I Ended Up Saving the Duke Who Was Meant to Die - Chapter 6.1
After sending Irene to the temple, Severus couldn’t do anything. The Imperial Princess’s words weighed on his mind, making it impossible to focus on work.
“I’m worried the Imperial Princess might cause trouble.”
“Why didn’t you just go along with her wishes?”
“Who knows what fault she would find if I did that? Don’t you understand that? She boldly told me to come to her, even though I have a wife.”
The Imperial Princess’s obsession with Severus grew worse by the day. While everyone in the Imperial family despised him, strangely, the Imperial Princess wanted him. He didn’t think it was love. There had never been any connection between them. Rather, they were in positions where they should hate and despise each other.
“Perhaps she’s preparing for future succession rights?”
“If that were the case, she should marry someone from a family-friendly to the Imperial household, not me.”
Marriage wasn’t just about two people. It involved families and many competing interests. His case with Irene was an exception, but such cases were extremely rare.
Even those who married for love, blind to everything else, often regretted it once the blinding emotion faded and reality set in.
“The High Priest is with her, so Madam should be safe.”
Severus sneered at Albert’s words. That was precisely why he was more worried. He was anxious about what Michaelo might do, harboring other feelings for Irene. Though different from his concerns about the Imperial Princess, he regretted sending her alone regardless. He wanted to rush there and bring her back immediately, but he didn’t think Irene would comply with his wishes.
“Your Grace, if you’re so worried, why don’t you go see her?”
“I’m afraid she’ll just send me away alone. And it might give them an excuse.”
“The Imperial family will surely view Madam strangely. They might act thinking she’s Your Grace’s weakness. Since you mentioned the Imperial Princess said something concerning, perhaps we should prepare in advance.”
“Still, they can’t harm the Duchess.”
Albert shook his head and said.
“The Imperial family is capable of far worse. Do you really not know?”
Despite sending him to places he might not return from alive, to say such things… Albert was deeply worried about his lord.
“Other people’s lives mean nothing to them. Especially those who aren’t beneficial to them.”
“I know. But they care about appearances, so they can’t act openly.”
“If Madam is in danger, we will gladly help. Though we might be more of a hindrance than help, we’ll do anything if Madam wishes it.”
Severus laughed softly at Albert’s words. He wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, he too would be fortunate if he wasn’t a hindrance to her.
“Keep a close eye on the Imperial family’s movements. We should also investigate if the temple has any hidden agenda. I won’t be able to rest easy until Irene returns to the mansion.”
“I’ll inform everyone.”
***
‘What exactly did I just see?’
I stood frozen, taking in the scene of Michaelo and the priestesses before me. Red hair fell from the priestess’s head as she was thrown to the floor by his hand.
‘It’s a wig.’
It felt like they were imitating me. At least five priestesses were mimicking me while joining bodies with him. No, they were offering their bodies to him. They all begged him with faces that looked as if they were receiving salvation.
I had thought they were praying, but when I heard strange sounds, I realized something was wrong. Soon after, when Michaelo removed his clothes and his body was exposed, I was shocked to see the High Priest grabbing a priestess’s hips and thrusting his member into her.
Was this what they were hiding?
They joined bodies, and the priestesses begged Michaelo. Then one by one, the priestesses collapsed to the floor with pale faces. They looked like people who had everything taken from them.
I slowly backed away. I couldn’t believe this was the Michaelo I knew. The sound of flesh hitting flesh mixed with his calling my name echoed in my ears.
Having seen what I shouldn’t have, I suppressed the rising nausea and quickly left that place. His hideous appearance was even worse than I had imagined.
I walked quickly through the darkness-filled temple. Whenever I heard footsteps in the corridor, I hid and held my breath.
‘I hear footsteps.’
I could sense people wandering the corridors, perhaps standing guard. There seemed to be particularly many presences in this area. Did the high priest know too? Maybe he had posted guards to prevent others from discovering his true nature.
I waited for their footsteps to fade before carefully slipping out. At that moment, an urgent voice rang through the temple.
“Intruder! There’s an intruder!”
The surroundings became chaotic as bells began ringing.
‘Intruder?’
An intruder in the temple. And it happened on the day I came to the temple. Surely someone targeting me had come.
First, I needed to find out what Michaelo wanted amidst this chaos.
The path to the underground wasn’t smooth. There seemed to be more than just a few intruders, wearing masks and wandering around the temple. They were looking around as if searching for something.
I immediately knew they were looking for me. Although the temple had many valuable items, no one dared to steal them for fear of divine punishment.
I could be certain of this because they passed right by statues embedded with expensive jewels. While observing their movements from hiding, I quickly headed underground.
Originally, the priests here undergo basic training. They learn how to conceal their presence and reach their assigned locations.
I never thought I’d be using those skills now, but thanks to that training, I safely reached my destination.
I expected there to be guards, but no one was in sight. They must have left their posts due to the sudden intruders. This would be my only chance.
The image of Michaelo I had just witnessed wouldn’t leave my mind, making me feel sick again. His voice calling my name had been thick with desire. To commit such depraved acts with the priestesses – was there even a single truth in everything I knew about him?
I shook my head vigorously.
He must be hiding even worse things. The High Priest who engaged in nightly intimate acts with priestesses was no longer the person I had looked up to. While the acts themselves weren’t necessarily wrong, he had made others dress up as me. Then he acted as if he was joining bodies with me. Moreover, the priestesses collapsed on the floor looking as if they might as well be dead.
Although I had heard about his true nature from Severus before, witnessing it firsthand was far more shocking.
‘I need to focus.’
I slapped my cheeks hard to collect myself. Even worse things might unfold before my eyes. Though I hoped there wouldn’t be anything more shocking, the anxiety in my heart had long since grown.
Finally reaching the temple’s underground, I slowly steadied my breathing and calmed my racing heart. Except for a faint light, no other illumination existed. It was the perfect place for things to happen that others shouldn’t know about.
As I surveyed the underground, I carefully examined the ceiling, walls, and floor. Walking slowly through the space, I stopped at a certain point.
“Huh?”
Thinking I might have heard wrong, I stepped back from where I stopped and walked forward again.
“This is it.”
When I tapped my foot a few times on the spot that made a particularly hollow sound, it indeed rang empty. Finally, bending down to examine the floor closely, I firmly pressed on a slightly sunken section.
Thud.
With the sound, a square section of the floor about 1m wide moved, revealing stairs. Lights began to illuminate one by one in the secret passage that had been invisible in the darkness.
I carefully descended the stairs.
My breathing quickened with tension. I deliberately tried to stay calm by repeatedly taking deep breaths in and out.
Arriving at the door, I saw a solid iron door. There was just a door with neither a lock nor a locking device. The problem was that there was no handle to open it.
