Chapter 7

#007 Her News (1)

“The two bandits, Shinki and Petru, were about the same age and build as the dead children. Most importantly, the fact that they were twins matched the documents, so there was no reason to be suspicious during the interview. The Royal Guard suspects that someone working for the Berang family was paid by the New Kingdom to provide information about the squire candidates.”

“The New Kingdom obtained intelligence on the Berang twins and sent suitable replacements to act as assassins.”

“Yes. This was a plan that had been in the works even before you arrived here.”

Just for money. To sell the lives of children who were only thirteen years old.

I shuddered at the desolation that I could feel in my skin.

Eunseo had never mentioned this side of the ‘Retired Duke’.

Is this how the novel is supposed to be? Or is it just the world around the ‘Secondary Male Lead’ that is so chaotic?

If that’s the case, I can understand Eunseo’s attitude of always pitying the prince.

“Since they were thoroughly trained to be your squire, they wouldn’t have failed the exam. The head squire and Béngemang didn’t suspect anything because they had seen their faces from the interview.”

Cardinal Boutier concluded calmly.

“So, what happened? Were they executed?”

“They are still alive.”

Her gaze, as she looked at me, was peculiar.

“It’s thanks to your good handling. I placed a compulsion on them to prevent them from acting on their own. In a ‘normal’ situation, a failed assassin would take their own life to protect their master.”

“Then...”

“Yes. Unable to die and captured by the guards, they had to reveal everything they knew.”

“Were they tortured?”

I bit my lip.

I had not forgiven them for what they did to me.

Even after spending a week in close proximity, my disgust and disappointment with the murderers had not diminished.

However, there were clear limits to the punishments a 21st-century Korean could accept.

It is right for criminals to go to prison.

Interrogation would also be necessary to catch the instigator.

But I could not easily accept the idea of harshly torturing people, especially children in their early teens.

“I might have done that if I hadn’t been here, but fortunately, I am quite capable.”

Her beige eyes slightly curved.

“My compulsion is very strong. It’s not a difficult task to cleanse the minds of children who have been brainwashed their whole lives.”

That’s a relief.

She laughed out loud, observing my expression.

“You are as kind as I’ve heard.”

“No, punishment is necessary. They killed three people and tried to kill me, even though they were minors.”

“Yes. Since they targeted a foreign royal staying in the palace, they will be charged with attempted regicide. Even if the Berang couple or your mercy spares their lives, they will have to spend the rest of their lives atoning.”

I nodded.

While I had barely survived, I felt bad for the two children and the coachman who had lost their lives so suddenly.

“Can I ask a question now?”

“Me? You want to ask me?”

“I don’t think all your questions have been answered. I just want to resolve some of the curiosity I’ve had over the past three days.”

“...I will answer to the best of my ability.”

I had been unconscious for three days.

I tried to focus on that thought and looked straight into the cardinal’s mysterious eyes.

She spoke carefully.

“I know that you were not respected in the New Kingdom.”

Yes, I knew that too.

Eunseo had mentioned the unfortunate family background of Prince Yeseo, and it was also in the latest issue of *Weekly Liester*.

Unlike the two princesses born to the queen, Prince Yeseo was the child of the king and a priestess.

“The fact that the queen, Bernhard, suggested sending you as a hostage is known throughout the empire.”

Indeed, the legitimate husband must have seen the prince as a thorn in his side.

So, the one who sent the assassins was him, right?

I reacted calmly. Cardinal Boutier continued quietly.

“It’s not surprising that he sent assassins to you. If the prince died as a hostage, the empire could blame the New Kingdom, so it was a good plan for the queen. This is what the assassin brothers admitted.”

“I see.”

“They planned to kill you and make it look like a suicide. Since you were under investigation for the temple theft, they intended to cover it up.”

I don’t understand why he wanted to kill me after sending me as a hostage, but it’s probably related to the fact that Prince Yeseo is the son of a priestess.

In the New Kingdom, the position of a priestess is absolute.

Direct royal descendants are baptized and raised as priestesses from birth, and even if their innate divine power is weak, they become bishops at 16.

Whether they grow up as knights or mages, those close to the throne must also hold the title of priestess.

The only way for a non-royal to become a priestess is to be born with strong divine power, which is not common, according to historical records.

Especially, a commoner with no royal blood becoming a priestess is said to happen only once per generation.

Thus, the New Kingdom’s king falling in love with a commoner priestess and having a child was not an exaggeration to call it a ‘romance that shook the continent.’

While the citizens of the New Kingdom supported the legitimacy of Princess Elisabeth, the queen’s first child, they also showed absolute and passionate love for Yeseo, the son of a priestess.

A popular prince with purple eyes, a trait said to appear only in the bloodline of the chief deity.

It was natural for Prince Bernhard, the queen, to feel a sense of crisis.

By the way, all of this is information I memorized by drawing family trees and reading books.

