I Sought Out the Tragedy's Scheming Mastermind

Gabriel’s golden eyes penetrated Hera.

To be precise, she focused on the pulsing desire deeply rooted inside her.

She had a great deal of malice and endless greed welling up.

Her malice went well beyond the level of pity.

Gabriel frowned.

Extreme human emotions have always been uncomfortable to face.

After a moment, Gabriel’s eyes drifted to the teacup in front of her.

Hera took an elegant sip of tea and eyed Gabriel’s porcelain cup.

Gabriel smiled faintly at this.

Being that she noticed her stratagem.

The teacup was covered in poison. Invisible.

It was so discreet that normal people would not have realized it.

‘Did you come here to kill me?’

Gabriel felt it was laughable.

This was just human nature.

It was human history that today’s success could fail tomorrow.

Therefore, it’s true that you should not be arrogant if things went well today, nor should you be discouraged if things don’t go well tomorrow.

But humans continuously make the same mistakes over and over again. As has always been the case with human history.

Gabriel paused, touching the teacup.

She didn’t travel here just to get involved with the political games of humans.

So, after choosing how to go about this, she smiled at Hera warmly.

Hera smiled in return.

One who has committed an evil act cannot forget the sensation and as a result, will commit even more evil acts.

Hera was no different.

The instinct of evil was frightening.

Just as the person who commits the evil acts gradually becomes more daring in the end.

She was committing an irredeemable sin and rationalizing herself.

Her sense of damage turned into a sense of superiority, and she was consoling herself as a classic beauty, imitating the woman she wanted to resemble.

Dissatisfied with the authority gained by killing the woman with blood on her hands, she wanted to eventually swallow the whole country.

Whatever the first sin was, it was the last thing to be remembered.

She already crossed a river that she shouldn’t have.

Hera urged in a kind voice, “The tea tastes brilliant. Go ahead and try it.”

“Is that so?”

One side of Gabriel’s mouth curved, and she picked up the cup.

Hera believed it was that simple and casually shifted her gaze elsewhere.

However, Hera’s wish did not come true.

Clash! 

Gabriel pretended to bring the cup to her mouth, then dropped it.

The teacup broke with a jaunty sound.

Hera’s lips twitched.

Gabriel apologized with a very sorrowful expression. “Oh my, what have I done? I broke one of your precious teacups.”

“…” 

“I’ll be back,” Sophia announced calmly, standing next to Hera, but Gabriel shook her head.

“No, thank you. Don’t inconvenience yourself over this.”

“But…” Sophia trailed off, making eye contact with Hera.

“In fact, I’m very tired. I haven’t been able to recover from my fatigue. Empress Dowager, if you don’t mind, would you leave some tea leaves? I’ll drink them later.”

Sophia’s face hardened at Gabriel’s firm response.

A moment later, Hera smiled coldly.

Then, she gracefully dissuaded Sophia. “That’s enough. I’m afraid she’s tired, so let’s go.”

“Ah, I don’t mean to chase you away, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t take it to heart. Now that I’ve seen your face, I’m leaving. Have a nice rest, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Gabriel caught onto her late, but Hera eventually rose from her seat.

As soon as Hera left, Gabriel‘s face turned blank.

Who is testing who?

As Gabriel watched Hera’s figure disappearing through the window, she murmured silently, 

“I should be careful not to be eaten by a fox.”

As usual, her voice was gentle.

Gabriel’s golden eyes crinkled gently.

It was a relaxed smile.

* * *

Eliana heard the news regarding the saintess entering the palace tomorrow.

But a different topic was taking up her nerves.

Eliana lay on her bed, idly and lost in thought.

A small furrow appeared on her relaxed face.

“You’re crazy,” Eliana admitted, as though she were blaming herself.

‘What will you do if I tell you that signed a contract with a Hanev, not a demon?!’

She was kicking at herself, recalling what she had tried telling Verkley.

She bit her lower lip, thinking of what she would’ve said to him had Fin not shown up.

Eliana herself didn’t know what she wanted to do with Verkley.

Did she want to know what he was going to do with his plan?

It would be great if she could just help him control the demon’s power and then leave the novel.

But she didn’t understand why she kept worrying about Verkley.

Is it because he’s the scheming mastermind and more ordinary than she thought?

Is it because his behavior is quite humane when she only thought it was evil?

