Chapter 135

A chilling sensation flashed through the Duke’s body.

Having lived as if unaware of the word “carelessness,” the Duke instinctively realized at that moment that he had made a mistake.

As soon as he heard the distinct sound of footsteps, he could immediately guess whose they were.

There was no one else who could make such elegant and lovely sounds.

“Ugh…”

As expected, it turned out to be just what he feared.

As long as it wasn’t Julia.

It was Julia who happened to be eavesdropping just around the corner.

Having been completely unfocused, he was left in a predicament.

Once again, he realized how difficult it was to maintain constant vigilance in human form.

“Did you hear?”

“You’re saying you live forever? Is that true?”

Julia asked with a trembling voice.

It was a difficult question to answer.

Yes, I am a dragon, and I live forever.

And how could he say that he had nothing to do with the dragon who had violated her?

Since everything was already exposed, acting as if nothing had happened would be quite amusing.

“Ha ha. You’ve caught me. It’s a peculiar trait of mine.”

Thus, the Duke decided to be brazen.

Since he was always shameless, distinguishing whether this was real shamelessness or just an act would not be easy.

He wouldn’t lie but would also keep the truth hidden.

To avoid any repercussions and maintain their current relationship, this method was the best.

“Is it like Leopard… a body that has no choice but to live forever?”

Julia had already begun to misunderstand.

It wouldn’t be easy to deduce that he was a dragon just from hearing the word “immortality.”

Especially if one was from another realm, it would be even harder.

Julia was currently thinking of him as someone with peculiar traits.

It was rare for someone to live forever, even more so than dragons, but since she herself had such a trait, she couldn’t help but be suspicious of humans.

In reality, the hero Leopard did not live forever, but he decided not to point that out.

“It’s similar. I can die, but I don’t age. Just like you, Miss Julia.”

“Why… why didn’t you say anything…?”

“Because you didn’t ask.”

“……”

Julia’s body trembled like a quaking aspen.

She looked as if he could hug her at any moment, but he restrained himself.

Amidst Julia’s shivering voice, there was a trace of anger mixed with embarrassment.

“It’s a joke. I intentionally didn’t say it.”

“Why…?”

“Because it felt like cheating. I felt guilty trying to appeal to you as a man who is eternally immortal when you are also an immortal. I want you to choose me truly, not because of your circumstances or environment.”

“That won’t happen…”

“It won’t now, but it will.”

Julia shot him a hostile look.

Perhaps she had caught on.

While speaking only facts, he had cleverly concealed the truth.

Despite that, the Duke faced Julia without any distortion in his expression.

Lara, who was caught in the middle, could only stand still, feeling uncomfortable in this situation.

“I understand…”

It was Julia who averted her gaze first.

She dropped her head as if she had given up everything, trembling softly.

“For my sake, right? Of course, you would do that. Master always deceives me like this.”

“……!”

Oh no.

He had been caught in his deceit.

The Duke couldn’t suppress the shaking of his body for a moment.

Having never feared anything until now, it was a sudden jolt.

As Julia sent him a slightly sharp gaze while sobbing, he felt as if he were pushing his head into a guillotine.

It might be more accurate to say he felt like he had encountered the ancient dragon slayer, Tiamat, even if he put his head into the guillotine.

Before everything could spiral out of control, the Duke hastily tried to excuse himself.

“W-well…”

“You hid it for me? That a person lives forever? How could you hide something so significant? How could you tell me you love me or ask me to marry you without revealing that? I’m scared, Master. What if this isn’t the end? I’m terrified of what other horrifying things you might have hidden from me in the name of ‘for my sake’…”

“……”

His expectations were off.

Julia hadn’t caught on to the deception.

She was simply angry about his attitude.

She was disappointed at his flippant nature promising a future without even mentioning something as significant as immortality.

As Julia glared at him with red eyes, the Duke could only stare down at the ground, unable to meet her gaze.

He felt disgrace.

He had vowed to treat Julia seriously, yet he had failed to convey sufficient sincerity to her.

It was a complete blunder.

The Duke reflected deeply, punishing himself with this pain.

Seeing the woman he loved cry because of him was more bitter than he had imagined.

