Chapter 59
Before I knew it, I found myself walking into the mansion alongside Jade.
As we moved, the guards tactfully stepped aside.
Even the old butler, walking from afar, noticed that the visitor was someone I knew and bowed politely.
I couldn’t believe the reality of walking across my family’s garden with Jade.
Lost in that thought, I stared blankly at Jade and asked,
“By the way, Jade, what’s going on? Suddenly showing up without any notice?”
“I wanted to surprise you, so I came without telling you, but now that I think about it, I probably should’ve given you some heads-up,” he replied.
“No, it’s fine. Actually, it’s more like a happy surprise!”
“That’s a relief,” Jade said, exaggeratingly brushing his chest as if to calm himself, then smiled.
“I was planning to come earlier, but I got held up by some annoying people along the way.”
However, a flicker of irritation crossed his ash-colored eyes at the end of that sentence.
“Your superiors? Superiors are usually all annoying,” I commented, nodding as if I knew, even though I’d never actually had office experience.
Jade gave a strange expression as I pretended to be knowledgeable, clearly debating whether to agree with me or not.
“They weren’t my superiors, but they were even more annoying than that,” he said.
I nodded, thinking I understood, then furrowed my brows slightly.
If they weren’t superiors, does that mean it was colleagues or lower-ranking priests who caused trouble? I couldn’t immediately grasp the situation and had question marks floating in my mind. I tried to speculate on my own, then sensed Jade’s gaze and lifted my head.
“Huh? Why?” I mouthed silently, and Jade smiled, appearing lost in thought.
“You’ve always been like that, Liz,” he said quietly, his eyes deepening as if recalling some distant memory.
“Even when I said things you didn’t understand, or didn’t explain things in detail, you never insisted on pressing me for answers,” he added.
I traced my memories from the first time I met Jade until now, glancing at him cautiously, then asked softly,
“Uh… was this the right time to ask?”
“Timing?”
He looked puzzled, clearly not understanding the word. Realizing my mistake, I quickly added,
“I mean… did you want me to ask about that?”
Jade laughed. His ash-colored eyes curved as he smiled, then shook his head slightly.
“No, it’s the opposite. I meant thank you and sorry for not asking anything.”
Hearing that, I exhaled in relief. I considered myself perceptive, but never fully trusted my own instincts. I’d sometimes worried that I might have acted obliviously around Jade without realizing it.
I muttered to myself, relieved,
“Good, I thought you were going to say you were upset with me all this time.”
“I do have things I’m a little upset about with you,” he said.
“Eh? Really?”
But it was only for a moment. The instant he mentioned being upset, a wave of memories came flooding back.
He’d demanded sacred water without permission, taken two expensive items for free, brought a stranger without asking… There were countless things that made me cringe.
I looked at Jade with a face full of apology. But Jade didn’t respond, instead staring toward the mansion entrance.
He’d done the same thing earlier. Curious, I followed his gaze—but saw nothing to catch his attention.
I tiptoed and narrowed my eyes, but nothing changed. Only the family guards stood motionless, like statues, as usual.
The only difference was one large man, seemingly accompanying Jade, who wasn’t there before.
Was he looking at that man? I wondered. But I remembered that earlier, he had been looking somewhere else, so I tilted my head in confusion.
“Liz, do you have time today?”
Jade suddenly asked, turning his attention back to me.
His words sounded like a cheesy old-fashioned date invitation. I nodded, somewhat dazed.
“Uh? Yeah.”
Time was all I had, anyway.
Hearing my calm reply, Jade’s smile deepened. Even knowing he was older than me, his childlike, innocent smile felt new and refreshing.
“Then will you show me around the capital today?”
Rixion knew very well that he was unlucky.
From the moment he was born until now, he had never once considered himself fortunate.
He believed—and had proof—that his life had only ever walked the path of the worst of the worst.
People praised his power, calling him a genius or some prodigy, but Rixion considered even that ability nothing more than misfortune.
Born with power he never wanted, he was rejected as a monster by the one he most wanted to be loved by.
He was thrown into the midst of people who tried to use him, treated like a tool.
After living in that state for so long, Rixion had grown tired of resenting the gods who had trapped him in this misfortune.
He neither blamed nor begged. It was easier to give up entirely, not expecting anything.
He didn’t have to suffer from unfulfilled desires or die of thirst from unsated longing.
Yes, it had been that way…
Rixion recalled the man in front of him, holding Elizabeth’s shoulders as they walked into the mansion.
On the way to the Christener Marquisate, the carriage had paused briefly, perhaps because there was already a visitor waiting.
Rixion thought that’s probably where things went wrong.
Soon, he saw Elizabeth rushing to the mansion entrance for the visitor.
As she approached, the visitor removed a hood that had hidden his face.
Black hair as dark as the night sky came into view.
Rixion immediately recognized him.
It was Pope Abelious.
Greeting Elizabeth cheerfully, he slowly turned his gaze toward Rixion. Even from a distance, Rixion felt his eyes locked onto him.
Pope Abelious gave a fleeting, mocking smile.
As Elizabeth tried to follow his gaze, he blocked her view, keeping his arm around her shoulders and walking naturally into the mansion.
As if he were the victorious one who claimed her.
Rixion watched the scene intently, restraining the urge to jump from the carriage and break the man’s wrist. He focused on controlling his breathing.
Through the glass window by the driver’s seat, he noticed the coachman watching him cautiously.
Brrring. Brrring.
At that moment, his communicator in his pocket started ringing incessantly.
Rixion took it out from his coat pocket. His icy gaze fell on the red glow of the communicator.
It was a direct summons from the emperor.
He wanted to ignore it, but with his sister, Empress Serena, involved, he couldn’t easily.
Leaning back against the chair, he silently stared into the void, letting the communicator crush in his hand.
His blue eyes, after blinking slowly, now reflected a numb, emotionless light.
“Turn the carriage around,” he commanded the coachman.
“Head to the imperial palace.”
“Check out these accessories from the distant Eastern continent!”
“Freshly harvested fruits! Taste them before you go!”
“Meat skewers, 10 copper each!”
“Dwarven daggers, only 1 silver today! Grab one for self-defense!”
The capital’s square buzzed with the shouts of street vendors. In a good light, it was lively; in a bad one, chaotic like a flea market.
“Jade, try this,” I said, handing him a slime jelly I’d just bought.
It was a normal jelly wrapped around a stick, but its shape and color resembled a slime monster, hence the name.
Jade took it with a puzzled expression.
“What is this? Slime stuck on a wooden stick?”
His tone was serious, as if he had no idea what it was for.
