search
Outside the magic tower, the wind howled, causing the tree branches to sway and the windows to rattle loudly, all under a thick blanket of dark clouds.
A figure knelt on the carpet in the room, reporting the information he had received to the man sitting on the sofa.
After the kneeling figure finished speaking, the man on the sofa leaned back completely, covered his face with one hand, and smiled.
“Tiff, Tiff, you’re still as heartless as ever,” Hicks said.
His subordinates had just informed him that Tiffany had killed all of her half-siblings, leaving none alive, and that the former Duke of Stryker had been assassinated, causing him to fall into a coma.
He should have known long ago that Tiffany was not as innocent as she pretended to be; she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted.
He had a vague feeling that Tiffany was behind the elimination of illegitimate children, but he never expected that Tiffany was also responsible for the former Duke of Stryker's coma.
In his previous life, Ferrand was convicted of assassinating Tiffany's father and using the forbidden Black Magic Stone, and now it seems that Tiffany framed Ferrand for it.
Hicks straightened up, looked up coldly at the figure, and gestured for him to leave.
————
Tiff's first proposal after inheriting the title was to search the Magic Tower. She wanted to give Hicks something to do, though that wasn't what she said on the surface. At the meeting, she said that because the Magic Tower was emitting the aura of Black Magic Stone, she suspected that the tower's master had used the Empire's forbidden item—Black Magic Stone—and had also researched potions that posed a threat to the Empire.
After the proposal was approved, the king also signed the search warrant, and Tiffany immediately rushed to the Magic Tower.
When Hicks received the message, Tiff was already at the entrance of the Magic Tower with her men. She couldn't just barge in, since the Magic Tower wasn't on the territory of any country, and the fact that they could search it now was because several empires had joined forces and signed a contract with the Magic Tower.
When there is evidence that the Tower of Demons is planning to do something detrimental to the Empire and its people, the Empire may send people to search it.
As Hicks walked up to her with a gloomy expression, Tiffany curled her lips and looked at him defiantly as he pulled out a search warrant stamped by the king from his pocket.
"Lord Hicks Winley of the Magic Tower, I hereby formally inform you that due to the discovery of an aura resembling Black Magic Stone emanating from within the Magic Tower, in order to prevent harm to the people of the Inolier Empire, the Empire has convened a meeting. During the meeting, someone proposed searching the Magic Tower, and all eight dukes have agreed."
“Now,” Tiff said slowly, her gaze fixed on Hicks, “I will search the Magic Tower.”
"A proposal?" Hicks and Tiff looked at each other. He asked, "Who made the proposal?"
“Me?” Tiffany admitted directly, smiling as she watched his expression. Seeing that he remained expressionless, Tiffany raised an eyebrow and then strode into the magic tower with her entourage.
The lighting inside the Magic Tower was already quite dim, not to mention the weather wasn't very good today.
After Tiff ordered a search, the knights rushed towards the rooms, the backyard, and the upstairs.
Tiff looked at the dim light, glanced at Hicks and smiled, "Lord of the Magic Tower, shouldn't the Magic Tower get a new chandelier?"
Hicks's eyes flickered slightly as he looked at Tiff's face and suddenly remembered that in his previous life, Tiff had also searched the Magic Tower. However, it was not her suggestion at that time, but an order given by the king, and she had said something similar.
He couldn't help but compare the two Tiffany's lives. In the previous life, she had completely grasped real power and had one or two dukes to help her. She had completely shed her childishness. The current Tiffany had inherited the title for less than a month and had just come of age. Her eyes were also different, but not completely different. In their eyes, there was an undisguised desire for power.
After Hicks came to his senses, Tiffany had already withdrawn her gaze from him and was heading upstairs.
As soon as they reached the second floor, a knight hurriedly ran down from upstairs. When he reached Tiff's side, he glanced at Hicks cautiously before speaking.
"Your Grace, there are two rooms upstairs that the people inside the tower are not allowed to enter."
Upon hearing this, Hicks lowered his eyes and glanced at Tiff without making a sound.
When Tiffany heard the knight say that, the corners of her lips curled up slightly, and she turned to Hicks, "Lord of the Tower, the search must be thorough, leaving no corner unchecked."
“Of course I know that.” Hicks walked closer to Tiffany step by step, and leaned down in the knight’s slightly shocked gaze. They were very close, their breaths mingling. Hicks noticed that Tiffany’s eyes had turned cold.
“One room is an alchemy room, and outsiders can’t go in. The other is my bedroom, otherwise…” Hicks’s eyes flickered, “you’ll go in alone?”
Tiffany sneered, raised her hand and shoved Hicks away forcefully, making him stumble. She crossed her arms and squinted at Hicks, "Hicks, this is a search. What do you mean by 'outsider'? Even if you're taking a shower in here, you still have to open the door for me."
