I Sought Out the Tragedy's Scheming Mastermind

“If the count is destined to live, he can live inside a broken carriage.”

Soon after that, the count and his wife died in a carriage accident.

His wife grew thinner and thinner as she attended her parents’ funeral during her last trimester.

Jack took the count’s title and consolidated his position one by one.

First, he moved out of his territory and to the capital.

The trip to the capital was hard for his weak wife, but Jack didn’t care.

She was convinced by the capital that she’d recover from her chronic illness thanks to their advances in medicine.

And just as she settled into the capital, Eliana was born, and she died, unable to endure the hardships of life.

“Are you enjoying the food, Eliana?”

Count Mussieux asked Eliana’s blank expression, back from reminiscing of the past.

Eliana smiled tenderly at Count Mussieux.

She reacted mechanically.

“Yes, it is delicious. Father.”

Eliana looked very much like his wife, except she was healthy.

Jack became anxious and decided to remove her from all environments where she might learn.

He bought her generous amounts of expensive dresses and accessories, hoping she’d be blinded.

Fortunately for him, Eliana had no powers.

In the capital, incompetent nobles were often ignored.

Naturally, Eliana became increasingly depressed.

As Eliana grew up, Jack’s anxiety increased as she became more like his wife.

He was impatient that she might take away the accomplishments he had obtained.

That’s why.

He effectively kept Eliana locked inside the estate and stopped her from leaving.

Count Mussieux thought he had tamed his daughter well.

That is until she escaped from the cage herself.

Jack ordered with sternness, “Stay on guard and keep the house safe while I return from the ceremony.”

“I will, Father.”

Like a submissive daughter, Eliana saw Jack off with a deep bow.

Everything was perfect.

Jack was a lucky man, and he believed his luck would continue.

Now, with his daughter obeying him, the world seemed to belong to him.

But it was then,

“There will be no need for you to go all the way over there.”

He heard a deep, hushed voice.

In surprise, Jack jerked his head up at the man blocking his way.

As soon as their eyes met, a chilling sensation coursed through his body.

“Y-Your Majesty! What brings you here…”

Jack couldn’t believe his eyes.

The servants who had been present were now collapsed on the floor, laying there uselessly.

All asleep as if they had taken some pills.

The only ones awake were Eliana, Jack, and Verkley.

Verkley’s eyes were red.

Jack instinctively sensed danger and backed away.

‘I thought the emperor was blind!’

But Verkley was looking straight at Jack.

Jack stammered and shouted for Eliana.

“E-Eliana!”

Eliana responded to his distress and came forward to cover Jack.

Her young lemon-gold eyes were empty.

Her never-ending chattering mouth remained tightly closed.

Eliana cast Verkley an icy stare.

Verkley furrowed his brows, confused with Eliana’s unfamiliar appearance.

After a moment’s hesitation, Verkley caressed Eliana’s cheek and asked,

“What’s the matter with you?”

“…” 

“Are you alright?”

Eliana did not respond to Verkley’s anxious questions.

She just coldly slapped Verkley’s hand away.

Verkley stared down at his hand, attempting in vain to reach Eliana.

It was like something crashed to the floor.

Verkley’s eyes were gleaming, raging like a fire.

Verkley growled at Count Mussieux, “What the hell have you done?”

“W-What could I have done?”

“You mean to tell me that you didn’t take Eliana without my permission and do something to her?”

Verkley seized Count Mussieux by his shirt.

But at the next moment, Verkley’s fingers went cold.

“What…!”

As soon as he pulled away, there was frost on his fingertips.

Verkley stared at Eliana with shock on his face.

He never dreamed that she’d ever attack him.

Eliana spoke stiffly. “I returned to the estate of my own volition. Do not be rude to my father.”

“…” 

For a moment, Verkley looked like a kicked puppy in the rain.

It felt like his heart was as frozen as his fingertips.

It’d only been a day—no, only half a day without Eliana, but Verkley felt a hollowness in his chest. A hole.

A feeling of emptiness.

He wasn’t sure how long it’d been there, but after she left, he was without a doubt aware of the absence.

Verkley naturally frowned.

‘Eliana is acting very… strange.’

