Chapter 79
Among the residents of District 4, the families who had been quarantined due to the plague were said to have completely recovered after Elizabeth Christener visited.
The fortunate thing was that the Empire had at least belatedly recognized this fact. However, they still did not know that it was Elizabeth Christener who had cured those families.
I still remember the shock when I was first informed of this.
It was both a miracle and a disaster. Elizabeth Christener was a saint sent by God to them, but also a terrifying variable capable of destroying all the glory that the Holy Empire had built over centuries.
Ferrard immediately began planning to bring Elizabeth Christener to the Holy Empire.
Through a knight stationed near the Pope, he discovered the name the Pope used while traveling incognito. Using that name, he tried to create an opportunity to lure Elizabeth Christener out.
However, his attempt to use the Pope’s name without permission and kidnap Elizabeth Christener alone ended in failure.
If the operation had succeeded, it might have been forgivable. But in the state of failure, Ferrard feared the reaction if the Pope found out.
When throwing a wine glass and shouting didn’t calm his anger, Ferrard looked around to see if there was anything else he could hurl.
At that moment, a candle and candelabra illuminating the dark space came into view. As Ferrard’s rage-filled eyes focused on the candelabra, fear appeared on the shadowy figure’s face.
“Th-there was a man!”
Even as Ferrard threw the sharp candelabra at him, the shadow could only tremble and cry out in fear, unable to dodge or resist.
When Ferrard paused for a moment, the shadow hastily continued, desperate to survive.
“R-Rixion Luhanes interfered. As you said, we failed to subdue Elizabeth Christener and bring her back, so we had planned to quietly deal with the matter afterward. But then Rixion Luhanes got involved…”
Recalling the horrific scene of his comrades’ necks being cut and blood gushing like fountains, the shadow shut his eyes tightly, grimacing in despair.
Had they been discovered while waiting at a distance, they too would have immediately met the same fate.
“Team 1 is still unconscious, and Team 2 is entirely dead.”
“Huh…”
Hearing the shadow’s report, despair also appeared in Ferrard’s eyes. The moment he heard Rixion Luhanes’ name, his vision blurred.
Staggering, he barely stood upright, clutching the desk with both hands.
“So that means Rixion Luhanes and even the Imperial Court already knew.”
Through spies planted in both the Imperial Court and the Luhanes estate, he had been told that the Imperial Court hadn’t yet realized Elizabeth Christener’s power. But that was apparently untrue.
After a saint fell into the Imperial Court’s pond and now Elizabeth Christener, who could cure plagues, was also present… and all of them were under the Empire’s control.
He couldn’t believe it. If this wasn’t a disaster, what was it? Had God truly abandoned them?
Ferrard exhaled heavily and ground his teeth.
Thinking of Emperor Alexis’ triumphant face, now having the monster Rixion Luhanes on his side and holding two saints in his hands, made him feel sick to his stomach.
‘Did the Pope know from the very beginning?’
He realized that there had been a reason Pope Abelios wanted them to watch over that woman. At first, he couldn’t understand why the Pope would demand close surveillance over a mere noblewoman, but now he seemed to understand.
He regretted the failed attempt to bring Elizabeth Christener to the temple and the plan to secretly eliminate her.
Although it was concerning that he had acted alone without reporting, as long as it remained undiscovered, it would be fine. Even if it were discovered, he could claim that his actions were for the Pope and the Holy Empire.
Ferrard turned back to the shadow, who was waiting for orders, and commanded:
“Until the next instruction, continue observing that woman and Rixion Luhanes.”
Both the saint and Elizabeth Christener—no matter what it took, they had to be brought under his control.
However, if either one eventually could not be secured… both would have to be eliminated without exception.
I was put under house arrest.
This time, my brother Michael was truly angry and made sure I couldn’t step outside the mansion even a single step—for a whole 20 days.
Curious about why it was 20 days, I asked, only to have a fist descend upon the crown of my head.
Holding my sore head and groaning, a terrifying remark followed: if I wanted, he could have made my house arrest last 20 years. I quietly accepted the 20 days.
In addition to my house arrest, other changes occurred at the Christener estate.
First, the security of our mansion was greatly reinforced.
Officially, it was claimed to be because I had snuck out before, but I had a feeling that Rixion Luhanes had given some sort of hint. It seemed likely, considering they had acted like brothers behind my back.
It wasn’t mere speculation. I noticed unfamiliar faces among our family guards.
Though dressed like ordinary guards, they exuded a different presence. Though they carried swords, it didn’t suit them.
‘They’re mages.’
Realizing their presence, I quietly admired it in my heart.
‘Amazing, to employ those people as guards.’
Mages from the Tower of Magic were famously proud, rarely moved by wealth or power. They wouldn’t act for a mere noble unless that noble was closely associated with the Tower Master and an admired genius mage.
Rixion Luhanes knew I didn’t want my brother to discover my sneaking out, so he likely hadn’t revealed the details. Otherwise, my house arrest wouldn’t have been 20 days, but truly 20 years.
I guessed that he pretended to worry about mansion security, convincing my brother to place mages around the estate as a precaution against unknown threats.
Thanks to that, I was now officially and unofficially unable to leave the mansion.
Since I had committed mischief and wasn’t particularly fond of going out anyway, I didn’t mind. I could simply stay in my room for 20 days, as usual.
Yet, human psychology is strange. The thought of being confined made me restless, craving to go outside.
I considered running around the garden as I gazed out the window.
In the distance, I saw a carriage approaching at a moderate speed.
Who could it be? I watched intently as it drew near—and my eyes widened.
The carriage bore the crest of the Luhanes estate.
‘Ah!’
I gasped and ducked beside the window.
I had expected to meet him again someday, but not yet.
“I said I like Liz.”
How could one face him after such a confession? I pulled at my innocent hair and sank to the floor.
‘Yesterday it was Jieun, today it’s Rixion Luhanes. Couldn’t I get even one more day of rest?’
Honestly, after such a terrifying confession that rattled my mind, shouldn’t there be at least 100 days of no contact?
I muttered to myself until I snapped out of it.
The carriage that had been thundering toward the mansion came to a halt.
Unable to resist my curiosity, I peeked from the window.
The carriage was parked at our mansion entrance. The butler recognized the Luhanes carriage and went out to meet them.
I swallowed nervously as the carriage door opened, my eyes glued to the scene.
But…
‘…Huh?’
The person stepping out was not Rixion Luhanes.
Instead, it was the butler from his estate, carrying a red box.
I watched, puzzled, as the Luhanes butler and our mansion’s butler greeted each other and had a long conversation. Then, the red box was handed over to our butler, who returned inside, while the Luhanes butler got back into the carriage and left.
‘Huh?’
I watched the carriage leave and the butler return, perched on the windowsill, and sure enough, our butler knocked on the door shortly after.
