My Ruin to You - Chapter 183

“I’m going to remove the door. As you know, since it’s not my affinity, I won’t be able to maintain it for more than a few hours before it returns. When that happens, carefully observe your surroundings and then come out cautiously. I’m truly sorry, Sir.”

“No, young lady! Wait…!”

Leaving his bewildered expression behind, Roseline closed the door. Then she quickly gathered magic in her palm and extended it toward the door. She had tried transformation spells before, but she had never hidden terrain features like this, so it was a gamble for Roseline too. If she was lucky, it might just end with a nosebleed, but if unlucky, she could lose consciousness right there.

“…Done.”

Fortunately, it was successful. As the shimmering light gradually erased the outline of the door, blood streamed from Roseline’s nose. A wave of dizziness hit her instantly, but Roseline gritted her teeth and remained standing, wiping the nosebleed with the back of her hand. She couldn’t collapse here.

There was still work to do. The building with the vanished door might draw attention, so Roseline pulled a cart left abandoned in the alley to cover the spot where the door had been. As she wiped the persistent nosebleed with the back of her hand again, her face became completely smeared with blood.

She was a mess. The hair Lina had so carefully styled was thoroughly disheveled, the dress covered in dust was grimy, and the hem of her dress, stepped on in her hurried pace, had its stitching torn and was fluttering loosely.

“Young lady.”

Merrick, who had spotted Roseline in such a state, approached in a flash with a rare expression of surprise. The reactions of the other knights who had just entered the alley to begin their search weren’t much different.

“Are you alright?”

Merrick’s eyes narrowed as he took in her pale, ashen complexion and the fresh bloodstains. Unfortunately, there was no way to help. There were no healing-affinity knights nearby, and lending her his handkerchief was out of the question.

“No. Where is His Highness?”

“He is at the residence.”

“I see. And Lady Schnitzel?”

“She was loitering in the plaza, so we sent her to the residence. Where is Sir Schnitzel?”

It seemed Schnitzel, after pretending to head to the residence, had circled back and was wandering nearby, keeping an eye on her brother and Roseline. Roseline worried if she had been too startled by the sudden arrival of the knights, but now wasn’t the time to be concerned about others.

“I don’t know.”

“Young lady.”

“If I intended to tell you that, I wouldn’t have shown up looking like this.”

Roseline shrugged her shoulders and wiped her nosebleed. Merrick clicked his tongue briefly upon seeing the darker streak of blood.

“But why are you looking for Sir Schnitzel?”

“An investigation is necessary.”

“What kind of investigation?”

“The Grand Duchy is a military territory, young lady. Unauthorized entry by noble families without the Grand Duke’s approval is strictly prohibited. Are we not in a state of war? The possibility of information leaks and connections with external forces cannot be ruled out.”