Chapter 251

Chapter 252. Sephira Poisons the Royal Palace (2)

Keter knocked on the door, but there was no response from inside.

Instead of waiting or knocking again, Keter grabbed the doorknob and opened it without hesitation.

Warm sunlight streamed through the open door.

Keter, already aware that the door itself acted as a teleportation gate, stepped through without hesitation.

He felt the grains of sand crunching beneath his feet. The door led to a beach, and the vast expanse of the sea and the salty breeze greeted him.

This was an island somewhere in the south.

A place where it was warm all year round, with a mild climate, and where one could comfortably spend their retirement without a care in the world. Duke Lerkin was here.

“Though, to be precise, he’s living in confinement.”

Zing.

Keter picked up a handful of sand and rolled it in his palm. The door had already disappeared, but Keter didn’t mind and muttered to himself.

“I was supposed to see the sea with Maknun, but I ended up seeing it alone.”

Tap tap.

After shaking off the sand, Keter looked toward the mansion.

In his past life, the area had been heavily guarded. But now, not only was the beach deserted, but there was no one around the mansion either.

However, it wasn’t a wasted trip, as the inside of the mansion was bustling with noise.

“Are you living it up?”

Keter thought it might be a bit troublesome if that were the case.

In his past life, Duke Lerkin had begged Keter to get him out of here. Such feelings wouldn’t have developed overnight, so Keter assumed that the current Duke Lerkin would also want to leave this place to some extent, which is why he came.

But unexpectedly, the current Lerkin might be content with his current life.

Keter pushed his worries aside and headed toward the mansion. If he let his worries take over, he wouldn’t be able to do anything. He had to face the problem head-on. That was the start of everything.

Thus, Keter opened the mansion’s front door and followed the noisy sounds, eventually entering the bathhouse.

“Where are you guys? Here? I think I hear breathing.”

Inside the massive bathhouse.

A middle-aged man with a blindfold was flailing around, trying to find the servants and knights hiding throughout the bathhouse.

The servants and knights were startled by the sudden appearance of a stranger, but they didn’t act rashly.

Not because they were irresponsible, but because they didn’t think anyone could “accidentally” or “randomly” find this deserted island hidden within the palace’s maze. In other words, Keter was naturally accepted as a “guest who came to see Lerkin.”

Keter looked at the middle-aged man. He was chubbier than in his past life, but his gray hair made it easy to recognize him as Lerkin.

‘And he’s just an ordinary human.’

Not a knight, not a mage. Not even handsome, just an ordinary middle-aged man you could find anywhere.

And yet, this man was the Queen’s husband and held the highest position in the country as a Duke. Others would dismiss it as a joke.

Keter picked up a bar of soap and approached Lerkin, placing it at his feet.

Slippery.

“Whoa!”

Lerkin, who hadn’t noticed Keter’s presence, stepped on the soap and slipped, but Keter caught him as if he had been waiting for it.

“Are you alright?”

Keter’s voice, soft as silk, asked after Lerkin’s well-being. Only then did Lerkin realize the presence of a stranger and, startled, removed his blindfold.

“Who are you?!”

“Keter El Sephira. You can call me the Solver for short.”

Lerkin, now standing straight, spoke in a bored tone.

“Thanks for saving me, but I already told you I don’t know where Lilian is. Yet you came to find me again… Aren’t you tired of it?!”

“There seems to be a misunderstanding. I didn’t come to ask Duke Lerkin about Queen Lilian’s whereabouts.”

“Let me be honest. If you came here expecting something from me, give up. I have no power, and I can’t leave this place.”

From Lerkin’s words, Keter could roughly picture the hardships he had endured.

“Did other nobles come to you because they wanted something from you?”

When Keter asked curiously, Lerkin exploded with pent-up emotions.

“Don’t even mention it! They all come here trying to get information about Lilian, asking roundabout questions, and saying they’d support me if they were in my position! It’s all nonsense!”

“My, you must have been quite annoyed. I also won the Southern Sword Tournament recently, so I can relate to how you feel, with people coming every day just to curry favor.”

