The Elven Duke Reluctantly Marries The Cursed Lady - Chapter 71
“Haaaaaaaaaah!”
Verbena sighed deeply. The reason she seemed nervous was because they were meeting the king today.
Hydrangea stopped Verbena and asked her to remain when she brought lunch.
Violette had a lot of free time by herself while he was at work. He thought that it must be very stressful for her to be in the same room as her husband whom she did not like, so he had Verbena accompany her.
“You don’t need to be that nervous, it’s just the king.”
“That might be true for you Milord, but that person is beyond my station. It worries me that I might do something wrong.”
Meanwhile, Violette was calm.
[Verbena, it’s just as my husband says. The king is human just like us. There is nothing to be afraid of.]
“Madam…”
Even though she was in cat form, Violette still appeared like a noble woman for some reason.
She looked very determined for someone who was having an audience with the king.
“Shall we go then?”
[Yes]
Since they were invited by the king, they went directly to his personal chambers.
◇◇◇
“Ooh, Hydrangea.You came!”
The king seemed to be in the middle of work, but he stood up to welcome them.
He was a little thinner just as the letter said, and his complexion had also considerably improved.
It seemed that the Court Physician’s treatment and Hydrangea’s potions worked.
The keen-eyed king spotted Violette who was being held by Verbena
“Hmm? And who is this?”
“She is my familiar.”
He had no intention of telling the king about Violette’s condition, so he found a reasonable excuse and introduced her as his familiar.
“I see. What is her name?”
“Vi—”
Verbena coughed just as he was about to say her name. Hydrangea immediately caught on and paused.
You are introducing Violette not as your wife but as your familiar right now. If you say her name, he might misunderstand and think that you are a pervert who names his cat after his wife.
“Her name is Vi.”
“Hmm, it’s a nice name.”
Hydrangea got away with it thanks to Verbena’s quick wit. He glanced her way and thanked her.
They were guided to the receiving room which was beside the office.
The attendants, including Verbena, left after serving the tea and refreshments.
Meanwhile, Violette remained and was seated gracefully next to Hydrangea.
“So, Your Majesty, what strange purpose do you have for inviting me?”
“Ah, well, I wanted to talk to you about curing illnesses with the power of magic.”
According to the king, a minister approached him saying that he would introduce him to a witch doctor.
“If I took the witch doctor’s treatment, they said I could eat anything I want and lose weight in a few days.”
Moreover, he was told that there were only 10 witch doctors in the world and that person was the best among them. Appointments for consultation are booked up to several years in advance, but a special consultation would be set up for the king.
The king thought that it was such a good opportunity that he agreed right away— or at least pretended to.
“I would have been happy to go for a consultation before, but I know better now. I cannot just take it easy and hope for the best.”
The king had changed when he realized the importance of losing weight and being healthy after modifying his lifestyle and exercising.
“Hydrangea, I am thinking of meeting this witch doctor. Would you come with me?”
Hydrangea nodded at the king’s wish.
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
When he responded, the king gave him an innocent, child-like smile.
◇◇◇
Hydrangea immediately shared the information with Prince Magnolia.
The news did not seem to have reached the prince yet, and his expression was a mix of surprise, bewilderment, and dismay towards the minister.
When he heard about the witch doctor, the first thing that came to mind was the mage working under Tritoma Celsia.
“It’s convenient that they came to us on their own even without an invitation.”
“But what are they aiming for by getting close to my father…?”
Our enemy is a mage who does not reveal his true identity and pulls the strings from within the shadows. To be honest, I feel uneasy.
In their repeated investigations, they found that there were many ministers who received bribes and frequently changed the merchants who transacted with them.
Prince Magnolia thought that they must have also exchanged money for an opportunity to meet with the king.
“Well, that’s fine. Since they’re coming, then we must show them our utmost hospitality.”
Hydrangea’s smile as he said this could be likened to that of a demon lord or a fiend, but Prince Magnolia did not point this out and looked the other way instead.
◇◇◇
And so, the day of their meeting with the witch doctor arrived.
Violette stood beside Hydrangea.
He wanted her to confirm if it was the same person who used to frequent the Count Northpole estate, so he decided to take her with him.
He had hidden Violette with an illusion, and ordered her to stick beside him.
When he glanced at her from the side, her expression was both stiff and tense.
They waited inside the king’s bedroom for an hour. Finally, the man claiming to be the witch doctor arrived. To their surprise, the witch doctor turned out to be a young man. He seemed to be a little older than Hydrangea, about 30 or so.
His waist-length dark blue hair was tied at the back, and a topaz amulet for warding off evil was attached to his forehead. He was dressed in a long, ankle-length white robe with a stand-up collar which was similar to those worn by priests.
The eyes behind his glasses were narrow, and his golden eyes showed no emotion. Although his facial features were well-defined, his other features did not leave much of an impression.
Violette, who had been standing behind Hydrangea, tapped his back with the tip of her ruby rod.
There seemed to be no doubt that he was the mage who had visited the Count Northpole estate during Violette’s childhood.
Notice for readers:
Again, sorry for not updating in a while. I thought I had some free time just before the Holidays last year, but… Life threw me for a loop, so now I’m battling dragons, demon lords, and world-building in another world while being surrounded by hot guys :D/
Just kidding. I’m ill right now but it’s curable because we caught it early, so let’s just hang in there ;-; I’ll be uploading my stocked chapters and lock it for a bit with timed releases, so please standby and thank you for your patience.
-Seimei
supernug
Take care of yourself! Hope you feel better soon. 🙂