Chapter 56
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Chapter 56
"Big brother!"
Having barely escaped Hailon's grasp, Chesa was reunited with Belzeon in a moment of genuine emotion.
Belzeon quickly swept up the approaching Chesa into his arms.
He meticulously examined her for any signs of injury.
Only after confirming she bore no wounds did he ask his question.
"That knight didn't ask you anything strange, did he?"
Since Daren had questioned Belzeon about Chesa's biological parents, he seemed concerned the knight might have done the same to her.
"No strange questions at all!"
In truth, there had been plenty.
But there was nothing she could tell Belzeon about it.
Having offered a well-intentioned lie, Chesa draped herself limply against him to avoid further conversation.
"I'm so tired...."
Whimpering like a true child about her exhaustion, Belzeon's attention shifted entirely to her distress.
Thanks to this, she managed to sidestep the awkward topic entirely.
Entering the room assigned to her and Belzeon, Chesa marveled inwardly.
The Holy Temple had provided far more luxurious accommodations than one would expect for young guests.
It was a guest room complete with a bedroom, living area, a small reception room, and a bathroom.
Chesa could easily discern Hailon's hand behind the Holy Temple's generosity.
'That man....'
Being acquainted with someone of power truly had its advantages.
Yet despite the luxury of their quarters.
Belzeon could scarcely remain in the room.
He was terribly busy, constantly venturing out to investigate various matters.
Still, having secured Chesa safely within the Holy Temple's walls allowed him to venture far afield without worry.
There were occasions when Belzeon would be gone an entire day, returning only at dawn.
On such nights, he would quietly slip beside the sleeping Chesa and drift off pressed against her.
More often than not, she would wake nestled in his embrace.
'So he inherited this from Kieran after all.'
Kieran too would often seek out sleeping Chesa and rest beside her.
Blood truly could not lie.
Thus, just as she had done for Kieran, Chesa would gently pat the sleeping Belzeon with her small hand.
Her touch proved remarkably effective.
The furrowed brow that creased his sleeping face would soften.
Soon his breathing would even out, and he would slip into peaceful slumber.
'Why does he spend so much time away....'
Watching him return so thoroughly exhausted suggested he was engaged in something difficult.
And while Belzeon busied himself with his ventures.
Chesa enjoyed a rare period of leisure.
Time free from the Twins' harassment and Kieran's provocations—peaceful and unhurried.
I woke up late and ate whenever I pleased.
I leisurely toured the Holy Temple while strolling through the verdant Garden.
I exchanged pleasantries with priests and knights who casually spoke to me as I toddled about with a puppy and a baby.
When I grew bored, I returned to my room to read for a while, then embraced Hata and took an afternoon nap.
It was a truly peaceful routine.
Yet even within this gentle tranquility, Chesa felt a nagging unease.
'Kieran's silence is unsettling.'
By now, he surely knew I was at the Holy Temple.
But his complete silence felt suspicious.
Belzeon was likely keeping him at bay, and he was probably occupied with cleaning up after the fire, but....
Still, it was far too quiet.
As Chesa pondered various possibilities, she suddenly realized something.
That she was subtly waiting for Kieran.
My daily life had become so peaceful that I'd lost my composure.
Chesa trembled and murmured to herself.
"How troublesome...."
And not long after.
Chesa's peace shattered instantly.
***
It was the night Belzeon had gone out.
Hata had also left to gather potion ingredients, so Chesa remained alone at the Holy Temple.
After playing a bit with the temple knights, she'd eaten with them in the Dining Hall, and now she was lounging in her room.
The Holy Temple, shrouded in darkness, was silent.
During the day it bustled with worshippers and prayers, but at night it was eerily quiet.
After wandering about these past few days under the pretense of sightseeing at the Holy Temple.
There really was nothing of use here.
'I'll need to infiltrate the Holy Empire....'
I was lying on the Reception Room sofa, contemplating how to breach the Holy Empire.
