Chapter 114

114: The Way to Live by Dying (1)

Julian hastily pulled Shayla down. A blue scarf was tightly wrapped around her slender neck.

He tore the scarf away, fingers fumbling to check for a pulse on the bruised neck. A faint throb reached his trembling fingertips.

“Shayla! Wake up, Shayla!”

Confirming that she was still breathing, he slapped her cheeks painfully and shouted. There was no response.

Julian urgently pressed his mouth to hers and breathed air into her lungs.

“Shayla, please!”

At the desperate embrace,

“Cough, cough!”

Violent coughing erupted.

Her butterfly-like eyelashes fluttered, revealing her eyes. Shayla’s gaze, foggy, searched for him.

“Shayla!”

“…Julian…?”

A hoarse voice whispered. Almost simultaneously, tears he had never shed before rolled down the man’s face.

‘…A dream. If this is a dream before dying, it’s not so bad.’

She weakly raised a hand to touch his cheek. The face looking down at her was terribly distorted.

‘If it’s a dream, at least give me a smile.’

‘At least I’m not alone at the end. With that thought, Shayla slipped back into unconsciousness.’

⚜ ⚜ ⚜

Julian returned late at night during his leave. Arriving in a black carriage, he carried a woman wrapped in blankets into the mansion.

Woken up by Jensen’s urgent report, Adelaide was stunned to see the unconscious Shayla Lephisto.

“Your Grace, please help me.”

Kneeling by the bed where he had laid Shayla, Julian pleaded.

Callion, rubbing his tired face, spoke heavily.

“What happened?”

“Well…”

Julian briefly explained.

He had discovered Shayla attempting to take her own life by the lakeside in the Uclaire Marquisate. Callion clicked his tongue.

“Did you show her to a doctor?”

“Yes. They said her life is not in danger, but…”

Julian bowed his head, feeling the weariness of a night’s travel.

Adelaide listened to Julian while watching Shayla.

News of Shayla’s disappearance had been spreading for days.

The bride-to-be of the imperial wedding had gone missing, naturally raising questions.

There were rumors that Duke Lephisto, secretly searching for Shayla, was contemplating making her disappearance public.

‘Father suspects Your Grace.’

Lucid had said this yesterday afternoon while scouring the capital.

In a situation where Callion was suspected of abducting Shayla, her presence at the grand duchy was hardly welcome.

“First, contact Duke Lephisto.”

“No.”

Julian shook his head immediately.

“If we send her to the duke’s house, Shayla will die.”

With that, Julian pulled out a piece of paper from his pocket.

It was Shayla’s suicide note.

She wrote that she couldn’t live as Elkius’s wife, that her living would only cause trouble for many people, and begged for forgiveness.

The paper, stained with tears, conveyed this.

Callion’s expression darkened as he read.

Shayla must have been desperate to make such a decision, unable to endure any longer.

“We need to find a place to hide Shayla.”

“No.”

Adelaide, who had been standing back, interjected into their conversation.

Julian glared at her sharply. Adelaide met his gaze calmly and continued.

“Elkius is staking everything on this marriage. If Lady Lephisto’s disappearance becomes known, they will search the entire empire to find her.”

“We can hide her somewhere no one will find.”

“If Lady Lephisto goes missing, Your Grace will be the first to be suspected. What will you do if the emperor’s soldiers storm the mansion under the pretext of searching for her?”

“Then what do you suggest?”

“There are only two options: marry Elkius or become a dead person.”

Julian was about to protest when Callion, understanding Adelaide’s meaning, added first.

“You mean we should fake Shayla’s death.”

“Yes. It’s risky, but it’s the best option.”

“Isn’t there a high chance of getting caught?”

“We’ll have to find a way not to get caught.”

Adelaide gestured to Jensen, who was blending into the wall, observing the outside.

“Jensen, go fetch Zatia.”

“Yes, My Lady.”

While Jensen went to fetch Zatia, Adelaide mulled over what Zatia had said a few days ago.

‘You can make a living person appear dead, but bringing a dead person back to life is impossible.’

If they could make a living person look dead, then it would be possible to fake Shayla’s death.

The issue was whether Zatia, who wasn’t a formal sorceress, could actually perform such magic.

“My Lady, I’ve brought Zatia.”

Zatia, looking disheveled, was ushered into the room, her eyes wide with surprise as she took in the scene.

