窃情谋欲

By the time, Lady Blaire told her story it was almost evening. It was a long and arduous storytelling, and the only thing that kept him from just leaving the room was her soft and ample breasts, cushioning his head.

The gist of the story is that- after the death of his wife, Duke Ferel turned towards alcohol. Leaving the two girls to be looked after by the servants and maids. But after some time of reflection, he broke up with his bottle and wine, it was hard but he managed. He raised the girls the way they should be.

Everything was smooth for couple more years until Blaire got married. Husband\'s company, over time, has proven to be more venomous than any alcohol. He turned the old duke into a drunkard again, cementing his position as the next duke.

Though technically that can\'t happen as he would only become a Duke consort but given the context that he has all the duchy wrapped neatly around his hands, it would be him who would rule while on the outside, it may perceive as she as the ruler. That is his plan and that plan must be thrashed.

"We can\'t kill him?" His muffled sound was barely audible.

"No," she said. "He has protection all the time. The commander of this duchy, Sir Allistar, is his personal guard now. Though he may not be powerful as Sir Duncan, he\'s still a commander, and not to mention he doesn\'t go out without sir Allistar." Her hands caressed his soft and silky white hair.

"Is your husband a magician or something?"

"Not really." She said. "I don\'t think he does even have any formal magic or weapon education at all."

"It seems to me that the guy must\'ve some kind of artifact that can influence the will of a person. Or how else can anyone explain him wrapping people around his fingers?"

"Artifacts? Mhmm." Her mind traveled to the past, searching for anything that can be said to be an artifact. But there was nothing she could think of. "I don\'t remember him having any type of particular attachment to any materials."

Must be the \'Ring of Mirage.\' He thought.

As a magical world, magical artifacts are bound to be commonplace. They exist in every corner of this planet, if not everywhere. But it isn\'t like you\'d see someone carrying around their magical device on them.

That guy, if he really does have the \'RIng of Mirage,\' is a threat to anyone who comes in contact with him. But why her? Why isn\'t it affecting her?

"This marriage," he shifted and looked at her face, head still resting against her fluffy clouds. "Was it your husband\'s idea ?"

"Yes," she met his gaze. "What you\'re thinking is right. I\'ve checked the background of the guy, but since I had no help from this duchy, it was hard, but the result was shocking for me too."

"How so?"

"The groom is the eldest son of the royal merchant group. He\'s to inherit the company when his father retires."

Aha! He\'s expanding his power throughout the entire Kingdom. If the artifact is indeed the ring, then I must not touch him. That is the only way he can control someone.

There wasn\'t any mention of anything like this in the novel though. If this was indeed the ring, shouldn\'t it at least be mentioned?

What a lazy writer!

But what about her? Why isn\'t she affected? That too, him being her husband only seems like icing on the cake.

Growl~

But before proceeding further, he must stuff something inside his hungry stomach.

He grabbed her breasts and used them as a lever to propel himself to a sitting position.

"Ah~" a sudden moan escaped her mouth. "Bastard, it hurts."

"I really like to eat you now, but I must satisfy my stomach before anything else." He said licking his lips.

***

He had to find a maid to ask for food, as everything was still in chaos, and Lady Blaire refused to help him saying people might see them coming out of the room together.

Now that everyone was sobering up, it only seem fair.

After finishing his meal, he took a walk outside the castle as the drunken people were sobering up and causing another wave of mayhem, this time- for medicines and hungry stomachs.

He felt better and was ready to continue with his plan. He knew that he must not take any risk while dealing with this \'Ring of Mirage.\' It was too powerful and too dangerous, but there had to be a way to beat it!

In the novel, killing the owner was the only way explained to annul the effect of the ring.

Calen had been put under the illusion, wiping out an entire village of orcs in a mad frenzy, ultimately getting the name \'orc slayer.\'

"Oh?" an amused voice came from behind. "I believe we haven\'t met yet, young master."

The stony path was supposed to be lonely, but...

"Uh...do I know you?"