The only thing Eunseo told me was that Prince Yeseo is an illegitimate child with purple eyes and that the ‘family atmosphere is just tense.’

“However, the queen did not expect you to have such powerful divine power. The two children were no match for you.”

Cardinal Boutier’s eyes sparkled.

I swallowed. From here on, it was a part I didn’t understand.

If they knew that Prince Yeseo was a powerful priestess, they should have sent someone even more capable to deal with him quietly.

But the queen’s assassins were helplessly caught in the ether explosion I caused and submitted to my compulsion.

‘No way... You can’t have that much divine power!’

‘Did you really steal the divine relic?!”

I recalled the words the two boys shouted at me, their faces shocked by the power I unleashed.

It was strange. Prince Yeseo grew up in the royal castle of the New Kingdom.

If he had innate powerful divine power, the queen, as the lady of the castle, would have noticed it long ago.

So, did he acquire his divine power after leaving the New Kingdom?

When? And is that even possible?

My head started to hurt. I decided to be honest.

“I don’t know how it happened.”

“Hmm.”

“I didn’t know I had such strong divine power. I just prayed to the chief deity, thinking I couldn’t die like this.”

“So, a powerful ether explosion that could break walls erupted. The sanctuary was so large that it covered the entire room.”

“...Yes.”

She tilted her head.

Her expressionless face seemed to radiate a chill.

“Did you steal a divine relic from the ‘Sanctuary of the Boundary’?”

“No.”

I answered immediately.

I don’t know why the question took that turn, but I had nothing to hide.

The cardinal slowly closed her eyes.

[May the chief deity forgive this child’s lie.]

As soon as she spoke, a huge golden circle spread across the bedroom floor.

It was a sanctuary far more elaborate and beautiful than the one I had opened.

While I was mesmerized by the magnificent pattern, the circle completed one rotation and quietly disappeared.

Only then did I realize what she had done to me.

“Just now...”

“I tried to detect your lie using confession. I’m sorry.”

She smiled bitterly.

“Those who confess and are forgiven receive a special ether reaction. Since the sanctuary was calm, it seems you have no sins to be forgiven. You told the truth.”

Wow, using confession as a lie detector. Is that allowed for a cardinal?

I was purely impressed that the sacrament could be used that way.

I was also secretly relieved to confirm that Prince Yeseo had not stolen a divine relic without my knowledge.

“I’ll get up now, then.”

While I was stunned, she quickly got up.

“You probably have more questions, but someone is calling me.”

Wait, you’re leaving just like that? Is this it?

Her sudden announcement of departure was as abrupt as when we first met.

“Are you leaving right away?”

“Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays at 11 AM. My office door will be open. Feel free to come and ask any questions.”

It sounded like something a college advisor would say.

Since I planned to extract as much information from the cardinal as possible, it was a great offer.

I nodded calmly.

“By the way, if Elizabeth comes, please commend her. She was the first to notice that the twins were suspicious.”

The cardinal said as she left the room.

“Elizabeth, you mean Lady Mont?”

“Yes. She’s a humble person, so she won’t show it, but she deserves praise.”

*

“I stayed at the Berang manor with His Highness the prince when I was young. The children of the marquess and marchioness looked exactly like twins, but it bothered me that they grew up looking completely different.”

“I see.”

“While such things are not impossible, it was a hunch of the Royal Guard. So, I urgently sent someone to the manor to confirm the facts and consulted with His Highness the prince. Indeed, my hunch was right.”

Modest, modest, who said that?

I sipped my pumpkin tea while watching Lady Elizabeth proudly recount her story.

Seeing Ganael’s puffy face from crying over my safety, I had requested the tea first, and the sweet aroma was comforting.

“The marquess and marchioness had not heard from their sons for a long time, but they believed letters would come by carriage mail since portal mail is expensive. They couldn’t have imagined what had happened to their children.”

Lady Elizabeth sniffled, seemingly moved.

When I first met her, I didn’t think she had such a gentle nature, but she seemed more expressive and vivid than I had imagined.

Was she just being formal that day because she was on an investigation?

“As soon as we received confirmation from the manor, I led the guard to Juliette Palace at that hour. I apologize for not acting sooner.”

“No, I’m grateful. If Lady Elizabeth hadn’t come at that time, my life would have been in danger.”

“I just did my duty.”

She smiled, her gray eyes twinkling.

“Juliette Palace is the most remote part of the royal palace, making it difficult to access. Since the threat was low, the guards were minimal. That will change in the future.”

While she talked about the plan to increase the security personnel at Juliette Palace, I wondered if I should ask about the ‘temple treasure theft incident.’

Since the cardinal had confirmed that I was not the culprit, it was no longer my concern.

Frankly, I was curious about the whole story, but since Eunseo hadn’t mentioned it, it might not be that important, and I didn’t need to show unnecessary interest.

“Oh, I will also assign a strong guard for you when you attend the spring ball.”

“Huh? The ball?”

I was startled and asked, all other thoughts vanishing.