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A little compromise with reality would lead to a flat road. Compared to the thorny road so far, the road seemed so flat.
So he couldn’t refuse.
Isaac: “T-that’s fine. However, there is one condition.”
“What is it?”
Isaac: “Promise me that you will take over the role of the real Lady Parvis until the next elementalist is born.”
“Sure. I’ll make sure not to harm innocent people who have nothing to do with your enemies. I have no interest in those people. All that matters to me is fulfilling the contract. I lie about that. If I do, I’ll get a huge penalty.”
The devil’s voice sounded too calm that Isaac couldn’t even suspect it of lying.
In the mist, the devil grinned and said.
“Then, do we have a temporary alliance?”
Isaac: “Then… I look forward to it.”
“Me, too.”
There was no way Isaac would ever know–the only time that the devil couldn’t lie was when he made the contract with the human who summoned him to the human world.
Isaac Weinberg was not the devil’s contractor; he was merely a relative of the contractor.
There wasn’t a rule saying the devil couldn’t lie to him when discussing contracts.
But the shock of witnessing his sister’s death and the injustice of her death briefly blinded his reason.
‘If you compromise a little, you can easily get your revenge.’
Those words were alluring to him, who had climbed far and wide through all his hardships.
The devil would always throw irresistible bait on humans.
Isaac: “Maybe it was a trap.”
Count Weinberg murmured nervously as he chewed his nails.
At that time, he was half-obsessed with the idea of getting revenge. To him, Simon Edinburgh was more hated than the devil itself.
If he could have revenge on such a being, would it be a big deal to join hands with the devil?
However, it’s a different story if the devil had other plans.
‘If you have other plans to find the spirit stone…’
A catastrophe that was beyond terrifying would happen.
His body trembled at the thought. Those who made a contract with the demons in the legends always met a tragic end.
The demons offered humans an irresistible bait, and when he fell for it, they mercilessly betrayed him.
Did he even have any guarantees that that wouldn’t be the case?
Moreover, he was neither a contractor nor anything for Ragibach. It was just a long-term partnership out of necessity.
Isaac: “Haa.”
However, when he realized that, he was already in too deep.
‘First, let’s punish the Marquis of Edinburgh. After that, I’ll cut ties with the demon. Living in seclusion with stolen property…’
But then.
Bang–!
Cosette: “Uncle.”
The door swung open, and he heard a familiar voice.
When he turned, Cosette and the bewildered butler stood together.
“M-milady! If you open the door without permission.”
Cosette: “Oh my, I’m sorry. My habit from when I lived as a commoner came out of nowhere.”
It wasn’t an apology at all. Her voice was bright and perky, but he could feel it–she wasn’t in a good mood.
Isaac motioned for the restless butler to step away.
Cosette walked in after locking the door tightly.
Cosette: “I heard some pretty interesting news.”
Isaac: “What are you talking about out of nowhere?”
Cosette: “Apparently, Keira rushed to her grandfather’s house as soon as she left the Imperial Palace. She doesn’t usually interact with her maternal family, does she? The grandfather and his grandchild aren’t close.”
Isaac replied naturally.
Isaac: “Do you mean to find out why Keira visited the Marquis?”
“…”
Then Cosette’s eyes widened.
Cosette: “You, you aren’t plotting something without me, are you?”
Isaac: “If anyone hears you, they’ll think I was the one who visited Edinburgh.”
Cosette: “Then why did Keira go to her grandfather? And as soon as she left the Palace! What is going on?”
Isaac: “How should I know? Maybe something happened at the Imperial Palace. Maybe she thought she had to meet her maternal grandfather while she was out.”
As Cosette began to stare silently, he waved his hand as if he couldn’t help it.
Isaac: “Ah, I see. I get it. Let’s find out what happened at the Imperial Palace and why he went to the Marquis of Edinburgh. Are you okay now?”
Cosette looked at him distastefully, as if she didn’t like him at all, and said bluntly.
Cosette: “I’ve told you so many times, but don’t think too much. I have an idea.”