The stranger seemed to be like a noble; he was donned in a high-quality suit that has a timepiece hanging on the lower chest, and he seemed to be...sobered or more like he hadn\'t had any glass of pint.

The stranger chuckled, "No, I don\'t believe we\'ve met before. My name is Augustus." He extended his arms.

Augustus? Who? Was there a character named Augusts in the novel?

Seeing the confusion on Damien\'s face, Augustus said. "I\'m Lord Ferels\' son-in-law."

Ah! He was amused. Oh? He was confused.

A mixture of emotions spread across his face: fear, anxiety, and more importantly... excitement. The excitement of finally seeing the guy who had a legendary artifact with him.

"Ah, yes," he said. "Forgive me, my lord. I didn\'t recognize you."

"It\'s fine, it happens to everyone." He smiled and continued walking ahead. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Just taking a stroll, it\'s good to get some fresh air."

"Yes, after last night\'s frenzy, it\'s good to take a walk."

They walked together for several minutes. Damien was lost in his thoughts.

If he did have the \'Ring of Mirage\' then he must have it with him, but where is it? Is he wearing it or is it hidden somewhere?

Damien couldn\'t help but feel excited.

His heart was pounding, his palms were sweating, his lips were dry and his legs were trembling.

He was nervous, but he wanted to see the ring.

Augusts continued walking beside Damien, who was now more curious than ever about the Ring of Mirage. He was trying to think of a way to bring up the topic without seeming suspicious.

"So, Lord Augustus," Damien said, trying to sound casual. "I heard you are quite the businessman."

Augustus chuckled. "Yes, I suppose you could say that. My family has been in the merchant business for generations."

Damien nodded. "I\'m sure you have some interesting stories to tell about your experiences."

Augustus smiled. "Yes, I do. But I\'m afraid they might bore you."

Damien shook his head. "No, not at all. I\'m actually quite interested in hearing them."

"Perhaps, next time, young master," he said. "I too am tired from last night."

"Understandable, my lord," Damien said. "Last night was indeed wild."

Though they were walking together, the distance between them was noticeable.

Augustus tried to walk closely, but each time he does that, Damien suddenly moved ahead, hopping, jerking, and dashing, marveling at the beauty of wildflowers and butterflies.

"So, young master," Augustus said. "I heard an interesting rumor about you and my beloved lady wife."

Damien stopped in his track and quirked up, brows raising to form a frown. "What rumors?"

"Must be false rumors, must I say, but I heard that my lady wife was in your room this morning." He looked sideways, meeting Damien\'s gaze.

Damien\'s heart skipped a beat. How did Augustus know about that? He tried to compose himself and asked, "What are you trying to imply, Lord Augustus?"

·ƈθm Augustus chuckled. "Nothing, young master. Just making idle conversation. You know how rumors can be."

Damien\'s mind was racing. Did Augustus suspect something? Was he onto him? He tried to stay calm and said, "Yes, I do. But I can assure you, my lord, there wasn\'t anyone\'s woman in my room." His voice was sharp like he was offended by something.

"Please don\'t take it seriously, young master," he said. "As I said, it must be a false rumor. Don\'t take it personal."

"It\'s nothing, my lord." He smiled. "I know how rumors travel. Don\'t take them to your heart, you might get hurt.

Augusts nodded. "Of course, of course," he said. "I trust you, young master. My wife is a loyal and virtuous woman."

"Of course, lady Blaire is a good woman," Damien replied. "She wouldn\'t do anything wrong."

"I couldn\'t say it better," he said. He took his pocketwatch out, checking the time. "Well, it\'s getting late. I need to return to my office."

"Must be tiring to be running a business and also a duchy," Damien said. "You must be exhausted."

"Not really," he said. "I\'m used to it." He turned around and walked the path he just came from.

Augustus had a wide smile tugged on his face.

\'Tiring to run the duchy? Young master surely does know things that are kept under the blanket.\'

He smiled widely as he made his way to his bedroom, wanting to see his wife.