A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 110: Taming

“Haa, haa....”

Breathing heavily, Lady Meredia moved forward, her expression growing increasingly anxious as she glanced around.

“...Damn it.”

Whitney’s aura was clearly coming from somewhere far away, but ever since the shop’s structure had shifted into a maze, there was no sign of an exit.

Of course, even with Meredia’s abilities specialized in destruction and firepower, she could still use basic sight-enhancing magic.

“Kikikiki!”

“Kihihihi....”

The problem was that with the creation of the maze, the countless rooms were now filled with dummies that looked like clones of Whitney and the emperor.

And although the creatures that jumped at her every time she opened a door weren’t real threats to her, they were still troublesome, being summons called forth by a senior member of the Shadow Union.

– Kadeudeuk....

Dealing yet again with the dolls that popped out of the room, Meredia quietly ground her teeth, her eyes flushing red.

‘I should just destroy everything at once....’

Considering the terrifying aura she felt just moments ago, Meredia guessed something serious must have happened, and her nerves were on edge.

For a moment, she considered blowing the entire shop away and simply recovering a battered Whitney, thinking that would resolve things.

But soon, Meredia shook her head and changed her mind.

‘...His face is the only good thing about him.’

If anyone who knew Whitney's frightening face heard that thought, they would surely doubt their ears, but Meredia was completely serious.

The Whitney she had seen earlier, his face hidden behind a mask, was honestly her type.

Of course, worrying about ruining that face wasn’t exactly appropriate for such a dire situation — but that was love for you.

Love had the power to turn even the smartest woman in the world into a fool in an instant. freewēbnoveℓ.com

“Kieeeeeek!”

‘I really should have blocked the emperor at the auction....’

She created a spray of ruby-like shards, shooting them forward like a shotgun.

Having quickly dealt with the incoming dolls, Meredia bit her lip hard and moved onward.

‘I could have easily paid 12 billion....’

For an ordinary noble house, 12 billion would have been an unimaginable fortune, but it was different for Meredia.

The one and only ducal house of the Empire, passed down through the ages, possessed a fortune that overflowed with absurd excess.

Even though Meredia had little affection for her family beyond the overwhelming power it granted her, the immense wealth was something she genuinely appreciated.

‘What on earth is the emperor planning to do to Whitney...?’

The problem was, the emperor — the one being in the Empire who could outmatch her in both political power and wealth — had purchased her man.

Of course, Meredia also understood that Whitney’s purchase had been part of his plan.

But still, wasn’t it risky to assume the emperor hadn’t seen through their identities from the start?

And recalling the true nature of this shop — a depraved establishment hiding behind a glittering name — only made Meredia even more anxious.

‘I’ve only ever held his hand....’

Thinking that, she suddenly recalled the kiss he had given her on the forehead.

But now was not the time to be distracted by such memories.

– Sharararak....

“......?”

At that moment, just as Meredia’s face darkened with worry, something climbed onto her shoulder.

“......Hik?”

Glancing absentmindedly down at her shoulder, Meredia suddenly trembled all over, letting out a sound unbefitting her usual demeanor.

– °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° Kkyu?

A familiar-looking spider was perched there, its disgusting legs twitching.

“......?”

Seeing it, Meredia turned pale, too frozen even to scream, and then slowly furrowed her brows.

– Kkyu!

As repulsive as it was, the spider raised one of its legs and pointed toward the right fork in the path.

“You’re telling me... to go that way?”

Finally realizing that this was the monster Whitney had tamed back at the academy, Meredia asked in a disgusted tone.

– Kkyu!

“...Ugh, fine, just stay still.”

The spider happily wobbled from side to side atop her shoulder, and Meredia resisted the urge to fling it off with superhuman patience, turning toward the indicated path.

‘But something’s strange.’

With a puzzled expression, she tilted her head.

‘Why is there pure white energy coming from the spider?’

Before, when she first encountered it, the spider had radiated a monster’s pure aura.

But now, the spider on her shoulder exuded a familiar white energy, one she recognized from the Order of Light.

‘No, it’s mixed with darkness....’

That narrowed it down to one suspect.

The Saintess, who should be holed up in the Holy State right about now....

– Shashashak!

“...Kyaa!”

While frowning and lost in thought, Meredia shrieked when the spider's leg brushed her face.

– Kkyu?

Glaring fiercely at the spider as if she would kill it, she saw it simply tilting its head again, pointing once more toward a fork in the path.

“...Haa.”

Sighing deeply, Meredia reluctantly moved in the direction the spider indicated.

‘Tch. So many people are watching you.’

Just as she muttered that, the spider's gaze was indeed connected in real-time to someone lurking far away in the Holy State — but that was another story.

