IDED | Chapter 113

Episode 113

Some time later, an uninvited guest came to see Serena.

“You knew, didn’t you?”

Lydia, who had been in seclusion for a while, stormed into the imperial palace and growled.

Normally, Serena would have refused the meeting, but since she happened to have business with Lydia, she allowed the visit. Serena answered calmly.

“Yes, I knew.”

“Then how could you not say anything? And you still call yourself family?”

“Were we ever really family?”

“What?”

“I warned you. I told you to keep an eye on your brother. You were the one who ignored my words, Lydia.”

At Serena’s cold response, Lydia clenched her trembling fists, her eyes welling up with tears. The fact that she wasn’t throwing a tantrum like before suggested that she understood her current predicament.

Lydia, her pride deeply wounded, barely managed to speak.

“Help me.”

Serena responded icily to Lydia’s plea.

“Why should I?”

Your family caused this mess, so why should I be the one to clean it up? And now, you shamelessly come to me for help.

“Didn’t His Excellency, whom you boasted about so much, offer to help you?”

“Well…”

Judging by Lydia’s expression, she had already been refused.

“Why? Why not try selling my name again to get some help?”

“…….”

“Or better yet, tell me. What kind of incredible secret are you hiding that you’re so desperate to keep?”

Serena scoffed, knowing it was probably nothing of importance.

Lydia bit her lower lip at Serena’s provocation. After hesitating for a moment, she finally spoke up.

“You asked me before, what I was hiding that day. I’ll tell you—if you help me.”

Serena stared at Lydia, who had suddenly brought up an unexpected event. Lydia had previously denied remembering anything, but it was clearly a lie.

And now, she was offering the truth in exchange for help? Her shamelessness knew no bounds.

Serena’s golden eyes darkened, and a cold voice escaped her lips.

“So, you did remember.”

And today, you came to confess it.

At Serena’s chilling reaction, Lydia hesitated before speaking in a tearful voice.

“Yes. How could I ever forget that day?”

“…….”

“You had everything. A beautiful face, a brilliant mind, and…”

Lydia kept rambling about irrelevant things, avoiding the real point. Serena cut her off sharply.

“My patience isn’t that long, Lydia. If you’re just going to whine, then leave—”

“Even the mark on your side.”

“!!!”

How… how did she know about that?

Serena looked at Lydia in shock. There was no way Lydia should have known about her mark.

Lydia’s sharp voice pierced Serena’s ears as if she had finally reached her breaking point.

“Why do you always get everything?”

Serena silently stared at Lydia.

A while later, Azaid, who had just returned from interrogating Colin, came looking for Serina.

“Where is Rena?”

“Uh, well…”

Marie, Serena’s personal maid, hesitated, unable to answer right away. Azaid stared at her expectantly, urging her to speak.

“After meeting Lady Vincent, she suddenly left the palace.”

“Alone?”

“Yes.”

“And you didn’t ask where she was going?”

“I’m sorry. She left in such a hurry…”

Marie bowed her head, looking distressed. If she hadn’t even had the chance to ask about Serena’s destination, it must have been an extremely urgent departure.

Azaid felt a wave of unease. The fact that Serena had gone out immediately after meeting Lydia was troubling. After all, the Vincent family was Serena’s greatest source of fury.

“Where is Lady Vincent now?”

“She returned to the castle.”

“Summon her back immediately.”

If anyone knew where Serena had gone, it would be Lydia.

As Azaid sat anxiously waiting, Lydia was dragged back before him.

Kneeling on the floor, Lydia’s face was already pale with fear. Azaid didn’t care whether she was scared or not and questioned her coldly.

“Why did Serwna come to see you?”

“I—I just wanted to see my s-sister…”

“I already know you and Serena don’t get along. Don’t bother lying.”

At Azaid’s chilling remark, Lydia flinched and pressed her forehead to the ground.

“P-please have mercy…!”

“Serena left the palace right after speaking with you. You must know where she went.”

“T-that…”

Lydia stammered, as if she had a guess. When the knight beside her unsheathed his sword in warning, she shuddered and shouted.

“S-she must have gone to the Pherianus Temple!”

“What? Why would she go there…?”

Azaid’s eyes widened at the unexpected location. Lydia, now crying, continued desperately.

“I—I don’t know! I just mentioned something about a man with a cross-shaped scar on his hand!”