Isaac: “Yes, yes. of course. How many more times do I have to give the same answer before you are satisfied?”
Cosette: “…Just think about it.”
She clicked her tongue.
She had a feeling that he was plotting something behind her back, but she had no proof.
Whenever Cosette interrogated Isaac, he always held out his flippers[1].
‘You must have been nervous because there were a lot of unsavory accidents. Relax a little. The opportunity will come someday.’
Cosette had nothing to say to that. There wasn’t any physical evidence that he’s doing anything else, and she’d indeed been on edge lately.
She left the room as soon as she told him to find out immediately.
As Cosette left the office, the tension in Isaac’s body left. He leaned back in his chair and sighed.
‘Is it because she’s a demon? Her intuition is sharp.’
He moved as discreetly as he could to make sure she didn’t find out, but she seemed to have noticed something nonetheless.
‘If I procrastinate even more, I might be caught.’
So, he had to deal with it quickly. He clenched his fists tightly.
Two days later, Keira again visited her grandfather’s house to discuss the issue.
As she entered the study, she saw Simon holding his forehead while sitting on the sofa.
She sat across from him and said.
Keira: “You don’t look well.”
Marquis: “… There’s going to be a trial.”
Keira: “The commoners would have no right to ask for one.”
Marquis: “It’s possible if the nobles step in as patrons.”
Keira: “It’s Count Weinberg.”
Marquis: “It’s not surprising. Did you know? I thought I would have time to deal with it since His Majesty the Crown Prince had issued a gag order…”
Keira: “Calm down and think slowly. First of all, have you ever leaked any clues about what happened twenty years ago?”
Marquis: “It’s been a long time since I cleaned things up.”
Keira: “…If that’s true.”
Keira paused for a moment. It was a fact she didn’t want to admit to herself.
Keira: “Cosette wouldn’t have claimed that she was raised by a couple of herbalists in the Altair Mountains.”
In other words, Isaac Weinberg knew at least Rowena’s last whereabouts.
The Marquis of Edinburgh replied with a cough.
Marquis: “…I’ll look into it again.”
Keira: “And there’s one more thing I want to ask you.”
Marquis: “What?”
Keira: “Was there a possibility that Rowena was pregnant with twins?”
“…!”
Surprise flashed across his face. The sight convinced Keira.
Keira: “As expected, there’s no way Grandfather wouldn’t have come up with the same hypothesis I have.”
Marquis: “I didn’t say it because it was practically impossible. There were no private houses within a few kilometers of the site where the bodies were found. Even if Rowena had a daughter in the mountains, do you think a newborn can survive alone in that freezing mountain?”
“…”
Marquis: “I was worried that I would only make you uneasy by saying it.”
Keira: “What if… Let’s just say, what if she ran away after giving birth to Cosette in a distant private house?”
Marquis: “Do you think that’s plausible? She wasn’t just pregnant; she’s just given birth to one of the twins, then she’s running away again? In the frigid mountain range?”
“…”
Marquis: “I know you’re anxious. But at times like this, you have to believe in yourself. You are the one and only daughter of His Grace, the Grand Duke. Don’t be deceived by fake words.”
Keira: “…I’m sorry. I’ve shown you a bad side.”
Marquis: “Don’t worry about it. Things like that happen, too.”
The Marquis of Edinburgh patted her on the shoulder as if he understood.
Marquis: “I will investigate the matter again. But the problem is…”
Keira: “We don’t have enough time.”
Marquis: “Yes, high-ranking nobles above the count have the right to request an emergency hearing. If nothing is ready yet… We’ll be at a disadvantage.”
Not to mention, the other party was fully prepared and had dug a trap. They couldn’t walk into a trap unprepared.
‘Time, time is the problem.’
The Marquis sighed and lamented.
Marquis: “Even if we want to delay the hearing, there is no way they can grant us our request…”
As soon as she heard those words, something flashed in her mind. Keira said.
Keira: “If they don’t listen to our request, we have to use someone else.”