29. Regret And Greed.
‘I’ll wait.’
Bianca was startled and got up as Jillian’s voice rang in her ears.
“Jillian!”
Her white forehead was drenched in cold sweat.1I honestly don’t know why they mentioned ‘white’…
Gasp.
Bianca looked around with a pale face.
It was only when she saw the lamp lighting up the busy bedroom and the fireplace burning warmly that she felt a sense of reality.
It seemed like she was dreaming and fell asleep without even knowing when that happened.
Maybe that’s why the image of him whispering while holding onto my hand as I was about to leave was clearly depicted as if it were real for a split second.2She is saying she lost the ability to differentiate the real from dream as she didn’t know when she felt asleep.
‘I’ll wait.’
I still felt uneasy about having to send Jillian to that horrible place, but maybe it was because I was dreaming about it.
I felt confident that all I had to do was wait.3Honestly, I don’t know why she is so worried, he was dealing with monsters all his life..
“I just have to wait.”
Even the slightest anxiety disappeared like smoke the moment I said it out loud.
Bianca immediately called Julie over and served her breakfast.
I thought my eyes might be swollen because I cried so many times yesterday, but maybe it was the cool northern air.
Surprisingly, I looked quite fine.
If my eyes had been swollen, everyone would have definitely tried to fix them, so it was a very fortunate thing.
“Julie, what about Jillian?”
“He ended up going out with the 2nd Fortress captain last night. He was planning to leave in the morning… but it was before the wave…. He told me to tell him that he was sorry for not being able to tell you.”
Bianca smiled slightly at Julie’s hasty explanation, fearing that she might be disappointed.
How could he tell me that?
With how I cried when I heard the news of the Wave departure.
Then I insisted that I would answer his marriage proposal only if he returned safely.
There was no way that he could tell her that he had to leave again.
The person who silenced Jillian was herself, not anyone else.
Bianca clasped her hands together and made a bright face towards Julie.
“Don’t worry, I won’t misunderstand. If Jillian isn’t here, I’ll have a quick breakfast now. Could you prepare it for me?”
Because I’m going to be a little busy today too.
“When I am done eating, tell Hailey that I would like to see her.”
“Yes, my Lady.”
***
“Hello, Duchess. I heard you were looking for me.”
As soon as Bianca finished eating, Hailey came as if she had been waiting.
Bianca greeted Hailey warmly.
“Welcome. It’s still early, but thank you for coming.”
“Early…, I’m usually up around 4:30, so please call me anytime.”
“4:30? You wake up pretty early, right?”
“It’s not too early, of course as a knight……..”
Hailey stopped speaking and then closed her mouth.
Bianca looked worried as it sounded like waking up at 4:30 was normal, so she smiled and nodded.
“Ah, it seems like morning is pretty early in Baloch.”
The expression on Hailey’s face as she responded, ‘That’s right,’ to Bianca’s obvious cover-up was a sight to behold.
“I can’t bear to say, ‘I will do the same.’ But I will try to be a little more diligent.”
“Yes?”
“Soon, Jillian will be leaving the castle, so won’t I have to fill the void?”
“Take a seat.”
Bianca sat down Hailey, who was standing awkwardly, and then called Julie to bring out the tea.
“That’s why I called Hailey today. I think it’s time for me to take care of my duties.”
“You mean by taking care of your duties…”
“I would like to receive documents containing the budget plan and execution status, fixed expenses incurred monthly, reserve funds for irregular and unexpected expenditures such as waves, and accounting ledgers for the past three years.”
Bianca said without hesitation what she wanted.
Now that my mind was made up, there was no reason to hesitate.
Now, I no longer wanted to wonder whether Jillian’s feelings were real or a trap.
My whole life was rightfully plundered.
Because of the sin of my birth.
If I had been plundered all her life and was destined to be persecuted, what would be the problem if one more person was added to the mix? I was no longer afraid.
No, it was okay because this was a trap set by Jillian Baloch for Bianca Termina.
‘This is your home, right?’
‘My wife.’
He had already paid a heavy price.
Jillian was the first stranger to give Bianca the warmth she had never heard before in her life.
‘I’m going be okay.’
Until the day it all ends.
She had a lot of stuff to do.
“Because I am the Duchess.”
But Bianca forgot something.
That her words as well as her own decisions were not that important.
“That would be difficult, my Lady.”
Hailey, who had always been polite, stiffened her expression for the first time and refused.
4There is a small time skip here, so the rest of conversation is but a memory…‘Not only Baloch Territory, but also the operation of the main castle is managed by Zillian.’
‘Why? Even though the Lord is in charge of running the territory and the knights’ order, aren’t internal affairs originally the responsibility of the hostess?’
‘The hostess’s presence is not made public here.’
Ah…
It was a reason that I had no choice but to understand at once.
If one came know what ‘monsters’ were, it would be hell to stand by the Duke, who had to take the lead every time to deal with them.
Who can force you to endure that?
Bianca patted her throbbing heart as if to soothe it.
If I think about it, no one has ever seen the Duchess of Baloch.
At some point, the Baloch dukes took wives, one day they had heirs, and one day they disappeared like bubbles.
This was Baloch.
