Chapter 78: Divergence (Part 1)
In the cellar of Vilo Garden, the entrance is located in one of the newly built main hall’s side rooms.
We walked through the elegantly designed yet tastefully simple first-floor hall, heading to the last side room on the right, which seemed like a perfect spot for dumping unsightly baskets. In the center, a spiraling ebony staircase boldly announced its presence, not the kind that desperately tries to hide a damp, dreadful dungeon. Upon entering, it’s hard to miss.
Rekt and I descended the stairs, with two familiar members of the Sword of Kanli ahead of us.
Down here wasn’t the gloomy, damp stone chamber I’d imagined. The spacious cellar hall had walls made of polished pale marble, and stylish wooden wine cabinets lined both sides, filled with age-old rare wines from various estates.
The entire underground hall was lit as bright as day. A prominent archway connected both ends, indicating that this place was larger than I had expected. Following the passageway could lead us to at least two more halls!
“Did Viki have people fix this up?” I asked Rekt, gazing at the impressive collection of wines and catching a whiff of slightly sour wine in the air.
“Who else would it be?” Forgiveness Head sauntered alongside me, shrugging.
He quickly added, “But Her Majesty the Queen can’t be expected to oversee every little renovation. More often than not, she just throws out some ideas. How it turns out mostly depends on how Sharman interprets Her Majesty’s words. And… Sharman usually tends to over-interpret those instructions!”
That’s true…
Sometimes it feels like Sharman is one of those people you just can’t quite explain.~
By the way, I haven’t seen her around the mansion today.
“Is Sharman hanging out with Viki?”
I casually asked, but Rekt’s response caught me off guard.
“She’s not in the Royal City. She resigned as Head Maid six months ago.”~
Huh?
I turned to look at him.
“There are… various reasons for that. I can’t really say. You can ask Her Majesty privately later; she’ll fill you in.”
“……”
Fine, fine.
After all, she’s been gone for half a year; it’s not a big deal anymore.
Though Sharman’s departure surprised me, this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. The two Sword of Kanli members led Rekt and me down one of the passages, which wasn’t very long. Just a few steps beyond the archway, we were blocked by a sturdy wooden door.
The female member of the Sword of Kanli quickly pulled out a key to open the door. Behind it was another space set up similarly to a wine cellar, but this time there were no wine cabinets — just a few wooden tables and chairs.
Bright oil lamps lit up the room, revealing channels carved along the sides of the walls for drainage. There was a figure chained up, hands and feet locked, with a rag stuffed in her mouth, casually discarded beside the drainage channel. Another short Sword of Kanli member was squatting nearby, keeping an eye on her.
It was Aili…
Her clothes were half-soaked. Upon seeing us enter, she started struggling violently on the ground, making muffled sounds while staring directly at me.
“What about the other kids?”
I frowned and glanced at the girl, quickly averting my gaze.
“In another secret room,” said the male Sword of Kanli member who brought us here, grinning. “Since the captain insisted that the girls needed to be interrogated by you and him personally, we just locked her away in here. We thought she’d be snoozing the night away, but I guess she woke up too quickly… She’s the oldest and most well-behaved of the kids.”
“Hmm.”
I nodded, choosing not to say anything more.
We sat at a lamp-lit table. Rekt settled next to me while the fit female Sword of Kanli stood a short distance away, watching the other two men haul Aili over.
“Ugh—”
The girl thrashed with all her might, her face etched with rage as I stared back at her expressionless until I sensed she calmed down slightly. I waved my hand, signaling to remove the rag from her mouth.
“Release the shackles too,” I said, eyeing Aili’s legs. “She won’t run.”
The two members of the Sword of Kanli didn’t immediately comply; instead, they looked to Rekt for confirmation. Once he nodded, they crouched down and undid Aili’s shackles.
“Sit.”
I maintained a detached gaze, indicating she should sit down for a chat.
Although Aili’s emotions had settled, her eyes remained pinned on me. I could see anger, stubbornness, hurt, and confusion in them — but not even a hint of compromise.
So, I stared right back at her.
…Aili seemed to have shot up to nearly 170 cm.
How did she grow so much in just a few years? It felt like someone twisted her neck and pulled her tall.
Is it really necessary to be that tall…?
There’s not a scrap of meat on her, everything looks out of sync.
How old is she again? Fifteen, right? Girls should be filling out at that age; not having enough meat in certain areas can ruin a girl’s glow when she steps out into the world.
A flurry of disjointed thoughts flashed through my head, and I instinctively glanced at Aili’s chest, which was now noticeably pronounced due to her wet cloak, making the outlines more apparent. I suddenly remembered the softness I felt when I kicked her before, and couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow, feeling a surge of annoyance.
Forget it; if she wants to stand there, let her.
But—
“Get that cloak off her; it’s annoying me.” I told the two Sword of Kanli members.
Aili looked taken aback, and her emotions flared up again.
“What are you doing? Don’t touch me—”
“A warrior cannot be humiliated! I’d rather d*e here tonight; the thorny flower on my cloak represents my bl**d oath as a member of the Choir of Saints. It embodies the responsibility and glory I carry until I d*e! You think you can humiliate a warrior’s faith like this? Even if I d*e, I Aili will still look down on you — on you—”
The girl yelled to the top of her lungs, struggling with all her might. I frowned, waving my hands to stop the two Sword of Kanli members. Once they paused, I calmly asked, “Responsibility?”
“Glory?”
I looked at her face, the tangled hair, and then back at her bl**d-colored thorny flower cloak. Speaking those two words, I couldn’t help but let out a sneer of disdain.
“Does the Choir of Saints even talk about these things? Now you have me genuinely curious… Aili, how did they explain this to you? I’d love to hear it.”
“Why would I tell you?” Aili shot back, her anger boiling.
“Call me ‘Sister.’”
I flicked my nails, placing my pinky finger to my lips and gently blowing: “I have the duty to pull you back from the wrong path by your ears.”
