“The first way is to get an irreversible disability. Like Prince Chavolti who is infertile and cannot produce an heir. It would be better.”
Although expressing the misfortune of royalty was somewhat impolite, Agnes passed over it without any particular reaction.
“The second one is.”
Bushke stopped talking and looked at the princess’ hand, or, to be exact, the crest on the back of her hand. Agnes’s gaze also turned in that direction.
“Erasing that crest.”
“What? The royal crest? Is that possible?”
The crest engraved on the back of her hand was created through ancient magic, with the king’s blood being the core, and was acquired from birth.
The crest on one’s back of the hand is the basis to having the right of succeeding the throne. Only those who possess this can ascend to the throne. For that reason, it was something Agnes took much pride in.
“There is a record of it in the scriptures.”
“Amazing. The sentence is a divine ancient magic linked to blood, and it does not disappear even in death unless a new king ascends. Is there a way?”
She shook her head from side to side instead of answering.
“I do not know.”
“You don’t know?”
“What I’ve seen is only a fraction of the scripture. I did not have the authority to read the complete texts due to its exclusivity. If the madam visits the temple together with the duke and asks for permission to examine it, you will be able to read it.”
“Really, at the temple?”
Bushke kindly wrote down on paper what documents needed to be viewed.
“Thank you very much.”
In a small rush of excitement Agnes grabbed Bushke’s hands tightly.
“I am fortunate that my old age could be of help. Madam.”
She then left with a kind and gentle smile.
“There’s a way.”
Alone in the room, Agnes pondered deeply. She was relieved that there was another way to give up her right to succeed the throne, besides dying or becoming crippled. If she succeeds in erasing the crest, she could escape from this tiresome struggle for the throne succession.
Both she and Laslo could survive.
Agnes called for the servant who was waiting outside. Ney quietly entered and stood by the princess’s side.
“Where is Duke Arpad right now?”
The princess’s face was lit up with excitement.
“He is patrolling the castle walls.”
“Let’s go.”
Passing through the familiar corridor and even more familiar walls, a familiar figure appeared in the distance. Despite the considerable distance, only that man was visible in Agnes’s eyes. She quickened her pace.
“Princess.”
Laslo was the first one to notice her. Several vassals stood awkwardly beside him.
“I have something urgent to tell you.”
Agnes rushed over and stood in front of Laslo.
“Now?”
“Yes. right now.”
Agnes’ expression was so determined that it was difficult for him to decline.
Laslo dismissed the vassals and moved to a quiet place.
“What’s the matter?” He asked quite seriously.
“Let’s go to the temple together.”
“To the temple? Now?”
“Yes. It’s urgent, so we should go as soon as possible.”
“Princess, don’t be too hasty. Take some time to think about it.”
He was momentarily taken aback and tried to persuade Agnes.
His behavior was quite unusual, but Agnes didn’t notice.
“I don’t have time to think. We must go as soon as possible, even if it’s just for a day.”
Agnes felt a strong desire to go to the temple right away and check the documents mentioned by Bushke. However, Raslo hesitated and did not easily give a straightforward answer. Agnes pursed her lips.
“Fine. Then I’ll go by myself.”
“By yourself? How? You can’t do it by yourself.”
Laslo’s expression turned strange.
“Why can’t I do it by myself? Can’t the Duke just approve a permit for me with his seal?”
“A permit? What are you talking about? I thought you wanted to go to the temple to hold the ritual of oath.” Laslo asked with a confused look.
“Ah.”
Agnes half-opened her mouth. She belatedly remembered what she had told him last night.
She had been so excited talking to Bushke that she had completely forgotten their conversation from yesterday.
“Ah, of course I can’t do it alone.”
In an unsuccessful effort to conceal her embarrassment, she cleared her throat.
“Of course holding the ritual of oath is important but actually the reason I mentioned going to the temple now is for another reason.”
“What is that?”
“I’m looking for a way to erase this.”
She reached out her left hand to show the crest.
Laslo’s expression became even more strange.
“Are you talking about erasing the royal crest?”
“Yes. When I asked Buschke she mentioned that there were some writings about it at the temple.”
“There’s a way to erase the royal crest at the temple? Is it even possible in the first place? No, more importantly, are you really going to erase the crest? Why? I heard it was a matter of royal pride.”
