Chapter Fourteen: The Bubble of Dread
The woman who was least likable but somehow mattered most to Victoria was now lying lifeless in her embrace, eyes gently closed, arms dangling limply toward the ground, and no longer with a breath to spare.
A mysterious toxin was spreading across her face, turning her once beautiful skin into a sickly shade of blue-black, with veins popping out like a walking caution sign.
It’s hard to put my feelings into words at this moment.
I remember this woman’s actions not too long ago, and the earlier, uglier side she had shown. Even now, knowing her reasons, it’s impossible for me to warm up to her.
I loathe her.
I hate how she poured gasoline on Victoria’s already troublesome situation. I hate her reckless ambition and the way her personal vendettas led to the downfall of her own husband—Victoria’s father.
She ruined a life that should have been carefree for Victoria, leading indirectly to the deaths of so many.
But I can’t even bring myself to truly hate her.
Because I understood that her choice to d*e now likely had another twist to it. As soon as she croaked, the credibility of her earlier words would skyrocket in the eyes of Margaret and the Holy Church.
Why would she bother lying if she was about to kick the bucket?
If all went well, perhaps Victoria would find herself with strong support from the Church when facing that family in the future. Because the nature of the incident would no longer be considered internal strife; they’d be touching the Gate of Truth.
Yet that still meant the Empress was a foolish and weak woman. She chose the easiest route instead of sticking around to face things alongside Victoria.
In this moment, amidst the chaos of my thoughts, all I could feel was a pang of sympathy for Victoria.
But I had no idea how to comfort her.
After a brief silence, Margaret spoke up.
“Your Majesty, the toxin is acting too quickly… please accept my condolences.”
Victoria remained silent.
The atmosphere hung heavy for what felt like ages before Rect wandered over. He stared at the kneeling Queen, hesitated for a moment, as if he wanted to say something but didn’t know how to begin.
“Victoria…”
I called her softly, suddenly realizing my throat was a bit hoarse, my voice dry as sandpaper.
“I’m fine.”
This time Victoria responded.
She stood up, still holding the Empress, without looking back.
“Rect, how is the speech for the afternoon shaping up?”
“It’s all set.”
“Good.”
Then she turned her gaze toward Margaret.
“Saint, we need to have a chat later…”
Margaret nodded, “Perfect timing, I also have some things to discuss with Her Majesty.”
“Mm.”
Victoria replied lightly, stepping towards the church’s entrance, with Margaret and Rect following closely behind, their figures slowly fading. I hesitated for a moment and chose not to follow.
I stood rooted to the spot for a while before spinning back toward the upper room of the church—the very room I had laid in earlier.
Once the door was closed, I could finally strip off this unbearable armor I had been wearing—it clanged noisily as I tossed it aside, revealing a linen undershirt saturated with sweat, sticking to my skin uncomfortably.
Numerous times I had thought about using Frost Order to cool off, but with so many people in the church and on the streets, I worried that I might freeze someone accidentally. Plus, my soaked clothes trapped under the armor wouldn’t feel so good if they froze solid. I managed to hold out until now, and feeling the air against my skin brought some relief.
Taking a deep breath, my nostrils filled with the fragrant scent of cloves.
The bed had been tidied up, with a simple white dress laid on it and a pair of black boots at the foot.
Was this… placed here by Margaret’s orders? How thoughtful…
As I walked over, I peeled off my undershirt and slipped into the dress, padding barefoot to the mirror, looking at my reflection, and ruffling my slightly messy hair.
…Maybe a ponytail would feel cooler.
However, I couldn’t find any accessories or bands, so I had to abandon the idea.
The tattered black dress I had been wearing was long gone, tossed aside. The notes from Teresa that I had tucked into my inner pocket were singed beyond legibility… but thankfully still readable. I had placed them in the vanity drawer before the funeral; now, I retrieved them to tuck back into my clothing.
I’ll hand them to her tomorrow…
And Captain Gray, I lost it during the fight. It should be lying somewhere in a back alley near Cataloma, along with Teresa’s axe. Yet, having passed three days, I’m afraid someone has already picked it up…
First, I’ll ask Rect.
I slipped on the boots and stepped out of the room.
The hallway was deserted; I barely saw anyone on my way up, likely on purpose. I lingered on the upper floor for a while before coming across a novice nun and hurried over.
“Sister.”
The nun looked significantly older, and I unconsciously addressed her that way.
“Excuse me, where are the children from the orphanage?”
“You’re… ah, the children should be in the central hall… just go over that way… it’s not far.”
