Chapter 75. Francis’ Secret Technique

“…….”

“But I had no choice. If I hadn’t sealed your mana core, you could have died.”

The Duke of Francis looked at her with a bitter face. His daughter, who had grown so much, resembled his wife more and more as she grew.

The day his wife returned as a cold corpse was still a painful memory for him. The past days, where he had to suppress his cold anger for his daughter’s sake, left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Camilla.”

The Duke of Francis, who had been looking hollow, suddenly had a sharp glint in his eyes. Camilla could easily guess why. She encouraged him by holding his hands.

“Yes, please, go ahead, Father.”

Encouraged by Camilla’s calm reaction, the Duke of Francis gathered his courage. If her memories had returned, she might know what happened that day.

The Duke couldn’t help but bring up the day that had been his lifelong regret.

“Can you tell me what happened that day?”

“It might be a long story.”

Camilla began recounting the events of that day, as if she had been waiting for this moment.

* * *

Meanwhile, Aster and the twins had united over a single topic and were huddled together. Catherine carefully placed something down as if it were a precious treasure.

Recognizing it instantly, Aster spoke with a voice full of emotion.

“This is….”

“Hey, you can’t touch it recklessly.”

Catherine quickly hid the album and acted smug. It was an album containing Camilla’s adolescent years, specifically her time at the noble school in Ahivith.

“The uniform suits her very well.”

“Right? Our Sis looks amazing in her school uniform!”

Eddie puffed his chest with pride as if it were his own achievement. Catherine placed the album back down and started flipping through the pages.

Camilla, who had no abilities, attended the Apelli Noble School and graduated as the top student. She was an alumna with Paris and Helen, and they had a very bad relationship even back then.

Seeing occasional photos with Paris in them, it was clear they often encountered each other. As Aster quietly observed, he noticed something strange and mumbled.

“But the angles of these photos….”

Just as he was about to say they seemed like they were taken secretly, Catherine cleared her throat and made a lame excuse. She seemed flustered, having brought out the album to boast but immediately having its flaw pointed out.

“Ahem! Well, we told Sis it was a secret. Anyway, we have these photos to look at whenever we want!”

“Why are you acting like a rookie? If you tell Sis, you’re dead meat!”

Catherine and Eddie wiped their noses like street thugs. Their eyes were darting around nervously, evidently feeling guilty.

It meant the photos were taken without Camilla knowing.

Aster couldn’t help but laugh at the twins’ cute, secretive hobby. If it were a stranger, he might have buried them immediately, but since it was family, it was just adorable.

“Then, as a token of sharing the secret….”

Aster’s finger pointed to a photo of Camilla smiling brightly in her school uniform. Catherine and Eddie’s eyes began to quake with panic.

“Can I have this one? To keep the secret.”

At his request, Catherine quickly hid the photo and shouted.

“No way! That’s our Sis’s million-gold smile…!”

“Then how about this one?”

“Ugh! That’s a precious photo of our Sis looking at Paris Blanche like a bug!”

Eddie joined in, desperately trying to protect the photos. But Aster was just as persistent. He pointed to another photo and continued negotiating.

“Then….”

After several rounds of negotiation, Catherine reluctantly handed over a photo. Her trembling hands showed she was still unwilling to give it up.

“Here, take this one.”

“Thank you.”

“Sniff.”

Though Aster accepted it happily, Catherine didn’t let go of the photo. She gazed longingly at the picture of Camilla.

Her sister, dozing off in her school uniform, looked like a heavenly goddess. As Aster stared, Catherine pulled her hand back.

“No, wait, not this one…!”

“That’s not how it works.”

Aster quickly snatched the photo from Catherine’s hand before she could change her mind. Her small hands twitched as they followed the photo, but it disappeared into Aster’s inner pocket.

“Oh no, my photo…!”

Catherine let out a low groan and clenched and unclenched her empty hands.

Her eyes, looking down at her now empty hands, turned gloomy like a child who had lost a cherished toy.

At that moment, Camilla entered the room.

* * *

As soon as I entered the room, Catherine and Eddie quickly hid something and smiled brightly.

It seemed they had been showing off the album again. I already knew the twins secretly took and collected my photos.

I was even aware that I had posed for some of the photos, supporting their secret hobby.

‘At least they don’t seem to dislike Aster.’

I suppressed a smile as I watched the twins exchange glances with Aster.

Catherine and Eddie had a habit of showing their treasures to people they wanted to befriend.

Showing the album to Aster was their way of acknowledging him. Though they seemed unaware of it themselves.

“Looks like you were having fun.”

“We were.”

Aster smiled and patted his inner pocket. Curious, I tilted my head, but Aster changed the subject.

“Did your talk go well?”

“Yes, thanks to you.”

The conversation with my father had been quite long. Since it was a topic we had always avoided, there was much to discuss.

‘To think Samuel was conducting such vile experiments in secret.’

My father was furious about Duke Blanche’s experiments with demonic beasts. Experimenting on demonic beasts was illegal and could strengthen the evil energy, causing rifts.

Rifts were gates to the demon world. They always caused significant damage when they occurred simultaneously in random locations.

Though the exact cause was unknown, it was believed to react to strong evil energy.

But for the Blanche family, who were supposed to protect the empire, to conduct such experiments was infuriating.

‘The Black Shadow tried to capture the demonic beast alive. I killed it, so their efforts were in vain.’
‘If they tried to capture it alive, it means the experiments had progressed significantly.’
‘Yes. That was ten years ago, so it must be even worse now. We need to find where the Duke is conducting these experiments. Only then can we bring down the Blanche Duke once and for all.’

My father agreed to help avenge my mother. His reaction was different from before when he had always told me not to get involved.

He must have also wanted to avenge my mother deep down.

‘What’s strange is that even after the demonic beast died, the Black Shadow seemed to be searching for something.’
‘Searching?’
‘I’m not sure, but their tattoos resembled the stone embedded in the demonic beast’s forehead. Like the core of the demonic beast.’
‘Ha, no way… We need to check the tattoos of the captured Black Shadow immediately.’

My father rushed to the underground prison with a serious face upon hearing that the Black Shadow’s tattoos resembled the demonic beast’s core. He seemed to have guessed the reason behind the Duke’s experiments.

I took Aster’s hand.

“Let’s go to the underground together. There’s something we need to check.”

“Yes.”

Aster obediently followed me out of the room. The twins tried to follow, but I convinced them it was bedtime.

Just as we reached the underground prison in Francis Castle, there was a sudden explosion from inside.

Boom!

“Father!”

I rushed into the prison, terrified, only to find my father standing there with a cold expression. Fortunately, he was unharmed. However, the captured Black Shadow was not so lucky.

“Are you alright?”

Ignoring the dead remnants, I ran to my father. He was trembling, clutching something in his hand.

“Camilla.”

“Yes?”

“It seems Samuel Blanche has truly gone mad. To think… ha!”

“Yes?”

I couldn’t understand my father’s words and tilted my head in confusion. He continued.

“You’re not involved in this, are you?”

Father’s sharp gaze turned to Aster. It seemed he was suspicious because Aster was also a Blanche.

“Father, Aster is…!”

As I quickly tried to defend Aster, Father gave me a cold look. It was a look that said this was not my place to intervene. As I bit my lip, Aster firmly explained.

“I swear I have nothing to do with this matter.”