OBNVZ C10

Chapter 10

“The Mascarpone family runs a trading company, don’t they? Yours is the only large merchant house that has been granted permission to handle enchanted goods.”

“And?”

Mascarpone narrowed her eyes cautiously. From her expression, it looked like she already knew what I was going to say. I shrugged.

“Do you happen to have anything that might be useful?”

“Pardon?”

“I mean magical items you’re carrying. Even if you couldn’t bring weapons into the Imperial Palace, you might have something like a self-defense item.”

“……”

“I feel like you’d at least have one thing like that.”

“I don’t.”

The immediate reply surprised me. I blinked, and Mascarpone snapped at me.

“As I said, this is an imperial villa. I didn’t expect anything like this to happen, so I didn’t bring anything. I left all offensive defensive magical tools back at the palace with my knights.”

“I see.”

“If I had anything useful, I would have offered it already. What is it now? Am I at fault for not predicting something like this and not bringing anything? Do you think I’m some kind of storage unit?”

Okay, why the sudden explosion of anger…

‘She’s already on edge after being called dead weight by that nuisance guy earlier. Did I just poke the bear?’

My desperate question, meant as grasping at straws, must have sounded to Mascarpone—who already disliked me—like: “So you’re the daughter of a magic shop and you didn’t even bring a single decent self-defense item? Useless baggage.”

That wasn’t what I meant at all.

Still, her unexpectedly sharp reaction left me awkward. Mascarpone glared at me, fully bristling, as if ready to counter anything I said a hundred times over.

After meeting her gaze for a moment—

“No, I’m sorry. I just thought I’d ask.”

“……”

“I didn’t mean to doubt or blame you.”

Without waiting for a response, I stood up.

Then I asked Dazzling,

“Is it alright if I go inside?”

At my question directed at him, Dazzling’s eyes widened. The Crown Prince answered instead.

“Why do you want to go inside?”

“To look at the treasures.”

“…Very well. Go ahead.”

Alright then, let’s go.

I hooked my left arm with my right and stretched it out, loosening up as I walked into the gallery.

On the way, I also made sure to accidentally step on the nuisance guy’s hand.

“Argh!”

“Oh my, sorry. I did it on purpose~”

“You crazy—ghk!”

“Lady Papri! Please be quiet!”

Before the nuisance guy—who had overheard my conversation with Mascarpone—could start ranting something like “What, old lady, you got something? Hand it over! You don’t? Useless baggage!”

Honestly, I was feeling a bit responsible for the situation.

‘We’re stuck here because I provoked that nuisance guy.’

He’d gotten so angry he started kicking the walls.

If I hadn’t provoked him, he wouldn’t have kicked the wall. And if he hadn’t kicked the wall, the zombies wouldn’t have shown up.

‘Though honestly, the guy who can’t keep his mouth shut is the biggest problem.’

Still, I had to fix this.

These people were the main characters. They couldn’t just get trapped here and die meaninglessly.

There had to be a way. I just hadn’t found it yet.

And strangely, I had a feeling it wouldn’t be that hard to find.

“Give me strength… Bucheon-Hang Walking Daddy, Our School is Now Residence Evil 27 Weeks Later World War G Zombieland Dawn’s Absurd Blessing directors, I’m counting on you…”

In those movies, they always escaped zombies in ridiculous ways!

Just remember something—there are tons of methods!

I walked forward at a slow, drifting pace, like I was playing an escape room game.

Fatigue weighed down my legs as I dragged the heavy military boots.

Sleepy, exhausted, drained.

“I’d rather go to work.”

Me, saying I wanted to go to work—first time since my job-hunting days.

The dark gallery was lined with imperial treasures on both sides of the corridor. As if no one even considered theft possible, they were simply placed on velvet-covered display stands.

Under mist-like lighting, the treasures shimmered like stars.

A coronation tiara worn by some monarch, a statue originally from a temple that replaced the villa, expensive and priceless artifacts…

I was examining the cocoa cup made of opal and white crystal when—

“If you want it, take it.”

“Eek!”

I turned around. It was the Grand Duke.

He had appeared behind me at some point and was holding out the cocoa cup I had been looking at.

“This villa was built to serve as His Majesty’s nursery. I was born here and stayed until I was a hundred days old. This cup was brought here then.”

I looked at it skeptically.

“If I take this, do I get executed?”

“Regardless, this island is already ruined. No one would know if you took it.”

“What do you mean no one would know? The heavens would know, the earth would know, I would know, and so would you—the Grand Duke who would report me. I’ll pass.”

You’re planning to report me and have me executed, aren’t you?

The Grand Duke laughed at that.

