CHAPTER 29
“It is indeed sent from the Holy See.”
Even if he were to explain this situation to others, they would all likely wear the same expression.
How could anyone comprehend such an absurd coincidence? Yet, he had to make sense of this situation, even if forcibly.
To dismiss the Cardinal, personally sent from Arserion to the kingdom, at this late hour was out of the question. It would be appropriate to question the Arserion Papal See directly after dawn.
“As it is late and we cannot welcome guests in the forest, would it be best for you to return to the palace now?” Raymond cautiously suggested to Arden.
Although he was reluctant to let the Cardinal into the palace, there seemed to be no other choice.
Arden reluctantly nodded.
Having endured Letitia’s hostile gaze towards him, he eventually approached her. Then, with an indifferent expression, he extended his hand.
“It’s getting cold, we should go in now.”
“…,” Letitia silently stared at the hand offered to her.
“Letitia.”
He called her name.
What if she didn’t take his offered hand? Arden didn’t want to think about what would happen next. He simply hoped she would just quietly take his hand.
Now that his carefully laid plans had gone awry, there was no reason for her to act on her own accord.
Eventually, Letitia took his hand.
❖ ❖ ❖
Before Arden arrived, Letitia ran into the forest in a frenzy.
She thought the spirit would give her a signal. Since it had promised to help her, she believed it would be waiting for her in the forest.
She hesitated to follow the ambiguous entity she had just encountered, but she had nowhere else to go.
She briefly considered going to the Duke’s mansion, where her father was, but she knew she would be caught immediately.
Letitia’s surroundings were pitch black.
The Duke’s mansion and the palace. There was nowhere else she could go.
“I don’t even have any ordinary friends.”
Finally, she realized the harsh reality. Even if she ran away, there was nowhere to go, nowhere that would accept her.
That’s when it happened.
The green light she had seen through the window sparkled in the distance, catching her attention.
“It’s the spirit!”
It was the same light she had briefly encountered through the window earlier.
Letitia hesitated for a moment, wondering if she had seen it wrong, then blinked her eyes and looked again at the faint green light. It was still there, lingering in the forest.
“It must be that light.”
The green light continued to shimmer and sway, as if signaling her, beckoning her to follow. Without further hesitation, she started walking towards it. However, perhaps due to her haste in rushing out without even putting on her shoes, she couldn’t move very quickly.
The green light swiftly flew towards her and soon hovered in front of her. It blinked as if urging her to follow.
She felt compelled, entranced by the light.
Moving slowly, the light eventually stopped in front of a large tree in the garden. Then, it ascended, disappearing into the branches above.
She felt as though she had ventured deep into the forest, but she paid no heed.
“It’s gone.”
Letitia quickly turned her head, scanning her surroundings, but the green light was nowhere to be seen.
“What was I even enchanted by?”
She tried to recall the path she had taken back.
There was no light around, and she couldn’t even remember the path she had walked.
With a despondent look, she slowly surveyed the darkened forest and turned back.
“Well, there’s nowhere else to go anyway. I’ll stumble upon something if I keep walking.”
Letitia cautiously grasped her skirt and began to walk forward.
– Where are you going? Look here!
“Ah! Y-You startled me…”
– Hehehe. Surprised? I told you I’d help. Is the king asleep? It seems like your powers have manifested.
“Do you know about my abilities?”
– Of course. Elves can put people to sleep. Since we’ve shared love, the restrictions have been lifted.
“So, can I really put people to sleep now?”
– Yeah. I don’t lie. You might even be able to control dreams. I was wondering if that was possible. Is it really possible to control dreams? Letitia widened her eyes, remembering the past events.
Then she understood why Arden had scolded her for waking him up like that. She had struggled to believe it herself, but hearing it from the spirit gave her confidence.
“But only High Elves can control dreams….”
As if she couldn’t understand what was happening, she looked around at the light circling her.
The green light circled around her before finally settling on her hand, revealing itself to be a small spirit.
“It’s nice to finally meet you. You seem to be in better shape than I thought…?”
The green light twinkled as it transformed into a small sprite.
Letitia gazed at the small sprite intently, tilting her head to the side.
“It feels somewhat familiar.”
Feeling a comforting sensation spreading throughout her body, Letitia observed as the sprite grinned and flew back into the air.
“You, an elf who dies if not loved?”
“How did you know that…?”
– “As I mentioned before, my name is Kabita, Kabita Roan. That’s my name. I’ve come to help you. The Pope sent me.”
“Help me…?”
Letitia tilted her head, staring intently at the spirit. The sprite infused her hand with a sacred energy.
– “With this, you should be fine for a while.”
“More importantly, does the Pope know about me? Why would the Archonate in Arserion…?”
The sudden appearance of the spirit and the Pope’s involvement didn’t make sense to Letitia.
– “Of course. We’ve been waiting for this day.”
The spirit revealed only information Letitia didn’t know. Then it unexpectedly began to tell a different story.
– “Your mother, Elosa. I received a request from her. The Pope is an old friend of hers.”
“….A request from my mother? Do you know where she is!?”
Letitia’s voice trembled, her eyes gradually reddening as tears began to well up. She never thought anyone would know her mother, let alone receive a request from her.
The sudden mention of Elosa’s name overwhelmed Letitia with emotions.
“She’s alive!”
– “Calm down. Unfortunately, Elosa cannot be met. Due to confidentiality clauses, I can’t go into detail, but Elosa definitely asked for your help.”
“Mom… Mom…”
Letitia sank to the ground, overwhelmed by emotions. Tears welled up, shaking her body uncontrollably. Despite the overwhelming emotions, she didn’t cry out loud. She clenched the grass tightly, breathing deeply. Where could her mother have disappeared to? Letitia bit her lip and looked up at the spirit.
– “Don’t cry. The more you grieve, the more your life force dims. I’ll come out here during this time in the future and infuse you with the life you need.”
“…So, I won’t die?”
– “Yes, elves can replenish their life force to some extent with the power of nature. I’ll teach you how.”
“Is there anything I need to do?”
– “Stop Count Castain’s foolishness.”
Letitia’s eyes widened at the spirit’s words. Why did both Arden and the spirit speak negatively about her father? By now, she couldn’t help but have negative thoughts herself.
“How do you know about my father? He promised me. He said he’d take care of everything.”
– “Well, he seemed unstoppable…”
“Then who are you talking about?”
– “Caduceus Velope. Ah, or should I say, Karen.”
Letitia doubted her ears. How did they know everything? That was something only her father and she knew.
– “There’s something we need to prepare before Emperor Ruselon Caduceus arrives. We must stop him. That way, history won’t repeat itself.”
“History won’t repeat itself…? Could it be that you…?”
Had they returned just like her? Letitia’s golden eyes sparkled with hope. For the first time, she saw a path ahead. Letitia gathered her thoughts and spoke to the spirit.
“We need to get out of here quickly.”
– “Well, it seems a bit late for that, doesn’t it? You might have fallen into a trap. I told you to come quietly. Seems like you brought quite a long tail with you.”
The spirit chuckled, looking over Letitia’s shoulder. In a short moment, the spirit transformed before her eyes. With a white cleric robe and a letter in hand, with brown hair and green eyes, Roan turned towards Letitia, raising an eyebrow with a faint smile.
Then, he turned to look behind her and introduced himself. It was only then that Letitia realized someone was standing behind her. As she slowly turned, she saw Arden’s wide eyes.
Her excited heart sank instantly. She suddenly understood the reason for the odd feeling about the lax security. It was a trap set knowing she would try to escape. Realizing this, her lips trembled with despair.
Letitia couldn’t shake off the feeling of being played by Arden.
