Until The Real One Shows Up​

“Father, I’m here…”

-Clap!

As soon as she stepped inside, Lyell’s thick hand slapped Avelin on the cheek. 

Avelin stared at Lyell with a stunned look on her face.

“Are you crazy?”

“You’re the one who’s crazy!”

Lyell couldn’t hide his anger and threw the paternity test paper at Avelin’s face with all his might.

“You, who are you? Who are you pretending to be my daughter? Who are you?”

“…”

It was a paper that was not thick, but this kind of treatment felt dirty. 

Avelin was hit in the face with a blank expression and picked up the paper that fell and checked it. 

Only then did she find out the truth and asked Lyell calmly.

“Is that important?”

“What… what?”

“Yes, I am not your real daughter. So what?”

The brazenly confident attitude made Lyell look absurd. 

But Avelin went on without missing a beat.

“What are you going to do? Are you going to open this door right now and run out and tell them that I’m not your real daughter and that you’ve manipulated the oracle?”

“… Yes.”

Lyell exclaimed proudly.

“I will reveal everything! After all, the Empress already knows the truth, so there is nothing that can’t be done.”

What was this again?

Avelin heard the unexpected news and narrowed her brow. This wasn’t part of her plan.

“So, are you going to betray me now? We’re going to die together.”

“It would be better this way than being controlled by you anymore.”

“Hmm, good.”

It was when Lyel’s expression changed to bewildered, perhaps because her unexpected and docile reaction was unexpected.

“The High Priest has already made a decision, so I have no choice. Do as you wish. Let’s go up to the stake together and end our lives together.”

“You’re atrocious and shameless. Even when you die, you won’t be able to close your eyes.”

Despite Lyell’s bad words, Avelin smiled brightly and leisurely left his office.

[Are you going to just be quiet like this? You say you confess all your sins to the Empress?]

“He’s probably just saying that.”

Avelin replied in a slightly shaky voice.

“Even if I’m not his daughter, I’ve come too far. Will he jump into a pit of fire on his own?”

[That’s unknown. You have to take the lead. You know what I always carry around.]

At the moment when the devil’s whisper was heard, Avelin’s expression, which had been smiling the whole time, went cold.

“Right. The hindrances need to be removed.”

Avelin immediately turned and headed back to Lyell’s office. But the inside was empty.

“The High Priest went to the prayer room. I’ll go get him…”

“No. You don’t have to. I left something behind.”

Avelin, who lied calmly, said to the priest.

“Can I get it for a moment?”

“Of course, Lady.”

Thanks to the priests who were in favor of her, Avelin managed to get back inside Lyell’s office.

“…”

Avelin, who was quickly looking around the office, soon found a transparent glass of water on the desk. 

As she approached there, she soon took out a transparent bottle of medicine from her arms. It was a poison that she always had in case of emergency after returning.

Lyell probably didn’t think she’d come to kill him right now. 

Avelin, who dropped a few drops of colorless, odorless liquid into the glass of water, smiled coldly and murmured.

“Good-bye, High Priest.”

~~~~

“All that remains is to pin Anastasia as the real culprit in this murder case.”

It would be even more advantageous for her to spread rumors about the murder of the High Priest as a kind of divine punishment.

But even if it failed, it didn’t matter. Because she’ll somehow find another way to kill her.

‘I’m just concerned about the last words the High Priest said…’

How the hell did Anastasia come to know the truth behind all this?

At that time, it didn’t seem like the High Priest had said it first.

‘Whatever, there would be no evidence.’

It was clear that if there was material evidence, the truth would have been exposed immediately.

‘The results of the paternity test are also in my hands, and there is nothing that can cause repercussions.’

Avelin smirked and raised the corners of her lips as she entered the building.

It was nothing more than just dropping tears in front of the investigator with a very pathetic expression on her face.

~~~~

Meanwhile, Anastasia, who returned to the Empress Palace, faced an unexpected guest and smiled broadly without realizing it.

“Will?”

“Asha.”

It was Wilhelm. Originally, it was time for the government meeting, so Anastasia approached him with a surprised but happy expression and hugged him.

“What are you doing here? Isn’t it time for a meeting?”

“I finished a little earlier than usual.”

Wilhelm whispered softly stroking Anastasia’s head, which he held tightly in his arms.

“When you came back from being investigated, I thought it might make you feel a little bit better if you saw me.”

“That’s right. Because you know my heart very well.”

“I know.”

Immediately, Wilhelm added in a strangely weeping voice.

“Even if you pretend to be okay, you will be disturbed by the voices of many people.”

“Ah…”

Anastasia noticed that Wilhelm was conscious of the unsavory rumors floating around and continued.

“I’m fine. Actually, it’s not that strange that I’m being suspected, and most of all, there’s a real culprit.”

“Shall we make evidence?”

Wilhelm, who had been listening quietly, asked.

“The proof that Lady Hazel did it. It’s not wrong anyway.”

“I don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

Anastasia, who had escaped from Wilhelm’s arms, made eye contact with him and answered in the negative.

