Chapter 55

A new guest came to the Grand Duchy.

“You must have heard from Vincent.”

On the way back from morning training, Lloyd stopped by Aria’s room and said.

– What?

Aria responded with a message with a long yawn.

Marronnier was right next to her, looking at her with round eyes, so she couldn’t help it.

“About the devil’s malice.”

– Ah….

Aria nodded her head.

– Vincent was telling me but he was worried that Lloyd would scold him.

“I did touch him….a little”

Hmm.

Aria remembered Vincent, who was afraid as if his life was over.

She decided to take a moment to express her condolences to him.

“Anyway, the apprentice from Garcia arrived today. He will stay there for 5 years and purify the malice of this land.”

– Who?

“I don’t know.”

Lloyd replied like a knife.

“I won’t stop you if you really want to, but he’s not here to help us, so you don’t have to treat him well.”

They’re not here to help?

– Then what?

“Strict contractual relationship.”

He added an explanation.

“Be careful, because the Pope is a human being worse than a rat. To put it bluntly, he’s like a spy infiltrating from the inside.”

The situation was more serious than expected. Aria got nervous at Lloyd’s words and nodded her head as if she understood.

‘After all, it would be better not to mix words with people from Garcia. I don’t know what will happen later.’

But apart from that, Aria had something to say to Lloyd.

– Hey.

“Huh.”

– In the future, don’t hide things and tell me.

“…..”

The boy didn’t answer for a moment.

He furrowed his smooth brow for a moment, then answered in a heavy voice after a while.

“I don’t intend to burden you.”

It was enough to cure his mother, who had no hope of surviving. That alone meant Lloyd owed Aria a debt he would have to pay for the rest of his life.

But Aria shook her head.

– It’s not a burden. We’re family.

“……”

– Because we’re a family, I want to know everything.

Lloyd was at a loss for words.

Aria has always had a talent for making people speechless. But he did not panic and accepted it.

“If you promise not to overdo it.”

“……”

“There is no answer. It sounds like you would be trying to help me, even if it was too much.”

The boy narrowed his eyes. Now it seemed that he could slowly learn how to get away from Aria’s sweet, candy-like words.

‘If you’re swayed, there is no end.’

He thought he wouldn’t blink his eyes no matter what Aria said now. But instead of words, Aria lifted her little finger.

– Promise.

“…..”

Lloyd was annoyed.

‘What are you doing, being cute?’

Aria smiled innocently, took Lloyd’s hand as she pleased, and clasped their fingers tightly as they promised.

‘Damn it, there’s no end to it.’

Eventually, he couldn’t say anything and looked down at his fingers.

There seemed to still be a touch left.

***

A priest with the name of an angel.

The information that Aria knew was just that. After she heard Lloyd, she didn’t even want to know more.

‘Ah.’

Aria smiled brightly and took the flowers that Marronnier had picked, when she saw the boy.

Their eyes met. When Aria stared at him, the boy couldn’t take his eyes off her either.

‘Looks like I’ve seen him somewhere….’

He had silver hair as white as snow and clear blue eyes. A boy with holiness flowing through his body just by standing still.

‘Ah, I saw it from the lowest place.’

The apprentice knight who was beaten to death by rogues while trying to save Aria.

She thought she would never see him again. She didn’t know they’d meet in a place like this.

‘Why must it be him?’

Aria was uncomfortable with that boy. It was because she had an affinity for him. So she hoped never to see him again.

“It can’t be…”

However, the boy also seemed to recognize Aria.

Then he glanced from a distance and she immediately put her hat back on and thought he wouldn’t know.

‘He has unreasonably good eyesight.’

The boy who couldn’t take his eyes off her, got closer.

“It’s you!”

At that time, in front of Aria, Marronnier, who had always grinned and squirmed around like a squirrel, tightened her neck.

“How dare the apprentice priest disrespect the safety recklessly! This is the Grand Prince’s wife!”

Wow. Aria admired.

‘She could say something like that too?’

She looked at Marronnier in disbelief, then raised her hand and stroked Maronnier’s hair.

As if she did well. Then, Marronnier returned to the charming squirrel again and smiled shyly. It was a double personality like.

“Are you the Grand Prince’s wife?”

The boy asked, narrowing his eyes.

“Have I seen you somewhere?”

Hearing those words, Marronnier was terrified as if she was out of breath.

“Crazy, crazy. To play tricks on the Young Madam.”

“No, it’s not a trick…”

“This apprentice priest must have gone crazy. To pollute the Madam’s ears with lines that won’t even be used in classic novels.”

“…..”

The boy seemed to be very stubborn. When he was misunderstood that he had done a trick, his face went red.

She didn’t even know it was because of the unusually light-pigmented skin.

“I think I’ve seen you from the lowest place.”

But he said steadfastly. He wasn’t usually this tenacious.

‘This is difficult.’

Aria didn’t want to be found out that she had been to the lowest place. Because she had promised Lloyd this morning that she wouldn’t do anything reckless and put a pinky promise on it.

‘Of course, this is a thing of the past.’

That somehow had something to do with Garcia’s apprentice priest, who Lloyd was extremely wary of.

Aria decided to pretend.

[First time seeing you.]

And she smiled brightly and held out her card.

The boy looked perplexed. As if he didn’t know she couldn’t speak.

“See? It’s the first time she’s seen you.”

Marronnier waved her hand as if to go away. The boy still had an expression full of regret.

But what if it’s not?

“I should stop being disrespectful.”

He bowed down and apologized.

“If you’re lying, there must be a reason.”

“Hey, you again…”

Marronnier was furious with the momentum to grab his back, but he didn’t care.

“What I want to say is…”

The boy paused for a moment, then he continued with a faint smile.

“I’m glad you’re safe, truly.”

“……”

“I was very worried. I just thought I couldn’t protect you.”

He was genuinely delighted. The fact that Aria is alive.

So Maronnier didn’t get mad, and she had no choice but to pause for a moment.

‘It sounds like he really knows the Young Madam….’

She glanced at the apprentice priest and Aria in turn.

“The greeting is late. My name is Gabriel, who came from Garcia after receiving a mission. I am a commoner, so I do not have a last name.”

Gabriel.

Aria was agitated for a moment when she heard the name of the Holy Knight Commander. Her eyes fluttered wildly.

‘It must be the same person.’

At first she thought hard about it. However.

‘The priests apparently said that the divine power was manifested belatedly.’

Aria carefully looked into his eyes with an anxious gaze.

‘The eyes are light blue…..’

It was obviously sky blue. But when looked at more closely, a golden aura spread over the corners of his eyes.

‘Symbol of divine power.’

At that moment, Aria took a close look at the boy’s features, which she had never paid any attention to.

Surprisingly, traces of familiar faces remained. She wondered why she didn’t recognize him earlier.

‘I did not know.’

She really didn’t know. The divine power that was manifested very late also brings about great changes physically. Although he is small and slender now, he will soon grow to be worthy of the title of the Holy Knights Commander.

Huge, strong, and overbearing enough to kill tens of thousands of people at once.

‘Veronica’s loyal dog. The Pope’s henchman.’

Gabriel’s future was to shine brighter than the stars. The moment he becomes an adult, he will gain an unprecedented explosive divine power.

He would have the Pope’s absolute confidence and would rise to a position that even a cardinal would not be able to gain.

‘Without him.’

Veronica would not have been able to exert as much influence as her past life.

Aria wouldn’t have been called a monster.

The innocent people would not have died horribly.

The public would not have stirred up to have Aria executed.

She would not have been imprisoned in the emperor’s cage.

She wouldn’t have died that way.

‘It’s okay. There is no end to resentment.’