“Uh-huh-huh! Hahaha! I never thought I’d see something like this before I die!”
“Uhh, what?”
“As expected of the one I’ve taken in as my own daughter!”
Rachel blinked in disbelief, not knowing what to say.
Laughing, Lylus swept his hand through the air, clearing away the remaining cards and torn pieces. Then he clasped his hands together, as if praying for the future.
Two futures appeared in Lylus’ mind. Unlike a few days ago, the future in which Rachel took her own life looked small and distorted, while her happy and bright future shone big and strong.
‘The original future is disappearing. Moreover, Yenis is not willing to show us that future either. I’ve never heard of a case like this, not even from Great Saint Tityenis.’
Rachel was indeed a special case. Never before had two futures been seen at the same time, and as her future split in two, so did the futures of those around her, including Graham, with whom she had a special connection.
However, the more Rachel acted and the more decisions she made, the more her future tilted to one side. A future that was only a possibility at first became more clear, erasing the original.
The foresight used by priests only allowed them to see the future as it had been determined through the power of Yenis. No matter how hard they tried, they could not change a future that has already been decided. This was the reason why Great Saint Tityenis looked into the future but took no action.
When Lylus first saw the future after hearing Rachel’s news, it was the exact opposite. The original future was stronger, and the later future was weaker. He was so surprised.
He dropped everything and ran to do something, anything.
But before he could do anything, the future changed.
Rachel achieved it on her own.
‘Words cannot express how proud I am. Great is not the right word, for she has done what no emperor or saint has ever done.’
Rachel watched him helplessly as he only smiled.
“Rachel.”
“Yes… I’m sorry.”
“Yenis told me you were special.”
“What, me?”
“She is saying that there is no need to show you the future that was originally planned.”
“Oh…”
“The way she chose to express it may’ve been a bit harsh, but it’s not particularly dangerous.”
“I see.”
Rachel sighed. She thought she‘d received heavenly punishment as the lightning struck and tore up her cards.
‘If it’s the future that was originally supposed play out, I assume he’s referring to the future in the original novel, and since I possessed Rachel and changed her future, I don’t need to see the original future?’
If so, that was fortunate. This meant that the future was changing smoothly. A future where Rachel doesn’t commit suicide and Graham doesn’t become a murderer!
Rachel smiled happily, her hard work was finally paying off.
“Yenis is quite the radical.”
” Yes. No wonder I’m her left hand. She wouldn’t have made me a priest if she had a soft spot for gentleness.”
“Ahhh. Now that I think about it, that makes sense.”
Lylus spoke, looking at the amused Rachel.
“Do not doubt the path you are walking. You were born with an unusual fate. Unlike ordinary humans who live with the fate they are given, you can change the future according to the choices you make.”
This meant that she still had a chance to live the life she wanted.
His words gave Rachel hope. Coming from Yenis’s left hand, one who sees the future, made it all the more believable.
It also helped that Lylus, despite his lighthearted and playful demeanor, was not a man to lie or make empty promises.
“Choose your path and act. Yes, Yenis is not one to grant prayers, but she does sometimes grant good fortune to those who take action.”
“Thank you for your encouragement. I will not waver.”
“You’re amazing.”
She was in her mid-20s, not yet old enough to have done anything truly amazing, but she didn’t care and was delighted.
It was a clear afternoon with bright skies.
* * *
Cian had been holed up in his office for the past few days, unable to leave. He was always busy, but lately, he really had no time to spare.
All because of Rachel.
Nick, who was helping with the work nearby, spoke up.
“As I said, the manor and castle will be the easiest to reclaim. I asked the owner, and he said he’d be willing to sell them for a generous price.”
Cian nodded. He’d expected this.
“The estate and castle were only purchased five years ago, so it probably hasn’t risen much in value. Moreover, Theodore sold it for a bargain… If they bought it cheap and sold it for a high price after only 5 years, they’ll be set for life.”
“Exactly, the problem is the grave. We’ve been searching, but it’s hard to find. Where the hell did he bury them? I’ve scoured the records of the manor that Theodore left behind, but I haven’t found anything.”
Theodore that bastard.
He grinded his teeth.
Cian and Nick had been looking for traces of Rachel’s long-deceased parents. They’d been thinking about giving Rachel a special gift.
