Ivy and the heroine held their hands, walking to the place the announcement sounded from. If anyone had seen them, they would have wondered since when these two became friends.
"The Marquis was killed in cold blood. The murderer has not been found. The king asks everyone to stay where they are," the announcer holding the piece of paper announced the devastating news and the king's orders to the crowd that had gathered.
The announcer sighed, shaking his head. Life was like a game; nobody expected the Marquis to be lost today.
"Huh? The Marquis was killed? Who could be so cold-blooded?" the female side of the nobles standing amongst themselves gasped, covering their mouths as they heard the announcement.
"Life is so wicked. What could the kind, innocent Marquis have done to deserve this?" some people said, shaking their heads at the bad news of death that had been delivered.
Ivy had just arrived, listening to what the people were saying. At one point, the heroine had left her.
Ivy furrowed her brow, keeping focus on what they were saying in the small gathering. The Marquis was dead? Was she hearing it correctly? Which Marquis were they talking about?
Ivy creased her brows further, wondering to herself.
As she could not find the information by herself, Ivy, biting her lips, thought of the system.
"System, do you know what Marquis they are talking about?" she asked, knowing very well that the system was dwelling in her heart or whatever but not wanting to come out.
She so wanted to hear the juice about the Marquis' death.
The system did not appear physically to anyone's eyes. Hearing Ivy constantly calling it, the system appeared with its chibi body, its brows forming into a frown that made it look cute.
"Host, I have no clue about the Marquis they are talking about!"
The system hushed, wanting to go back to its resting, but Ivy held its tail, dragging it back.
"Come on, system, stop playing with me. I know that you might know the man they are talking about," she urged sweetly in the system's ears, but she did not know that at this moment, she looked like a villain about to steal candy from a little child.
"Host, why don't you find out yourself? I said I won't help you, and that's final," the system flapped its wings on Ivy's face, causing her to flinch. When she was not looking anymore, the system turned its butt to her, disappearing from her field of vision.
"Hey, system! Don't be an annoying pest and get over here! System, system, come back here!" Ivy yelled in her heart, glaring at the place where the system had just disappeared to.
She gritted her teeth in mute anger, thinking of a way to get the news she wanted.
She was very stubborn when it came to uncovering mysteries. She wouldn't rest as long as she hadn't uncovered it!
"Now I have to be walking around asking like a fool about the Marquis that died," she smiled, rubbing her hands together, then walked to the crowd after saying that to herself.
"Oh dear lady, you are really pretty today. I love your dress," Ivy walked to a lady with a blue ball gown decorated with sapphire stones. The lady had dark silver locks.
Ivy smiled kindly, nodding at the lady.
Yes! The lady was her own target to get the information out!
There was nothing better than sweet-talking a girl!
"Oh, thank you. You really make my heart melt. You are the first one who has complimented me today," the lady turned, and Ivy could finally see her face. The lady was knockout beautiful, the kind of beauty you could tell stood out in its own way. The lady was grieving to Ivy.
"No problem, it is my honor..." Ivy stammered, looking at the lady while trying to maintain her polite facade.
She sighed internally.
She had not come to hear a grieving woman's complaints.
Where was the juice? Where was it? She yelled in her head like a duck wailing.
"Can you even imagine? I dressed up all pretty today, only for me not to receive a single compliment from my husband! Can you imagine that?"
The lady cried, wiping her tears with her handkerchief. Ivy felt awkward, her eyes dancing between spaces, not wanting to look at the woman's crying face.
"Ha, it is alright. He does not deserve you. He needs to be burned," Ivy blurted, thinking in her heart with an evil laugh. If it was fuel to add to the fire, she would happily provide it for the lady.
She didn't know why the woman was getting so sad just because her husband had not complimented her.
"Girl, you see yourself every day in the mirror, don't you? Don't you believe that you are beautiful? Must someone tell you to be convinced?" Ivy's heart remained confused.
"Yes, I know that he needs to be burned, but I love him. He's my husband, after all," the lady nodded, agreeing with Ivy's former statement before bursting into tears once again.
Ivy endured the crying woman and went beside her, comforting her back like she was a baby.
"Yes, he's your husband, so you have to endure it. So, ma'am, I have been hearing that someone died. Do you know who has died?" Ivy had asked when the lady calmed down and stopped crying.
"It is Marquis DeMarcus who was killed." The lady's sad expression was instantly wiped from her face as she started talking, her lips stretching further into a smile as she continued delivering the information to Ivy.
"Oh, tell me about it," Ivy giggled, enjoying the gist.
"They said he was roasted into a chicken. Literally. Do you know the way a sweet chicken looks after it has been roasted?" The lady's last words left Ivy thinking.
Roasted? The man was roasted? She wondered what kind of magic that was...
Thinking of roasted... the Marquis being the one that was gawking at her the other time, Ivy did not think it was much of a coincidence.
Ivy's eyes widened as she soon processed everything, joining the dots together.
Who was the only one with fire magic in the kingdom, if not the Duke? Of course, who else could it be?
Ivy's eyes shone like diamonds. "Thank you, kind lady. You have been a lot of help. Bye-bye, see you later."
Ivy bolted off, not giving the lady time to react.
"Ah, my name is Gracie if you remember!" the woman waved, smiling at Ivy, not minding if Ivy had heard her or not. Hopefully, she would.
---
Ivy appeared at the gates of the palace, searching for Lucien, and then she collided with someone. Ivy raised her head, looking at the person.
"Duchess, just in time. The Duke has been looking for you so we could leave," Rutor said, slightly bowing to her. His voice was cold and indifferent, but it carried respect.
"Ha, okay. Just the perfect timing. I was looking for him also," Ivy smiled and said.
Rutor was just in time, making her search easier.
"Then, Duchess, follow my lead." Rutor bowed, showing her the way.
Ivy nodded, following him, and then they arrived at Lucien's fiery carriage.
Ivy walked to the carriage and opened it slightly, seeing Lucien's cold face.
She turned to Rutor.
"Rutor, please excuse us. No offence, I want to talk to my husband," she requested, gesturing to him.
Rutor, not thinking much, excused himself without asking for his master's permission.
It was a couple's time, and he should excuse them.
Ivy looked back and forth, seeing that Rutor had left. She climbed into the carriage, sitting beside Lucien, and leaned on him, her hands on his chest.
"Lucien, tell me, and don't lie to me. Did you kill Marquis DeMarcus?" she asked, her voice hushed as if she didn't want anyone to hear.
Lucien, with his cold and indifferent gaze, turned to her.
"I didn't kill him. What made you think so?" His voice was neutral.
Anyone else would have believed his words, but Ivy refused to do so.
"Is it? Come on, say it to me. Let me listen. Just say it if you killed him for me," she raised her brow, holding his chin so their gazes could meet.
Yes! She screamed in her mind.
Lucien had killed for her. He loved her so much.
So the whole time when the Marquis was being a perv gawking at her, the villain had been planning his death.
"Host, you are being delusional. Stop being delusional. You've fallen too much," the system's voice said, looking at Ivy smiling like a fool, resting on the villain's chest while he ignored her.
The system checked the host's heart meter, and it had risen to 90 instead of being stuck at 89.
Shouldn't this have been the other way around?
The system's worldview was cracking.