“Huff… Please pass me to the Director. Tia will start looking for me soon.”

“……”

After a long time of being overwhelmed with emotions, Julia seemed to calm down and extended her hand.

The Duke could only hang a cage on Julia’s hand without saying a word.

He turned and, with the cage in hand, watched as Julia left for the villa, unable to stop her.

Even after Julia disappeared, he stood there blankly for a long while.

“Let’s not create situations that require deception like today.”

With that painful thought, he concluded his reflection.

The result was, “Let’s be more thorough.”

If only he hadn’t had such a conversation out loud near the villa, Julia would have had no reason to catch on.

He needed to be meticulous, ensuring that Julia never realizes the eternal secret until her immortality ends.

Forever.

“Director.”

“Yes, yes…!”

Meanwhile, Julia, having returned to the villa, had reached a quiet corner where Tia wouldn’t see her, and faced Lara.

Julia’s face, shaded from the light, seemed to exude a chilling aura.

Though the spirit of the old holy maiden that had once overwhelmed Julia’s body was surely sealed, Lara felt as though she were looking at that old version of Julia.

“What kind of person is the Duke that he is said to have infinite lifespan? No, it’s certain he has an infinite lifespan?”

“Ah, um… Well, that is…”

Lara avoided Julia’s gaze, stretching her words as long as possible.

What should I do?

If it were in her days as a great spirit, she would have laughed off the pressure from the holy maiden or Dragania.

But now she was caught between Dragania, who had promised to restore her powers, and the holy maiden, who was the mother of the one who could restore her power.

At some point, Lara had grasped the entire situation, but she could not bring herself to tell Julia that the Duke was a dragon.

For the sake of Julia and the Duke, this was not something a third party should speak of.

“It’s hard for you to speak on this? Then, just answer what you can honestly. You may ignore questions that are difficult to answer.”

“The fact that his lifespan is infinite is the unsullied truth…”

“Hmm. It’s difficult to disclose his true identity, then.”

Earlier, she had acted as if his real identity mattered little, regardless of what it was.

Was that all an act?

Chills ran down Lara’s spine.

“One more thing. Did the Duke really have no woman? Ah, was that the wrong question? Are there no women he tried to get close to? Given that you’ve been around for quite some time, I thought you might know.”

“I’ve only known the Duke for about 7,000 years, but… as far as I know, he hasn’t had any. I’ve never seen or heard of him keeping a woman by his side.”

“Thank you for cooperating, Director. It seems like it’s going to be happening soon. It won’t take long for you to regain your strength and escape this cage.”

“……”

The moment Julia sprung up with a look of relief, Lara felt a wave of relief wash over her.

She could regain her strength and leave the cage.

It should have been welcoming news, yet for some reason, the thought of leaving the cage filled Lara with dread.

.

.

.

“Indeed, he was a special person…”

Something felt odd.

No matter how powerful the Duke was in the provinces, Dragania was not a massive force to the extent that the Emperor should feel the need to be so wary.

Once she learned the detailed circumstances, she realized that it was not an overreaction.

The Duke, who was gradually expanding his influence from the provinces, truly lived forever, and his ambitions were unending?

This was undoubtedly a top priority for purging.

The Emperor must have offered to strip the Duke of his title while showering him with unimaginable wealth in exchange, but the Duke must have refused.

The result was the current cold standoff.

Meanwhile, the Emperor was bedridden, and all his prospective heirs were displaying friendly attitudes toward the Duke, so it was no surprise the Emperor had a headache.

He seemed a bit pitiful.

It felt as if he had made a mess of things with his offspring, which was a complicated sentiment.

“Living forever…”

She had never thought much about immortality.

She had never once seriously considered her future.

She had only thought of finding a way to escape.

But now, perhaps it was time to think seriously about it.

As she sighed, pondering this heavy topic for the first time in a while…

“Julia!”

Startled by the sound of an overly excited voice from below, she looked down.

There was Nikolai, breathing heavily and shining with eager eyes.

“I want one!”

“Ugh!”

The only problem was that he was holding a fox.

He was not the usual insolent little brat, but rather had a face that a cute boy his age should have, making her smile unbidden.

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