“Zatia, we need to talk.”

Adelaide led Zatia out onto the terrace. Sensing the gravity of the situation, Zatia stiffened.

“Zatia, you mentioned a few days ago that you could use magic to make a living person appear dead, right?”

“Uh, yes…”

Zatia glanced nervously at Shayla before answering.

“But it’s difficult to do here.”

“Why?”

“To use the spell, I need the blood of someone infused with magical power. I haven’t undergone the proper rituals…”

Adelaide’s face fell with disappointment.

“What about finding a sorcerer in this area?”

“Caucasian sorcerers don’t leave their sanctuaries. There won’t be any nearby.”

“Couldn’t there be someone with magical abilities, even if they aren’t a sorcerer?”

Despite Adelaide’s persistent questions, Zatia shook her head silently.

“Could you use my blood?”

“What?”

Zatia asked, startled. Her round eyes were filled with confusion.

“You mentioned before that you sensed magical energy in me.”

“My Lady, that was…”

“My blood will work, won’t it?”

“….”

Zatia lowered her head. Even without hearing her answer, Adelaide knew the meaning.

“Tell me how to do it, Zatia.”

“It’s too dangerous. If it goes wrong, there could be side effects.”

“It’s okay. I’m prepared for that.”

“My Lady, I’m just an apprentice sorceress. If something goes wrong…”

“Don’t worry. Nothing bad will happen over something like this.”

Adelaide tightly grasped Zatia’s hands.

“There’s no one else. I need your help.”

“….”

“You’ll help, right?”

“…I’ll try.”

Zatia reluctantly nodded. Adelaide finally smiled.

“Thank you. Let’s keep this secret between us.”

If Callion knew, he would surely try to stop them.

After finishing their conversation, Adelaide re-entered the room.

“There might be a way.”

“Is that true?”

“Yes. Zatia can make a potion that temporarily makes someone appear dead. We’ll use it to deceive everyone, hold a funeral, and then secretly move Lady Lephisto.”

Adelaide explained the plan, patting Zatia’s shoulder. Zatia added hesitantly,

“But the process is complex. I’ll need Her Grace’s help.”

Callion, who had been standing with his arms crossed, uncrossed them and looked at Adelaide skeptically.

“Is it dangerous?”

“The organs temporarily stop functioning, so we can’t guarantee 100% safety. But this is the best option…”

“I mean for you.”

“Oh, I’ll just be watching.”

Adelaide casually shifted the topic.

“When Lady Lephisto wakes up, you two can talk to her. Don’t force her if she refuses.”

“Understood.”

“Then Zatia and I will get started on the potion.”

Avoiding Callion’s piercing gaze, Adelaide left the room.

The process of making the potion was simple.

They steeped Velido, Noxia, and Tolaka berries to create a strong brew, then mixed it with blood infused with magical energy.

“Now, add your blood.”

Without hesitation, Adelaide cut her wrist.

As the blood drops fell into the boiling liquid, a dark red smoke rose instantly.

“Ah—”

“My Lady!”

For a moment, her vision dimmed. Zatia supported Adelaide as she staggered.

“I’m fine. Just a bit dizzy.”

“You must have lost too much blood. Let me bandage you.”

Zatia wrapped the deep cut with a bandage.

Meanwhile, the smoke that had filled the kitchen was absorbed back into the pot.

Zatia transferred the finished liquid into a small container.

“Is it ready?”

“Yes.”

Adelaide took the container and headed to the room where Shayla was. After knocking, she entered, finding Shayla curled up on the bed.

“Are you awake?”

“…I’m sorry for the trouble, Your Grace.”

Shayla greeted her with a pale face. Adelaide waved her hand as she approached the bed.

“It’s fine. Let’s get to the point. Julian told you the plan, right?”

“Yes.”

“What do you want to do?”

“I’ll follow Your Grace’s plan.”

“Think carefully. It could cost your life if it goes wrong.”

“Marrying him is worse than death.”

Her eyes, red and swollen from crying, quickly filled with tears again.

Satisfied with Shayla’s resolve, Adelaide handed her the potion.

“This will put you in a state of suspended animation for about a week. We’ll move you to a safe place during that time.”

“…Okay.”

“When you wake up, it’ll all be over.”

“Thank you, Your Grace.”

Shayla smiled weakly through her tears.

.

.

.

The next morning, the body of the missing Shayla Lephisto was found.