Chapter 175
[Last Will and Testament]
Indeed, the identity of the parchment that Kylus had prevented Alice from seeing was his last will and testament.
It contained details about the distribution of the Dearrut Duchy’s assets and the succession of the ducal title after Kylus Dearrut’s death.
Kylus had left Alice quite a substantial inheritance.
Four mansions owned by the Dearrut Duchy and even the eastern mines.
It was enough wealth that she could spend lavishly for a lifetime without running short.
But there was a price for receiving that wealth. She would have to sign an agreement nullifying her marriage to Kylus Dearrut.
Marriage nullification.
It was an even cleaner resolution than divorce.
It was as if they had never married in the first place.
But for her, who loved him, it would be infinitely cruel.
She probably wouldn’t sign easily. That’s why he had prepared something else besides the assets.
His final letter to her.
She wouldn’t be able to refuse his last request.
Lien would witness his death firsthand.
He hadn’t wanted to show her his dying form. But since Alice’s blood had become the key to unlocking the Dark Specter’s seal, it couldn’t be helped.
Still, the Chief Deity seemed to have granted his request.
The request that Alice should never be told that he had been chosen as the sacrifice until everything was over.
Kylus held back a small, bitter smile at the thought.
To say the deity had “granted” his request… honestly, this was a generous assessment of the deity.
Frankly, even without his specific request, the deity wouldn’t have told Alice that he had been chosen as the sacrifice.
If Alice knew that fact, she would naturally oppose it and wouldn’t sit still, so how could the deity tell her?
So right now, he should rightfully be angry at the deity’s lack of consideration in allowing Alice to witness his final moments.
But it was all futile.
Even if he raged, the reality before him wouldn’t change.
Since Kylus no longer had the heart to vent his anger at the deity, he set aside thoughts of him.
Instead, he looked at the marriage nullification agreement contained in his will with bitter eyes and thought:
Though it would be too cruel to her, though Lien would suffer greatly, ending it this way was right.
It wasn’t a proper marriage she had wanted from the beginning, and he didn’t want her to remain alone and lonely in the duchy after his death.
Though it would pain him when he sought her out again in the distant future, Kylus hoped that after his death, Lien wouldn’t grieve for too long.
He sincerely hoped she would meet someone new, be thoroughly loved, and live happily—that she wouldn’t be lonely because of him.
Leaving the duchy would help her forget him more quickly.
Kylus exhaled deeply and finally lowered his gaze from the will that pained his heart the most.
Then he made a final check to ensure there were no issues with the other sections.
Since events seemed to be moving faster than he had anticipated, he would need to hurry the arrangements if everything was to be handled according to his will.
Still, thanks to having started his posthumous preparations immediately after returning from the temple, there shouldn’t be major problems even if everything happened tomorrow.
After carefully checking, Kylus rolled up the will again and tied it securely with a string.
Then he handed it to Tessiri.
“She said it would be soon. I entrust everything to you until the end, and even after my death.”
“Soon…”
At that single word, the dam holding back Tessiri’s emotions finally broke.
Not that he wailed and cried like a child.
He simply bowed his head and shed a single, silent tear.
Kylus spoke softly to Tessiri, who received the parchment with trembling hands.
“I’m sorry for placing such a heavy burden on you.”
“…I will not give up hope until the very end. Your Excellency has already shown a miracle once. This time too… I will believe a miracle can happen.”
Hadn’t he survived despite collapsing from poison and being unconscious for six months?
Of course, though he knew that miracle was thanks to the Lady, Tessiri would not give up hope this time either.
He couldn’t tell the Lady that his lord had been chosen as the vessel for the Chief Deity’s spirit, but one never knew.
Perhaps the Lady might show another miracle at the last moment.
Therefore, Tessiri would not give up until the very end.
Tessiri composed his face and bowed to Kylus.
“Then I shall take my leave.”
“…Yes.”
After Tessiri left, the sound of the still-pouring rain seemed particularly loud in the office where Kylus remained alone.
“A miracle…”
Kylus closed his eyes as he listened to the thunder that shook the heavens with a crash—
As if knowing there would be no second miracle for him.
The torrential rain that poured as if a hole had opened in the sky finally stopped by the evening of the next day.
After the rain ceased, stars twinkled in the night sky as if there had never been a downpour.
While everyone opened the windows they had tightly shut and enjoyed the clear night sky…
In the Empress’s Palace, specifically in the Empress’s bedroom, blackout curtains were tightly drawn over all windows, as if to deny the starlight or any light from the world.