Count Mussieux, meanwhile, grinned with satisfaction at the sight of the ruthless Verkley briefly letting down his guard.

As rumor has it, Eliana has the emperor wrapped around her finger.

Count Mussieux spoke with a certain slyness in his voice.

“My foolish daughter seems to have come without notifying Your Majesty. I apologize on her behalf.”

“…” 

“But what happened to your eyes, Your Majesty? I almost did not recognize you.”

“Jack Mussieux,” Verkley called his name in a chilling voice.

And the moment Jack gazed up curiously at Verkley, his mouth formed a violent smile.

“…!” 

Jack could not answer Verkley.

From the empty air, someone lifted Count Mussieux by the throat.

Jack Mussieux struggled against the immense power.

Count Mussieux let out a tortured groan at being suffocated, the pressure taking over his body.

“Cough…!” 

Eliana watched Count Mussieux in shock.

She tried using her magic, but she could not fight a shapeless force.

Verkley warned him, standing at a distance.

“Answer me.”

“Cough!” 

“W-What are you doing?!”

Eliana shouted in horror, trying to frantically drag down Count Mussieux.

As she struggled with her bare hands, scratches began to form on Eliana’s delicate skin.

The angry power suffocating Count Mussieux was repeatedly striking Eliana’s hands.

Spotting the injuries on Eliana’s hands, Verkley uttered a low curse.

He quickly approached and pulled Eliana into his arms.

“L-Let go of me!”

Eliana violently thrashed against his hold, being dragged away helplessly.

But Verkley refused to let go of Eliana, who shook her body stubbornly.

When Eliana retaliated using magic, a small wound opened and stretched across Verkley’s forearm.

Untimely frost whirled around Eliana and Verkley.

“Let go! Let me go!”

The raw scratches on Eliana’s hands double, spreading over Verkley’s forearms, neck, and legs.

His white shirt was stained with blood, but Verkley refused to let go of Eliana.

Rather, he clutched onto her waist even tighter.

Verkley whispered to her, exhaling a hot breath.

“It hurts, Lili.”

For a split second, Eliana flinched.

Verkley gave Eliana a tortured expression as he stroked her cheek with a wretched touch.

He did it after feeling Eliana flinch from him.

But Eliana showed no sign of coming to her senses.

She seemed agitated for a moment before she shouted, shaking her head furiously.

“F-Father! Father…!”

She only yelled for Count Mussieux, as if on auto-pilot.

Verkley’s eyes were filled with confusion and sadness.

She wasn’t seeing Verkley at all.

His hands grew tighter around her.

‘Damn it, I don’t know what happened.’

Eliana was so… far away.

She grew restless because he was unfamiliar, then frightened because she was restless.

Verkley turned to Count Mussieux with a cold expression.

His stomach burned with the desire to kill the one person who put her in this situation.

However, he held onto his line of reasoning because he believed that only he could reverse it.

Count Mussieux sputtered, almost losing consciousness.

Verkley loosened his power just enough for him to take a breath.

“I’ll ask you just once. What have you done to Eliana?” he demanded.

“H-Help me!”

Count Mussieux ignored the question and began to cry for help.

Verkley resumed his torture without even giving him a chance to cry out again.

“Choke…”

Count Mussieux drooled, drowning in his suffering.

Even while Count Mussieux drifted closer to death, Eliana wept and beat her hands against Verkley.

Verkley buried his face against Eliana’s throat and took her brutality in silence.

After a while, Verkley addressed Count Mussieux again.

“This is the last time. What have you done?”

Only then did Count Mussieux confess with tears running down his face.

“The b-bracelet!”

“Bracelet?” 

“Cough!” 

Verkley tossed Jack to the floor.

”Gasp! …Cough.” 

Jack gripped his neck and sucked in a painful breath.

Eliana only breathed heavily, perhaps exhausted from hitting Verkley, but no longer did she resist.

Verkley stalked toward Jack, using one arm to carry Eliana.

Meanwhile, Jack breathed heavily and moaned his discomfort.

“Quit your fussing.”

With his shoe, Verkley shoved down on Count Mussieux’s shoulder without batting an eye.

And looked down at Jack with a domineering stare.