Chapter 131
The duke’s expression clearly revealed his undeniable hostility toward Raizel.
Even though there were circumstances, it was clear that he was still displeased with the fact that Raizel had put the guards to sleep and boldly infiltrated the mansion the previous night.
“That’s a bit difficult to explain here…”
At that moment, Raizel rubbed his chin and glanced at me.
But I was just as curious.
In the middle of our conversation, Raizel had suddenly cut me off and stormed out, only to cry out, ‘Saintess!’ upon spotting Diana, who had been loitering nearby, waiting for me.
‘That alone was surprising enough…’
Raizel blocked Diana from clinging to me in fear and shouted,
〈Saintess, you mustn’t! And you, step away at once.〉
His voice was so firm that I instinctively hesitated and took a step back.
Seeing me recoil, Diana’s pupils trembled in utter shock.
And a moment later—
Diana ran off, teary-eyed, straight to the duke’s office.1Oh my! So cuute❤️
“If you don’t explain properly, I won’t separate the two of them.”
The duke, who was gently patting the crying Diana in his arms, had a chilling gaze.
At that, Raizel leaped up and shouted at my father.
“Grand duke, do you not care if something happens to your daughter? You must break her stubbornness at once!”
“What? Adriana?”
Startled, my father widened his eyes, and Raizel clutched his chest in frustration.
The duke’s brows shot up, clearly displeased by his reaction.
“Explain properly. Why is my daughter a danger to Lia?”
“Well, that is…!”
Cornered by the duke’s pressure, Raizel stammered before sighing in frustration.
“Grand Duke and Duchess, it’s up to you to decide. Can I reveal the grand princess’s story here? The more people who know the secret, the harder it will be to protect the child.”
“Duke Elard is my only true friend and someone I trust like family.”
The one who answered was my mother.
At that, Raizel let out a long sigh as if he had no choice.
“Fine. Originally, I intended to erase everyone’s memories of the child before leaving, but if you insist…”
At the mention of his plan to erase their memories without permission, the duke’s expression darkened even further. But Raizel paid no mind.
He explained everything concisely to the duke and duchess.
He told them that I had been kidnapped by demon worshippers. That I wore a necklace, invisible to others, serving as a medium for illusion magic and a seal for my mana. That I would soon undergo purification to dispel the illusion.
The moment the explanation ended, the duke immediately questioned him.
“Then why? If Diana truly is the Saintess, wouldn’t she be helpful for purification…?”
“Would a madman drink seawater just because he’s thirsty?”
Raizel scoffed in disbelief.
“You said the grand princess has experienced mana outbursts whenever she felt threatened or emotionally unstable, right? The broken orb played a role, but it’s likely that the Saintess’s presence accelerated the purification process.”
At his words, the atmosphere froze over.
“So far, it has only resulted in minor incidents. But honestly, it’s a miracle she’s still alive. As purification progresses, her mana must have increased as well because of the seal weakening. Yet, for a child not even ten years old to control such expanding mana so well…”
Raizel’s words made my heart jolt.
A person’s mana was usually fixed from birth.
In my past life, I had far less mana than others. To make the most of what little I had, I had trained relentlessly every waking hour, except for sleep.
‘But to think my mana had been sealed…’
I had never even imagined it.
And why had the seal broken in this life? Did it have anything to do with my second reincarnation?
At that moment, Raizel clapped his hands, breaking the heavy silence.
“Of course, I’m not saying they should stay apart forever. It’s just that her current unstable state is dangerous. Once the Saintess fully awakens, she will be able to control her divine power. By then, it may actually be better for them to stay together.”
“When will that awakening happen?”
“Who knows? It could be in ten years, or it could be tomorrow. That depends on the Saintess herself.”
“Dana is not a Saintess! She’s a hero!”
Diana suddenly sniffled and shouted defiantly.
Raizel shuddered as if struck by lightning.
“Right… A hero… A hero indeed…! Ah, Saintess… To think I would meet a living Saintess…”
Once again, Raizel shed tears of emotion, and everyone looked at him as if he were crazy.
Yet, Raizel proudly lifted his chin.
“What? Why? There are records in the Grand Temple’s archives stating that the Saintess wielded a holy weapon and fought demons directly, even being called a hero!”
It was a fascinating revelation, but I was more concerned about Diana, whose eyes glistened with unshed tears.
I cautiously spoke up.
