I Sought Out the Tragedy’s Scheming Mastermind - Chapter 9

“Right away.”

Sophia hurried out of the room.

Suddenly, the cat jumped into Eliana’s arms, trembling.

Eliana held the cat, not knowing what to do until Hera’s voice filled her ears.

“Eliana, give me Shushu.”

Nyaaa.

The cat stared up at Eliana and cried out wistfully.

Put on the spot, Eliana looked between the two.

But then Hera reached over and took the cat away.

“My Shushu, I guess she’s been bored. She’s been acting adorable lately.”

Aeuung—

The cat continued to meow as if it were crying.

As Hera stroked her, she shivered, like she couldn’t escape her grasp.

Eliana watched them in wonder. She had no clue why the cat was shaking like that.

After a while, Sophia returned with a tray.

Placed on the tray were golden scissors studded with a large red diamond.

When the cat noticed the scissors, it struggled, even more, meowing louder.

“Why? Don’t you want a makeover?”

Hera held the cat’s neck in a firm grip with the golden scissors in her other hand.

Then, even though the cat was in distress, she snipped off pieces of its beard with an impassive face.

A rustle of white fur fell on Hera’s dress.

Eliana’s mouth fell open in astonishment.

She was abusing the cat, saying she was giving it a “makeover.” 

Cats were very sensitive animals and you should groom them with care, but Hera chopped off its fur with no concern.

Eliana struggled to put her trembling hands to rest.

Meanwhile, the sound of the scissors cutting through fur gently filled the room in the background.

“Isn’t my Shushu much prettier? Now, go play.”

As if she were done entertaining herself, Hera kissed the cat’s cheek before setting her down on the floor.

Sophia lifted the staggering cat and looked at Hera. “What should I do?”

“Pull out all of her claws so that she may never make that mistake again.” Hera ordered with a cold smile.

After Sophia carried out the cat, an agonized screech came from the next room over.

‘That relentless punishment… would she only do that to animals?’

To Eliana, this seemed like a warning.

She would end up the same as that cat should she act a fool.

Eliana tried to remain calm, pretending she could not hear the torturous cries of the cat.

But she couldn’t stop shaking with fear.

Eliana painfully nibbled on her lower lip.

Hera brushed off the remaining fur on her dress and spoke in a calm tone. “We’re behind schedule. We must go see His Majesty now.”

“Yes, Empress Dowager.”

Contrary to her tranquil response, Eliana’s voice trembled violently.

Hera knew of Eliana’s fear but walked gracefully, pretending she did not notice.

Passing through the long corridor, Hera explained to Eliana what to do when she encountered the emperor.

“As you may already know, Verkley is blind. So you must approach him and ask if you may touch him. Then, grab his hand and place it on your forehead.”

“Yes. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“He’s a very sensitive boy. He’s been through many difficult situations, and it makes me sad.”

“…I see.”

Eliana glanced at Hera, who acted like a mother who cared for her son.

How could she say such words without blinking?

Besides, it was Hera who made Verkley go blind. Eliana was even more horrified because she knew of that fact.

For a moment, her pretentious behavior reminded her of someone.

A person who pretended to be good in front of others but is full of all kinds of malice.

Eliana instinctively resented her.

For the record, Hera played a terrible role in cherishing Verkley, and he knew of her lies, but Verkley pretended to be oblivious.

[ The Princess Who’s Blind to the Emperor ].

When the novel first started, it gave off the vibe of a romantic comedy, but the story gradually changed to desolate when Verkley started to use his powers in earnest.

“I know I’m picky, but I want you to take good care of him for me.”

“Of course. I will try with my entire heart.”

“Yes. I know you will.” Hera returned with a kind smile.

Hera’s vibe was distinctly different from when she was out of the palace.

She was more unrestrained outside the palace, but here she acted like an affectionate Empress Dowager.

She was pretending to help Verkley, not yet intending to tell Eliana her plan.

She would reveal her true intentions after concluding Eliana’s usefulness.

This was good for Eliana. After all, she was never going to be on her side anyway.

She had no intention of acting like a moth who jumps into a fire, knowing it’ll burn.

In order to live, it was safer to stand with Verkley, the mastermind who was watching leisurely atop Hera.

Hera seems to be one step ahead of him right now, but he will defeat her in the end.

Eliana planned to take advantage of this situation, where Hera led her directly to Verkley.

Now that she knows what Verkley’s tastes are, she’ll easily be able to act accordingly.

Even if Hera realizes they get along, Eliana can use the excuse of following her orders.