Only a single magic lamp illuminated the bedroom with the same soft glow in the morning, afternoon, and night.
Perhaps because of this, the Empress’s bedroom seemed like a place where the flow of time had stopped.
And in the silent bedroom, there was a beautiful woman who didn’t match the quiet darkness.
It was Lariella Pentium, the owner of the bedroom and the Empress of the Empire.
She had let down her golden hair, which she always elegantly put up, and was leaning against the bed’s headboard with a face devoid of makeup.
With her eyes gently closed, she might have appeared to be sleeping at first glance, but despite her closed eyes, Lariella’s consciousness was very clear.
She was deep in thought.
About none other than Alice Dearrut.
More precisely, about the suspicious identity of Alice.
She had saved the Dearrut Duke with her extraordinary holy power. Then she drove out the useful Quillian, and even turned the hunting tournament assassination plan around to exile the Second Prince to the borderlands.
And now she had saved the First Prince and was reinvestigating the First Prince’s poisoning case.
Officially, it was known to be led by Count Latrang and Duke Dearrut, but Lariella knew.
From whom all of this had originated.
Alice Dearrut.
Ever since that small, bewitching thing appeared, all her plans had begun to twist.
So after the trial ended and the doors of the Empress’s Palace closed, Lariella had investigated Alice’s identity.
Through her people outside the palace.
Even though the doors of the Empress’s Palace were closed and there were many watching her, Lariella could hear all the news from the outside.
Without them noticing at all.
This was because she had something very special that allowed her to communicate with her subordinates.
Something underground that ordinary people wouldn’t even think of.
Anyway, Lariella had quietly observed for a while and received information about Alice, but there was nothing unusual.
She really was from the Fordley Count’s family, and she had never left the west until the useless Quillian brought her to the duchy.
The only peculiar thing was that Alice had completely changed after entering the Dearrut Duchy.
She had been so gentle, almost foolishly kind, but suddenly changed and committed acts of impiety.
And one more thing.
Alice had never used holy power while living at the Fordley Count’s residence.
So when they first heard she had holy power, they thought it was a lie.
Both testimonies came from the Fordley Count and his wife.
Of course, these weren’t particularly helpful testimonies.
The fact that Alice had changed after entering the Dearrut Duchy was peculiar, but that alone wasn’t enough to determine her identity.
Besides, these were testimonies from people who had sold their daughter for money, so they probably hadn’t paid much attention to Alice while she was at the Fordley residence.
So they might not have seen her use holy power despite her having it.
No, that possibility was even greater.
So in the end, the gathered information couldn’t possibly reveal what Alice’s identity was.
She had thought Alice wasn’t really from the Fordley Count’s family…
Indeed, Lariella had thought Alice wasn’t really the daughter of the Fordley Count’s family.
She suspected that someone, though she didn’t know who, had deliberately targeted her and entered the duchy pretending to be Alice Fordley.
After all, Alice’s actions so far had been as if she knew all about Lariella’s schemes, saving everyone she had tried to kill.
From the Dearrut Duke to the Third Prince, Viscountess Rosetta, and even the First Prince.
All of them were people who stood in her way.
But to think she really was from the Fordley Count’s family.
What was going on?
Did she perhaps gain the ability to see what others couldn’t see after receiving tremendous holy power from the Chief Deity?
But if so, that would mean she was directly chosen by the Chief Deity, yet placed in a duchy rather than the temple?
And even the Pope didn’t know about this?
Moreover, despite Alice using holy power, the temple remained quiet.
The Chief Deity still had not given oracles.
For over 100 years.
So she wasn’t something like a Saint either.
Then truly, how could that bewitching thing corner her like this?
“…I need to quickly discover her identity so my master can calm his anger…”
Yes. While Alice’s identity was a problem, when she had been cornered and the doors of the Empress’s Palace closed, her master had become very angry.
Just when they were about to break the seal, the sacrifices had been cut off.
But they couldn’t move recklessly now.
She needed to first find out what Alice’s identity was and how much she knew about Lariella’s dark truth.
If that bewitching thing was truly chosen by the Chief Deity… it wasn’t just the position of Empress that was in danger.
The new world her master would create, and all the power she would have in that world, were in jeopardy.
So she needed to find out what Alice was hiding as quickly as possible and eliminate the risk factor in advance.
Before Alice could cause more trouble.