“The important thing isn’t my pride, but my life.”
At the sudden mention of life, Laslo blinked his eyes for a while. His face was filled with unanswered questions.
“So what I mean is…”
Agnes opened her mouth to explain but then closed it. She felt suffocated, not knowing where to start or how far to go with her words
“Duke Arpad.”
“Speak.”
“Do you trust me?”
“Uh…yes.”
Laslo nodded hesitantly.
In reality, Agnes and Laslo had only been married for barely a week. It was a time when the word “trust” felt awkward and unfamiliar.
“I trust you too.” Agnes faced him with a firm expression.
“Thank you?” His expression changed strangely.
“When I say I trust you, it means I accept all your actions even if I don’t understand them.”
Looking back now, all the trivial things he did in the past seemed different. What she didn’t understand at the time now had a different meaning.
“If the opportunity arises, I will tell you everything. Why I’m acting like this.”
Laslo listened to her quietly.
“So, for now, please trust me. Even if I do things you don’t understand.”
He remained silent for a while. There was quite a height difference between the two, and Agnes found it uncomfortable to look up at him.
“When should we go to the temple?”
“I’d prefer to go as soon as possible.” Agnes replied firmly.
“How about tomorrow morning?”
“Sounds good.”
Her face suddenly brightened. Agnes grabbed his sleeve tightly and shook it.
“Thank you.”
“It’s nothing. But I have one question.”
“Feel free to ask.”
“Why do you trust me?”
Laslo looked at Agnes’s small hand holding onto his sleeve as he asked.
He was sometimes puzzled by her. From the first day of their marriage until today, her blind devotion was hard to understand.
“Because it’s you.”
Agnes smiled brightly. It seemed like no other answer was necessary.
“Because it’s me?”
Although he got an answer to his question, it only made him more confused rather than satisfied.
“In the past, I couldn’t trust you, so now I’m trying to trust you.”
He was about to ask what she meant, but then he closed his mouth. Her eyes, as clear and blue as a stream, were filled with unfathomable kindness.
“I’ll send a messenger tomorrow morning.”
For some reason, he felt uneasy as he continued to gaze into her eyes, so he turned his head first and left.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
“Please come in.”
The priestess who welcomed the Duke and Duchess was an elderly woman. She greeted the couple with a compassionate smile.
“It’s been a while, Katherina.”
Laslo greeted her in a friendly manner.
“This is Katherina Lidoch. She is the High priestess of the Sutmar Temple. And this, as you know, is Princess Agnes Erdosi…”
“Now Duchess Arpad.” Agnes interjected, adding to the introduction. Khaterina bowed deeply to her.
“It’s an honor to meet you, Duchess.”
The three of them engaged in casual conversation as they entered the temple.
“I heard the duchess is looking for a scripture?” Katherina asked first.
“I’m looking for a way to erase the royal crest.”
“When you say ‘royal crest.'”
“This thing.”
Agnes extended her left hand. All eyes gathered on the crest deeply engraved on the back of her hand, the royal family’s mark.
“You want to erase the crest?”
Katherina looked confused.
“But the crest only appears for the rightful heir to the throne. Without it, you may not be recognized as a legitimate successor…”
That was exactly what Agnes fervently desired.
“I know. You don’t need to emphasize the importance of the crest to me. What I want to know is how to cleanly erase this crest.”
Katherina held a steaming cup of tea and remained silent for a while.
“You must have heard this story from Bushke.”
“Yes, Bushke mentioned that she lacked the authority to see all the scriptures.”
“It is the deepest secret of the royal family. It is not something that can be disclosed to just anyone.”
“Can you show it to me, then?”
Katherina’s gaze turned to Laslo.
He nodded.
“Understood. I will get it ready and bring it here.”
Before leaving, she added, “But do not have high expectations. The amount of information recorded is very limited.”
“That’s fine.”
Katherina bid a polite farewell and disappeared from the room.
“Is it because of Prince Sebastian that you want to erase the crest?” Laslo asked Agnes, who was sitting next to him.
“How did you know?”
“If it’s a matter of life and death, that’s all there is to it. But Princess, would Prince Sebastian really kill all the royal family members who have the crest if he ascended to the throne?”