The image of his affection and trying to reassure Eliana invaded her mind.

It was all the more confusing to think he was secretly caring for Fin’s safety, even when she annoyed him.

Eliana buried her face in a pillow and reflected on the current situation.

He doesn’t know that he’s in a contract with a Hanev.

Eliana was reluctant to tell the truth easily.

Mostly because it doesn’t seem like he’s going to hold off on taking revenge, and even if he does stop, they don’t know how to break his contract with the Hanev.

She tried asking Rube, but it was impossible due to the cold aura she felt.

Rube was as smooth as flawless porcelain, but she could hardly tell what was inside.

She couldn’t organize her thoughts, so Eliana tossed and turned until she fell asleep.

* * * 

The next day, Saintess Gabriel arrived at the palace.

Gabriel walked in gently, adorned in a white dress and a veil.

With every step, the hem of her skirt gave a subtle glow to the light.

The blue belt around her waist resembled her blue hair, and the sleeves were interwoven with gold thread and glamorous patterns.

Hera watched Gabriel with a domineering face.

Beside her, Mary just looked excited, and Verkley sat indifferently.

Eliana, who stood at Verkley’s side, observed the entire situation with bated breath.

Gabriel stopped near the throne.

The saintess’ face was concealed by the veil, making it difficult to see.

All she could see was the red lips of the saintess.

A smile stretched across Gabriel’s lips.

Her smile was calm, and she looked relaxed.

Crombell stood beside her.

Eliana regarded Grand Duke Crombell.

Like Verkley, he was a man with black hair and blue eyes.

He was parading a dignified elegance, but his impression seemed a little threatening.

A moment later, when Crombell stood by, he gave her a signal, and Gabriel lifted the veil, revealing her face.

When her face was fully exposed, the nobles standing nearby sucked in sharp breaths.

They felt an unapproachable aura radiating from her.

Her overwhelming presence and elegant appearance made her stand out even more.

Eliana also turned to glance at Gabriel.

As Eliana stared at Gabriel with admiration, their eyes met.

Gabriel drew a beautiful smile, not avoiding Eliana’s scrutinizing gaze.

Her eyes were warm.

Eliana smiled in return but quickly averted her line of sight when she felt Hera’s glare.

“It’s been a long time, Your Majesty.” 

Crombell first greeted Verkley.

“You’ve worked hard and come a long way.”

“Thanks to your concern, we arrived safely.”

Crombell replied, lightly placing Verkley’s hand on his forehead.

After Crombell stepped back, Gabriel followed by slightly raising her skirt.

“My name is Gabriel.”

The saintess also approached Verkley and put his hand on her forehead.

After the formal greeting, the nobles voiced their thoughts.

“I’ve heard that miracles unfold wherever the saintess travels.”

“I’ve heard you have great divine power. I’m curious.”

“This is all thanks to Grand Duke Crombell, who defended Gaudi with all his might. Don’t you believe so?”

“Yes, indeed. It seems Algiers has sent us a blessing given that he was moved by the actions of Grand Duke Crombell.”

Starting with one compliment the nobles proceeded to add to each other’s words.

Their claims were leaning in the direction of subtly flattering Crombell.

Then, Grand Duke Crombell reacted flatly.

“If you insist on discussing merits, wouldn’t they lie with His Majesty and not myself? Good things only transpire because His Majesty is at peace. I know that’s unfathomable to you as a servant.”

“Hahaha. This—I was mistaken.”

The nobleman, who had been making a big deal out of things, gave an awkward laugh.

The air instantly chilled.

Crombell looked furious. As if the conversation itself was unpleasant.

To Eliana, this situation was like a comedy since she already knew the original story.

‘The grand duke is as good at acting as Verkley.’

From Eliana’s perspective, Crombell’s actions seemed like a performance.

She thought it was dramatic to do one’s best within a planned scenario.

It was all because Eliana knew what Crombell was up to.

In the original story, Crombell entered the capitol when Mary’s debut was completely ruined.

Due to his exquisite timing, he was immediately at odds with Hera.

The reason he came to the capitol was to restore the dignity of the fallen imperial family and support His Majesty.

Crombell had repeatedly expressed that he had no interest in the throne.

Even when Verkley ascended the throne blind, he was defensive.

A situation where everyone longed for him but he refused.

But as soon as he arrived at the capitol, Grand Duke Crombell changed his mind.