Yarin's POV:
The priestess calmly accepted the goddess's departure, stating that the goddess's story and blessings would not disappear with her. She said, "Gratefulness persists even in death, just as it does in life."
This made reconsider the temple. It was not a rigid and gloomy institution, and I
shouldn't have misunderstood true devotion.
As for Spil, a mythical character suddenly entering the real world, my mother was uncertain about how to arrange things for him.
However, Spil assured her he preferred a free and unrestrained life and didn't need anyone to do anything for him.
Eventually, he accepted my mother's proposal to give him an identity. After all, this wasn't several thousand years ago, and strict regulations weren't favorable for undocunted individuals like him.
Spil chose to roam the city, much like a wolf patrolling a forest. "But I won't be far from you," he said. "I will protect you as I guarded the goddess's courtyard."
Since the goddess had fallen, this couldn't be announced to the public imdiately. Revealing this truth would undoubtedly lead to a collapse of faith and cause panic. So, my mother and the priestess devised a plan to gradually hold a grand 'finale' for the goddess, giving the people ti to adjust.
Though concealing the truth had crossed our minds, I thought about my uncle and raised a concern, "If there are future events that require the goddess's intervention, such as selecting an Alpha for a certain pack, what if the people can't call upon her? Wouldn't that reveal the truth? If we intentionally hide this from the public and they find out, it could lead to more negative speculation and backfire on us."
We rested in the temple for one night, for appearances' sake and as the first step in repairing relations between the royal family and the temple.
Sure enough, the dia started spreading rumours about our temple stay. The two separate rivers suddenly seed to converge, and so politically astute politicians imdiately started probing for information.
However, my mother kept it tightly sealed. No one else knew about it except for the four of us present then. She didn't even tell my father and grandparents.
When my father, who handled security matters in place of my mother, returned, he faced nurous ministers and officials questioning him.
One of them was the forr left-hand President, a prominent figure in the Council of Elders, nad Arkadius. Despite the change in the political landscape, my mother still relied on the old councilors left by my grandfather. Although Arkadius had stepped down as the President, he remained a trusted advisor and confidant. Surprisingly, he hadn't heard about the reconciliation with the temple, so he naturally started to speculate.
But he was clueless, and my father was even more clueless. It seed like the trip was ant to take to the temple for exorcism, but how did it develop into this?
My father asked my mother, and although he trusted her implicitly, the fall of the goddess was not sothing that could be shared with just anyone. The more people knew, the higher the risk of evil leaks, so she said nothing.
"It's okay; if you don't tell , it must be sothing important, sothing you can't say a word about to anyone. So, I won't ask," my father shrugged, unconcerned.
"What's for dinner? My father and the old king have gone hunting together. It's typical of older people—acting nonchalant while burning with impatience," he said with a smile. "Cynthia and Heller are keeping my mother company."
There was a natural trust between them, and secrecy was never an issue for them. Sotis, I felt envious of their relationship.
They smoothly moved past the topic and discussed dinner.
My mother introduced Spil to my father, describing him as an orphan who had grown up in the temple. It was made up, but my father didn't mind. He welcod any help that would benefit my mother.
That night, our family gathered for a rare feast together, and when I ntioned that I had found a way to restrain Azazel's mark imposed on , my grandmother expressed heartfelt thanks to the goddess. My grandfather and great-grandfather sensed the underlying issues in my words, but they didn't ask anything. They just hugged tightly, offering their support and strength.
Feeling suddenly at ease, my grandmother began chatting with us about recent events.
"I heard that Carolyn is coming back. Lennon contacted us last month, hoping we could ask Selma to look after his little daughter," my grandmother said. "But since we are here now, we'll help our old friend naturally. Carolyn has been studying abroad for so many years; I'm sure she has grown into a smart and beautiful young lady."
Aunt Carolyn was the only daughter of the Southern Duke, and she had been studying abroad all these years. She had co back a few tis when I was younger, and I really liked her because she knew so many stories about the human world.
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