Duke, Please Stop Because it Hurts

His reluctant approval eventually grew longer and longer.

“You can’t even get close. I’ll try and suppress it, but just don’t let go of the tension since she was the one who tried to hurt you.”

“I got it.”

“…do you really need to go and see her?”

She smiled at the last question.

“Maybe this will be our last greeting. There’s actually something that I’d like to say anyway.”

“…huu, stay behind me.”

In the end, Raven took the lead with both of his hands and feet. As she trailed behind him, Molitia whispered to her stomach.

“Baby, keep your eyes and ears closed just for a little while.”

She was sorry for her child, whom she only wanted to allow the good things, sight and hearing. But then, she also couldn’t miss this right now. Eventually, Molitia raised her head.

“Has she been tied up well?”

An unfamiliar place. Even though she had arrived in the Duchy’s mansion, the basement where she had never entered reeked much more unusual than she even imagined.

“Yes, of course.”

“Where is she?”

“It’s this way.”

The knight who was guarding the door soon guided the two of them.

“Is there anything you can tell us about?”

“No, there’s nothing. No one is behind her—no mastermind, no supporters nor did she even say anything.”

Clank—the rusty iron door parted. As it shone in the dark, it eventually revealed the spirit who had flinched.

“……Arjan.”

Molitia slowly looked over her sister. The shabby clothes were still as awkward as she saw them before back at the shop.

Did she ever imagine her being dressed like this?

While feeling a bit faint, Arjan lifted her head. The sharp eyes, which were never seen before, glimmered like the eyes of a beast.

“Young Lady Clemence.”

Raven’s bleak voice instantaneously rang in that dark cell.

“Why did you want to kill my wife?”

“It’s just too much to say, kill. I was merely on the way by chance.”

It was the knights around them who had gotten angry at Arjan’s brazen words. If it wasn’t for their Lord, they would have regretted everything for the Madame, who might not have been able to be fully protected.

The knights eventually exuded a dreadful energy as if they were just about to draw their swords.

“The store clerk has already confessed. She fell because you had pushed her in the first place.”

“I can’t believe that you’re actually trying to kill me merely because I stumbled. Are you just exaggerating, Duke?”

“Arjan Clemence.”

“I didn’t try to kill her.”

As she snorted, she then looked up straight at Raven.

“If I’m truly guilty, I’ll only be guilty of running away and it’s all because I can no longer stand the sins of my father’s excessive greed.”

She proceeded to deny everything that happened to Marquis Werner. She didn’t even blink at all while adding it to the lie, even though the person involved was right in front of her.

Molitia hadn’t been the only one who was on fire. Raven was impressed by her lies as well. wasn't the only one who was full of energy. Raven was also impressed by her lies.

“If you confess everything honestly, I will show you my last bit of patience and send you right to the Imperial Palace.”

“I’m not sure what kind of nonsense you’ve been hearing from her and that you’re pressuring me now, but I don’t wield a sword like Ferdinand nor am I plotting with Portan—like what my father did. I was just being manipulated.”

“Trimeric.”

Arjan’s lips stopped fluttering at Raven’s word.

“Weren’t you the one who sneaked it in?”

“How can I…”

Oops—Arjan bit her lips belatedly, but her lips were already exuding the sweetness.

“That’s right, but it was just brought in for my sister’s medicine.”

“That poisonous herb?”

“I didn’t know it was poison.”

“Aren’t you trying to work together with Dr. Arendt?”

Raven’s words immediately shattered the minds of Molitia as well as Arjan.

“What do you mean?”

His comments, which could not have turned up just from this situation, were enough to embarrass Molitia.

“What did Mr. Arendt even do?”

“Molitia.”

Raven, who looked at her blue complexion, softly caressed her cheek.

“…will it be okay to listen? If it’s hard or will affect you severely, I’ll talk about it next time.”

She felt reluctant for a moment. The sensation of a chilly energy surging from the tip of her toes had made her want to run away by instinct.

However, it had been her who wanted to come here. It was her who wanted to hear it. And she, herself, had said that running away was no longer an option.

“No, it’s okay. I will listen to it.”

Her eyes were firm even though she hugged her stomach anxiously. As he looked over Molitia who was with a determined look on her face, Raven recalled the documents which he received just a few days ago.

“…not too long ago, the doctor had informed me. She finally found the reason why you threw up blood all of a sudden.”

That was a long time ago. She was embarrassed at that time, but she thought of it as her physical condition and eventually passed the medicine over. That was also why she just let it go when her doctor couldn’t really find the right cause.

“The medicine which you brought from the County itself was the actual problem.”

“What?”

She suddenly felt a distant momentary feeling.

“Well, no way. I’ve been taking that medicine all my life.”

“That’s precisely why, Molitia. The effect is rather minimal, but it’ll be revealed slowly after years of constant use. It makes your body weak and difficult to control.”

Her lips parted open. Raven’s symptoms were all in sync with her usual manifestations.

“It didn’t match with any of the medications that the doctor had given you that day. That’s why you had a nosebleed all of a sudden.”