“Even if we make evidence, we won’t be able to convince everyone of the motive for the murder.”

“Yeah, that’s true, too. We don’t know if she’s going to get a counterattack if we make a mistake.”

“It would be better to take action after grasping all the facts. The High Priest is dead, so we’ll have to find the evidence ourselves…”

“There has been no contact between Baron Hazel and the High Priest whom we have investigated so far.”

“Yes. So I mean… Maybe all of this is Lady Hazel acting alone.”

Perhaps the attempt to use normal logic had hindered them from finding answers.

“I cannot guarantee that Count Hazel was behind this.”

“Then what a great woman. Did she convince the High Priest alone to create all this?”

“We will find out what happened when we investigate. First of all, I plan to go back and find out how Lady Hazel was adopted.”

“… Adopted.”

Wilhelm, who had been pondering Anastasia’s words, thought for a long time with a serious expression on his face.

“I was concentrating on Count Hazel, so I didn’t know exactly what happened to Lady Hazel before her adoption.”

Anastasia looked at him with a puzzled expression on her face, but at one point he opened his mouth.

“Maybe he was threatened?”

“Threatened?”

“Okay. With common sense, what the hell would a man with both status and wealth be tempted by?”

“Yes. If it is discovered that he has manipulated the oracle, he will face a dishonorable death at the stake, but taking such a risk…”

“There is nothing but threats.”

Anastasia looked at Wilhelm with a surprised expression. Wilhelm continued to speak in a voice as unshakable as one who was gradually convinced of his own thoughts.

“What if she threatened to destroy everything he had built so far if he didn’t cooperate with the oracle manipulation? So what if the High Priest had no choice?”

“But that’s a good thing… Ah!”

Only then did Anastasia, who noticed Wilhelm’s suspicions, asked in amazement.

“Do you think Lady Hazel Youngae is the illegitimate daughter of the High Priest?”

“It’s just speculation. It will be clear if we investigate before and after Lady Hazel’s adoption.”

“But Lady Hazel is a Bodvard.”

“That, too, is just the lady’s claim. In fact, we’ve never seen any documents proving it, have we? That part can be manipulated.”

“… That is true.”

Anastasia nodded her head with a serious expression.

“For now, what Your Majesty has said makes the most sense. If Lady Hazel had threatened him with the pretext that she was the illegitimate daughter of the High Priest, he would have had no choice but to do it as a High Priest.”

But if that’s the case, then Avelin will be the bastard who murdered her own father.

Anastasia felt goosebumps all over her body the moment she realized that.

‘If that’s the case… Maybe there’s a bigger problem lurking than I’m guessing right now.’

However, the first priority was to establish the relationship between Lyell and Avelin. 

Anastasia decided to take it one step at a time.

~~~~

The investigation was carried out diligently, but there were no special results. A few suspects were identified, but the evidence was too small to get the real culprit.

While the investigation was so difficult, Lyell’s funeral was held at the Great Temple.

Not only Emperor Wilhelm, but also nobles from rural estates came to the capital to commemorate the sudden death of the High Priest.

“Unfortunately, Goddess Rosenia has summoned his good soul to her paradise so quickly, but High Priest Lyell will be with us forever.”

Antero, the new High Priest voted unanimously by the priests, organized Lyell’s funeral.

Wearing a black hat, black veil and black dress, Anastasia showed up at the funeral in a very modest appearance, not wearing a single accessory.

Even though she was surrounded by her black things, only her elegance was not hidden, and even those who attended her funeral looked at her and muttered.

“How can you shine like that without wearing any accessories?”

“It wouldn’t be strange if she attended a party instead of a funeral… oh!”

“Oh, I’m sorry.”

Avelin gave her a look of helplessness, and she apologized to the person she had deliberately bumped into.

“A bit overwhelmed by the crowd? Are you okay?”

“Yes? Ah yes…”

“Then excuse me.”

Avelin smiled and then quickly walked past them.

However, the smile on her lips gradually distorted as she was swept away by her inner dissatisfaction.

‘What the hell, I don’t really like it.’

Contrary to Avelin’s will, public opinion shifted toward believing in Anastasia’s innocence.

It was widely held that Anastasia would not have done anything that would have caused her to be suspicious, and that the disappearance of the High Priest would not change the contents of the oracle, so it was a meaningless suspicion.

‘Oh, I don’t know. I feel tired. I need to go back to bed.’

She did everything she could do here anyway, so she didn’t have to keep her seat anymore. 

[What…?]

At that moment, the demon who made a strange sound instructed Avelin.

[Go closer to that woman.]

“Why all of a sudden?”

[Why don’t you do what I ask you to do?]

At the sound of his dissatisfied voice, Avelin sighed briefly and moved closer to Anastasia.

However, Anastasia was not able to see Avelin as she was greeting her other mourners.

“Is this enough?”

[As expected…]

The devil murmured in a voice like he only knew now.

[It was because of the necklace of the Goddess.]