They used the excuse of finding something she would like on behalf of Atreille. Neither Nick nor Cian mentioned the fact that they’d been thinking about this gift even before the crown prince asked.
‘I want to see her pure joy.’
Rachel had shown little interest in the cufflinks with the rare pink diamonds, and it was clear that she would be unimpressed by most gifts. He’d be lucky if she didn’t feel burdened.
Cian wondered what he could give her that would make her happy.
He wanted to give Rachel something that no one else could give her, something she couldn’t refuse.
This was the answer he’d arrived at after thinking about it for a long time. He wanted to find the manor where Rachel’s parents lived, the territory they ruled, and the grave where they were buried.
It was easy to find things that were visible, such as territories and manors. It wasn’t hard to get them back either, for him it was just a small sum of money.
The problem was finding the location of the grave where her parents were buried and the cause of the accident.
It was natural that it would be difficult to determine the cause of an accident that occurred five years ago, but he had no idea that finding the grave would be so difficult.
Theodor had taken the consolation money after the funeral and left the matter unfinished. He didn’t tell anyone where they were buried.
‘I felt sorry for him, being falsely accused of plotting a rebellion, but now it’s not even worth it. If it weren’t for Rachel, I’d tell Sigar where he’s hiding and slit his throat.’
Nick waited for Cian’s anger to subside before he asked softly.
“What do you think we should do?”
“Well, we’ll take care of what we can first. I’ll approach Theodore about the grave later and look into it again then.”
“I see. Fortunately, we’ve made some progress on the cause of the accident, as we’ve found the craftsman who built the carriage used by the Fram family at the time.”
“That’s something I wasn’t expecting.”
“He’s retired now, and his children have taken over the business. They say he lives in the countryside somewhere, so I’ll try to find him soon and post a report.”
“Just in case, let’s take a closer look at the carriage-making workshop that his children inherited. It’s possible they’re making poor quality carriages.”
“Alright.”
“First, I need to finish purchasing the manor and territory. I need a lump sum of money. Have you received any word regarding Stefan’s whereabouts?”
Duke Stefan Iacobs was the Empress’s nephew and a close friend of Cian’s. He had a keen eye for money and would have been Cian’s minister of finance had he become emperor.
Now, he was the head of the Iacobs family, secretly running Cian’s business and calling the shots on his behalf. That was why Cian’s coffers, which were often used for not only the manor but also the palace, never ran dry.
Nick nodded.
“He’s traveled far away on trade and is on his way back to the capital. He’s a bit of a wanderer, so it’s hard for the higher-ups to locate him, but we’re in luck.”
“Good. As soon as Stefan arrives, withdraw funds and use them to buy the manor and territories. We’ll need to set aside some money to manage it as well, since I don’t know when I’ll hand it over to Rachel.”
“Please leave it to me.”
It was a trustworthy answer.
Cian nodded and finished the paperwork. Dolorosa would be upset if he worked too late, so he decided to put off the rest of the work until tomorrow.
Just as he was tidying up his desk and wrapping up his work, there was a knock on the door to his office.
“Your Highness, you have a visitor.”
“…Guests? At this hour?”
It was already dark outside, the moon and stars twinkling in the night sky. It was unusual to have a visitor at this hour in the Archduke’s mansion, where there were no banquets or balls being held.
But that didn’t mean he could turn them away. It was possible that Sigar was planning something troublesome to find fault with Cian.
Cian stood in front of the mirror, tidied up his clothes and hair before leaving the office.
As he walked down the hallway nearing the main door, Cian felt an unusual energy and smiled bitterly.
‘You know you can’t win, but you keep trying, and that’s what I like about you.’
As Cian stood in the center of the hall as a sharp sword was swung at him, aimed at his head.
The blade came down from above, hard and fast, but it didn’t graze Cian’s body. He‘d turned and deflected the blade.
The swordsman tsked.
“I almost had you.”
“Not at all. I told you, you should learn to hide your hostility.”
“Cheeky bastard.”
Cian shrugged but didn’t reply. He’d heard it enough times over the past twenty years.
Instead, he stuck his hand out into the darkness.
“Long time no see, Stefan. You’re back earlier than I expected.”
“Early, yes. His Highness, who’s never asked for money all his life, said he needed it, so I rode without sleep to find out why.”
Stefan, hiding in the shadows, removed his black cloak, revealing himself.
__________________________________________________________________
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