“Great Sage, my brother mentioned that the Principality has a flower called the ‘Snowflower’ that helps control mana. If I had that…”
“The Snowflower? Well, I’d have to see it myself, but… Your mana reserves are so vast that I don’t know if it would be enough. Still, the sooner you undergo purification in the Principality, the better for your well-being.”
At his remark, Diana’s eyes widened in shock.
“Where is sister going? Are you really leaving me behind?”
“…”
Not only me, but even the duke, duchess, and Raizel were unable to answer.
Diana’s pupils trembled with devastation.
“No! No way! I hate you, Father!”
Diana burst into sorrowful tears, but no one could find the words to comfort her.
***
“Sigh… We’ve only just reunited, and now we have to part again…”
Grandfather let out a heavy sigh, looking utterly heartbroken.
He had returned to the marquisate while I was talking with Raizel, only to hear the shocking news that we would be leaving for the Principality tomorrow.
His disappointment was so great that he had seemingly abandoned all sense of dignity, pulling me onto his lap with deep sighs.
“Grandfather, please try this.”
It seemed he had ordered an abundance of sweets for me, as the table in the parlor was stacked with desserts like a small mountain.
But it seemed that even that wasn’t enough to catch Grandfather’s attention, so I held out a small macaron.
I wondered if eating this might cheer him up, but instead…
“Waaah!”
A beast-like roar erupted from Grandfather.
“These small hands once made cookies for me! I should have cherished them! Keeping them as a family heirloom for generations!”
..Ah, I appreciate the honesty, but did it have to be so sudden?
I looked at my hands awkwardly, then turned toward my parents, silently pleading for them to intervene.
‘They must be just as dumbfounded as I am… right?’
“Cookies made by Adriana?!”
“If I had been there, I would have cast a preservation spell on them immediately…”
Mother was clutching her handkerchief so tightly it looked like she might tear it, while Father looked completely devastated.
Seeing my expression change, Mother quickly came to her senses and spoke up.
“Ahem! Father, that’s enough. You know we need to leave for the Principality as soon as possible for Adriana’s sake.”
Raizel had insisted that staying near Diana was dangerous, but more than that, he urged my parents to take me somewhere safe because the demon worshippers’ motives for keeping me alive were still unclear.
According to the temple’s investigation, the last known traces of the demon worshippers had been in the Empire. And ever since my kidnapping, the security in the Principality of Belus had been reinforced to an incomparable level.
But I knew the real reason he was in such a rush… it was because of the secret I had confided in him alone.
〈You’re really living a second life? And you had barely any mana before…〉
It was the first time I had ever shared this with anyone, and I hadn’t expected him to believe me so easily.
Raizel had been a little surprised, but as the Great Sage renowned for his wisdom, he accepted my words without hesitation.
According to him, while this phenomenon wasn’t common, history had recorded cases of souls awakening in other people’s bodies or individuals retaining memories of past lives.
‘Well, Diana is said to be the reincarnation of the Saintess, too…’
It had been a heavy confession, but Raizel’s response lifted a weight off my chest.
“How about I go to the Principality with you? This would be a good opportunity to pass my title to Ivan…”
“Are you serious?!”
Just as Grandfather, unable to hold me back, suddenly came up with what he thought was a brilliant idea, Mother’s face twisted in frustration.
“I understand that we’ll be making an official announcement once we arrive, but do you plan on spreading rumors before we even leave? And a title succession isn’t something that happens in just a day or two.”
“….”
“Besides, you should at least attend Ascart’s graduation ceremony.”
At those words, I turned to look at Ascart, who had been sitting quietly.
Since our departure had been decided so suddenly, we would be leaving before the academy graduation ceremony, the very reason our family had gathered in the first place.
Was he disappointed? His expression looked a bit gloomy, making me feel heavy-hearted.
“Mother, can’t we just stay for Brother’s graduation? Nothing will happen immediately. Father and the Great Sage are both here…”
“Adriana, it’s fine!”
Ascart quickly reassured me.
“Honestly, I’d rather not attend the ceremony either, but if I skipped too, it would draw unnecessary attention, so I’m forcing myself to go.”
He let out a deep sigh and gently stroked my cheek.
“Even if it’s only for a little while, the thought of being separated from you again is really painful. But your safety is the most important thing. Sigh… I really wanted to personally show you your room and the castle.”
“…That’s what you were upset about?”