When I sensed rapid footsteps approaching.
The gait was different from Belzeon's.
As I sat up from the sofa, the door burst open.
"...?"
It was Hailon.
He was such a busy man that aside from the first day I'd arrived at the Holy Temple, I'd barely seen his face.
Yet here he was, suddenly appearing in the middle of the night.
Hailon's cold gaze swept across the room.
After confirming no one was hidden inside, he scooped me up abruptly.
My eyes widened at this sudden abduction, and Hailon spoke coldly.
"Count Basilian has arrived."
Chesa inhaled sharply, her breath catching.
"Stay by my side. He is a man of unpredictable actions."
It was a remarkably accurate assessment of Kieran.
As he said, staying close to Hailon would be far safer than hiding awkwardly elsewhere.
Chesa nestled against Hailon without protest.
Hailon quickened his pace while cradling Chesa in his arms.
Though the night was deep and dark, the Holy Temple's knights and priests had already awakened and emerged outside.
They parted to either side like the sea splitting before Hailon's arrival.
The Holy Temple's entrance doors stood wide open.
In the black darkness pierced by the cool night breeze.
Two uninvited guests stood before the open doors.
The slender man draped in a coat and leaning on a cane in one hand was Kieran.
'Who is standing beside Kieran?'
The woman at his side was someone I had never seen before.
She was remarkably striking in appearance, her height commanding attention.
Her hair was particularly distinctive—wavy strands blending shades of pink and purple.
She wore tailored trousers rather than a dress or skirt, and the taut musculature visible beneath the fabric spoke of rigorous training.
One would believe her a knight who had devoted herself to swordcraft.
The woman waved her hand lightly.
Purple light shimmered and danced from her palm.
In an instant, the dim Holy Temple blazed with illumination.
Every candelabra and lamp ignited simultaneously.
Upon witnessing her magic, Chesa's identity became instantly clear to me.
'Duchess Ibroyel...!'
I had suspected as much from the tracking magic she had cast on Belzeon, but meeting her in person confirmed her magical power was formidable.
She might be even stronger than I had anticipated.
I regarded her with a mixture of competitive spirit and keen curiosity.
Yet why was it.
Duchess Ibroyel was also looking directly at me.
At first I thought she was watching Hailon, but that was not the case at all.
Her gaze was fixed precisely on me.
It was persistent and relentless, as though urging me to look at her.
Finally, our eyes met.
Duchess Ibroyel winked at me.
"...."
I reflexively twisted my expression into one of displeasure.
Remarkably, Duchess Ibroyel seemed to enjoy it even more.
With a broad grin spreading across her face, she looked ready to snatch me up that very instant.
Had I not been cradled in Hailon's embrace, she likely would have employed magic to abduct me then and there.
The priests and knights also appeared to recognize the identity of the woman wielding the purple magic.
"Why would Duchess Ibroyel come here...?"
A holy priest murmured in bewilderment.
Duchess Ibroyel appearing suddenly in the dead of night.
Had it been only Kieran, they would have turned him away, saying the hour was late and to return tomorrow.
But no one could refuse a member of the Imperial Court's collateral line and a duchess of the Palen Empire.
Everyone stood flustered and confused, unsure how to respond.
"Forgive the late intrusion."
Duchess Ibroyel opened with a commanding voice.
Her deep, resonant tone reverberated powerfully through the Holy Temple's interior.
"I've come, taking the liberty to visit, as I heard my granddaughter resides here."
The Bishop, hastily adjusting his vestments, perspired profusely.
The elderly Bishop's complexion had turned ashen, as though he might collapse at any moment from this sudden calamity.
He spoke breathlessly.
"That your granddaughter should be staying at our temple...this is the first I've heard of it."
"Of course. It hasn't been publicly announced yet."
The Duchess chuckled, saying you're hearing this for the first time now.
"Chesa Basilian."
Duchess Ibroyel pointed sharply at Chesa with her finger.
"That child is my granddaughter."
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