Chapter 44
I Visited the Villain Behind the Ruin
“‘It is an ancient phrase meaning, ‘I will abandon my people.’’”
“……!”
“It means that Elzer has long since abandoned this land. So there’s no reason to worry about his gaze.”
“I see…….”
“Of course, this revelation is only known to me. Such revelations cannot be spoken of carelessly.”
“But you just told me now.”
“Exactly. This is the first time. There’s finally someone I can speak to about it.”
Lube muttered, surprised even by his own words.
That implied that to anyone else, speaking of it was impossible.
Eliana could not reply at all.
Lube’s expression was very calm.
It was hard to believe he was the one who had shared a revelation that was almost a curse.
He had received a revelation and became the Pope, yet the revelation itself was a curse.
What could Elzer have been thinking to give him such a revelation?
Somehow, Lube’s expression looked slightly cold.
“I don’t know what Elzer had in mind when he did that.”
“Knowing his will completely is probably impossible in one lifetime. We can only take one more step toward understanding it than we do now.”
His voice was unusually dry, uncharacteristic of him.
Silence continued.
Eliana, hesitating while moving her lips, spoke first.
“Lube, I’m grateful for your help, but I can’t leave the palace right now.”
She wasn’t sure if this was the right timing, but it was something that had to be addressed.
“Because of Your Majesty?”
Eliana quietly nodded.
Even if Lube had removed the dead-end threat, there was no guarantee he would do so in the future.
Moreover, he seemed slightly unfamiliar today, which made her uneasy.
If he, who had helped without asking for anything in return, suddenly changed, it would be truly terrifying.
He was not someone she could control.
By contrast, Belkirei’s situation was different from Lube’s.
He needed her supernatural ability.
So he would likely maintain a friendly relationship until her usefulness ended.
Even if his feelings changed and he wanted her dead, he couldn’t act immediately.
Following Lube outside the palace carried too much risk, and she wanted to avoid it.
Eliana spoke with a resolute expression.
“Then I need Lube’s help. Please postpone the engagement under some excuse. And the period I leave the palace, too.”
“……Understood.”
Lube replied in a slightly dry voice.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door from outside, urging that the manifestation ritual begin.
Eliana gathered her things and stood up.
Lube went to the door first, grasped the handle, and then looked back.
“May I ask just one question?”
“Go ahead.”
Eliana looked at him blankly.
He moved his lips, then paused, moving them again, and finally shook his head.
“Never mind.”
“Pardon?”
Eliana asked again, but Lube simply pulled the door open.
The priest waiting outside greeted them.
Eliana, without hearing what he intended to say, went into the prayer room.
Mary’s second manifestation ritual was conducted quietly.
Unlike the grand ceremony at the Summer Palace, it was rather bare.
Since it was a secret ritual, no one even knew the princess would come to the temple.
Arriving at the Hosios Temple, Mary observed from a distance those who had come with their own wishes.
“This way.”
At that moment, the priest beside her guided Mary to the prayer room where the ritual would be conducted.
Mary followed with a bright face, forcing herself to smile.
Before God, committing sin openly made her bow her head naturally.
In the prayer room, Eliana and Lube were already waiting.
Seeing the two, Mary took a deep breath.
“For my mother, I’ll just close my eyes this once.”
Even if she lied, no one would be harmed.
This, too, would pass.
Mary repeated this to herself, calming her mind.
Then Eliana spotted Mary and waved.
Mary gave a faint smile, nodded slightly, and entered the prayer room.
The prayer room was very quiet.
The candle barely illuminating the room flickered precariously.
Mary knelt at the designated spot, and Lube raised his hand.
After a brief prayer, Lube brought a handkerchief marked with a blue hawk above the candle.
The blue hawk burned and crumbled.
The three of them watched quietly.
No blue feathers scattered, no clear song of a blue bird rang out.
It was an unbearably quiet stillness.
Mary bowed her head deeply.
As expected, her ability did not manifest.
