CHAPTER 26
It was a fleeting silence. Louisa met Brown’s gaze again, who simply waited patiently for her next words.
“What do you mean it’s been tainted by miasma? The Sacred Bloom is supposed to suppress the spread of miasma.”
“That’s correct. It was discovered suddenly in the East. It’s never happened before, so we don’t even have a proper specimen. What’s worse is that two more such tainted Sacred Blooms have appeared since then.”
“There are three of them now?”
“Yes. Two are currently under examination by the Grand Temple and the Imperial Family. The third was brought here to show to the healing priest who’s staying with us.”
“Ah…”
No wonder this matter warranted such a rushed visit to the Blake territory. Louisa narrowed her eyes, staring at the box intently.
The Sacred Bloom was a flower created by the temple with divine power as a temporary measure to suppress the miasma that began spreading fifteen years ago.
While purification would eventually be possible, until the original female protagonist appeared, there was no one capable of doing so. That meant the empire had no choice but to rely on the Sacred Bloom. Because of the vast amount of divine power it required, the flowers were rare and difficult to cultivate.
If even these final bastions — the Sacred Blooms — were compromised, it was clear the empire’s last line of defense would collapse, resulting in a catastrophic tragedy.
“Wasn’t the corruption of Sacred Blooms by miasma something that started only after the heroine appeared? Or… was it happening before, but just rare enough to go unmentioned?”
Perhaps she didn’t remember everything perfectly. Still, the protagonist wasn’t supposed to appear for another season.
The original storyline said she’d appear when the summer heat faded and the cool winds of autumn began — meaning it was still a season too early for any disruptions.
“Hmm…”
Louisa folded her arms in front of her chest, bringing her right hand to her lips. As she pressed her index finger against her lips and stared at the box as if trying to bore a hole through it, Brown’s expression began to stiffen with unease.
“…I’m sorry.”
Louisa lifted her gaze at the sudden apology. With a slight arch of her brow that seemed to ask what he meant, Brown moistened his lips before speaking cautiously.
“I imagine you’d like to inspect it right away, but that might not be possible at the moment. The miasma has been absorbed into the Sacred Bloom, so it’s not radiating outward. Even so, that’s not confirmed. It would be best to view it under the supervision of a priest, just in case.”
Louisa blinked a few times, then gave a slight nod. She had merely been lost in thought, staring at the box — she didn’t expect it to be misinterpreted like that.
Still, she was curious, so since he promised to show her later, there was no need to deny it.
“How long until we reach the temple?”
“Oh, very soon. The capital was intentionally designed to be densely populated and positioned far from the northern border, so it’s not far from the duke’s estate.”
Brown, who had been nervously bracing for Louisa’s potential anger, was surprised by her calm acceptance — a sign of how much she had changed.
He already knew Louisa had changed. The transformation of the Duke’s daughter was a hot topic no one in the mansion was unaware of.
But witnessing in person what he had only heard in rumors left him at a loss for words.
Brown briefly debated whether he should report this transformation to the Duke, but since even the young duke hadn’t mentioned it yet, it felt awkward for him to step in.
He decided he’d observe more closely now that he’d be attending her personally, at least starting today.
While Brown organized his thoughts, the carriage raced forward without pause — until it finally reached the temple.
The frost-covered windows made it hard to see outside, but the slowing of the carriage made it clear they had arrived.
At last, the carriage came to a halt. Brown stepped down and respectfully extended his hand.
“We’ve arrived.”
Trees tightly packed together swayed in the brisk wind, their bare branches hidden as best they could — but to no avail. A harsh spring wind blew through the open door.
No, it felt more like a winter wind than spring. Louisa shivered at the chill and stepped out of the carriage.
“Hah…”
Her breath fogged the air as she exhaled deeply. She quietly took in the view of the small temple through the drifting mist.
Most duties were carried out at the central Aeanna Temple in the capital, so regional temples were known to be smaller. But this one was barely half the size of the duke’s estate.
The temple was quiet. Aside from two holy knights standing guard at the main gate and a priest waiting to receive them, there wasn’t a single soul in the garden out front.
