Gris turned her head slightly. She couldnt understand why he so strongly believed she was sobody she wasnt. Or maybe he had an ulterior motive for wanting her to be Yuliana
Her attention was called elsewhere, towards Vianut kneeling in front of the Bishop. Her gaze followed his movents as he turned his palms face up, the Bishop washing them with holy water.As Vianut gazed towards the distance, she could see his handso profile accentuated by the moonlight.
Almost hypnotized, Gris stared at his face and suddenly rembered sothing she had heard from the brothel. Soone had said that despite being a man of youth and handsoness, Sir Byrenhag avoided won.
There were two speculations as to why he did this. One, he was a devoted disciple of God and swore to stay a virgin until marriage. The other was that he was unable to have s*x.
Rowdy n at the brothel enjoyed gossiping and with their foul language made it clear why they expected Vianut Byrenhag to have been the latter. The rumor was that Sir Byrenhag diverted his sexual desires into killing people on the battlefield.
Despite the lurid stories, Gris never took any interest in the gossip. She didnt believe that a man as powerful as Vianut would swear to stay a virgin because of strong religious beliefs. Unless he was impotent, he would have lusted after won, just like the n Gris saw coming and going in the brothel.
She suddenly realized that she was focusing on Vianut more than the scenery she claid to appreciate. It must have been his finely-sculpted face that distracted her. She turned toward Stephan, paying more attention to what he had to say.
When I was young, there was a plague in Byrenhag. My mother was the successor at that ti. She raised at ho while Vianut was sent to the Archbishop for education.
Stephan couldnt disguise the hostility in his voice.
Oddly enough, despite being close to our mother and having earned her trust, I didnt beco head of the Byrenhags. Instead, it was Vianut who, with the Archbishops approval, beca head of this house a few years after father passed away. Not only did he have the Archbishops support, but he also had the Church of Byrenhag and the knights of Byrenhag behind him, explained Stephan.
It wasnt difficult to figure out that Stephan wasnt fond of Vianut.
Gris carefully studied Stephans face reflected on the window glass. She expected a frown as he contemplated the turn of events, but for so reason, a malicious smile spread across his face.
A monarch and now the respected chief commander of the army. If youre smart and try to ally yourself with him, he could beco a big help to you.
She had the nagging feeling that Stephan was still insisting that she continue with the charade of being Yuliana, the daughter of this highly respected family. Was he being genuine? But why? After a further mont of thought, Gris hesitantly asked Stephan.
Try what?
The room was getting stuffy, and Gris felt increasingly claustrophobic as the windows stead up.
If you try tobecoYuliana.
Now it seed as if the windows were covered in a haze. Gris stared straight into the opaque glass and nervously asked him another question.
Why do you need a Yuliana?
Stephan smiled instead of replying.
The windows slowly cleared up to the point where the scenery outside could be seen again.
Vianut suddenly raised his gaze and looked directly at Gris through the window. His piercing gaze caught her by surprise. Was he really looking at her or did it just seem that way? Didnt he gaze at her earlier, or was this all in her mind, or was it wishful thinking?
She was transported back to her old life in Grandia, her family, her majestic ho filled with so many giddy mories. Her heart was pounding as she thought about her other life from eleven years ago.
She surmised it must be these mories of longing, making her heart pound against her chest erratically. She refused to believe it was caused by the man before her, no less than a stranger.
But she was brought back to reality as Vianut turned his head toward the Bishop and stood up. The Bishop quickly draped the white robe around his shoulders and rewashed his hands with the holy water. Vianut only wore a thin sheet of cotton around his lower half, and so his muscular and robust body could be seen through the slightly transparent cloth.
Feeling quite perverse at her spying, Gris quickly looked away in sha.
She felt a tightening between her thighs, a strange feeling inside her gut. She had seen all kinds of s*xual acts between a man and a woman, so why should she be flustered? Was she taken aback that a man who devoted his body to God had an unnecessarily voluptuous body?
What a wicked mind you have, Gris.She chastised herself.
With so many thoughts running through her head, she wasnt aware that Stephan was still standing behind her. He let out a peal of laughter and inwardly ashad of her wild thoughts, Gris looked down at the wooden floor.
I I wish to stop by the church of Byrenhag.
Gris had spent the last eight years hoping to et this man called Johannes. It was never her plan to pretend to be a girl nad Yuliana and live in a mansion, gazing on the young head of the Byrenhags.
Because I am not Yuliana.
Stephan nodded his head and smiled. His smile could an many things. A sneer towards a determined whore trying to be morally upright, and his desire to thwart that determination. But Gris had the intuition that he knew all along that she was not the person he was looking for.
Then what was his purpose?Gris felt like a helpless fly trapped in a spider web, waiting for the inevitable end. But Stephan left the room first as if to avoid any further conversation.
I will take you to the church. After we have verified whether or not you are Yuliana.
Good night, he said as he closed the door behind him.
Unsure of what to do, Gris stood still for a while. With hesitant steps, she finally climbed onto a proper bed for the first ti in eleven years. But she couldnt fall asleep, she wasnt comfortable yet, tossing and turning in the strangers bed. Yulianas dolls occupied more than half of the space, and they looked like eerie creatures gazing at her, especially the bunny missing one eye.
After a couple of hours respite, she heard the rumble of the tal gates as they opened. Gris instinctively looked out the window again and saw soldiers on horses exiting the mansion gates in a single file.
Stephan had said these soldiers were riding to battle. This ant that they were going to kill orbekilled.
The holy crossdraped overtheir armorwas entirely hypocritical. She could only think.
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