“Oh.”
I nodded in the direction indicated by the nun.
“Thank you.”
I gave her a friendly smile and turned to leave.
“Um…”
As I took a couple of steps, I suddenly heard her shout after me.
“Excuse me, are you Miss Silvya?”
I paused in surprise and looked back.
“I am…”
“Ah, I thought so! I saw you from a distance during the ceremony; your black hair… just like the rumors said, you look so young and yet have fought against that kind of monster…” She seemed quite nervous, her words tumbling out, then her eyes widened, and she waved her hands, “Ah, not that! I didn’t mean anything by it; it’s just… I think you’re really impressive… I…”
“Uh… thanks…”
She was likely just a sweet girl.
If only all nuns were like her.
The central hall was indeed as close as she said, and it wasn’t long before I arrived. The hall was open to the sky, with blue skies visible above, more like a courtyard. There were several round tables and chairs around, and the children were gathering in small clusters—some seriously cleaning the floor, while others were chattering away in a competition to see who could make a sculpted column shine brighter.
They froze when they saw me approaching, pausing their tasks, looking my way with a mix of curiosity and shyness.
“Who’s that… such a pretty lady…”
“I think I’ve seen her before… she’s Aili’s noble friend…”
“Such a nice person… she gave us candy…”
I quickly spotted Aili.
She was wearing a slightly oversized nun’s habit, seemingly involved in a conversation with another little girl. Upon seeing me approach, her mouth fell open in surprise, her eyes going wide.
“Sister Peilo!”
She trotted over to me, muttering, “What are you doing here…”
“I came to see you.” I smiled at her and glanced at the dirty cloth she was holding that was still dripping water. “What’s all this about?”
“The Lord Pope and the nuns have a lot to do these past few days. We can’t help, so we’re stuck doing this…”
She shyly held her hands behind her back, not daring to meet my gaze.
“Sister Peilo, you’re a great hero… you must be busy, so you didn’t need to come over just because of me…”
I reached out and ruffled her little head.
“I’m not busy at all.”
Did Aili know I was a Pope Knight and feel a bit intimidated? How awkward…
“Oh…”
She responded hesitantly, then shyly stole a glance at me before quickly looking away, wanting to say something but unsure how… so cute… yet it broke my heart a little.
I pointed toward a distant round table and said, “Come, let’s sit over there.”
“…Oh.”
Aili obediently followed me over and pulled out a chair to sit down.
“Sister, your leg…”
“It’s fine now.”
I lightly lifted the skirt to show a glimpse of my long, fair legs.
“See? Right?”
Aili frowned, cautiously reaching out to touch my leg, a bit ticklish.
“But that day…”
“Don’t worry, I’m very tough.”
“Um…”
Seeing that she seemed to want to say more, I quickly changed the subject: “Are you doing okay here?”
“Pretty good… the Lord Pope laughs a lot, and the nuns are all very gentle. We get to eat meat every day.”
At this, Aili smiled brightly; she was an easily pleased child.
“Just the other day, I saw the Saint! She was so beautiful that I was too shy to talk to her… You must have met her too, right?”
“Mm. She said Aili was looking after me… thank you.”
Aili’s face turned a bit red.
“It’s nothing…”
After a moment of silence, I asked gently, “Do you have any worries?”
At my question, Aili looked up, her smile fading gradually.
“Sister Peilo.”
“Mm.”
I looked at her seriously, and I saw her frowning, thinking for a moment before suddenly looking deflated.
“…Forget it, it’s just childish stuff…”
“What is it that you can’t say to your sister?” I feigned a pouty face, pretending to be unhappy, “Aili, you can tell me anything.”
Aili lowered her head again, her hands resting on her belly, twisting her fingers together.
“Sister, why are there so many bad people in the world?”
“……”
Starting off with a tough question…
“I don’t understand… why some people can hurt others so easily… even k*ll… my mom and dad were killed… how can someone do that… don’t they fear nightmares…”
“Why… some bad eggs… look totally awful yet seem like nice people…”
Her little fingers were twisting painfully white.
“I actually admire Sister Teresa so much. I admired her while I was in Winter City… I know a lot about her. She’s a great benefactor, an incredible person… I liked her a lot back then… and after I met her, I liked her even more… Sister Peilo… I know being a Saint is hard, so at that moment, I thought, ‘Forget being a Saint; I’ll become a respected nun like Teresa. That sounds even better…’ I really thought that, and I want to be a person like her… Sister Peilo…”
As she spoke, her voice began to choke up.
“Why… did she turn out that way…”
