How to Tame That Gentle Male Lead - Chapter 6.7
***
“What? Eldis has started investigating the priests?”
Zergard’s voice, filled with anger, poured out from inside the crystal ball. However, Eum continued speaking with a calm face.
-Yes. It seems Eldis has finished figuring out where the dark mages are coming from.
“That annoying bastard…”
-But, it’s strange. Someone else apparently informed him that dark mages are born from apostate priests, even though he’s been relentlessly arresting our people.
“Who could that be?”
At this, Eum paused for a moment before moving his lips.
-…It’s the Arnasus Duke’s daughter who saw through Master’s scheme before, Resena Arnasus.
For a moment, Zergard was at a loss for words.
An indescribable silence settled. But Eum, as if he had anticipated even this, quietly waited for the Master’s response.
In fact, Eum had considered lying to the Master.
Especially since he had learned that the annoying Eldis, who had cut off the Master’s arm and dealt him a blow, was deeply infatuated with her.
“…It seems we need to frighten Resena a bit.”
Zergard said with a low groan. However, even though he said this, Eum judged that he wouldn’t actually make her fear Zergard with terror.
Because until now, Zergard had only shown goodwill towards Resena, and even when he occasionally wanted to use her, he never did anything to make her miserable.
-Do you really intend to threaten her?
“I suppose I must. If she runs to Eldis and recites her thoughts, our dark mage guild itself might collapse someday.”
Eum didn’t argue that this thought was excessive. He simply nodded quietly and waited for his words.
Zergard clenched his fist, his eyes glowing coldly.
The recovery was over.
Now that he had confirmed his arm was moving safely, and the apostates he had come to help had successfully awakened as dark mages… It was best to go up to the capital and cause confusion in the investigation of dark mages.
And in the midst of that, he needed to intimidate Resena, the one who provided inspiration, to sever her connection with Eldis.
“Is the magic barrier of the House of Arnasus still dismantled?”
– Yes. Munira is managing the magic stone that maintains the barrier without restoring it. The Duke and Duchess of Arnasus trust Munira, so they’ll never know she’s on our side.
Heh.
Zergard rose from his seat. Then, bending his waist and wearing a cruel smile, he tilted his head towards the crystal ball.
“Well then, I should go up to the capital and pay Resena a visit.”
The corners of his mouth twisted up sarcastically.
“Eum. Issue the order to Allan, Meul, and Satina under your command. We need to create chaos in the capital to draw the troops’ attention there.”
Zergard’s blue eyes gleamed ominously.
He opened his hand and summoned black mana above it.
A pitch-black fire burned brilliantly, unaffected by anything.
As if nothing could interfere with them.
“I need to confront Eldis head-on once again. And make him realize. Make him physically realize how powerful we dark mages are.”
***
“Baron Theseus Aldana sent a letter, I see.”
“Ah. I met the Baron at the auction. He was also interested in Vernas’s ‘God’s Sculpture’ series, so we got along well.”
“Hmm. I see. And I thought…”
Resena smiled at her father, her eyes crinkling prettily.
“Did you think I was dating him?”
“…Not quite that… I just thought he might be proposing engagement to you.”
Chuckling, Resena waved her hand.
“Even though Baron Aldana is handsome, I have no intention of getting engaged. To be honest, I don’t have any immediate plans for engagement. There’s no one I’m that deeply involved with either.”
Of course, Resena continued.
“There is someone I’m interested in, but it’s not Crown Prince Eldis. His position is too high for me to give my heart to him completely…”
“Be honest, Resena. Isn’t it because he has rejected you until now that you can’t accept him?”
As the Duke spoke with kind eyes, Resena shook her head.
“It’s not because of that. If I had thought of getting revenge for that, I would have openly rejected him. But the reason I’m not openly rejecting His Highness the Crown Prince is because I want to convey my advice to him completely.”
The Duke’s eyes widened. But soon he smiled gently and put down his fountain pen on the documents.
“I see. You mentioned before that you have an advisor and executor relationship with the Crown Prince. Is that thought still unchanged?”
“Yes. To Eldis, I mean, to His Highness the Crown Prince.”
The Duke watched Resena quietly for a moment before speaking.
“You even call each other by name?”
“Yes. That’s true, but my feelings for His Highness the Crown Prince aren’t that strong.”
“…”
Seeing his daughter reject Eldis, he felt somewhat relieved.
His daughter had been chasing after Eldis for over 10 years. However, during that time, Eldis had consistently rejected Resena’s courtship. In severe cases, there were times when Eldis directly rejected her confession at Resena’s birthday ball.
‘But now the relationship has reversed.’
The Duke recalled with a gaze as if looking into the distance. However, Eldis’s calm face was always cold towards Resena, so it was hard to imagine him courting her.
Even when he immediately went to see His Majesty the Emperor after receiving Resena’s letter revealing the background of the dark mages, the Duke thought that even if Eldis had feelings for his daughter, he wouldn’t make her the Crown Princess.
After all, the period of rejection had been so long.
“But I didn’t expect that.”
Even when he came to his mansion and saw Resena and Renard together, he didn’t have such expectations… But from the fact that they called each other by name, he could tell that Resena was considered special by Eldis.
“Then who is the person you’re interested in?”
As her father asked kindly, Resena felt she should answer this honestly. Her father and mother wouldn’t be bothered by the fact that Vernas was a knight and sculptor, and they were the kind of people who would accept anyone she chose as a potential husband.
‘Rather, lying would be counterproductive.’
“Vernas, the sculptor who’s causing a stir in the world, is the one I’ve given my heart to.”
“Hmm. Vernas… He’d be a commoner, does he have a knighthood?”
Resena nodded. And suddenly, remembering that Eldis also had a knighthood, she couldn’t help but smile.
