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"If it's a Magical Beast's heart..."
At the Duke's question, the Mage nodded. Deep disgust was etched in his eyes.
"It's one of the ingredients used in Forbidden Magic. Unless there's a special circumstance, possessing it alone is punishable by a serious crime."
Calios was speechless and remained silent for a while.
"...I see."
As he muttered softly, the Mage shrugged and added.
"But don't worry too much. We need to complete a detailed examination to determine if the Magic contained in this heart matches your daughter's. If someone framed her, everything will become clear then."
Calios pressed his lips tightly together, furrowing his brow.
Gerard also seemed greatly shocked and couldn't speak easily, only Irene maintained a calm expression.
Cedric, who was observing his family's reactions, carefully opened his mouth.
"Father, some guests have already witnessed the scene... How should we handle this?"
At those words, Calios closed his eyes tightly and then opened them. Then, he turned to the Mage.
"What kind of Magic Circle was used?"
Instead of answering, the Mage only looked down at the Magical Beast's heart and sighed deeply.
Calios asked in an anxious voice.
"Is there a problem?"
"...It's not so much a problem, but I hesitated because there's a sensitive aspect to mention."
"A sensitive aspect?"
"We need more investigation to determine the purpose of the Magic Circle... but judging from the Magic emanating from it, it seems to be related to curses."
As those words fell, a subtle crack appeared on Calios's face.
"A curse?"
"Yes, it's a common case. There must be a reason why they resorted to Forbidden Magic."
Cedric asked the Mage with a cold face.
"Are you saying that Rosia tried to curse someone using Forbidden Magic?"
"Based on the circumstances, that's what we can assume."
Calios's gaze calmly sank.
'Used Forbidden Magic to curse someone.'
If Rosia had attempted a curse, the target was obvious.
'Rosia likes Kadin.'
And Rosia was convinced that Kadin still had feelings for Ayla.
Moreover, she had been constantly compared to Ayla since losing the top spot in the academy, so she must have accumulated quite a bit of resentment.
Realizing that, Calios's heart turned cold.
'If the curse had succeeded...'
There were only two possible outcomes. The target would be severely injured or die.
Just thinking about Ayla possibly ending up like that brought a strange unpleasantness.
Of course, it wasn't because he still had affection for her that he felt this way.
Rather, it was because he was worried about Ayla's close associates, including Princess Peony, and the Argenta Duke's Noble house holding him accountable.
'Yes, there's no way I, the head of the Duke's Noble house, would be swayed by such trivial emotions.'
Especially not for a child who wasn't even his own daughter anymore. Calios frowned and opened his mouth.
"If that curse was aimed at the invited guests, then the responsibility lies entirely with me. First, isolate the people in the guest rooms and have knights and Mages watch over them to ensure nothing happens."
"Yes, I understand."
Just as Cedric nodded obediently and was about to leave his seat.
"Wait a moment."
Calios stopped his son, looking confused. Cedric paused and turned back.
"Why... why did you invite Ayla to today's banquet?"
Cedric blinked for a moment, then shrugged and replied calmly.
"I thought there was no particular reason to be at odds with Ayla anymore. Both Rosia and Ayla have found their own paths."
He glanced at Gerard and the Duchess with a submissive expression and added.
"Above all, this was something my mother and Gerard also agreed to."
No sooner had his son finished speaking than Irene stepped forward to defend him.
"Cedric is right. I agreed too."
She lowered her eyes with a pitiful expression and continued.
"...It's been quite a while, so I wanted to see Ayla after a long time."
At his wife's words, Calios tried to say something but stopped and closed his mouth again. A bitter look had already appeared on his face.
Cedric asked in a nonchalant voice.
"Then, may I leave now?"
"Go ahead."
Calios sighed and nodded.
The festive atmosphere of the banquet hall had long since been replaced by a heavy silence.
It was because everyone had heard about the unfortunate incident that had occurred in Rosia's room.
As someone began to voice uncertain speculations about what they had witnessed, the surroundings quickly filled with murmurs.
"Is it really true that Young Lady Rosia used Forbidden Magic?"
"For the Blanche Duchess to commit such an act!"
"If that's true, who was she trying to use that Magic on?"
People exchanged stories in excited voices.
"Then what will happen to the engagement?"
"Well, even if she's the Blanche Princess Consort, isn't the engagement off the table now?"
"That's right. They can't bring a criminal who used Forbidden Magic into the Noble house as its mistress."
The noble ladies deliberately whispered, glancing at Kadin. Kadin's lips were tightly sealed.
'Everyone's having a great time.'
Tragedy is always most interesting when it happens to someone else.
Just like when it was revealed that Ayla wasn't the Blanche Noble house's daughter, people were once again excited.
Kadin closed his eyes in a corner of the banquet hall. A deep sense of fatigue washed over him.
Just as he was trying to calm his mind by taking a deep breath, he felt a familiar presence beside him.
"Kadin, what on earth is all this commotion?"
It was Marquis Reit and his wife.
Turning his head, he saw Marquis Reit's face, flushed red with anger.
He seemed to think that Rosia's actions had made them the spectacle of the people.
"...It's not confirmed yet, so there's no need to get so worked up. Rosia also claimed she was wronged."
Kadin, who had followed Rosia and witnessed the situation firsthand, explained briefly.
However, the Marquess was still grinding his teeth and panting.
"But it's true that an item that shouldn't have been there was found in that room!"
"..."
"If that's true, this marriage cannot be maintained any longer. There's no reason for our Noble house to be caught up in such a scandal."
Then, the Marchioness next to him gently grabbed his arm.
"Honey, don't get ahead of yourself. Why would Young Lady Rosia, of all people, do such a thing on a day when there are so many people? Let's wait a little longer."
At her words, Kadin quietly nodded.
"That's right. It's not too late to judge after we confirm the investigation results."
It wasn't that he had been appeased by Rosia's apology and had come to defend her.
It was just that the whole situation felt very coincidental.
For such a thing to happen on the very day that Rosia expressed her determination to apologize to Ayla.
As Kadin, who had once been swayed by people's words and treated Ayla coldly, only to regret it greatly, he naturally had to be cautious.
At that moment, the Duke's second Young Master appeared at the entrance of the banquet hall. The chattering of the nobles began to subside one by one.
"I apologize for causing inconvenience amidst the confusion."
Cedric looked around the banquet hall and spoke politely.
"For smoother handling, I would like to ask all the honored guests to move to the guest rooms for a while."
At those words, a small commotion arose again in the silent banquet hall.
A noble who had been hesitating for a moment opened his mouth.
"Young Master Cedric, what exactly is going on?"
Starting with those words, people's voices erupted one after another.
"Is it really true that Young Lady Rosia used Forbidden Magic?"
"Everyone is curious. You should tell us what happened."
Cedric shook his head slowly with a troubled smile.
"It's difficult to say the details. We are still investigating who made the room like that."
However, those words only added fuel to the fire.
The atmosphere, which had been seething with suspicion and speculation, instantly became feverish with excitement.
"It seems that some kind of unsavory Magic was performed in there."
"Goodness, what could the Princess Consort possibly lack..."
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