After speaking, he strode away, and the knight immediately followed. Hicks remained where he was, calmly watching Tiff's retreating figure, his eyes revealing no emotion.
"Kick the door open," Tiff ordered.
But no one moved. They were all wary of Hicks, so no one moved. Seeing them like this, Tiff sighed inwardly, regretting that she hadn't brought Dope along and had to let her do it herself.
Hicks couldn't help but laugh at the sight. After all, in her previous life, as soon as Tiff finished speaking, people rushed to kick open the door. In that life, Tiff's prestige was much higher than his own.
However, she had only recently inherited the title, and these knights were all royalty, so they were naturally more wary of the famous Demon Tower Master than of her, a noble lady who was known for her ladylike demeanor.
Tiff didn't have any particular thoughts; it was normal for most people to be afraid of Hicks under these circumstances.
She walked to the door and kicked it open.
This was Hicks's alchemy room, as evidenced by the various colored potions and the messy herbs. Tiff walked in, her gaze lingering on his potions. After a while, as she turned to leave, she stepped on a piece of parchment and looked down at it.
In that instant, Hicks seemed to remember something, her face darkening. Tiff moved her shoes aside, and just as she saw two words, the paper on the floor spontaneously combusted. She glared at Hicks.
The two words she just saw were her own name.
She stared at Hicks and slowly asked, "What are you doing?"
“Tiff, don’t meddle too much,” Hicks warned her.
Tiff smiled slightly. "Too much meddling?" She leaned closer to Hicks. "But I just saw my name on it."
Hicks didn't answer, and Tiff didn't care about his reply. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with the room, she went to the floor where his bedroom was located. It was on the top floor. She pushed open the door, and the knights rushed in to search the room. It was clear that even though they were being extremely careful, they still managed to make a mess of Hicks' room.
She couldn't help but turn to look at Hicks, who was leaning against the door frame. He showed no emotion, as if he wasn't searching his own room, but Tiffany still gave him a defiant smile.
Hicks suppressed his impatience and irritation and looked away.
The search ended without finding anything, which was within Tiffany's expectations; she hadn't anticipated finding anything anyway.
After all, Hicks wasn't stupid enough to leave the Black Magic Stone in its original place. She couldn't put anything else there to trap him, so naturally she couldn't find anything. The reason she was searching now was because of the original novel, "The Tower Master." Knowing that Hicks didn't like others touching his things, she did this on purpose to make him unhappy.
She would have to wait until she knew about Hicks before officially dealing with him. Tiff was taken aback, puzzled by her own thoughts. Strange ideas kept popping into her head lately. She did indeed need to wait to deal with Hicks, but it should be because of her own strength, not because she needed to know something.
She suddenly remembered that when she first met Hicks, her heart was pounding wildly, beating so fast as if it were a cue, but she really didn't understand what it was cueing.
Back at the palace, Tiffany informed the King of the search for the Magic Tower before returning to the Duke's residence.
After Tiffany finished showering and dried her wet hair, she sat down at the dressing table, rubbed her temples with her fingertips a couple of times, and then let go. Lisa dried her hair and reported on Carrel's schedule for the day, "Carrel went out today. He went to see Ferrand."
"As for the specifics of what was said, it is still under investigation."
Tiff nodded slightly and closed her eyes. Lisa lowered her eyelashes and focused on blow-drying Tiff's hair.
————
This was Carrel's first contact with Duke Ferrand since Tiffany inherited the title. Because Tiffany's father was in a coma and Tiffany had been assassinated before inheriting the title, the Duke's mansion had been under close surveillance for some time, and he had no chance to come out. Now that Tiffany had inherited the title for a week or two, the Duke's mansion's defenses had been slightly relaxed, and he finally found an opportunity to come out.
"Do you have any dirt on Tiffany?" Ferrand asked urgently as soon as he sat down.
Carrel shook his head. He had contacted Ferrand because Tiffany's father had died, and he didn't know whether to pin the charge of treason on him or to put someone else on the charge, like Tiffany.
Carrel told him everything, but Ferrand showed no expression and even questioned why he had called him out for this.
He told Carrel to continue as before, still pinning the blame for treason on the dead, even though Tiffany's father wasn't dead, he was practically as good as dead.
“Of course,” Ferrand said. “It would be even better if we could get something on Tiffany’s hands.”
After Tiffany inherited the title, he became increasingly at odds with her, and her constant scrutiny made it difficult for Ferrand to do things freely.
After saying that, he patted Karel on the shoulder and left Karel in his place.
Carrel remained motionless, pondering how to find fault with Tiffany and how to plant evidence of treason in the study.
He sighed, slowly finished his coffee on the table, and then stood up. He was going back to the Duke's mansion.
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