The mother and daughter's time together was short before the Duke interrupted them.
Maggie looked into the Duke's eyes, and the father and daughter stared at each other. The air in the room was so quiet it was almost suffocating, and even the Duchess sensed something was wrong.
In order not to implicate the Duchess, Maggie stopped her pleasantries with the Duchess and gave an order to Nesser, who was waiting outside the reception room.
"I'm taking my mother out for a walk. I have something I want to say to my father alone."
Nesser, who had been listening intently outside, probably because of his sharp ears, immediately came in.
"Yes, Your Highness."
He blinked, looking at the Duchess, who, though aged, was still elegant. He first bowed to Maggie, then gave the Duchess a big, bright smile.
Nesser bent down and extended one hand toward the Duchess, while the other hand was behind his back.
His movements were gentlemanly, his manners impeccable, and there was nothing to criticize. Coupled with his stunningly handsome face, no woman could resist him.
"Madam, the temple's back garden is in full bloom right now. Shall I take you to see it?"
The Duchess was stunned by Nesser’s beauty and enthusiasm, seemingly not expecting Maggie to have such a handsome man as her servant.
"Oh, oh, okay."
She stood up, somewhat flustered, until Nesser led her to the door. Only then did the Duchess belatedly look at Maggie, then at Nesser, with a thoughtful expression.
After Nesser and his men left, Maggie was finally able to confront the root cause of all her misfortunes, or rather, the beginning of her original misfortunes.
"Father, I suppose you brought Mother here not just to see me, but also because you wanted to do so?"
Maggie was too lazy to keep up the act and confronted the Duke directly, not even bothering to make any extra expressions.
“My clever daughter, oh no, maybe she’s some kind of ghost, but that doesn’t matter. Since you’ve taken over my daughter’s body, then you are my daughter.”
The Duke narrowed his eyes and slowly walked to sit down opposite Maggie.
"You may not yet know the price of deceiving me."
Maggie certainly remembered that she had tricked the Duke and hadn't given him the agreed-upon reward. Her older brother still hadn't joined the Saint Na Kingdom's court magicians.
But so what?
"So what? What exactly are you trying to say?"
Maggie retorted indifferently, displaying an attitude of utter indifference.
"Heh, do you think you can be fearless just because you've become the Holy Maiden of Light? Since I was able to put you in this position, I can naturally bring you down as well."
When the Duke saw that Maggie was unmoved by his words, he immediately turned cold and spoke very rudely.
"oh."
Maggie looked calmly at the Duke, wanting to see what other trouble he might cause.
"However, if you agree to leave a 'handwritten letter from the Holy Maiden of Light' today, everything that happened before can be forgiven. What do you say?"
The Duke continued.
What do you want me to write?
Maggie, of course, wouldn't write it, but she was curious about what the Duke was planning.
"Naturally, it concerns the Tumi potion and the slave auction. You only need to guarantee, as the Holy Maiden, that these things are harmless, and that you will be the guarantor and witness behind the slave auction."
The Duke was calculating his plans meticulously.
While the TuMi potion and slave auctions may seem unrelated, they are actually intricately connected. After all, the TuMi potion is perfect for promoting slave auctions.
But that's wishful thinking; it almost made Maggie laugh in exasperation.
"Are you crazy? Do you think I would agree to that?"
Maggie now truly believes the Duke is utterly unreasonable. This is not only playing with her reputation, but also the reputation of the temple, although she doesn't really care about the temple's reputation.
But he's really crazy to want her guarantee letter.
“You will definitely agree. If you don’t write it now, tomorrow… your mother will be demonized in front of the statue in the temple and burned to ashes by the temple’s holy light.”
The Duke sneered, with an expression of absolute certainty.
Maggie's pupils shrank instantly, her fingers clenched tightly, and she almost punched the Duke in the face. Clearly, the threat had worked on Maggie.
He actually dared to lay a hand on the Duchess, and didn't even spare his own mother.
“Doing this will also damage the reputation of the Zefnia family.”
Maggie's voice was slightly trembling, but she still tried to appear calm.
"So what? The Zefnia family doesn't need a disobedient daughter. Besides, I have evidence of your relationship with your mother, evidence that you forged your way into the temple."
His words had truly angered Maggie.
Unexpectedly, the Duke had this plan: to pin his actions on the Duchess, then have her demonized and killed on the spot, leaving no evidence, and then, in a fit of grief, produce the evidence to sever ties with them.
This not only saved himself, but also eliminated the potential threat she posed.
That's quite a cunning scheme.
If she hadn't already devised a plan to turn the tide, she would most likely have been outmaneuvered.
Maggie looked at the Duke's ugly face and suddenly laughed.
I'm not angry, I just find it very funny.
The Duke's reaction to Maggie was different from what he had expected. He frowned, his voice cold and threatening.
“If you don’t want your mother to die in such a humiliating way, and if you don’t want to be imprisoned in the dungeon by the temple as a disgrace, you’d better listen to me.”
"Even if you wanted to escape with your mother now, it would be impossible. She has been marked by a demon. If I give the order, she will turn into a demon on the spot, and you will never be able to save her."
He spoke with absolute certainty, as if he was certain that there was no way to resolve the situation with Maggie.
Unfortunately, Maggie not only has one, but there are several different kinds.
Even if things were to go awry, she could even consider asking Safa to plead for the Duchess's life.
Not to mention that the bodyguards she now hires for the Duchess are natural nemesis of angels and devils, so this little thing is a piece of cake for them.
"Okay, then go ahead and do it."
Maggie nodded seriously and gracefully shifted into a more comfortable sitting position, adopting the look of someone looking at a clown.
It's so bright it's enough to make anyone furious.
Although Maggie was furious that he used his devilish methods on the Duchess, it was perhaps the best solution for her, since she was somewhat familiar with the devil.
The Duke seemed not to have expected Maggie to be so 'laid-back,' showing no sign of struggling whatsoever.
He never even suspected that Maggie was completely unafraid of his threats, and that her calm demeanor stemmed from her confidence.
Even if he racked his brains, he would never have imagined that Maggie not only made a contract with the Demon King, but also had a little relationship with the Archangel.
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