Dagilec Branon is not confirmed to be a demon yet.
A terrible stench filled the air.
It was hard to judge based on that alone.
The smell of rotten earth. Rusty metal.
Surely, the unpleasant stench is a typical characteristic of demons. In fact, during the racial wars, demons hidden among the crowds were detected by their stench.
However, the Branon family, who sent Dagilec as a suitor, was a prestigious family from the western Empire, so they couldn’t recklessly treat him as a criminal.
“Chasing away all those overly sweet suitors feels refreshing.”
Elizaveta stretched her back with a yawn.
The suitor slayer.
A heroine who drove away fifteen handsome young men.
After witnessing the noblemen of the Valtarian Empire returning dejectedly, they gave Elizaveta that nickname.
To think she chased away all fifteen suitors was a tribute to the Platinum Princess.
“Your Highness…! The Emperor will surely reprimand you! With Princess Ludmilla leaving for the north, he must be feeling ill at ease…!”
“He’ll probably just place me under house arrest again. Surely he wouldn’t give a heavy punishment to his beloved youngest daughter?”
The personal maid was in shock, stamping her feet.
Elizaveta showed an indifferent reaction.
A maid serving a villainous princess—surely there couldn’t be a more exhausting job in this world. She genuinely felt pity.
The prestigious families that had sent suitors would probably express their displeasure at being rejected so unceremoniously. They might even protest, claiming that the princess had brought embarrassment to their family.
It was natural for the personal maid to scream in panic at such predictions.
“By the way, I see you have a new earring? It’s beautiful.”
“Oh, yes…”
The personal maid continued her nagging.
To that, Elizaveta tried to change the topic.
“Looks like Sekri has a boyfriend. Starting a secret romance—how scandalous.”
“Your Highness!”
The maid burst into a blush as she shouted. A beautiful jewel adorned her earlobes, shimmering with a strange color.
She hadn’t seen it yesterday…
Who on earth gave her personal maid such a gift?
Curiosity piqued, Elizaveta asked the maid as their conversation continued.
“The prince of the Branon family… gave it to me before leaving.”
“Excuse me?”
If it had been a gift from another suitor, she would have brushed it off. But the suitor who gave the maid a present was a suspect she had her doubts about.
Was it really just a coincidence?
It might be a simple act of goodwill.
He could have given it as a hint to Elizaveta. After all, in the aristocracy, bribes are nothing more than gifts that show sincerity.
But I categorized it as ‘malice.’
“Sekri, can you show me the earring?”
“Y-yes…”
Sensing something was off, Elizaveta asked the maid to show her. The maid hesitated but handed over the earring anyway.
Thud-.
The moment it touched her skin, an indescribable Doom washed over her. A slight sense of familiarity came flooding in.
This wasn’t an ordinary jewel.
It surely contained magic or sorcery.
It was a scheme to bypass the stringent magic defenses of the Imperial Palace. That jewel, shining with a strange hue, must have been used as a disguise to deceive the defensive magic.
Having previously fallen victim to deceit during her military campaign with the Saintess Party, she was nearly certain of it.
“I think we will need the Saintess’s assistance for a detailed analysis.”
It was an item related to cultists.
The Saintess of the Holy Kingdom should be able to discern it skillfully.
Elizaveta called upon Zebeline, who was enjoying tea time in the reception room with her clergy.
‘But how did he sneak in under the radar to the palace?’
Even during the gruesome Third Racial War, the Valtarian Empire’s palace served as an impregnable fortress. There had never been a breach until now.
If Dagilec Branon was truly a demon, it would be recorded as an unprecedented event. The palace’s tight defenses would have been breached by a filthy demon.
Many people must have been mobilized.
Moreover, long hours and efforts must have followed.
This was certainly not a solitary act.
There might be an armed group formed by demons and cultists behind it.
As this train of thought occupied her mind, anxiety began to gnaw at her. She could almost feel the urgency with which they wished to strike.
“Your Highness Elizaveta. And the Saintess.”
Elizaveta.
And Zebeline, accompanied by her clergy.
She quickly outlined the emergency measures as she looked at them.
Even with Ludmilla heading north, the demons hiding in the Empire could not be neglected. After explaining to Elizaveta and Ludmilla, she also wanted to inform Emperor Barbarossa about the demons’ infiltration.
*
After the engagement was canceled,
The monster, donning Dagilec’s mask, was residing in a villa near the imperial city.
Although not as prominent as the Hohenberc family, the Branon family was renowned in the west, but it had long since become a den for demons and cultists.
Dagilec Branon had been murdered.
Along with his family and household staff.
The present occupants of the villa were merely impostors posing as the Branon family. The “guides” who had infiltrated the palace to kidnap Princess Elizaveta were ramping up their next plan.
“It will soon be set in motion. We already have the princess’s personal safety in our grasp.”
An old man with flowing white hair spoke with a foul voice.
The divine descent was imminent.
A glint gleamed in the old man’s eyes as he revealed his filthy expectations.
It was a dangerously risky plan, yet up to that point, no variables had arisen. The incompetent imperial fools had no idea that their supposedly impregnable defenses had been breached.
He couldn’t help but laugh at how they effortlessly toyed with the Valtarian Empire, which ruled the continent.
“Lord Bergis, a letter has arrived from the Imperial Palace.”
“From the palace?”
The palace sent a letter.
More specifically, it was a letter sent by Princess Elizaveta.
Bergis, an old man, raised his eyebrows at the subordinate’s report.