“Do you really think I would report you?”

His golden hair shimmered under the dim light. It was radiant enough to belong in the imperial treasury itself—far more dazzling than the opal and crystal in my hands.

“Tell me, Lady. Do you think I would report you?”

“Well… isn’t it normal to report thieves if you see one?”

“You really don’t trust me. I came all the way here specifically to protect you after you insisted on going in alone.”

“What a completely pointless thing to do. Thank you.”

“Are you still upset about earlier?”

At the sudden question, I tilted my head.

Earlier?

Ah.

When he and the Crown Prince prioritized Yujein over me.

‘Why are you bringing that up now?’

So much had happened since then it felt like ancient history.

If anything, that moment was the reason we were trapped here in the first place.

“No.”

I looked up at him calmly.

“I’m not upset at all.”

“Why not?”

“Because being upset requires expectations.”

“……”

“And I don’t have any expectations of either of you.”

Lie. I was definitely upset.

But pride is pride. I would never admit it.

I straightened my back and lifted my chin.

“I’ll do the same. If the man I like and Your Grace both fall into water, I’ll save the man I like first. You should do the same. Let’s not resent each other afterward.”

The Grand Duke stared at me.

“But you like Praha.”

“……”

“And Praha also chose Lady Yujein over you earlier.”

Right. Damn it. That happened.

“…Maybe I should find a new man.”

The Grand Duke’s eyes widened slightly, seemingly surprised.

I met his gaze without hesitation.

Even when surprised, he was still handsome.

Interesting.

‘I don’t care. I don’t like you people anyway. Why? Because you’re too far away from me.’

We lived in completely different worlds. They didn’t like me. They didn’t just dislike me—they probably hated me.

And they were so tall that even the distance between our lips felt exaggerated.

‘Everything is too far. Just… everything.’

I didn’t have the energy anymore to cling to someone who clearly didn’t want me.

These self-assured handsome men needed to learn that the world offered other choices besides themselves.

‘Besides, it was Lady Yoo Sara who liked the Crown Prince and the Grand Duke… not me.’

With that thought, I didn’t look away.

The light-colored eyes facing me gleamed with interest. The Grand Duke, with eyes like green grapes, stared at me for a long time before suddenly laughing.

“Do you know how funny you look right now?”

“Me?”

“Your expression looks rotten, but your tone is polite.”

“Ah.”

“When my household butler talks nonsense, he makes exactly the same face as you.”

So even your butler is a suffering office worker.

The Grand Duke, still chuckling, placed the cocoa cup down somewhere at random. I watched him skeptically as he enjoyed himself far too much for someone so casually handsome.

“Anyway, I’m not upset, and I also have no intention of blaming Lady Yujein for earlier. That’s why you followed me, right? You’ve got your answer now, so you can go back.”

“Lady, I…”

The Grand Duke seemed about to say something, but my attention had already shifted elsewhere.

In a corner, I narrowed my eyes at a pillar-like shape lying on the floor.

‘What is that?’

I frowned and approached.

It was a corpse. A headless corpse.

At the last display stand, in front of a portrait of a young armored emperor, lay a body with its head severed. Someone had carelessly pushed the head aside into a corner. The exposed cut reeked of decay and blood.

I stopped, afraid I might slip on the sticky blood.

As I stared at the body, the Grand Duke awkwardly smiled and stopped talking.

“So that’s why I told you to come with me.”

“……”

“Are you alright?”

“…Did you deal with this corpse?”

“It was already dead when I found it. Sir Dazzling cut off the head. I just cheered him on.”

“……”

Note to self: never mess with Dazzling.

“Lady, are you really alright?”

Without replying, I crouched in front of the body. I turned the corpse over slightly, careful not to face its back toward me.

…As expected.

It’s here too.

Pretending to examine the body, I quietly slipped something sparkling from its hand into the pocket of my dress and stood up.

The Grand Duke asked,

“Why do you keep turning other people’s severed bodies over? Is looting corpses your hobby?”

“I’m not looting. I was examining it.”

“Why would you examine a corpse? Do you know it?”

“…I do, in a way.”

It was the servant from earlier.

The one who had stepped between Mascarpone and me when we first got into a dispute after I was possessed.

“In a way?”

“It’s nothing.”

I looked down at the zombie corpse, which had already lost a lot of blood.

Zombies don’t see—they rely on hearing and smell.

‘What if we cut up this body, smear its blood and organs on ourselves, and mask our scent? Could we fool them?’

Where had I seen that method? Walking Daddy, maybe.

It actually didn’t sound like a bad idea…

I turned my head slightly and glanced at the tall handsome man beside me.