Chapter 218.1
* * *
“Leticia.”
“Yes, Dad.”
Sitting at the tea table, Leticia looked at Collen who hadn’t changed out of his travel attire.
He sat opposite Leticia, drinking black tea with brandy, while Zion stood waiting behind him.
“I hid the discovery of Kondan’s tomb, telling you not to interfere with the affairs of the white wizards. And now, you’ve stirred up such a big incident?”
“Moreover, that Kondan’s tomb turned out to be fake. It was just a rumor that Leticia spread using the Information Guild.”
Jade, now fully aware of the circumstances, clicked his tongue.
“You even fabricate newspaper articles now.”
“Leticia, you deceived us too. That’s too much.”
“I’m sorry.”
Leticia, speechless, gauged her family’s reactions.
“When Nigel escaped from prison, she killed several prisoners and wrote a curse on the wall in blood. How should we handle that? We had no choice but to accept the challenge.”
Leticia said.
“And if such a ruthless criminal could do that in prison, I thought she would commit even more heinous crimes outside. Didn’t Nigel have a record of 97 crimes?”
“Ah, right. What exactly happened?”
With a smile, Leticia recounted the events.
“So, the real method to open Kondan’s tomb was hidden in your mind?”
“It was Siebel who implanted it. Nigel was the only one who knew how to decipher the ‘code to open Kondan’s tomb’ hidden in my mind.”
There was only one way to open Kondan’s tomb.
When Kondan’s tomb opens, dozens of the white wizard family symbols float in the air. Only by opening ten of those symbols ‘in order’ can the tomb be accessed.
“So, it’s like a puzzle code?”
“Right now, Kondan’s tomb hasn’t been discovered,” Jade said.
“But when it’s found, you’ll be the one to open it,” Collen interjected.
“That’s right.”
The treasures and weapons that would come from Kondan’s tomb…
‘All belong to me.’
Leticia thought.
“So, what about this bronze beads?” Jade asked.
Leticia explained her deduction.
“These two bronze beads are likely a kind of medium for white magic that could enter my mind. Since Nigel isn’t a white wizard, she used these tools. And in that illusion, Nigel interrogated me.”
She used Cedric.
‘The scenario was to interrogate me using the man I love, Cedric. Telling me to give up the information he needed.’
Jade said.
“A beloved daughter’s mind is someone else’s vault? Why implant something like that?”
“Who knows?” Leticia shrugged. “Doctor Siebel… Maybe he didn’t have many people he could trust. Or he’s a pervert. Do we need an analysis? It’s just the behavior of bad guys.”
“Anyway,” Jade said. “Don’t get involved with the white wizards again. Same goes for Nigel. Your safety is the top priority.”
Leticia nodded to Jade’s usual languid tone.
‘Perhaps.’
She quietly added in her heart. Even if Leticia wasn’t Collen’s blood-related child.
‘The adventurous spirit that can’t resist challenges seems to be ingrained in our family, more than just genetics.’
Isn’t that why there’s still such a thrilling sensation in her body?
‘Yes, it was my first time experiencing an invasion into my mind.’
Villains are always evolving.
Leticia thought, licking her lips.
A few days later, Nigel was tried again. It’s said she received a life sentence on a remote island.
That was reportedly Nigel’s last statement in court. And so, Leticia returned to her peaceful daily life.
On a Wednesday, Leticia went on a picnic to a small forest near the Duke’s house with Cedric.
“The King and Queen wish to see me?”
“Yes, it seems so.”
Finishing the last bite of her sandwich, Leticia dusted her hands and stood up.
“Hmm, I think it’s time I met them to exchange greetings.”
“It feels like they have an ulterior motive, right?”
“Yes, this mystery is easy.”
Both Leticia and Cedric said at the same time.
“They’ll probably pressure us to marry.”
“Pressure to marry, yes.”
Both smiled.
“Shall we walk?”
Leticia stood up and stretched, and Cedric followed her.
“What do you think, Cedric?”
“Leticia, I desperately want to marry you,” Cedric said softly. “But I don’t want to pressure you. I’ll wait until you’ve lived the life you desire. After all, you are the only woman in my life.”
Touched by Cedric’s words, Leticia felt a warm and tingling sensation in her heart.
‘Is he an angel? Really, he’s the perfect man.’
That chilling, terrifying, yet beautiful Cedric was also memorable…
‘I still love this man.’
Leticia thought.
“I too want to marry Cedric, but…”
“…you feel pressured.”
“Yes! If we marry, that will be the excuse…”
“He will surely pressure me for the throne. In the end, both prince Ileph and His Majesty want to leave the throne to me.”
“Even if I want to be Cedric’s wife, I still don’t want to be queen.”
“Well, then it’s good to stay like this for now.”
Cedric licked his lips.
“It’s a bit disappointing.”
“That’s how it is.”
Leticia held Cedric’s hand and slowly walked into the darker forest.
“But Leticia, I have a question.”
“Yes.”
“The hidden code within you, I mean the illusion that Nigel showed to dig it out. What happened inside it? Was I in it?”
“Uh…”