Even though it was deliberate and trivial, Keter had saved Lerkin from falling and even empathized with him. It didn’t take long for Lerkin’s excited eyes to soften.

“You at least don’t seem to have come here for that reason.”

“Yes. I won’t ask about Queen Lilian, and I didn’t come here to spout nonsense about forming factions. But I do have a purpose for coming to see you.”

“I already told you, this place is both my paradise and my prison. You must know that, right?”

Like his servants, Lerkin misunderstood. He thought Keter hadn’t come here alone and that someone must have helped him.

That was only natural. This wasn’t some rural village but the depths of the royal palace.

Keter waved his hand dismissively.

“I didn’t come to ask you about something you don’t know. I came to ask you about something you definitely know.”

“Something I definitely know?”

Lerkin showed curiosity. At first, he had been wary of Keter, but now that wariness was completely gone.

And why wouldn’t it be? Keter was too smooth. He was humble, empathetic, and even felt friendly. If his companions outside knew, they’d be shocked at how easily Keter had shifted his demeanor.

“And it’s information that only Duke Lerkin would know.”

“So what is it? Tell me already. I’m listening.”

Lerkin urged for an answer, but Keter just smiled slyly and shook his head.

“I can’t keep you standing in the bathhouse. I’ll wait for you in the dining room.”

Frustrated by Keter’s teasing but also feeling a long-lost excitement, Lerkin shouted.

“Bring me my clothes right now! Let’s go to the dining room!”

* * *

The mansion’s kitchen had everything. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say it had every ingredient in the world.

“The ingredients are sufficient.”

Knowing that high nobles like Lerkin took over an hour just to finish bathing, Keter rolled up his sleeves.

The quick-witted head chef bowed and said to Keter.

“Please let us know if you need anything.”

“Get out of the kitchen.”

“Yes.”

After sending all the kitchen staff away, Keter quickly started cooking.

‘If Taragon were here, he’d probably ask why I’m suddenly cooking.’

A person’s heart isn’t something that can be controlled at will.

The heart is influenced by the body. Depending on the body’s condition, the heart changes too.

For example, what if Keter had called Lerkin over and started a conversation without any preparation?

Lerkin would have been wary of Keter’s sudden appearance. He would have felt humiliated for being caught playing a tag game with only a loincloth on.

That heightened emotion would soon turn into anger, and his wariness of Keter would increase, making it impossible for him to see Keter in a good light.

But Keter deliberately created a crisis and saved Lerkin, gaining his favor from the start.

Cooking could serve the same purpose.

‘Using your fingers makes you more active, and eating spicy, stimulating food makes you bolder. Even the most composed person becomes impulsive, even if only temporarily.’

Keter hummed as he kneaded the dough.

“Most problems in the world can be solved with money, and what money can’t solve, violence can. And what neither money nor violence can solve, food can.”

That was what his cooking teacher, Demeter, always told him.

“There are so many good sayings in this world. So much to learn, so much fun. How wonderful would it be if life were always this fun?”

Chop chop chop chop!

As Keter chopped the ingredients for the pizza, he muttered to himself.

“Life has to be boring sometimes for the fun that comes after to be even more precious. Like how a glass of water tastes so refreshing after sweating through hard work!”

There was no oven to bake the pizza, but Keter had magic. Using magic to bake the pizza, Keter then searched the liquor cabinet.

“There are many types, but most are untouched. That means he doesn’t like alcohol. Let’s see. This one’s been drunk a bit. It’s a mild, smooth whiskey.”

Keter quickly deduced that Lerkin drank but didn’t like strong alcohol and set up various drinks on the table.

“Honest conversations can’t do without alcohol.”

Keter recalled the Lerkin he had met in his past life. The skinny man had grabbed the hem of a stranger’s pants and begged.

To take him along or just kill him. He wanted freedom.

“A bit late, but I’ll grant that request.”

Just as the table was set, Lerkin arrived in the dining room, having changed his clothes at the perfect time.

“What is all this?”