“May the grace of the heavens shine upon you. I’m Priest Yoran, overseer of the northern temple.”
A handsome middle-aged man with short, sky-blue hair neatly combed back smiled gently with soft gray-blue eyes.
He gave off a naturally kind and calming presence.
“May the grace of the heavens shine upon you. I’m Louisa Blake.”
“It’s an honor to meet you, Lady Blake. I’ve received the letter from Duke Blake. You’ve come for treatment and to show us something, yes?”
Louisa released her grip on her dress and nodded slightly.
“Yes, that’s right — but I’d like you to take a look at this item first. I plan to stay here for a while, so I have plenty of time.”
She gestured toward Brown, who was standing quietly with his head bowed. Priest Yoran’s eyes naturally followed her hand to the small box he held.
“I see. Then, shall we go inside?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
The temple interior was as quiet as the outside. Likely due to its size, there were only a few people in the sanctuary — perhaps three or four — and unlike Priest Yoran in white robes, they all wore black.
Yoran led them to a door set deep on the left side of the sanctuary and opened it, revealing a corridor and a small office.
Louisa quietly scanned her surroundings and followed him to sit on a sofa inside.
“I’ve been briefed on the situation. May I see it?”
“Yes.”
Yoran got straight to the point. Given the seriousness of the matter, swift action was best. Brown, standing behind Louisa, carefully opened the silver-gray box and set it on the table.
The box made a heavy clunk, likely made of iron. Inside, resting atop a cushion of cotton, was a single flower.
The Sacred Bloom resembled a lily, but its slightly curled petals were stained black.
“The petals are black because of the miasma?”
“Yes. The flower is originally pure white.”
“I see…” Louisa nodded as she stared intently at the flower.
The yellow stamens in the center hadn’t discolored yet, but the murky miasma had seeped so far inward that it looked ready to burn the whole thing to ash.
Yoran carefully held the box with both hands, closed his eyes, furrowed his brow, and murmured softly.
“…It doesn’t seem the miasma has been fully absorbed. It’s more accurate to say it’s sealed within.”
“Sealed? Then are you saying the miasma could escape from the Sacred Bloom?”
“That… I can’t say for sure. But…”
“But?”
Louisa, who had been quietly listening, met Yoran’s gaze as he suddenly opened his eyes.
His expression was hard to read — as if he wasn’t certain but still found something troubling. It made Louisa’s chest tighten slightly.
“Don’t tell me he sensed something from me?”
Her eyes subtly shifted to the side, avoiding his direct gaze. She’d anticipated the priest might detect something unusual about her body — but not this soon.
Brown would no doubt report everything he saw and heard today to the Duke. If she gave him reason to be suspicious now, it would only cause more trouble down the line.
She glanced briefly at Brown. Fortunately, his full attention seemed to be on the Sacred Bloom, his eyes flicking between the box and Priest Yoran with curiosity.
“Still… why do I feel so uneasy all of a sudden?”
She should’ve been relieved at Brown’s lack of reaction, but her chest still felt heavy.
It was almost like indigestion — a vague discomfort that sent a shiver down her spine.
Then Louisa’s mouth clamped shut, a vein popping under her jaw as tension crept through her body.
At that moment, both Louisa and Yoran saw it — the black mist at the center of the Sacred Bloom melting away.
Suddenly, a wave of nausea surged. Louisa’s stomach churned violently.
“No — not here…!”
She hurriedly slapped a hand over her mouth, glancing sideways at Brown as she struggled to hold back the urge to vomit.
Just then — clack! — the box’s lid was slammed shut. Brown, who had been watching the priest, blinked in surprise and turned his gaze to the box, then back to Yoran.
“Priest Yoran?”
At Brown’s puzzled voice, Yoran rose from his seat.
“This is a dangerous item. It needs to be examined in a secure location. But first… I’d like to check on Lady Blake’s condition, if that’s alright?”
Louisa wasn’t sure what was going on, but it felt like Priest Yoran was trying to help her. Holding her breath, she gave a small nod
