I Will Disappear, Grand Duke

Following Fernan, Lloyd calmly began to speak.

Since the temple was the only clue to finding Julia’s whereabouts, they were currently staking out near the temple.

However, they were not applying direct pressure on the temple.

This was to ensure that the temple would not realize they were under Fernan’s surveillance.

If the missing priest was truly related to Julia, it was more certain to investigate quietly.

“So, please be patient a little longer.”

Lloyd continued, observing the menacing veins bulging on Fernan’s hand.

Fernan was barely holding back his desire to overturn the temple completely.

He had obtained a clue about Julia after half a year. It was natural to want to find her immediately.

However, simply going to the temple would not make them readily divulge information about her.

“…Yes, I know.”

A faint light flickered in Fernan’s hollow eyes as he muttered lowly.

Having not been in his right mind all this time, he now showed a semblance of a human expression.

He gripped his trembling hand even tighter.

The trace of Julia was getting closer. Julia must be alive.

* * *

Meanwhile, Cedric had safely arrived at the Ilion Temple.

It was the first time he had left his place for such a long duration while affiliated with the temple.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been like this.’

Before getting off the carriage, Cedric summoned his divine power to change his appearance.

As a faint green light spread, he quickly transformed into the appearance of a boy about ten years old.

Before staying in the Holy Kingdom, Cedric usually maintained this form unless there was a special reason.

This was because reducing his apparent age and minimizing physical functions allowed him to maintain his divine power most stably.

‘Cedric, aren’t you going to change into a child anymore?’

While getting off the carriage and climbing the stairs, Cedric recalled Julia’s question from some time ago.

It seemed the memory of their first meeting had left quite an impression on her.

She had reached her conclusion before he even answered.

After looking at the children clinging to her and then glancing at him.

‘Well, it would be a bit inconvenient to turn into a child here.’

Her murmured words and smile came to mind, spreading a gentle smile across his face.

In fact, it wasn’t because of embarrassment or inconvenience as she had thought.

It was simply that he didn’t want to remain in a child’s form in front of her.

Smiling subtly, Cedric crossed the garden and entered the temple.

The High Priest was scheduled to visit in two days.

Before that, Cedric planned to visit the library on the top floor of the temple.

The library housed numerous historical records from ancient times to the present.

From the origins of divine power to various current data and cases, the documents contained a wealth of information.

Searching through them one by one might reveal a way to alleviate Julia’s condition.

Cedric walked down the corridor leading to the central staircase.

In the meantime, he exchanged brief greetings with a few priests who recognized him.

“Cedric, you’re here on time.”

“Yes, I couldn’t miss the High Priest’s visit.”

After brief chats with the priests he hadn’t seen in a while, Cedric resumed his steps.

The temple was unusually crowded, likely due to the news of the High Priest’s visit.

Navigating through the crowd, Cedric finally headed to the library.

Among the crowd, a man was closely observing Cedric.

It was one of Fernan’s lieutenants, who had infiltrated the temple in his place.

Pretending to be a visitor, the lieutenant discreetly followed Cedric, observing him for a long time.

An external young priest, mingling naturally with the existing priests, and most importantly, the name ‘Cedric.’

It was certain that this was the person his lord was looking for.

* * *

“Julia, when will Cedric come back?”

A small voice echoed in the courtyard of the monastery.

Julia, who was inserting flowers into a wisteria arch, lowered her head to look at Rosemary beside her.

“Hmm, he’ll be back soon. Do you miss Cedric?”

Rosemary, nodding her head, pouted at Julia’s gentle question.

“The other priests are scary. Cedric is kind to us….”

The priests here were elderly and stern, which was a bit difficult for the children.

Among them, Cedric was the only one who often played with the children, helping Julia.

With his absence, Rosemary seemed quite lonely.

It had been three weeks since Cedric left the monastery. Julia knew that the day the High Priest visited had already passed.

However, since it took a long time to come and go, she couldn’t be sure exactly when he would return.

Julia smiled and patted Rosemary’s hair.

“Rose, isn’t it fun playing with me?”

At her playful question, Rosemary shook her head vigorously.

“No! I like playing with you, too. It’s fun.”

Rosemary, belatedly clinging to Julia’s arm and rubbing her cheek, made Julia smile brightly as she gently pinched the child’s cheek.

In the afternoon, a wedding was scheduled to be held at the monastery.

So Julia was decorating the wedding arch with flowers with the children.

The finished wedding arch, meticulously adorned with white flowers, brightened the courtyard.

When afternoon arrived and the wedding began, Julia handed the bride a bouquet of light pink roses she had painstakingly made.

“Wow, it’s lovely! Thank you so much!”

Seeing the bride’s delighted smile filled Julia with a small happiness.

The ceremony was officiated by the monastery’s chief priest.

Although it was a simple wedding, the sight of the young couple smiling at each other was as beautiful as any grand ceremony.

Watching the bride and groom exchange rings, Julia faintly smiled.

Then, she suddenly recalled her wedding day.

It was early spring.

The ceremony held at the imperial palace was conducted as splendidly as any royal wedding.

The memories of taking vows and exchanging rings before the high priest came back vividly.

Blinking expressionlessly, Julia suddenly looked down at her hand.

And she recalled her wedding ring that she had long forgotten.

The only valuable item she had taken, considering it as alimony.

‘I’ve never seen a ring crafted with such precious gemstones before. Where did you get this?’

Shortly after staying at the monastery, Julia had once visited a jeweler to sell the ring.

The jeweler mentioned its considerable value, but she left without selling it.

It wasn’t because she urgently needed money; rather, she wasn’t yet ready to part with it.

Perhaps it was because it was the only item reminding her of her past.

A past she wished to forget, but couldn’t entirely let go of, as her heart wasn’t completely settled.

Suppressing her thoughts, Julia looked up again.

As she watched the bride and groom kiss, her smile returned. Just then, someone lightly placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Julia.”

Startled by the familiar voice, Julia quickly turned around. Cedric was standing there, smiling gently.

Julia looked up at him with a delighted face.

“Cedric, when did you get here?”

She hadn’t expected him to return so soon after talking about him with Rosemary that morning.

“I just arrived a little while ago.”

Cedric, who had quietly approached her, spoke.

“How have you been?”

Julia’s complexion looked better than before. She smiled brightly and replied.

“I’m much better.”

Since the initial incident, she hadn’t coughed up blood again. Even the intermittent chest pains had subsided.

Julia shrugged lightly, as if to prove her point. Cedric finally allowed a faint smile.

However, the end of his smile seemed tinged with worry.

During his stay at the temple, Cedric had scoured ancient texts but found nothing conclusive.

What troubled him most were the words of Mateus.

‘I can feel Julia’s divine power slowly returning to me.’

‘Does that mean…?’

‘Yes… If this continues, Julia’s health will be in grave danger.’

Julia’s divine power originally belonged to Mateus.

As her divine power faded, it naturally returned to its original owner, Mateus.

It was presumed that Julia’s symptoms, including the blood coughing, were due to her diminishing divine power.

However, even Mateus couldn’t guess why these symptoms had started.