Lerkin’s eyes widened at the sight of the pizza, something he had never seen before.

“It’s called pizza. It’s been popular lately. You eat it with your hands like this.”

Keter emphasized the word “lately” and demonstrated by eating a slice first.

“This… this is a popular food outside? It looks so strange. And it looks delicious.”

As Lerkin licked his lips and reached for the pizza, the butler stopped him.

“There might be poison. Let me try it first.”

“Stop talking nonsense. Didn’t Sir Keter eat it first? Are you blind?”

Lerkin, annoyed at the butler, grabbed a slice and stuffed it into his mouth.

The cheesy, savory flavor, the freshness of the tomatoes, and the spiciness of the jalapeños sharply stimulated Lerkin’s taste buds and brain.

“Ohoho, this is really something! I could eat this endlessly!”

“Try this too.”

“Huh?”

Keter handed Lerkin a cocktail without giving him a break. The five-colored cocktail made his eyes widen.

“Wow, I’ve never seen such a colorful drink before!”

Thinking it was just a colorful beverage, Lerkin downed the cocktail Keter handed him.

“Wait, it has a taste, but there’s a smell of alcohol. Is this… alcohol?”

“Yes. Can’t you handle alcohol? Then I’ll drink it alone.”

Keter downed the same cocktail in one go.

In this world, no man would stay silent after being told he couldn’t handle alcohol. The Queen’s husband was no exception.

“Can’t handle alcohol? I can drink this like water. Give me another!”

The alcohol content Lerkin felt while drinking the colorful cocktail was only slightly stronger than beer.

But in reality, the cocktail he drank was quite strong. It was just masked by the various sweet and refreshing flavors.

Keter, who had planned all this, smirked. Then, after freshening up in the bath and in a slightly tipsy state, he asked a question that would undoubtedly put Lerkin in a good mood.

“So, Duke Lerkin. I came here because I was curious about how you seduced Queen Lilian.”

Lerkin’s eyebrows twitched. It was a story he wanted to tell as a heroic tale, but there was no one to listen. He wanted to boast, but it was too embarrassing to say it himself, so he had never told anyone!

The desire to spill this secret to someone, the lifelong wish to answer this question—Lerkin felt almost faint with joy upon hearing it from Keter’s mouth.

“If it’s that, then it’s definitely a story only I know in this world! Now, where should I start? Ah, yes! The first time I met Lilian was…”

Watching Duke Lerkin chatter away like a fish in water, Keter gave a knowing smile.

‘He’s almost completely on board.’

In this harsh world, you should never trust others.

But what if it’s not just anyone? What if it’s someone who shares your deepest, most intimate secret?

‘They’ll have no choice but to listen.’

Did Keter really come here to ask how Lerkin seduced Queen Lilian?

Keter had another goal. But if he brought it up directly, he would never be able to convince Lerkin.

‘Taking the long way is the shortcut.’

With the patience of a farmer waiting for harvest, Keter listened to Lerkin’s heroic tale.

And so, Lerkin spent three hours nonstop recounting how he had seduced Queen Lilian.

‘To sum it up, Queen Lilian fell for him at first sight…’

It wasn’t exactly a trustworthy story. Heroic tales tend to be exaggerated.

Even if it were all true, Keter didn’t think it was useful information.

“So, hmm! Let me tell you, hmm! Even though Lilian… Ah, even though I call her Lilian, you shouldn’t, hmm!”

Lerkin kept hiccuping, either from drunkenness or excitement. Keter didn’t point it out and just smiled silently.

“Anyway, hmm! I love Lilian! And Lilian loves me too. Even though she locked me up on this deserted island, it’s because she wants me to be safe, hmm!”

“Even though you’re confined here, you said you trust and love Queen Lilian, right?”

“Why are you asking the obvious? I! Hmm! I trust and love Lilian completely!”

Lerkin boasted confidently. Keter, who had been carefully stroking his ego, suddenly slammed the table and shouted.

“If that’s true, then why are you wasting your time here?!”

The carrot had been given enough. Now it was time for the whip.