No Longer Your Puppet, Duke 의 모든 챕터: 챕터 121 - 챕터 130

Suddenly, a male servant from the Adrienne residence approached Rieta with a panicked expression. "Pardon me, Lady! One of your guards is arguing with a guard from another noble family. Please break them up—he might listen to you as a fellow guard!"Rieta’s gaze sharpened. "What? Who?""A young guard! He seems to have lost his way and ended up getting into a brawl at the front pavilion!"Selen, she thought."Go, Rieta. Catch up with me together with him later," Roselyn said suddenly."But, Your Grace—""I’ll be fine. A servant from this residence can guide me."Reluctantly, Rieta nodded. "I will return as soon as I resolve this."Rieta rushed off toward the side pavilion.However, unbeknownst to Rieta, Selen was simultaneously trapped by a different trick. A knight of Sirius approached Selen outside and claimed that Carl had ordered an inspection of a suspicious carriage in the backyard."Tell your own knights," Selen refused loudly. "I am a knight of the North.""That's precisely why

Derrick stepped closer, his movements slow and measured, as though he feared even the slightest sudden motion might shatter the woman’s fragile emotional state.Without a word, he removed his heavy cloak. With absolute gentleness, he draped the warm fabric over Roselyn’s shoulders, concealing her exposed skin."You're safe now," he whispered softly.Derrick’s fingers lingered briefly in front of Roselyn before he released the cloak entirely, as if hesitating—uncertain whether his hands were still worthy of touching the woman before him."Rose, please say something. Don't scare me like this.""You...""I'm right here. I won't let anything happen to you as long as I draw breath."Roselyn looked up, her eyes locking onto the face in front of her—the very same face that had once been the root of her destruction and despair in her first life.Thump!Memories she had desperately tried to bury suddenly resurfaced uninvited. The incident on the imperial balcony when her dress was torn, and th

The stench of rotting wood and damp earth stung the nostrils as the iron door at the end of the stone staircase creaked open. The basement of the Adrienne Estate, typically used only for storing old wine casks, had now transformed into a torture chamber heavy with the smell of blood and terror."Please! Please let us go!" struggled a man whose hands and feet were bound."Shut your mouth.""We were only following orders! We know nothing!""I said shut your mouth!"They were bound in armless uniforms began to weep. Their faces were bruised, the corners of their lips torn, and their eyes bulged the moment a tall, imposing figure stepped through the dim torchlight.Kaelus entered alone.His outer coat—which had been soiled by mud stains and blood splatters in the courtyard earlier—had been replaced with a neat black shirt. The harsh blow from Derrick at the corner of his jawline had also been cleaned, leaving only a bluish bruise behind.Yet, it was not physical injury that made the two

Kaelus had just pulled a list of names from inside the drawer when a faint shout echoed from outside the window.He looked up. One of the Valthorne guards who had been standing watch in the backyard was now sprinting toward the mansion’s side door.The torch in his hand swayed wildly from how fast he was running."Your Grace." The voice outside the study door sounded frantic, followed by a series of rapid, almost rude knocks. "There is an urgent report.""Come in."The door swung open. One of the guards stood at attention, straining to conceal his panic in front of his superior."The east wing lost power all at once, Your Grace."Kaelus folded the list of names and slipped it inside his shirt. His eyes flicked briefly toward the Baron, who remained sitting rigid in his chair, deathly pale and not daring to move an inch."Isn't Eden stationed there?""That's the issue, Your Grace. Captain Eden went to the east wing about ten minutes ago to search for a man named Osrik per your command.

The Baroness let out a heavy sigh, gazing at her husband for a long moment. Lingering hesitation and wavering doubt showed on her face, yet the couple seemed completely powerless.The middle-aged woman then massaged her aching temples before reluctantly giving her consent. She turned toward Kaelus and gave a slow nod. "I will assemble all of them in the rear hall.""Thank you, Baroness," Kaelus replied coldly.The lively party held in the front hall had long since broken up. Most of the frightened guests had departed before midnight, leaving behind only a few servants busy tidying up the remnants of the event and the Valthorne guard detachment tasked with securing the premises. The main candles in the hall had been extinguished one by one, plunging the vast space into dim, quiet shadows and infusing it with an unsettling chill.The Baroness led the way toward the rear hall, where the servants usually gathered. Her voice sounded firm as she ordered one of the guards to wake up all wor