***

How long had they walked with the spider’s guidance?

“...Hmph.”

Finally reaching a dead-end, Meredia stared at a lone door ahead with wary eyes.

“If this is a trap, I’ll rip off all your legs.”

– Kkyu....

“...Ah, no! Don’t go hiding!”

As the terrified spider tried to hide inside her sleeve, Meredia quickly shouted to stop it.

– Kkyu!

The spider obediently climbed back to her shoulder and wobbled again.

“.......”

Her eyes briefly flashed red.

– Jjeojeojeok....

Cracks began forming in the door ahead.

“Hah, they even put up a barrier.”

Seeing the complex glyphs glowing on the door’s surface, Meredia snorted and moved forward.

– Jjaenggeurang...!

Placing her palm against the barrier, she shattered it into countless fragments with a single touch.

“I’m not falling for the same trick twice.”

After the troubles she had during the academy’s midterm exams, she had secretly studied barriers on her own.

Her method — physically smashing magical barriers — was so like her: direct and completely ignoring traditional magic theory.

– Bang...!

Now, only a simple wooden door separated her from Whitney.

Not bothering with finesse, Meredia kicked it down.

It wasn’t exactly something a noble daughter should do, but Meredia’s martial skills were more than enough to overpower an ordinary knight.

“Whitney!”

The moment she entered the room, she called out desperately, expecting Whitney to be suffering under the emperor’s abuse.

“......?”

But what she saw made her pause in confusion.

“...Lady Meredia.”

Whitney stood perfectly fine.

That was one thing — but the scene inside the room was bizarre.

“You’re... late? Haha....”

“......!?”

At Whitney’s feet, a woman in a strange costume was lying flat on the floor, getting stepped on.

“What... what is that?”

“...Hm.”

Moreover, Whitney was casually holding the woman’s leash in one hand.

“What on earth are you doing here?”

“...Who knows?”

“Wait, hold on. You....”

But what caught Meredia’s attention even more than all that — was that Whitney’s eyes were wide open.

“You can open your eyes now?”

“...Ahahahaha.”

***

“Sometimes, Lady Meredia, when you make that expression... it’s just adorable.”

“.......”

“Isn’t it? At least, that’s what I think.”

Whitney, eyes wide open, spoke in a voice filled with laughter.

Meredia instinctively flinched.

‘...What is this?’

Whitney always made childish jokes that gave her goosebumps.

But now, his tone, though light, carried an underlying pressure.

“D-don’t joke around.”

“Sure, I understand.”

“...Can you just explain what happened?”

Meredia quickly composed herself and asked.

“My negotiation with the emperor went well.”

Whitney smiled lightly.

“My hand played out perfectly. From now on, the emperor will cooperate with us unconditionally.”

His smile and tone returned to normal, yet the aura he emitted with his open eyes was still overwhelming.

“...I see.”

Had it been anyone else, their legs might have given out just listening to him.

“What about that woman?”

Lowering her gaze, Meredia asked while looking at the woman lying on the floor.

“Why is she being stepped on by you?”

The woman, dressed in an outfit only seen in shady establishments, barely flinched occasionally, face planted against the floor.

“Oh, she’s the emperor’s pawn. Tried to sneak an attack on me during the negotiation.”

“...One of the emperor’s shadows?”

“Yes, so I subdued her.”

Accepting Whitney’s explanation with a nod, Meredia still looked at the scene suspiciously.

“...And that ridiculous costume?”

“Don’t misunderstand. She was disguised as one of the shop’s employees.”

“And the leash...?”

“There weren’t any restraint tools around. Improvised.”

“...Hmmm.”

After another round of questioning, Meredia seemed doubtful but eventually let it go.

“Suspicious, but fine. I trust you. You’re not the type to fool around in a place like this anyway.”

“Hahaha....”

“...Honestly, I thought you were fooling around with the emperor.”

Muttering to herself, she snickered.

“There’s no way that prideful emperor would wear such a ridiculous outfit and a dog collar.”

“The hair color doesn’t match either. And she has a slave’s mark.”

As Meredia’s comments continued, the woman underfoot trembled faintly — but it was barely noticeable.

“Anyway, she dared to attack you, right?”

“.......”

“That’s outrageous.”

Smiling coldly, Meredia approached.

– Slap...!

She grabbed the woman’s hair and lightly slapped her cheek.

The woman’s eyes quivered fiercely.

“Know your place.”

Meredia whispered icily into her ear.

“Ahahahaha....”

And at the same time, Whitney whispered cheerfully into her other ear.

“...How does it feel, Your Majesty?”

“......Ugh.”