That fueled the rumor that they were even more unhuman, but now that I have become Baloch, I understand.
Why did their life have to be like that?
In the meantime, I should say that it was amazing that Baloch’s legacy was being continued.
“Ha…….”
Bianca sighed softly and turned the pages in a familiar manner.
After meeting Haley in the morning, I continued to study.
I had just finished a simple lunch of sandwiches.
Since the wave departure had been announced, the main Castle was subtly buzzing, and among them, Bianca was the only one who had nothing to do.
She had just taken refuge in the study because she thought it would be helpful to not be intrusive.
Just today, she have already looked through her fifth history book.
Just like before, there was no income.
However, Bianca was not disappointed and patiently turned the pages.
There must be a reason why the Empire and other prophecies only came down to the North.
It would be quicker to ask Jillian, or find a Baloch resident and ask him, but I postponed that until later.
Because it was rude to ask questions about prophecy when they were about to go on a mission.
‘Termina will set Baloch free after all his sins have been forgiven.’
Bianca turned the pages of the Northern Tales book, muttering about the Northern prophecy.
After reading five volumes of history alone, my eyes were blurry and my head was sore, so I decided to take a break.
How many pages did I turn?
The end of the founding story was in sight.
[The dragon guarded and blessed the last days of Termina’s founder.
Dear friend, may our time flow together once again.
Until that day, I will give you a small gift to protect the children of Termina.
The dragon called a knight, gave him his name, Baloch, gave him powers, and ordered him to protect Termina.
This was the birth of ‘Baloch’, the dragon of Termina.]
Even though it was full of nonsense, the thread that ran through the content was like a history book.5What does that mean, I have never read a history book before(•‿•)
The story had been fleshed out over time and compiled into an art book.
However, the collection of tales ended with the birth of Baloch.
Bianca couldn’t hide her regret.
She knew how Baloch became the dragon of Termina, but she could not find out why that glorious man became a sinner.
Suddenly, she had the thought that she was obsessed with every single word, caught up in the word ‘prophecy’, but Bianca silence her mind.
Whether it was true or not, it’s okay.
As long as it helps.
The prophecy of the North and the capital.
The gist of it all was that Baloch would obtain Termina and become ‘free’.
Once again, Bianca would do anything for Jillian.
If ‘Termina’, which had caused her pain all her life, could be used for him, there would be nothing that would be happier than this.
So Bianca was planning to try a little harder.
It was time to turn her attention to the books again.
“Madam, the Duke is said to be returning home.”
Julie came over and whispered.
The sun was already setting.
Bianca nodded.
“Where is he?”
“They say the drawbridge has just gone down.”
“Take the lead.”
***
“The High Priest has approved Izar’s visit. Would you like to follow me?”
“Of course.”
Izar nodded at the priest’s words and stood up.
He thought it would be quite difficult, but surprisingly, he was allowed to meet with him obediently, and his exasperated mood eased.
Izar walked diligently, following the priest in front of him.
Fortunately, there was a transportation circle installed in the temple where the high priest stayed, so it seemed like it could be treated as a ‘long’ walk.
If they don’t meet today, then tomorrow will do.
If it doesn’t work tomorrow, then the next day.
Even if he couldn’t do that, he planned to try at least ten times.
But his request for a meeting was accepted right away.
His mood that the Prime Minister spoilt before, was lifted just like this.
The place Izar was guided to was a courtyard with calm sunlight.
There were two steaming tea cups in front of the seats.
“Welcome.”
Izar’s face faintly stiffened at the greeting given by the high priest who had pulled down the white veil that covered his face.
“I greet the High Priest…………….”
The high priest was a young man.
The high priest, smiling softly while his spotless white hair that hung down to his chest fluttered softly, had an elegant face that gave off a truly sacred feeling.
It was a very unpleasant sight for Izar, who had expected a good-looking old man with graying hair and wrinkles.
‘The high priest….he cared for the princess very much.’
At that moment, Facetra’s whisper harshly clawed at his chest like a rake.
“It is true that I asked you to meet me, but I didn’t expect to meet you just like this.”
He had a sharp tone and a fierce expression that made it hard to believe that he was Izar, who usually smiled.
Despite receiving the evil gaze, the high priest did not wrinkle his face.
Instead, he just smiled and welcomed him.
“I was just about to have tea. Wouldn’t it be more fun if I had someone to chat with?”
‘He volunteered to be punished. Since he was the cause of it, he suggested to be punished instead of the princess.’
The smiling priest was not only sacred but also fascinating.
Izar approached the High Priest without hiding his fierce expression.
“Do you know who I am?”
“How could you not know Izar, the owner of the plains?”
“Then do you know why I came to find you?”
The high priest smiled again at Izar, who looked down on him in an intimidating manner, as if he was weighing him down.
“Please sit down. The story you want to hear won’t be short.”
“You mean that you know what I’m curious about?”
“I don’t. However, people tend to regret things they missed out on.”
“What regret!”
“Then what is it?”
Greed?
The high priest whispered in a soft voice and smiled.
***
TL:
The next few chapters will be locked, I hope you enjoyed this chapter (. ❛ ᴗ ❛.)