Eliana, standing beside her, held Mary’s hand firmly.
When Mary looked up at Eliana in despair, she gently used her hand and smiled, as if to say there was nothing to worry about.
Mary, somehow moved, turned her gaze away from Eliana.
Her lips were tightly pressed, trembling slightly.
Breaking the silence, Lube handed her a small box.
“Keep this with you at all times.”
“Thank you, Your Holiness.”
Without checking what it was, Mary expressed her gratitude.
Eliana, beside her, did not ask either. She already knew what it was.
Mary quietly took the item from the box.
It was a slender bracelet made of platinum.
The bracelet, shaped like entwining vines, fit Mary’s arm perfectly.
It naturally seeped into her skin, leaving a white scar like a tattoo.
At that moment, the clear sound of birdsong echoed in the prayer room.
Even the priests waiting outside must have heard it.
“Phew……”
Mary let out a deep sigh of relief.
‘This gets me through the critical moment.’
She absently brushed the scar on her arm, finding the marking unfamiliar.
Eliana looked at Mary’s forced bright smile.
Unlike the original story, Mary was acknowledged as having divine power.
Even if that power belonged to Lube, only a few knew it.
No one could predict what ripple effects this would have.
She only hoped it wouldn’t lead to more suffering for Mary.
Eliana congratulated her with a bright face.
“Congratulations, Princess.”
“Thank you.”
Mary still smiled, though there was a hint of bitterness.
Soon after, the scar on her arm slowly faded.
Lube, watching carefully, gave a warning.
“Hide your wrist as much as possible when using your power.”
“Yes.”
That day, it was announced throughout the imperial palace that Princess Mary had manifested divine power.
Mary performed her power in front of many, like the protagonist of a well-rehearsed play.
Wearing a dress that fit tightly up to her wrists.
Belkirei stared out the window.
After Mary’s second manifestation, the palace atmosphere felt grim.
It was quiet like the calm before a storm, though some were busily taking care of their own duties.
Belkirei smiled faintly, a sardonic smile.
It was a sneer directed at someone.
Hera, trying to act nonchalant, showed visible urgency on her face, which amused him.
Belkirei watched from afar as Mary displayed her power in front of everyone.
He had thought her power had been taken, yet it suddenly manifested. He observed her closely to confirm it.
And when Mary used her power, Belkirei suppressed the urge to laugh while clutching his stomach.
The situation he had feared was happening exactly as imagined, and now he felt sorry for Mary.
Once, Belkirei had even sympathized with Hera and Mary.
At that time, it had been pitiful to see the mother and daughter arrive at the palace and be judged by everyone.
Thanks to Belkirei and his mother handling the situation decisively, no one in the palace gossiped.
Even stories circulating outside were carefully kept from reaching inside.
Most importantly, his mother had sincerely cared for the two.
She did not discriminate against them for being outsiders.
Rather, she sympathized with Hera’s harsh life.
Living desperately in a rigid social system, trying to surpass the limits of her life, his mother never judged Hera poorly.
‘This is a snack I often ate outside the palace. It may taste humble to the Empress.’
‘How could that be? Say no such thing, Your Majesty.’
‘I said it was humble, so what’s the problem?’
‘You are now the Empress; no one can call anything humble anymore.’
‘Is that so? Your Majesty is truly kind.’
Even when Hera subtly tried to criticize the Empress’s hypocrisy by belittling herself, the Empress would smile and accept it.
‘I like the Empress’s free spirit. The stories you tell about the world are delightful.’
‘Indeed, perhaps since Your Majesty was raised to be the future empress, you may envy me. I shall share worldly stories whenever I can.’
‘Yes, indeed.’
His mother respected Hera’s life itself.
She believed there must be similarities even in a life of a different nature.
She treated Hera and Mary without restraint, offering kindness within her means.
She protected Mary when she was harshly disciplined by Hera, and even endured Hera’s mischievous schemes.
And yet, what was returned to them?