“Surely it’s not been discovered… how unexpected.”
Elizaveta had sent a handwritten letter to the suitors she had chased away.
A desire to apologize for her rudeness.
She had prepared a banquet for the suitors, who must have felt heartbroken.
The handwritten letter from the imperial family that arrived at the villa was an invitation for reconciliation. As Bergis read the letter, he scoffed and revealed his yellowing teeth.
“Meiros, the princess has invited you. Saying she wishes to apologize.”
“Ooh!!”
Bergis said while looking at the spectacle of repentance.
A monster.
A man with long hair was punishing himself.
Cracking the skin of his own body in atonement for the original sin and folly of humanity, blood and flesh streamed down.
Yet, even with the mask over his head, the monster continued to whip himself, gasping for breath.
“To meet the platinum princess again! Ah, this must be a revelation! It is undoubtedly a chance granted to us by the omnipotent God!!”
The wretched creature, covered in blood from continuous whipping, shrieked in madness.
Even his spine-chilling appearance made the cultists, who had sworn fanaticism, gasp in shock.
“But it’s strange. The banquet will be held in a villa, not in the palace. They say they will hold it at a villa owned by the Valtarian Imperial Family.”
“Other suitors have also received the letter. Then it shouldn’t be a trap.”
Bergis nodded at his subordinate’s words.
It couldn’t be a trap.
The imperial fools were still as blind as bats.
Deciding to attend.
They already had Elizaveta’s safety in their grasp. However, to ensure perfection, they decided to accept the invitation.
The maniac disguised as Dagilec Branon desperately yearned for a reunion with the beautiful princess.
*
The suitors who received the handwritten letters from Elizaveta gathered without exception at the grand banquet being held at a villa owned by the Valtarian Imperial Family.
Did they want to take their apologies that badly?
No,
The suitors had a different motive.
They were powerless against the villainous princess and wanted to forcefully resume the engagement.
If they returned home after failing the engagement, they would definitely face severe punishment. So the suitors desperately tried to win Elizaveta’s favor.
The ambition to become the Platinum Princess’s partner and seize power reignited the suitors’ spirits.
“I must apologize again for my unseemly behavior during the shocking annulment of our engagement. I sincerely apologize to the respected nobles in attendance at the banquet.”
The beautiful princess, dressed in an elegant ivory evening dress, bowed gracefully as she apologized, melting the suitors’ lingering discomfort like ice.
Her blonde hair shone as bright as silver.
Her emerald eyes sparkled vividly.
Her face was as radiant as fresh fallen snow, complete with soft lips.
It was as if the goddess of beauty had descended.
Elizaveta surpassed even her famously beautiful sisters with elegance and charm, making it hard to resist her allure.
The Platinum Princess smiled at the suitors, who were immediately struck dumb by her beauty.
“It’s quite alright! I didn’t mind at all!”
“Of course! How could we possibly harbor any disloyal thoughts?!”
The suitors, enraptured by her captivating beauty, shouted eagerly.
As if competing among themselves, they laid on the sweet talk, trying to woo the princess.
“Please step aside for a moment…! Wine coming through! Oops, I spilled it!!”
While the drones buzzed about, competing for the queen bee’s favor, a girl with green hair took careful steps, beginning the serving.
Clang-!
Crash!!
She spilled the wine glass.
And even broke the plates.
The suitors openly displayed their displeasure at the clumsy girl’s actions compared to their family’s excellent attendants.
However, in front of the alluring Platinum Princess, they couldn’t show their disdain, so they exercised their patience.
“Ahem!”
“How much was that exquisite dish…!”
Wine glasses were placed before the suitors.
It was a splendid white wine with a subtle flavor.
Was the main dish fish?
The suitors sipped the white wine while guessing what the banquet’s next dish could be.
“Nice to see you again. How have you been?”
“…Eek!”
When the adorable girl moved closer to Dagilec Branon, he smiled brightly and greeted her. But the girl blushed and ran off in a hurry.
What was that?
Why was she running away in such a panic?
He had seen her serving the wine, and from that tiny girl, not a semblance of decorum or upbringing could be detected. Why was she even tasked with serving?
It was truly strange.
“Hmm?”
Dagilec, who had been staring at the girl’s back, suddenly voiced his curiosity.
The sparkling red wine.
The other suitors received white wine.
But why was he the only one given red wine?
Staring at the blood-red liquid, Dagilec felt a piercing sense of danger in his gut.
So instinctively, he tried to leap up from his seat.
“Looks like there’s only one sneaky mouse.”
“Cough!!”
Out of nowhere, a man approached and plunged a sword into Dagilec’s chest.
Dagilec, taken by surprise, let out a scream as he collapsed to the ground.
“What the…!!”
Blood spilled profusely as Dagilec attempted to shout at the assailant.
But,
He couldn’t find his voice.
All the magic and blessings that had deceived the palace’s heavy defenses began writhing in agony like they were screaming.
It was due to the strike he had just received.
His body started to boil and emit thick smoke mercilessly.
“Gah!! Gaaaaah!!!”
The face of Dagilec Branon he once deemed useful began to melt away.
And it wasn’t just that.
His body, flesh including his face, began to drip off like wax.
Exposed, the monster shrieked in horror while glaring at the purplish blade that had pierced him. Following that, he turned his gaze to the man who wielded the sword.
“How many spells and blessings did you layer on me for me to melt away?!”
The man pulled out a pistol.
And without hesitation, he pulled the trigger against the monster’s head.
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