Although he obtained great power by signing his soul over to a demon, he was unable to control his powers and had to keep them a secret.

Frankly, Eliana was jumping on thin ice where it’ll lead her directly to her death because even the meekest person will eventually lose their temper.

‘I’ll make sure I survive. I’m going to survive.’

Before she realized it, they’d reached the huge double doors.

There was a guard in front of Verkley’s room.

On the surface, the guards seemed to be doing their jobs, but truthfully, they were all Hera’s men.

It was like she was watching him 24/7.

The guard acknowledged Hera and Eliana, then knocked on the door.

“Your Majesty, the Empress Dowager and the daughter of the Mussieux family have arrived.”

“Allow them in.”

A soft voice flowed through the doors. It sounded mysterious and sweet but also deep.

Just by hearing his voice, Eliana remembered that he was the world’s most handsome man, as guaranteed by the author.

He had a charming voice.

The guard opened the doors when Verkley granted permission.

The room was brighter than the corridor.

The lights were bright because it was the emperor’s bedroom, even though there was no need for lights because he was blind.

However, the man in front of Eliana stood out more than the bright lights.

It was hard to tell whether it was because of the lighting or because he was the emperor.

Eliana murmured with a bewildered face as soon as she laid eyes on Verkley. 

“…Is he a sculpture?”

Verkley Owen was in no way a human. He was a sculpture carefully carved out by God himself.

It was understandable why the author called him the world’s best-looking man.

Eliana thought she should smack her past self for thinking she could be beautiful because looking at Verkley made her realize…

That the two of them were on completely two different levels.

‘Why did the author have to make the mastermind so handsome?’

Eliana was embarrassed because Verkley was much more handsome than she’d imagined.

Even his black hair, which was carelessly tied in a half up half down, looked neat.

His hair was glossy as if made of silk, and his pale face was flawless with no blemishes.

Even with long hair, he looked so natural without any awkwardness.

His cold blue eyes hidden under his long lashes were so clear that he didn’t look blind.

With each blink, his long eyelashes seemed to flutter like small wings.

“That can’t be a real person…”

“Eliana, what are you doing? Show courtesy.” Hera touched Eliana’s shoulder, who was standing in a daze, and implored her.

At that moment, Eliana came to her senses and scrambled to approach Verkley.

“I-I greet the Empire’s Sun. I am Eliana Mussieux.”

At Eliana’s greeting, Verkley reached out a hand with an indifferent face.

He seemed to be telling her to hurry up and be polite.

Eliana hesitated for a moment at Verkley’s unnerving response, then grabbed his hand.

However…

Slap!

As soon as Eliana came in contact with him, Verkley struck her hand in surprise.

With a momentary silence, all eyes turned to Verkley.

“Yo-Your Majesty?”

Eliana was startled at his rejection and stared down at her hand in confusion.

She hadn’t done anything yet, but it felt strange being rejected.

Verkley stumbled over words, but a second later, he smiled awkwardly and excused himself.

“Ah, I apologize. I felt a sudden zap of electricity…”

Does that mean he was the only one who felt it?

Eliana instinctively noticed that he was lying.

‘Even if I didn’t like meeting with Hera, I wouldn’t have done that to a person…’

First of all, it seemed like he wanted them to leave.

Eliana was still nervous, but she smiled politely and asked, “May I hold your hand, Your Majesty?”

“Yes.”

Verkley reached out again.

Eliana held his hand very carefully this time.

His hand was so cold, it felt as if some cold energy wrapped around his fingertips.

Again, Eliana felt Verkley flinch.

But this time, he held Eliana’s hand tightly.

He even fumbled with his hand, trying to grasp something to feel.

Eliana widened her eyes in embarrassment, then raised their hands and brought them to her forehead.

Eliana didn’t notice Hera’s expression turning strange, who was still watching them interact.

“I greet His Majesty, Emperor Verkley Owen, the sun of the empire.”

Verkley lowered his arm helplessly. 

He smiled but looked in the wrong spot as if he were blind.

His eyes were unfocused.

The slow smile that spread across his face somehow felt dreamy.

“Nice to meet you.”

Eliana knew that he had regained his eyesight when he signed that contract with the demon.

So, she deliberately leaned in the direction he was looking to make eye contact.

And then she smiled.

Eliana really wanted to meet him.

And now, she finally had.

Meeting him felt like a reward for all those times she felt anxious, worrying if things didn’t go her way.

“It’s an honor to meet you, Your Majesty.”