asleep now, his fate is over.
He clenched his teeth and tried to resist the drowsiness. But it was helpless. He immediately hit his head on the desk.
When the previous Duke Boris Artus fell asleep, Merida and Meldon also stopped their play.
She looked down at Meldon, who had left the teapot in the middle of nowhere.
“…… What are you going to do in the future?”
“Well, what shall I do? I’ll let sister decide.”
Meldon said lightly and smiled at Merida.
‘You have already decided everything and come here now.’
This aspect of him made her hate her half-brother.
But the loser was her. She clenched her teeth.
“Still, it’s the four major families. Get rid of the main culprit as quietly as possible rather than escalating the matter…… It would be better for the takeover.”
“I agree.”
“Felix is driven away to the local territory. My mother will volunteer right away, so don’t be harsh with her. Allow me to keep my maiden name and get a small townhouse or a new one. And my father…….”
She looked at the Duke Artus, who was contemptuous, but still her father.
She had her last hope up to this point.
Still, she thought at least her father would not be dissatisfied with what he thought was the worst and would do worse.
But he did, and now his fate is sealed.
“……The mana explosion of transcendents is a matter of national subversion. The crime is too deep. They have no choice but to kill.”
“The death penalty is, brutal.”
Meldon said playfully. Merida also said while smiling.
“Brutal, that’s funny. Coming from the person who almost died from being poisoned by father.”
Without Cedric, nullifying the potion this time would have failed.
If you are not a person who can freely handle multi-attribute magic to that extent, you will not be able to develop a skill that can delicately overlay mucous membranes with magic.
“…….”
The smile disappeared from Meldon’s mouth, since it was right on mark.
The two glared at each other for a moment.
Meldon turned his gaze away first.
“I will deal with it as sister said. And for sister…….”
Merida crumpled her skirt. That’s all the mercy she begged Cedric for. Her disposition has not yet been decided.
Since she helped the Imperial family, they will preserve Artus’ name.
However, it was entirely up to them to decide whether they would stay in the capital or would end up in the territory.
‘He told me to look good in front of Miss Dalia.’
Cedric’s way of speaking was of a kind that even her political savvy self could not understand.
She didn’t have a chance to look good, and she didn’t know how to look good.
“……His Highness Prince Cedric asked me to keep an eye on sister a little longer. For now, since you will be bored if you’re alone in the mansion, so stay here.”
“Ha.”
Merida leaned against the wall, pressed her chest down, and closed her eyes tightly.
‘It’s still okay. There’s a possibility.’
Anyway, she was noble to the bone, selfish and spiteful. Her fate was of paramount importance to Merida.
Her goal was to become a close confidant of Meldon, and to maintain a foothold in the capital, preserving the reputation she had built so far in the society. She even sold her family, so she deserved this much.
Judging from what they say, it seems like it would be easy if she gets Dalia to be on her side…….
‘Miss Dalia is more skillful than I thought.’
While Merida was thinking hard, Meldon looked up into the air and said calmly.
“Instead, sister has to take care of it well. Don’t ask the rest of us what we’re dealing with, what we’re dealing with, what we’re talking about, what my reputation is, where the disappeared people have gone…… properly..….”
The content of the whispering voice at the end was terrifying, but Merida ignored it.
If she can survive, she must survive. By all means.
Kelsion, didn’t he also cooperate with them only with one desire to survive?
Meldon said to Merida, who was lost in thought.
“Oh, and be nice to Miss Dalia too.” (*t/n: he called Dalia with title. Since he just became a Duke, so currently he has a higher status than Dalia. It’s hard to tl it in english since the meaning is still Miss.)
“……What? Why is that name?”
Besides, he’s the one who’s just become a Duke?
Merida looked at him in amazement by the bizarre title, but he didn’t even look at her, staring into Duke Artus’s wine glass.
“It’s a secret, so don’t ask.”
“…….”
“By the way, isn’t Miss Dalia a little cute? If she’s too cute, Sir Cedric will scold me.”
She doesn’t know what is wrong with him asking her a question, when he just told her not to ask anything.
