Episode 56
“Brother!”
Having finally escaped from Hailon, Chesha had a touching reunion with Belzeon.
Belzeon quickly scooped up Chesha as she toddled toward him.
He carefully checked her over for any injuries.
Only after confirming she was unharmed did he ask,
“Did that knight ask you anything strange?”
Since they had questioned him about Chesha’s birth parents, it seemed to weigh on his mind.
“Nothing strange at all!”
In truth, there were plenty.
But there was nothing she could tell Belzeon.
Offering a white lie, Chesha sagged her body limply to avoid further conversation.
“I’m tired…”
Whining like a real baby about her fatigue, Belzeon’s attention shifted entirely to that.
Thanks to it, she managed to dodge the awkward topic unscathed.
Entering the room assigned to her and Belzeon, Chesha inwardly marveled.
The temple had provided a room far too luxurious for little guests.
It was a guest suite with a bedroom, living room, small parlor, and bathroom.
Chesha easily guessed that Hailon was behind the temple’s generosity.
‘That rascal…’
Being connected to someone in power was truly a boon.
However, the fine room felt wasted.
Belzeon could hardly stay put in it.
He was incredibly busy, seemingly running around investigating various things.
Thanks to leaving Chesha safely in the temple, he could venture out far without worry.
Sometimes Belzeon returned only at dawn after a full day away.
On such nights, he would quietly slip beside the sleeping Chesha and curl up next to her.
She often woke disheveled, nestled in Belzeon’s arms.
‘This is just like Kierne.’
Kierne, too, had often come to sleep beside her when she was already asleep.
Blood ties couldn’t be denied.
So, just as she had done for Kierne, Chesha patted the sleeping Belzeon with her tiny hands.
Her touch proved quite effective.
The patting softened his furrowed sleeping brow.
Soon, he would breathe evenly, snoring softly in peaceful slumber.
‘What’s making him run around outside like this…’
Seeing him return utterly exhausted suggested he was handling something difficult.
And while Belzeon busied himself dashing about,
Chesha enjoyed leisurely time for the first time in ages.
A comfortable, unhurried period without pestering twins or quarrelsome Kierne.
Rising late, eating whenever she pleased.
Idly touring the temple, strolling the verdant gardens,
casually responding to priests and knights who couldn’t resist chatting with the toddling baby and her puppy.
When bored, returning to the room to read a bit, then napping with Hata in her arms.
It was a truly serene routine.
Yet even amid this gentle peace, Chesha felt a twinge of unease.
‘It’s suspicious how quiet Kierne is.’
By now, he must have realized she was in the temple.
His utter lack of reaction made it all the more dubious.
Belzeon was likely blocking easy access, and he’d be occupied with the fire’s aftermath…
But still, it was too quiet.
Pondering various reasons, Chesha suddenly realized.
She was oddly waiting for Kierne.
Her recent peaceful days had dulled her senses.
Chesha shuddered and muttered,
“I must be crazy…”
And not long after,
Chesha’s peace shattered promptly.
It was a night when Belzeon was out.
Hata had also gone to fetch potion ingredients, leaving Chesha alone in the temple.
After playing a bit with the temple knights, joining them for dinner in the hall, she was now rolling around in her room.
The temple, cloaked in darkness, was silent.
By day, it bustled with worshippers and prayers, but nights were eerily quiet.
From her recent temple explorations under the guise of sightseeing,
there was indeed nothing useful here.
‘I’ll have to go to the Holy Empire…’
Lounging on the parlor sofa, pondering ways to infiltrate the Holy Empire.
A presence approached rapidly.
The footsteps differed from Belzeon’s.
As she sat up on the sofa, the door burst open.
“…?”
It was Hailon.
He was such a busy man that, aside from the first day in the temple, she hadn’t seen his face properly.
Yet here he was, visiting abruptly in the dead of night.
Hailon coldly scanned the room.
Confirming no one hidden inside, he scooped Chesha up.
Her eyes widened at the sudden abduction, and Hailon said frostily,
“Count Basilian has come.”
Chesha gasped sharply.
“Stay by my side. He’s unpredictable in what he might do.”
It was an uncannily accurate assessment of Kierne.
His side would indeed be the safest.
Chesha clung to Hailon without protest.
Holding her, Hailon strode swiftly.
Though the night was deep and dark, the temple’s knights and priests were already awake and outside.
They parted like the sea at Hailon’s appearance.
The temple entrance stood wide open.
In the black darkness where chill night winds rushed in,
two uninvited guests stood before the open door.
The tall man in a coat, leaning on a cane, was Kierne.
‘Who’s that next to Kierne?’
The woman beside him was unfamiliar.
She was strikingly tall with an eye-catching appearance.
Her curly hair blended pink and purple hues, unusual from the start.
She wore a pants suit instead of a dress or skirt, and the muscles peeking through her clothes were toned.
She could pass for a knight trained in swordsmanship.
The woman lightly waved her hand.
Violet light shimmered and swirled from her palm.
Then the dim temple brightened.
Every candlestick and lantern ignited simultaneously.
Seeing her magic, Chesha instantly realized her identity.
‘Duke Ivroiel…!’
She had guessed from the tracking spell on Belzeon, but meeting her confirmed the potent aura of mana.
She might even be stronger than Chesha anticipated.
A mix of competitive spirit and intense curiosity stirred as she gazed at her.
But why?
Duke Ivroiel was staring back at Chesha.
At first, Chesha thought she was looking at Hailon, but no.
Her gaze was precisely on Chesha.
Persistent and obsessive, as if urging her to look.
When their eyes finally met,
Duke Ivroiel winked at Chesha.
“……”
Chesha reflexively made a face of disgust.
Astonishingly, Duke Ivroiel seemed even more delighted.
Grinning widely, she looked ready to snatch Chesha up at any moment.
If not cradled in Hailon’s arms, she might have used magic to grab her outright.
The priests and knights also seemed to recognize the woman wielding violet magic.
“Why is Duke Ivroiel here…?”
One holy priest murmured in bewilderment.
Duke Ivroiel arriving unannounced in the middle of the night.
If Kierne had come alone, they might have turned him away, citing the late hour, and told him to return tomorrow.
But no one could bar a branch of the imperial family and a duke of the Palen Empire.
Everyone stood stunned, fumbling on how to respond.
“Sorry for the late hour.”
Duke Ivroiel opened with a booming voice.
Her low, gravelly tone resonated through the temple.
“I heard my goddaughter is here, so I took the liberty of visiting.”
The bishop, who had hastily dressed and appeared, sweated profusely.
The elderly bishop, pale as if about to collapse from the thunderbolt situation, panted as he spoke.
“We had no idea Your Grace’s goddaughter was staying in our temple.”
“Of course not. It hasn’t been announced publicly yet.”
You’re the first to hear it, the duke chuckled heartily.
“Chesha Basilian.”
Duke Ivroiel pointed straight at Chesha with a flick.
“That child is my goddaughter.”