As Lydia babbled incoherently, Azaid suddenly stood up from his throne at the mention of the cross-shaped mark.

“A cross-shaped mark?”

“Y-yes! That man s-saved Serena when she was younger!”

Lydia trembled violently, unable to speak coherently. Azaid descended the steps and approached her.

“Saved her? Are you saying Raffaello met Serena in the past?”

“Huh? R-Raffaello…?”

Lydia gasped, unable to continue under Ajade’s overwhelming presence.

“Speak. Now, Lydia Vincent.”

Azaid’s blue eyes gleamed dangerously.

A Pherianus priest with a cross-shaped scar on his hand could only be Raphael.

Was it too far-fetched to think that this Serena, who had allegedly saved by Raffaello, might be the same childhood friend Azaid once knew?

Under Azaid’s threatening gaze, Lydia turned deathly pale. She began frantically rubbing her hands together, begging for her life, promising to tell him everything she knew.

And when Azaid finally heard Lydia’s full story…

“I must go to the Pherianus Temple.”

Azaid coldly declared before heading to the temple.

As soon as Serena heard Lydia’s words, she left her behind and exited the imperial palace, making her way to the Pherianus Temple.

As she climbed the mountain path, Lydia’s words echoed in her mind.

‘I don’t know exactly what happened to you that day. All I know is that it was a Pherianus Holy Knight who brought you back after you collapsed, and by chance, I saw your mark!’

‘A Perianus Holy Knight?’

‘Yes. That mark—I’m certain it was the emblem of the Pherianus Temple. I even clearly remember the cross-shaped scar on his hand. If you don’t believe me, go check for yourself.’

Somehow, it all seemed strange.

When Serena first met Raffaello, he had remained silent for a long time as he looked at her.

At the time, she thought he was simply surprised because she knew Benjamin. But looking back now, it was clear—he had recognized her.

‘The Holy Knight I saw in my dreams was Raffaello.’

The moment Lydia mentioned the cross-shaped scar on his hand, Serena immediately thought of Raffaello.

She had heard that Raffaello had once been a Holy Knight in his youth before later becoming an archbishop. The calluses on his hands were proof that he had wielded a sword.

At some point, Serena had begun having the same recurring dream. A boy, a Holy Knight, and the boy’s mother appeared in it. And yet, she could never recall their faces.

‘There were too many strange things from the start. There’s no way I wouldn’t remember something like that.’

Unless someone had deliberately erased her memories, it was impossible that she wouldn’t recall anything at all.

And the reason she was so certain about this was because of something Benjamin had said in the past.

‘You said you visited the temple, right? Did you happen to see the Marimond Room?’

‘No. I only looked around the outer areas. What kind of room is that?’

‘It’s a space where the sacred relics of the Pherianus Temple are displayed. They’re so well-preserved that they can still be used today.’

‘I see.’

‘The one that fascinated me the most was the Mirror of Forgetting. If you channel divine power into it and reflect your face in the mirror, you can erase specific memories.’

Benjamin had shared this story when Serena was staying at the Pherianus Temple due to Jack’s schemes.

At the time, she found it annoying that he was rambling about something she hadn’t even asked, so she had only given him half-hearted responses.

But now, she realized—Benjamin had given her a major clue.

Since the relic required divine power to function, it was likely connected to Raffaello.

Just as Serena arrived at the entrance of the Perianus Temple, a gatekeeper blocked her path.

“What brings you here?”

“I came to offer a prayer at the temple.”

“Then please write your name in the register before entering. The prayer room is open only until 6 PM, so please finish before then.”

“Understood. By the way, is Archbishop Raffaello here today? I would like to receive his blessing.”

Serena smiled innocently, as if nothing was amiss. The gatekeeper, his face slightly flushed, mumbled in response.

“Well, I believe he is…”

“Rena? What brings you here?”

At that moment, Benjamin, who happened to be passing by, recognized her.

“Young Master.”

She had never been so glad to see him.

Noticing that Serena was acquainted with the priest, the gatekeeper straightened his posture.

“Did you come to pray?”

“Actually, I came to see Archbishop Raffaello. Would that be possible?”

“If it’s my master you’re looking for, he’s leading a service right now, so it might be difficult at the moment.”

As Benjamin checked the time with a troubled expression, Serena spoke as if she had been waiting for this moment.

“In that case, while I wait, could you show me the Marimond Room you mentioned last time?”