The story continued late into the night. By the time she finished explaining about Valerie, Pulcheria stumbled a bit, pressing her forehead with her hand.
If Karl hadn’t quickly pulled up a chair to sit her down, Pulcheria might have been carried out on a stretcher before finishing the story.
“So, you’re saying Valerie is not a child that exists right now?”
“Yes, that’s correct, ma’am.”
“She’s a child who came from the future… and she’s also the child in your womb right now. How can this be… and how should I accept it?”
It was indeed a difficult fact to comprehend. Pulcheria seemed quite shocked to realize that Valerie, a being burdened by the past night Karl had caused, didn’t exist.
But what could be done? I had just learned Valerie’s secret too. It didn’t mean her marriage to Karl was a deception to trap him.
In any case, Valerie was a child that existed in the world, and although still in the womb, she had already found her way to us.
Although the events were somewhat mixed up, it was clear that the child named Valerie was a blessing that had come to us. That was an undeniable fact.
Perhaps Pulcheria thought the same, as she nodded her head after a brief sigh.
“Yes… we will soon be able to see our Valerie again.”
Pulcheria’s gaze turned downward. Though she couldn’t see the child in my womb, her expression was one of longing, as if she were watching Valerie playing before her.
After the explanation about Valerie’s whereabouts and secret was done, we hurriedly began discussing the next matters. After this night, the morning of the election for the prince-palatine would dawn.
The emotional reunion after enduring hardships could wait until later. For now, we needed to find a way to cut the chains of all the evils that had long been occurring.
That meant capturing Franz and his mother, Marina, and making them pay for their rightful sins.
“The Duke of Toskur knows nothing about my return to the capital.”
“Franz, that contemptible creature… how dare he?”
Though I had my doubts, the fact that Franz had ambushed me and the Ministry crew, committing kidnapping and assault, filled Pulcheria with indignation.
Even Karl, who had suspected Franz’s involvement, clenched his fists tightly as he started to recount the incident. I had never seen him display such anger before, always so composed.
Seeing the veins bulging around my temples, repeatedly disappearing, it seemed like I was biting my lip to suppress my anger.
“I’m truly relieved that you have returned safely now.”
“Are you sure about that? You might not feel it right now, but once you are completely at ease, you might experience pain somewhere in your body. For the time being, you absolutely must not move and should take it easy.”
“Yes, my lady. However, tomorrow I must surely take action. I was informed that I would reveal all the wrongdoings of Duke Toskur in the gathering of the princes.”
“That’s true. But you don’t necessarily have to take the lead….”
“I will stand up as a decisive witness and share all the truths I witnessed with my own eyes. Their crimes are far more heinous and wicked than we thought. We must stop them.”
“I have collected a lot of evidence regarding the atrocities they committed, Seli. You don’t have to step forward. What matters most is your health and stability…”
Karl intervened in the conversation with Pulcheria. He expressed his concern for me, noting that I had already suffered too much while moving such a long distance, especially given my condition.
He added that it would undoubtedly be too much strain for my body to move further and insisted that he could capture Franz without my help. But that alone was not enough.
“What if those who had kidnapped and imprisoned you appeared before you? Wouldn’t you lose your composure? That’s exactly what I’m counting on. For someone who has committed such horrific crimes so meticulously and for such a long time, it may be useless to coax them into confessing with words. If we catch them off guard unexpectedly… we can draw out the desired response while they are distracted.”
“But Celeste…”
“And, I have something I want to ask him directly.”
I needed to let Franz, who had held Celeste’s soul hostage and manipulated her life, know that she was no longer with us.
“And my lady. If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask you something?”
“What are you curious about? Go ahead and ask.”
“Could you show me the pendant that you carry with you?”
“What? Why…”
She looked taken aback. Pulcheria asked me several times in confusion why I wanted to see the pendant she always carried. She inquired what it had to do with this matter.
“There’s something I absolutely want to confirm.”
“Well, if you insist.”
With a somewhat reluctant expression, Pulcheria felt around inside her robe and pulled out a gold cord. At the end of the faded golden thread, which maybe had lost its shine over time, hung a pendant the size of about two finger joints.
“Can I also ask what this means to you, my lady?”
“This is…”
Pulcheria’s breath began to tremble. This pendant, which she always carried with her, was something I had coincidentally seen during an afternoon tea with Valerie.
It was the pendant that had slipped out between the disheveled folds of her dress as Valerie squirmed in her great-aunt’s embrace.
The reason I brought up wanting to confirm that pendant, which I had glimpsed back then, stemmed from my own concerns and reasons.
A.
My heart sank at the large capital letter “A” engraved on the back of the pendant. Despite my hopes, my uneasy premonition always turned out to be true.
“What does this A mean, madam?”
“Why are you asking such things? It’s odd.”
Upon my unsettling question, Pulcheria seemed to grasp something for the first time. I could see her trembling breath and even her voice beginning to waver.
“Could it be the initial of someone important to you, madam?”
“This is engraved with my daughter’s initials. Anette. That child’s name.”
Anette. A. Pulcheria’s daughter, then. The pieces of the puzzle quickly fell into place in my mind.
“I’ve seen something exactly like this somewhere.”
“What? Where have you seen this?”
Suddenly, Pulcheria stumbled, causing her chair to tip forward. Karl quickly grabbed the armrest to prevent her from falling.
“What do you mean, Celeste? Where have you seen this?”
Should I speak or remain silent? Could I even say anything? In that brief moment, I felt immense internal conflict, yet the words I held back were definitely not meant to be ignored.
Forcing my hesitant lips to move, I managed to utter a difficult phrase.
“I… saw it at Count Louisette’s estate.”
The day when Hannah informed me about various places at Count Louisette’s estate as I, who had lost my memory, followed her. That day, I discovered a secret area accessible only to those with the blood of the Count family.
Surprisingly, in that space, which resembled an organized warehouse rather than a cave, I saw something identical to this pendant.
Even then, I wondered about the oddness of it all. The atmosphere of the pendant was completely incongruous with such a gloomy place.
I was curious about why a cute pendant, one that a little girl around six or seven years old might wear, was kept there. I couldn’t tell whether it was stored or hidden, though.
The memories related to the pendant had been classified as somewhat unimportant thoughts, pushed to the back of my mind through a series of events, but by a very chance occurrence, they regained significant importance.
It was Marina, who, intoxicated by her own feelings, rambled on about the past like a song.
“What on earth are you talking about? It’s hard to understand. Please explain clearly.”
Pulcheria’s trembling hand gripped my arm tightly. The desperation I felt from her expression, her voice, and her fingertips ached in my heart.
I wondered if she could have gone so far, but the more I thought about it, and the more I saw the facts unfolding before me, the more I realized that Marina was truly a devil beyond imagination.
“…This is going to be a long story. Madam, can you listen to me until the end?”
Above all, I was concerned about Pulcheria’s health. I was afraid that hearing the horrible stories about the death of her child at her old age would be too much for her.
I contemplated whether I should send her away and only share the story with Karl, but I couldn’t just turn my back on her, who had spent her life in tears missing her daughter.
“Before I tell this story, I think I should first explain the relationship between myself, or rather, the Louisette family, and Duke Toskur.”
“That’s something we already know.”
“What I want to say is the real circumstances hidden behind what is publicly known.”
“Cecilia, don’t strain yourself. If it’s going to be a long story, we can do it another day.”
Karl seemed concerned that I might spill an enormous confession.
“It’s alright, Your Highness. What matters is not my immediate safety, but exposing the hidden secrets and ensuring that the evildoers pay the price they deserve.”
It seemed like it was truly going to be a long, long night. I swallowed dryly.
