Episode 104
The reason Lilian could be certain that Agnes knew the future and was preparing for something was all because of that pendant.
‘Strictly speaking… it was because of the Duchess’s actions regarding the child.’
Agnes’s behavior was often odd, though it went largely unnoticed by Cedric, the closest party to her. Take, for example, the pendant she wore and then passed on to the child.
Lilian visited Cedric again last night. Of course, this time it wasn’t in the library. When she knocked on Cedric’s bedroom door, Cedric greeted her with a reminiscent look from his childhood.
Cedric seemed somewhat surprised, but he didn’t send Lilian away. Looking back, this was the first time she had been in Cedric’s bedroom at such a late hour since she was a child.
“So, you want to get my wife’s pendant back?”
“…Yes. I’m sorry if that’s too forward.”
“No, don’t say that. You deserve to have it.”
Cedric cut himself off almost abruptly, then frowned as if he didn’t like his own actions. His face seemed somewhat pained in a way, and in another way, it seemed somewhat pleased.
“I actually… wondered when you would bring that up. I couldn’t bring myself to mention it first because it felt like burdening you.”
“Burdening me? I’ve never thought of it that way.”
“Of course I know, Lilian. You’re a good kid.”
But what Cedric wanted from Lilian wasn’t a good kid, he said with a slightly bitter smile. Then he continued, or rather asserted.
“You don’t resent me.”
“How could… I resent Dad?”
“There’s no child who doesn’t resent their parents.”
Even if parents couldn’t resent their children, children could easily resent their parents. Even if they ended up loving each other, one side was mature while the other was immature. Immature individuals were somewhat more selfish and self-centered, so it wasn’t surprising for children to take their parents’ love for granted and resent them.
By repeating that cycle of resentment and cherishing, all those series of actions eventually solidified into love.
“But you don’t do that. I don’t know if it’s because of my mistakes that you can’t love me, or if it’s because you grew up too fast.”
Either way, Cedric said it didn’t matter. Regardless of whichever way it was, Cedric’s love for Lilian remained unchanged. Saying so, he pulled out the pendant from the first drawer of the bedside table. It was a place that hadn’t changed once since Lilian came to the mansion.
“The owner of this necklace has always been you from the start. I’m glad you’re taking it back now.”
So, Lilian held the pendant in her hand for the first time in ten years. Then, she listened more closely to Cedric’s stories about the pendant and Agnes.
The most impressive part was this.
“The pendant was originally made for our anniversary. But coincidentally, it became a lucky charm for Agnes because it coincided with the time we had the child. Agnes believed this pendant would protect the child.”
Agnes knew how to navigate between superstition and coincidence. The pendant was no exception. Lilian was convinced as soon as she heard Cedric’s words. If it hadn’t been for the anniversary gift, the pendant would have become Agnes’s lucky charm for some other reason.
‘The Duchess never took off the pendant during the ten months she had the child.’
And she put it in the newborn’s crib right after giving birth. Cedric didn’t see it directly; he heard it from Stephen.
But what impressed Lilian the most was not that part but what happened afterward.
‘The Duchess was so desperate to protect the child.’
Why did she forbid searching for the child even though she knew the child had been kidnapped?
According to Cedric, it wasn’t Cedric but Agnes who loved the child so much.
Cedric seemed not to have realized the shock of losing both the child and his wife, but Lilian found it strangely odd.
At that point, Lilian could be sure.
‘Agnes had a plan.’
And the memories in the pendant would reveal the answer. Lilian had already made up her mind to use the Grail. If she couldn’t steal the Grail, she had to confirm it on the spot.
“Just help me with this, Theo. It’s impossible alone. After this, I won’t bother you anymore.”
“When did I say not to come?”
Anyway, what’s there to really worry about?
Theo glanced at Lilian with a wry smile. But despite Theo’s blunt sarcasm, Lilian’s pupils were clear. Lilian’s stubbornness softened Theo’s resolve in those clear eyes. Perhaps since she was quite young.
‘This is really crazy.’
A knight helping with a temple robbery? It wouldn’t be surprising if it caused a scandal right away. Yet, Lilian hesitated to refuse immediately. Knowing but hesitating, I felt like a fool. Theo furrowed his brow and suddenly asked.
“When did you start listening to me?”
“What?”
“I didn’t expect you to listen to me at all.”
“That’s because you hardly say anything worthwhile.”
Lilian retorted cynically.
“I do listen to you.”
At that, Theo almost laughed unintentionally. Honestly, Theo felt a little good. Even in this crazy situation, he felt good.
‘So she does listen to my words, even if it’s just to eavesdrop.’
He didn’t even expect it. What mattered to Lilian was Swan alone, and Theo knew that. Even if Lilian listened to Theo’s words, he could boast that it wasn’t as important as the issue with Swan. It wasn’t just a simple conviction. He had already experienced it, hadn’t he.
―So, can you abandon Swan then?
―Anyway, no one will know about this. If we just burn Swan’s portrait, no one will be able to stage Swan’s role anymore. And no one will come out who knows about the real existence of our daughter.
When Theo impulsively suggested revealing the truth about Swan.
—- I’ll be your accomplice. It’s hard to keep a secret alone. I’ll be with you to keep it,
— No! How can you suggest abandoning Swan?
Lilian looked at Theo as if he were a traitor. Theo still remembered that piercing gaze.
The look of an enemy, as if looking at the person who had destroyed his most intimate and precious space. Resentment and anger were evident in those eyes. Perhaps it was the moment when Lilian revealed her most intense emotions.
Lilian always seemed to become immature in front of Theo.
So, this time, Theo didn’t think Lilian would listen to him properly.
‘Is there hope?’
It wasn’t clear what hope he was considering. Whether it was the hope that Lilian could escape from Swan’s shadow, or about their relationship…
“… Alright, just this once.”
“…! Thank you.”
Lilian’s complexion brightened at Theo’s words accompanied by a sigh.
But her face wasn’t entirely happy, like that of someone facing impending danger.
“Just be careful not to get hurt.”
“I don’t like getting hurt either. Shall we meet tomorrow?”
“Yeah, tomorrow night.”
Theo glanced briefly towards the temple. They were outside the temple, where they had come for their conversation, and for Theo, who had lived in the temple for three years, this wasn’t a big problem.
After mentally mapping out the interior of the temple and its security structure, he continued.
“There’s a door behind the library that the priests use. Come there at midnight. I’ll take care of the preparations.”
