For My Birthday, I Was Gifted Five Husbands - Chapter 182

“Are you all right, Lord Carter?”

Carter nodded halfheartedly, too irritated to answer properly. He hadn’t suffered any serious injuries anyway, he was merely exhausted from overusing divine power.

‘As expected, the ones who’ve seen real battles are troublesome.’

Troys and Wilberforce were both renowned for their military achievements. Facing the two of them had taken more effort than he liked. On top of that, there was Lysander, who could wield dark magic. Even with temple attendants backing him, breaking through had taken longer than anticipated.

Carter steadied his breathing and brushed his bangs back.

‘Still… that felt satisfying.’

His pale blue eyes gleamed with cruel delight. To finally land a blow against someone who had been an eyesore since their academy days, his blood had boiled with gratification.

He recalled Magnus Napier slumping against the wall, gasping for breath.

“To think I lost my place to someone like that. How ridiculous.“

“Ugh…!“

“Absolutely ridiculous….“

Originally, Eugenie was meant to have four husbands. That had been the maximum Theodora Norton could squeeze out through her contract magic.

Perhaps Carter might have been included as that final candidate. But just as he had thought before, Napier had once again blocked his path.

Staring down at the fallen Magnus, Carter had muttered:

“You stole the moment that was supposed to be mine and secured the contract instead?“

Eighteen years old.

The day Magnus Napier suddenly appeared at the Norton estate was the very same day Carter had arranged, through Richard, to meet Theodora privately.

Carter had intended to tell her everything.

That he knew who she truly was. That he knew exactly what she had been doing for Eugenie.

And that he wanted a chance as well.

‘…Yes. It was the day I went to beg her.’

At eighteen, Carter had been prepared to grovel if necessary.

Even if others who knew the truth pointed at him and called him pathetic and disgraceful, it didn’t matter. He simply couldn’t lose the woman he had come to love so deeply.

But before he could arrive, Theodora Norton had already given the final position to Magnus Napier. Even if he had met her that day as planned, there was no way to know whether she would have accepted his plea.

And now, he would never know.

‘Well… perhaps she judged that I wouldn’t be much help to her daughter.’

Otherwise, she wouldn’t have chosen the others first. For all that, being the son of the capital’s high priest was hardly an insignificant position.

Yet the fury of having something that might have been his stolen by that man burned with murderous intensity. When he infused divine power and paralyzed Magnus’s body, he hadn’t expected the curse Magnus had been hiding so carefully to awaken…

“Hm.”

Carter lifted Magnus’s broken cane and raised an eyebrow.

At a glance, it looked like some ostentatious antique concealing a small sword for self-defense. But in truth, it had been a ‘plug’, a device suppressing Magnus Napier’s curse.

‘Mrs. Norton must have given it to him… probably at the time of the contract.’

But now that Carter had taken it, the curse would spread rapidly. He cast a sharp glance at the temple attendant.

“There were some missteps, but at least we know for certain Eugenie is in the capital.”

“Yes, Lord Carter. My apologies…”

“That’s enough. And Richard.”

Carter turned toward the holy relic the attendant was holding. Like the communication earrings used for dark magic, the temple also kept a few ancient artifacts for their own purposes.

From the translucent crystal pyramid, Richard’s voice flowed out.

—Yes, Carter.

“You said the capital is in chaos.”

Empress Sylvea had finally discovered Carter’s existence and begun to act. Even without magical means, methods of verifying bloodlines already existed in Hermeland.

‘They’ll drag me to court and accuse the Livingston family of treason. They’ll probably tie Tristan’s collapse to me as well.’

As always, the Emperor would cower before Sylvea and abandon his illegitimate son. But Carter and Richard had long prepared for this scenario.

“Richard, contact Honegold and Ravenic again.”

—Yes. We’ve already sent word. They say preparations are nearly complete.

“Good….”

Carter exhaled and looked up at the sky.

No matter how furiously the Empress raged, if Ravenic in the north and Honegold in the south both staged military demonstrations at the same time, a mere courtroom battle would be pushed far down the list of priorities.

More importantly, if trouble erupted within their respective territories, Troys and Wilberforce would be tied down.

As for the remaining vermin—Lysander and Napier—they could be dealt with in time.

His piercing blue eyes closed briefly, then opened again, reflecting the dark expanse of the night sky.

“It’s time I go find my other half.”