Chapter 90
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"Yes, I know. Because the person who brought you to Lagrange was my colleague."
"Colleague?"
Did that mean Camille was one of Marquis Deus\' people?
"Yes, but in the end, she died without accomplishing her goal. Because she had mistaken you for another child."
I narrowed my eyes at the cooperative attitude of Damon answering my questions.
\'I can\'t read his intentions.\'
I could clearly see his distinct aura, but I didn\'t have enough information to figure out what he could be thinking.
\'At the very least, I don\'t think it\'s malicious.\'
"Wait a minute."
I raised my hand before Damon could hastily threaten me. He lifted his eyebrow, wondering why I interrupted him.
"What is it?"
"It looks like you\'re telling me that the Lagrange blood doesn\'t run through my veins."
I went on, lifting my chin in arrogance. I already knew he\'d threaten me about things like that.
"Dietrich already knows the fact that I\'m not his real sister."
"Then, does he also know that you\'re the youngest daughter of Grand Duke Euclid?"
I shut my mouth at Damon\'s incoming question. Startled, my eyes went wide as he silently continued.
"You are the only sister of Hermann Euclid and the daughter born between Dona Euclid and Grand Duke Euclid."
"........"
"I\'m sorry if this surprised you."
He suddenly thrust my identity in front of my face, then seeing my complexion turn deathly pale, he carefully apologized.
"Do you think Dietrich would believe such nonsense?"
"I\'m not saying this without proof. Moreover, I am also Marquis Dues."
"So?"
"I could take you to the ducal couple and flatter them with empty words. You are their precious lost daughter after all."
\'As I continue to listen to him speak, there\'s nothing this person can\'t say, huh.\'
I was so dumbfounded that I could only bite my mouth.
"Just now, what did you–"
"And then everyone in the empire will know that the Lagrange stole Euclid\'s only daughter."
Only daughter?
I stared at him with a dry smile. It\'s really funny. I wonder who exactly lost their daughter? The Euclids abandoned Anissa. When they, in front of a newborn baby, already held a memorial rite for her death.
As soon as I dimly recalled the miserable past, I frowned. Damon, who was staring at me, opened his spiteful mouth and continued.
"And that scandal will not help His Grace who just received his approval from Marguerite the Second."
"What connection is there? Dietrich\'s succession has officially been approved!"
"In the Empire Bernoulli, the succession of the great nobles is divided into three processes. The acknowledgement of the family, the approval of the Emperor, and lastly, the noble\'s council."
In other words, more than half of the eight families that were the consolidating power in the capital have to give their approval for the succession to be completed.
\'Lagrange isn\'t really popular so I wonder if it will be alright.\'
"Of course, I have no intentions to tell. I also have no interest regarding His Grace\'s succession. My lady just needs to make a pledge that you will keep silent about my identity."
"........"
"Don\'t pretend you don\'t know anymore. Isn\'t that the reason why you\'re keeping your mouth closed right now?"
Without speaking, Damon bent his waist and fumbled around his shadow. Kiwuuk, with familiar screams, the little demon caught in his hand emerged and struggled.
"I know you sent this little guy to rake in more information about me, Lady Anissa."
\'When did he catch on?\'
I tried to turn away from the little demon looking up at me with ardent eyes and chewed my lips.
I had been keeping an eye on him ever since I had suspicions that he was the Damon I knew. It was strange no matter how much I thought about it. Despite his appearance and ability, he didn\'t even appear in the book, regardless, he was too suspicious.
"I liked you better when you were a knight."
I finally confessed and pouted my lips."
I thought he was more gentle and polite in Lagrange.
"I like you more now than before, Princess."
"Fine. I\'ll do that contract. Instead, I have a question for you."
"You may ask."
Damon took two sheets of parchment out of his arms, as if to draw up a contract. I looked at the paper rustling on top of the desk with an uncomfortable gaze.
"You said that your colleague had a goal in bringing me to Lagrange."
"Yes."
"What was that goal?"
"I don\'t know. But my colleague terribly hated Derek, so she wouldn\'t have brought you there for him."