It was just annoying.
While everyone was lost in their own thoughts, the first night of Duke Meldon Artus’ official duties passed by.
* * *
Aceras always wanted to see this Empire burn.
The question of when did it start is meaningless.
From the time he was born, he had no mother. According to the innkeeper, she died shortly after giving birth to him in a stable.
Aceras couldn’t believe it since he was always a liar.
He didn’t know where he was born or where he came from. He also learned that he was a transcendent when he was 10 years old, crouching alone in the corner of the attic.
He sometimes thought that he was still in that attic, that the whole world was the dream of a ten-year-old, and that he might be living in a never-ending bloom.
After using his power, auditory hallucinations come with pain.
The voice continued to speak the same thing it had told him when he was ten years old. It was an order.
《Burn Frederic!》
Yeah. He will burn everything.
He always felt like that was the meaning of his birth.
To be recognized by someone, to gain someone, are all secondary reasons.
The reason for wanting Dalia Pesteros was also simple. Purify his soul before he goes crazy and lead his plan to success.
But something really strange happened.
Ever since he happened to meet Dalia Pesteros on the street, he kept getting confused and hesitant. Everything was mixed up.
It felt like there was someone who shouldn’t be there, and it felt like someone who wasn’t there was there.
It’s strange. He must be experiencing everything for the first time, but he keeps feeling a sense of incongruity that it’s different from before.
Nevertheless that’s why he wanted to see her again.
He wanted to see her again and make sure. Has something really gone wrong? Even if he checks it, nothing will change.
‘So Kelsion has betray.’
Since Kelsion and Argel are exceptionally close, Argel would be deceived by Kelsion.
One plan he had been hiding went down the drain again.
However, Aceras was neither surprised nor panicked. This, too, is just one of the countless possibilities.
From the time he failed to brainwash the Empress, Aceras has expected this outcome.
Therefore, Kelsion’s meek action was merely adding one predictable variable to his plan.
However, Aceras could not really understand himself as he took the risk of heading to the Pesteros mansion, let alone to the Holy Empire.
“Haha……”
In the backyard of the Pesteros Mansion, where he escaped the strict patrols of the mansion guards, Aceras heard laughter.
It was Dalia’s voice. She was bursting with delight as if she was really happy.
Aceras raised his head unconsciously and followed the voice. Dalia, who opened the window and leaned outside, was smiling really brightly.
And across from her was Cedric Vercelona Michelio, who was talking while floating in the air holding the window sill.
He naturally grabbed Dalia’s hand and said something, and instead of shaking him off, she giggled playfully.
Anyone could see that they had just become lovers, or just before that.
‘I see. I haven’t heard that the two are lovers.’
Aceras felt a burning sensation in his chest. And it wasn’t until after a while that he realized that the sensation was caused by his jealousy.
‘Why do I feel this way because of that woman?’
He swept his chest.
It was strange. He thought that he had lost all his emotions.
It was clear that Dalia’s smile, which smiled at him, was still stuck somewhere in his mind.
‘…..She’s special. It’s worth investigating.’
In order to purify this soul, which was increasingly swept away by madness, he was obliged to obtain Dalia Pesteros.
If so, Cedric Vercelona Michelio, Dalia’s lover would be the biggest obstacle here.
‘Anyway, he has to disappear so I can use the potion again.’
This was not by any means due to jealousy. It’s just a rational decision.
Rationalizing it, Aceras set his next course. And quietly left the backyard of the Pesteros mansion.
Translator Note: I finally read ‘The S-Classes That I Raised’!!! I was stacking chapters to binge read it, and now I can finally say I read the holy trinity hehehe..I read the manhwa first, and when Sung Hyunjae appeared, I was like, ‘damn he’s hot’….then when it comes to the rooftop scene I was like ‘petition to change genre to BL!!!’ since there’s no romance (as far as I know)…I mean the vibe this man exudes??? Then I read the novel, again I was like….I don’t care, I’m gonna board this ship I mean…the conversation??? the tension??? like??? no wonder I saw a lot of Sung Hyunjae and Han Yoojin fanart
