Hestine’s face became pale. Such a thing had never crossed her mind.
Of course, she had once found Adelia’s grumpiness bothersome. She was troubled whenever she unjustifiably became hostile to herself because she was conscious of her past.
‘As expected, my bloodline is low, so I can’t be perfect. I can’t change who I am, no matter how much I am loved.’
She suffered from these thoughts occasionally, keeping her up all night.
‘But I never intended for her to be framed in that manner!’
She had never considered harming anyone in that way. It was a setup if someone claimed that she did.
“What are you talking about? I’ve never— I’ve never told you to do that.”
The woman’s eyes bent in response to Hestine’s scream. It appeared as though she already knew.
“I know.”
Hestine asked again, looking momentarily perplexed at the woman’s response. She was unsure of what the person in front of her desired from her.
“Yes…? Well, what is it…….”
“Calm down. I know everything.”
Oddly enough, Hestine was soothed by the woman’s soothing voice, as if it were a spell that would make her feel better. What happened?
‘Am I dreaming?’
Everything was unrealistic.
‘Yeah, I’d rather it was all a dream. My father’s passing, the disaster that claimed the lives of countless people, my canonization, and the Duke’s adoption of me.’
She wouldn’t have had to go through this if she had started out as a dusty Hestine rolling around the streets.
‘Yes, I must be receiving punishment for wanting something that I don’t deserve.’
“You must be thinking strange thoughts”
The woman’s laughing voice jolted Hestine out of her reverie.
A strange thought….Right. Her thoughts, as she put it, were strange. Nothing would be able to change what had already occurred.
‘Except if I go back in time.’
But this is also a strange idea. It was an empty fantasy. It is not possible to go back in time.
The woman posed an odd query as if she had read Hestine’s mind.
“What would you do, Hestine, if you had the power to undo everything?”
Hestine thought the woman was strange, suspicious, but she couldn’t ignore her question because it was what she really wanted.
Hestine closed her eyes and replied to the woman’s query.
“I’ll do anything. If only I could go back in time. If I could only escape this nightmare.”
The woman’s eyes curved like a half-moon, as if Hestine had provided the correct response.
“It’s a relief, Hestine, that we share the same goal”.
“Who are you, why did you …. You!”
Hestine couldn’t help but feel confused. The woman shed her brown hair and unremarkable appearance and changed into the person she knew.
“Adelia-nim?”
“Hush.”
With her index finger over her lips, Adelia softly grinned.
“You need to be careful because our plan will fail if someone hears my name.”
Hestine tightly covered her mouth with her hands as she eagerly nodded. Adelia smiled and poured the potion from her pocket into her mouth.
Adelia did not frown even once despite the fact that the bitter taste made the tip of her tongue feel numb. She suffered more than this.
Adelia eventually returned to looking like the young maid who had betrayed her. Hestine inquired while gazing at the figure with the expression of someone who had just remembered something.
“Well, but what exactly do you mean by going back in time?”
“Hestine, it’s difficult to believe what I’m about to say from now on, but you need to pay close attention and have even a small amount of faith. Do you get it?”
Hestine slowly nodded.
“I’m sure you’re aware that I can decipher the oracle.”
“Of course.”
Hestine envied Adelia, she was a saint, but she couldn’t properly interpret the oracle, she was a half-baked saint who had to study.
“As a result, the cardinal secretly commissioned me to interpret the records of the ancient temples.”
“Well, that’s great. I can’t do that.”
“During the process, I discovered the relic’s second power.”
Hestine’s eyes turned around briefly.
“Second power? As far as I’m aware, gathering every relic produces protection, so the second is …..no way!”
Hestine looked at Adelia with a startled eye, as if realizing, and Adelia raised her corners of her mouth and nodded.
“That’s right. Regression is the second power.”
Going back in time. Hestine’s soulless eyes were revived, but she was immediately discouraged by Adelia’s following words.
“Of course, life will be the price.”
‘What use is going back in time if I have to sacrifice my life?’
Adelia looked at Hestine and muttered something comforting.
“But don’t worry. It’s my life that I will sacrifice.”
“Yes…? Why,…….”
Deep sorrow was visible in Adelia’s eyes.
“I lost something I didn’t want to lose, and I’ll do whatever it takes to get it back, even if it means giving up my life.”
Hestine bit her lower lip in response to Adelia’s statement that she would risk her life to protect something. She is so ashamed that she lacks the guts to take that risk.
“I’m willing to sacrifice my life so that Hestine doesn’t have to, but could you please assist me?”
It was a test.
I’m giving my life, but what are you going to give in return?
Hestine, who had experienced shame before, had a predetermined response.
“Of course, Adelia, for your benefit.,,,”
Hestine was unaware that Adelia had lied about giving up her life.
However, there is nothing she can do to perfectly entice Hestine.
‘I should not be afraid to be evil; I need to be more toxic.’
To undo everything.
***
“Romi, how fortunate that Hestine-nim seems to have recovered some of her senses since you arrived.”
Lizzie swept her chest and muttered as if her anxiety had subsided, and Romi nodded with her mouth slightly raised.
“Glad I could be of assistance.”
“I had my doubts at first, but you’re more helpful than I anticipated. You will become a member of the Valkyr family if you carry on as you are now.”
“I’ll put in a lot of effort; just trust me.”
“Yes, I’m busy, so I ask that you watch over Hestine while she recovers.”
Lizzie handed the position that nobody wanted to take on to new hire Romi as she left the premises at a leisurely pace. She nearly laughed in response to the reckless look.
‘That is, in fact, more comfortable for me.’
Adelia suspected Hestine had not simply led a comfortable life. She was merely a princess from a made-up storybook. Only those who consumed her for their own benefit were behind it.
The fact was unknown to Adelia.
Maybe she simply saw Hestine in the way she wanted. Her mind went blank.
Hestine can also leave this place by going back in time. Naturally, she must first locate the final piece in order to accomplish that.
She had a rough idea of the mansion’s layout. There are only three places where one cannot go.
The two locations were frequently visited by foreign nobles and aristocracy who allied themselves with Valkyr. Thus, they won’t be storing relics there.
The likelihood that the relic is in the other one is therefore very high.
The mountain, however, was too big to search for. Adelia did, however, learn something from Ivan. He set up a spy right here.
‘I know the code.’
Waiting for the busiest time, Adelia entered the laundry room as Romi. She started washing after pulling out an apron with a blue flower.
Soon after that, a man came over.
Adelia began chanting in an odd voice.
“I saw a lot of white pigeons yesterday, but I didn’t see any today.”
“You are a man of His Highness, and there is no one around, so you can stop doing laundry.”
Adelia put a stop to her hands flinging and raised her head. A stunning young man with brown hair and green eyes then entered the frame.
“Here, I go by Dennis, so feel free to call me that.”
“Please refer to me as Romi.”
“Okay, Romi, but there wasn’t any kind of order. What’s going on?”
Adelia asked sincerely while giving Dennis a curious look.
“Dennis, do you know the precise location of the place hidden in the mountains behind the estate?”
Then Dennis’ eyes began to flash with surprise.
“You know more than I thought. I know. All right, I’ll tell you, but access is difficult due to strict surveillance.”
“I just need to know the location. It doesn’t matter.”
Perhaps even if she went in there, she would need Hestine’s assistance to get into the innermost place where the relic is. Therefore, she called Dennis to find out the location to cut down on time.
Although Hestine claimed she was holding a special ceremony in that place, she appeared to have no idea where the relic was.
‘Maybe that’s where the relic is.’
