How the Villainous Consort Avoids His Death Ending - Chapter 104.1
Finally, that ominous rumor crossed the high walls of the Grand Ducal Castle and reached my ears.
Early in the morning, I received a report regarding the rumor from Lord Mildred in the office that Tristan used to use. For a moment, unable to contain the sudden surge of anger, I ended up slamming my fist down onto the armrest of the chair with a loud thud.
“The devil’s fruit!”
I furrowed my brow and raised my voice. My tone turned cold of its own accord.
“Who is the person that spread the rumor? It is obvious they are trying to incite conflict, so have them arrested immediately.”
The air in the office grew heavy. A bleak silence flowed among the vassals.
Of course, it wasn’t as if I didn’t have any inkling of what was happening. This was likely not a rumor that had spread simply due to the anxiety of the estate residents.
Everett’s subordinates were still permeating various parts of the Grand Ducal Castle. Since the situation of the estate after the locust raid was flowing differently from what those people had anticipated, they must have grown impatient and made such an unreasonable move.
If it was the trick of a spy, it had to be suppressed forcefully. Since it was merely a rumor without any substance, it would be fine as long as it was firmly dealt with at the very beginning. It was just when I was about to give such instructions and move on to the next agenda item.
“The thing is…”
Lord Mildred continued speaking, hesitating. Unlike his usual firm and unwavering demeanor, he was showing a rare display of hesitation.
“Normally, it would be correct to handle it according to your words, Your Highness… but this time, the circumstances are somewhat different.”
“What do you mean?”
“…There are those who claim they have truly seen the demon of Walpurgis.”
In an instant, the temperature inside the office dropped noticeably.
Having lived in a modern society, I have absolutely no interest in superstitions about ghouls or demons. However, the people of this era could not help but be different. If they claimed that eyewitnesses had even appeared, the agitation of the estate residents would only grow larger.
Even the vassals gathered in this office right now had poor complexions. It was a signal that it was already too late to dismiss it as a simple wild rumor and pass over it.
I straightened my back without a word.
Until now, Tristan and I had been constantly absent, and Hezekia was practically in a defenseless state. Because of that, I had deliberately pushed back the task of weeding out the spies. This was because I did not want to cause unnecessary agitation within the castle for no reason and draw Everett’s attention.
However, it seemed I could no longer wait. Even if it was now, the spies had to be cut out by the roots.
Hardening my face, I handed down a cold command.
“Thoroughly search for those who spread the rumors and lock them all in the dungeon of the Grand Ducal Castle. This kind of rumor is bound to die down naturally after a few days.”
“…Your Highness, Grand Consort.”
Mildred, who had been silent for a moment, cautiously opened his mouth.
“The people who claim to have seen the witch are not just one or two. In fact… There are already over a dozen.”
“Dozens?”
Had that many spies managed to infiltrate? Given the highly closed nature of Hezekia and the atmosphere of the Grand Ducal Castle, I had thought they would number at most around what I could count on one hand, so I ended up a bit flustered.
When my gaze wavered for a moment, Mildred, who hesitated once again, soon added in a low voice.
“Some say that every night, they see the demons of Walpurgis flying from the direction where the crows cry. There are also people who say they are tormented every night by the shadow of a witch wrapped in black fog like a cloak. To consider it mere wild rumors or fabricated content…”
“The contents of the rumor are quite specific, then.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
It was a strange story. Seeing how the speed of the rumor spreading was excessively fast, a spy had certainly played a trick, but it also made no sense for such detailed contents to spread without any basis.
Toward me, who was lost in thought for a moment, Mildred, whose face had turned as pale as ash, finally opened his mouth with determination after hesitating for quite a while.
“Your Highness, Grand Consort. Not only that, but among the rumors, there are contents mixed in that are too disastrous to even put into words. That is…”
“Are they saying that I am one of those demons?”
“Pardon? That, that is…”
Lord Mildred bowed his waist, thoroughly flustered and at a complete loss for what to do. It seemed the rumor had already begun to point toward me.
I had naturally anticipated that much. If it was a plot devised by spies, they would naturally target me, and if the estate residents had truly seen some sort of illusion, I, who was a stone that rolled in from the outside, would be the easiest target to blame. Or perhaps, it could even be both.
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wenomxx
new chapter please :/
MissOmu
Thank you for the translations! Will this continue updating?