\'Camille hated Derek?\'
All I had in my memory was a glimpse of her splendid beauty and was filled with admiration. Even Liatris, who was loved by Derek in his own way, eventually lost her mind, saying he was despicable.
\'Well, who would be able to like that guy?\'
"Do you want to know who my colleague was?"
Damon seemed to think I didn\'t know who kidnapped me from Euclid. I snorted seeing the corners of his mouth lift as if to stimulate my curiosity.
\'Without the memory of my past life, it would be impossible for a newborn baby to remember what happened when she was young.\'
But I wasn\'t like that. I strongly shook my head and opened my mouth to pry into how on earth he knew about me.
\'Could he be a person from Euclid?\'
But if Marquis Deus was Euclid\'s informant, then Charlotte would not warn me against him.
"...No. I don\'t need to know. What did you mean by colleague? Are you sure you\'re the Marquis?"
Actually, I wanted to ask if he was a human. After meeting him at the ball, I searched the study study in the mansion or the bookstores around the capital as if I was taking over the place, and then made every effort to secretly ask how to meet with a magician.
However, the only answer I gleaned was that there was no magic that could completely change one\'s appearance.
\'Isn\'t he like a demon?\'
Demons who have been with humans for a long time eventually take on a human-like appearance. In fact, Vassagi almost looked like a human.
\'But there\'s no way a person who has no proof of identity could be a knight in Lagrange.\'
I faced his smooth face which had no trace of his days when he was a knight except for his aura and the color of his hair.
"That\'s…"
Damon stared at me with crystal clear eyes at my question. His lips curled as if he was about to tell the truth.
"Do you really want to know?"
"If I didn\'t want to know, would I be asking? Are you playing with me right now?"
"It won\'t do you any good if you find out."
I focused on Damon\'s mouth moving slowly.
A gentle, spring breeze from somewhere blew through his fringes. The blue and silver hair gleamed as it swayed.
"You know everything about my biological parents, don\'t you think that\'s a little unfair?"
I vented my frustration as I grabbed a quill pen to sign the contract he put forward.
"Do you want to know my secret at least?"
Damon laughed softly, like a whisper of sweet nothings. Still mad at him playing around, I nervously nudged the quill pen into the ink bottle. The black ink splashed everywhere and splattered a black dot on the back of his hand.
"It\'s fine if you don\'t want to tell me."
"My appearance right now is not a mask made up of lies. Nobody knows of this fact. Not even my sister."
My eyes went round at Damon\'s indifferent and casual remarks.
\'If it was a secret, why would he tell me?\'
He shared a secret, but my suspicions lingered. No matter how much I think about it, he\'s a shady person.
"It feels cowardly to offer this deal and only keep quiet about my identity. Please be satisfied with this for the time being."
I shrugged at Damon\'s calm, just as persuasive words. The truth was, Damon didn\'t need to tell me what he knew about me.
"I didn\'t know you would really tell me."
"Students who are diligent are precious so I cherish them."
It didn\'t look like it had any prescription, but his monocle which he always wears during classes reflected the sun and sparkled.
"Let\'s keep quiet about each other\'s identities. And in situations where it is deemed necessary to hide our identities, we pledge to help each other wholeheartedly."
"What happens if I sign here? Does the price involve taking one\'s life?"
"I\'m not the kind of person who would impose such a terrible price on a child."
\'On a child?\'
It sounded as if he would forcefully impose such a price on adults.
"The restraints stipulated in the contract will only prevent us from saying a word about each other\'s identities."
It wasn\'t disadvantageous towards me either.
Frowning at the sunlight reflecting off his glasses, I wrapped up my contract with Damon.
"With that, I\'ll end my classes here. Thank you for your hard work all this time, Lady Anissa."
"Yes, Madame Montmartre."
After putting an emphasis on his nickname, I got up from my seat and answered politely as if I had forgotten the deal between us.
\'Charlotte didn\'t warn me to be careful for nothing.\'
I almost bled because I didn\'t listen to the words of the female protagonist.