Chapter 73
“So… you want to trick the Demon King?”
When I asked in a hesitant voice, Lucas nodded.
“Yeah. The Demon King doesn’t even know who his daughter is exactly, so he must have taken the Duke as a hostage and asked you, Marion, to bring more evidence. He’s not sure.”
But I knew the truth.
“But… that bracelet was a gift from the Duke for our marriage. From the Ashley Jewel Shop, remember?”
Suddenly, I realized that I was also curious how the Demon King’s Germanium bracelet ended up in a jewelry shop. Did it travel around somehow?
Stella murmured with a troubled voice.
“There must have been many people who saw the purchase.”
That’s true. All the employees at the Ashley Jewel Shop witnessed it. The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like I had made a huge lie that would be easily uncovered.
Without hesitation, Lucas suggested a solution.
“We’ll bribe the employees at the Ashley Jewel Shop. If we promise them a contract to supply decorations and jewelry needed for the rebuilding of the Imperial Palace, they’ll agree to keep quiet.”
It was definitely an enticing proposal. If we all survived, the Ashley Jewel Shop would be set for unimaginable wealth.
With no place to retreat to, I reluctantly agreed.
“Alright.”
“Good. Maybe it’s lucky that you ended up with that bracelet, Marion.”
Stella chimed in.
“That’s right. It’s different from the future I saw. There’s definitely hope.”
I looked down at my left wrist with suspicion. Since the Demon King had taken the bracelet, my wrist felt empty.
Could this situation really be hopeful? I was filled with anxiety.
Lucas muttered.
“Now we just need to create more evidence…”
With my false testimony, the Demon King was still confused about whether I was his daughter or not, so more concrete evidence was needed to drive the point home. But how could we create that?
The three of us grimaced, deep in thought.
“Marion, I’m sorry to ask, but given the circumstances, I hope you understand. Do you have any memory of your parents? I just want to be prepared in case.”
Lucas’s question gave me déjà vu. I remembered that Kaiden had once asked me something similar, and I had been anxious and nervous at the time.
At that time, Kaiden had embraced me and comforted me.
Those were luxurious moments. As I thought of Kaiden, my heart ached.
I tried not to twist my face in pain and shook my head.
“No… I lived in a slum from a very young age. The woman who took care of me said I looked about three years old.”
“Where is that woman now?”
“She died when I was six.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“It’s fine.”
An awkward silence passed.
A moment later, Lucas spoke quietly.
“We don’t know anything about the Demon King…”
Stella and I nodded glumly. It would have been nice to have even the smallest clue.
I tried to recall the conversation I had with the Demon King.
He said the Germanium bracelet belonged to his wife, and then what else…
Suddenly, a thought crossed my mind.
“Why did he specifically want us to come to the Ferdinand House?”
“Yeah, why…”
“Ferdinand…”
Stella murmured, her face filled with the sense that she was about to remember something.
“I heard that the only daughter of Marquis Ferdinand ran away with a mercenary and died…”
Stella couldn’t finish her sentence and slowly looked up. Lucas and I widened our eyes.
We exchanged looks.
This was it.
“The Demon King must have had a reason for going to the Ferdinand estate.”
Lucas picked up on my words.
“Yeah. It’s not certain, but the one he loved might have been the Marquis’s daughter.”
“Is there anyone who knows the details of that situation?”
Stella answered.
“I’m from the eastern noble regions, so I know a bit. Everyone kept quiet about it, but there were rumors that the man wasn’t actually a mercenary. Some said he was a bastard from a noble family, or a demon…”
“A demon!”
Lucas reacted strongly. Stella continued.
“Oh, and I heard that at the funeral, Lord Walderstein, the Duke, stayed for a long time to console the Marquis. He spent quite a while there.”
I quickly asked,
“Isn’t the former Duke and Marquis Ferdinand around the same age?”
“That’s right. Perhaps the Duke knows more about this. We might be able to get some answers from him.”
Lucas exclaimed with excitement in his voice.
“Let’s go to the Duke’s residence!”
“Sounds good!”
“Before that!”
Before Lucas and I could rush off, Stella stopped us.
“Your wounds must be treated first. You can’t go around like that.”
Only then did I realize the state of my own body. In the battle with the Demon King, my uniform was torn, and I had several cuts.
The biggest injury was on my left arm, where the Demon King’s dark magic had brushed against it. The handkerchief Kaiden had used to stop the bleeding was soaked with blood.
Just seeing that handkerchief made me want to feel down again, but I forced myself to hold back.
“Your Highness, please show me the burns on both your hands.”
Lucas readily extended his hands to Stella.
His hands were in terrible condition, severely blistered. It looked as if he had touched a lava stone while trying to save people.
A white light emanated from Stella’s hands. Slowly, Lucas’s hands began to heal, and before long, they were completely restored. It was an awe-inspiring sight.
“Phew… it’s done.”
“Thank you, Stella.”
“Don’t mention it.”
I thought of Kaiden. His face had turned pale as blood continuously leaked from his abdomen. The image of him lingered in my mind.
I clasped my hands together and begged her.
“Saint, could you come with me to the Ferdinand House?”
Stella looked at me in surprise.
“Pardon?”
“The Duke’s wounds are grave… please.”
When I lowered my head, she gently held my hands and comforted me, telling me not to act like this.
“Look up, Lady Marion. Of course, I’ll go with you. Just like you and the Duke stood against the Demon King, as one called by the Goddess Nyx, I will also do my best to save people from the Demon King.”
That meant Kaiden was included in that.
“Thank you. Thank you so much.”
As my eyes welled up with tears, Stella smiled awkwardly.
“Now, before anything else, Marion, your body must be in perfect condition for there to be hope for the world, right? You’re carrying the most important role right now. Show me your left arm.”
I sniffled and carefully untied the handkerchief. It stuck to my skin and wouldn’t come off, so Stella helped me. The wound, revealed between my torn clothing, was visible.
I no longer fainted or felt dizzy from the sight of blood. Had I overcome my fear of blood due to repeated extreme situations? I wasn’t even sure myself.
“Alright, let’s begin.”
Stella placed her hands on my left arm. She took a deep breath and began to slowly channel divine power into me.
“Ouch, that hurts!”
I jumped in surprise.
“Lady Marion?”
“Marion?”
Stella and Lucas looked at me with astonished eyes. I was startled too.
It hurt so much, but I didn’t understand why, so I just tilted my head in confusion.
“Uhm… maybe the wound brushed against my clothes. I’m sorry. Please start again.”
When I asked with a puzzled look, Stella began channeling her divine power again.
“Ah, ah! It hurts!”
I shrieked again and thrashed. This wasn’t a mistake. Stella’s divine power was incredibly painful.
“…Why… why does it hurt?”
Stella looked equally confused.
“I’ll try again, just once more.”
I nodded with tears in my eyes. But nothing had changed.
“Ahh!”
“Stella, more blood is coming out!”
Lucas urgently stopped her. The pain was so intense that tears streamed down my face. As Lucas had said, blood was slowly oozing from my left arm, where the bleeding had been stopped earlier.
Stella looked at me, utterly baffled.
“Why isn’t it healing?”
“That’s what I want to know…”
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