Episode 76
Agnes was abandoned by her family.
Until now, she had been able to rely on her swordsmanship, honed through her time in the Order of Knights, to protect herself. However, it was inconceivable that someone as skilled as her would have been involved in an accident. Agnes must have needed some means to protect herself.
‘And if she chose me as that means…’
Cedric recalled his interactions with Agnes. However, instead, he felt a bitter sensation creeping into his mind. It couldn’t be helped. Agnes, if one were to describe her traits, was someone who laughed as if she had no connection to misfortune at all. Furthermore, Cedric had been infatuated with Agnes, so if she wanted to hide something, she could have hidden anything.
In the end, Cedric stopped his thoughts.
“…It’s hard to say there were any signs. It’s certain that there were no clear indications.”
“I see…”
Lillian nodded her head, but she didn’t expect Cedric to have any clear knowledge. If he had, it would have been Cedric who first knew about the ‘Daughters of Moonlight’, not her. The temple was moving meticulously, and if this hadn’t been another of Damian’s impulsive actions, the outcome could have been unpredictable.
Lillian learned how to reveal Odile’s true form after seeing Odile change her appearance at Damian’s house.
Ultimately, being by Damian’s side provided Lillian with the key.
“Are you referring to the power you used on Odile?”
“Yes. It’s still just a release for now.”
Lillian agreed, demonstrating a faint light at her fingertips. The light flickered, gathered at Lillian’s fingertips, then flowed away like water, repeating the process. Thanks to sporadic practice whenever Damian was absent.
“There must be a proper way to handle it, but I don’t know how.”
“Hmm, it would be good for you to receive an education. That would help you.”
“Education? But where?”
The temple is home to all those who manipulate divine power.
But if the temple is targeting Lillian, how can she trust it and receive an education?
“If you go abroad, you can find someone who can help you.” There are people outside the Empire who possess divine power but do not enter the temple and live without its influence, or simply going to a neutral country where the influence of the temple is weak due to weak faith.”
Even if the Empire’s temple is targeting Lillian, it doesn’t mean that all temples on the continent are doing so.
Of course, if she were to walk around with ‘Lady of Maynard’ written on her forehead, things might be different, but isn’t it unlikely?
“If you hide your status and go abroad for study, you can find places to learn. Think about it.”
“Yes, Father. But…”
Lillian hesitated, then asked cautiously.
“Do you believe in them?”
Lillian had prepared various excuses for Cedric in case he grilled her about what she had found out, planning to mention her investigation of the library and also thinking of opportunistically selling Damian.
‘I can’t say I went to a gambling den to meet Viscount Napier.’
Even if she ignored the gambling den, Cedric could still despise her just for secretly meeting Viscount Napier. Lillian excluded factors that could make Cedric dislike her as much as possible, and then reconstructed the situation with contents that he could accept.
“If you want, I can explain how I found out about these things.”
However, instead of nodding at Lillian’s words, Cedric looked at her with eyes that revealed nothing and smiled lightly.
“Lillian, shall we have a secret talk, just you and me?”
* * *
“Cedric took Lillian somewhere.
‘Here…’
It was a very familiar space. It might be natural. The place Cedric brought Lillian to was the annex.
Lillian saw the door being opened with a key for the first time. Because Lillian had never opened that door with a key before. Lillian also saw all the lights in the annex turned on for the first time. Since Lillian always sneaked into the annex, she had to keep only a minimum of lights on.
Even that had to be done carefully to avoid suspicion if the oil on the lamps wore out too quickly.
Lillian entered the annex wearing shoes. Thud, thud, creak. The sound of two big and small wooden clogs echoed in the annex. The annex, which seemed like it might yawn and stretch out from inside at any moment, gave Lillian a completely distinct feeling than when she had come here before.
‘Is it because all the lights are on?’
Or because she didn’t sneak in?
The annex no longer felt eerie. Instead, it felt very warm and homely. She wanted to know where this difference came from, but Lillian had no time to dwell on the question as she followed Cedric without hesitation.
So Lillian stopped walking somewhere in the annex.
“Ah…”
Even without raising her head, she could tell where this was, but Lillian reflexively looked up.
Then, the familiar portrait of Agnes smiled at her. The face that Lillian had always looked at whenever she wanted to forget she was alone was right in front of her eyes. Only this time, she wasn’t alone.
Cedric straightened the curtains and spoke.
“This is a portrait of my wife. You’ve seen her face on the pendant, haven’t you?”
“Why are you showing this to me…?”
“Well, let’s just say I need someone to share memories with me. As you can see, the annex remains exactly as it was when my wife lived here.”
Cedric introduced the annex matter-of-factly. This place was originally created for Agnes alone, and unlike the annexes of ordinary mansions, it had a small battlefield inside, which was the evidence, he said.
So everything was designed for Agnes, who had difficulty walking. Handles were installed everywhere, and Agnes could sit or lie comfortably anywhere. It was easy to guess that she had spent her time here with her child when she had one.
“So… the scenery of the annex is basically the last appearance of my wife that I remember.”
Agnes had left for the battlefield before she could loosen up. The last image Cedric remembered of Agnes was her moving around the annex with a heavy body. The state of the annex, which still retained a sense of life, was as it was.
Cedric hadn’t been able to see his wife’s death, nor the tragedy that befell his child, nor anything else.
Moreover, he had to spend a significant amount of time on the battlefield even after the tragedy had occurred, and he could only return home when the memory of the event faded.
It was only natural that Cedric’s longing for his deceased wife was stronger than for the child who disappeared without ever seeing her face, because the search for the child was also the last trace of his deceased wife.
However, too much time had passed since the tragedy, so Cedric’s mourning was too late. His grief missed the timing. After ten years, it was too late to shed tears for his wife’s death, as people had become too accustomed to the fact that Agnes was dead. It was like wearing winter clothes in the summer.
So Cedric needed winter. A space where he could forget the passage of time and turn away from the summer sunshine. A space to recreate the tragedy Cedric missed ten years ago…
“So the annex has been preserved as it was when my wife died.”
Of course, no one could enter. This was a space Cedric had created to forgotten years, and it was preserved only for the longing of one person.
“You’re the first one to ask about the reason for preserving the annex, Lillian.”
“…It seems like you really loved the duchess.”
“That’s right.”
Cedric nodded lightly and smiled.
“But one day, I saw you here.”
