[Lavinia’s POV — Carriage Ride—Later]
After that, Osric had insisted on stopping from entering the Divine Library, and by the ti people in the ceremonial hall realized I was missing, it was too late. Yet... the more their nervous whispers reached my ears, the more determined I beca. That library held answers—answers about Papa, about Osric, and about the sudden, inexplicable tension I had felt during the Benediction.
One day... no matter what, I would uncover it.
"What are you thinking about, my dear?" Papa’s voice, deep and resonant, cut through my thoughts.
Marshi yawned beside , resting his head lightly on my lap, and I absently stroked his fur, feeling the warmth and weight of his calm presence.
"Just... this and that, Papa," I murmured, eyes drifting to the window. The streets of the capital city passed by in a blur of colors—rchants shouting, carts laden with sweets rattling along cobblestones, and children darting between crowds.
Then... a flicker of sothing caught my attention. "Oh, this necklace..." I whispered.
I looked down at the pendant Grandpa Thalein had given when I was just a child visiting Nivale. Once a simple pink gem, it now glowed a deep, almost liquid shade of pink.
"Maybe... because of the Divine Benediction," I mused.
Papa’s stern gaze softened slightly as he looked at the pendant and nodded. "Thalein told ... it would change the color once the holy light fell upon it." And with an annoyed expression, he added, "Useless pendant, yet sohow... useful."
I blinked and chuckled lightly. "It has a special spell papa. It will protect whenever I am in danger."
He scoffed, a sharp edge to the sound. "As if I care what you call it. What you must understand, Lavi... is that I will not—cannot—allow you to face danger alone. That pendant... it may seem trivial, but it is both shield and key. I cannot tell you to remove it, because it may be used one day... when you will be Empress."
. . .
Oh, he’s worried.
I tilted my head, studying him. "Are you... worried about , Papa?"
"Of course," he said, voice low, each word heavy with weight. "Who else would be, if not your father?"
I smiled faintly, trying to ease the tension. "Don’t worry, Papa... everything will be fine."
He let out a long, asured sigh, eyes narrowing as he scanned the streets below. "Marquess Everett and Caelum... they are dead, Lavinia. But that does not an you are safe."
His tone darkened, his voice carrying a tyrannical edge, like steel wrapped in velvet. "This world... it is crawling with corruption. Far more snakes than there are saints. Another will rise, I know it. And we do not yet know... how poisonous this new serpent will be. That is why—never remove that pendant. It may seem useless now... but when the ti cos, when the threads of fate tighten... it will reveal its power."
His words sank into , heavy as iron, and I swallowed the lump in my throat.
He was right. Everett and Caelum had been the story’s greatest villains—but that did not an it end of the story was over. What if they had only been pawns in a larger ga? What if an even deadlier snake was maneuvering in the shadows?
Sigh...looks like I will be very busy now.
Because this ti... I would not only face those hidden serpents, but I also had to unravel the truth behind Papa and Osric’s sudden nervousness. That vision I had seen... the one where death and betrayal were entwined with Rey... it would not leave .
I need to find out. I need to find a chance to go to that divine library. but how?
I sighed, loud enough that I startled even myself. "I feel... so complicated."
. . .
. . .
Damn it! I said that loud.
Papa’s eyes, sharp and unyielding, fixed on . Then, with a slow, deliberate movent, he slid beside . His massive fra seed to shield from the chaos outside as he drew close, letting my head rest against his broad shoulder.
"I am here, my daughter," he said, voice dropping into a low, grave rumble, equal parts tyrant and protector. "I will fight every battle with you. This ti... I will not leave your side."
"This ti?" I asked softly, tilting my head to study him.
He flinched slightly at the question, his gaze flicking sowhere distant, as if recalling so dark mory. Then he spoke, each word deliberate, heavy with weight and authority: "I an... this ti, and every ti. I will not let you fight alone... not now, not ever."
I stared at him, heart thumping, and slowly leaned closer, feeling the warmth radiating from his chest.
"Thank you, Papa."
His presence was like a tether, anchoring even as a strange ache stirred in my chest. Threads of tension... secrets... half-spoken warnings... all tangled around him and .
And yet... I felt it—a quiet, insistent question crawling in my mind:
Am I truly ready to uncover what Papa is hiding? Can I endure the truth that he and Osric have both been protecting from? If I pull at the threads, at the tangled skein of secrets and lies... will I survive the collapse of everything I think I know?
A shiver ran down my spine, not from cold, but from the unmistakable sense that my world, the one I had known all my life, was on the brink of crashing. And for the first ti, I felt a pulse of fear—not for myself, but for the empire, for those I loved... and for the truths yet hidden behind the divine light.
***
[Osric’s POV — Everheart Estate—Night—Office]
"...Papa holding in his arms at the altar... and Rey... he was there, in robes... standing in the place of the High Priest."
Lavinia’s words echoed in my mind, relentless, looping like so cursed refrain I couldn’t silence. I rubbed my temples, trying to force the thought away, but it clung stubbornly, dragging my pulse into a frenzied rhythm I couldn’t shake.
Solena fluttered across the office, mischievous and chaotic as ever, plucking at the docunts spread across my desk and sending them scattering across the floor.
"Solena! No! You cannot—these are important!" Butler Hadrein’s voice cracked like a whip as he lunged to catch the papers, eyes wide in horror.
Solena only glared at him, wings spread in an exaggerated flourish, as if she were declaring, I bow to no one—not even your panic, little man. She swooped again, the wind of her wings scattering more papers in a beautiful, infuriating chaos.
Hadrein stumbled back, gasping. "Young lord... please... do sothing!"
I barely registered the plea. My mind was elsewhere, tangled in Lavinia’s words, replaying that impossible vision over and over.
What if she rembers... everything? What if...she finds everything we have been keeping away from her? What if...she recalls this is her second chance at life? What will happen? Will everything crash?
A pang shot through my chest. The idea of her recalling her previous life, the past she shouldn’t know, pressed down on like a physical weight. Would she... hate ?
"...Lord?"
The voice snapped back.
"MY LORD!!" Hadrein practically scread this ti, and I flinched, eyes snapping to him.
"Yes? Did... did sothing happen?" I asked, my voice sharper than I intended, though the question barely covered the storm raging behind my gaze.
Hadrein blinked at , concern etched in every line of his face. "My lord... are you... okay? You’ve been... thinking... deeply. Sothing troubling you, perhaps?"
I exhaled slowly, letting my hands fall to the desk. I tried to force the tension from my shoulders and tried to ground myself in mundane reality. "It’s nothing. Just... work, Hadrein. Nothing for you to worry about."
He nodded, still hesitant. "Shall I... prepare so warm tea for you, my lord? It will cure your headache."
I leaned back in my chair, letting out a tired sigh, fingers rubbing the bridge of my nose. "Thank you, Hadrein. That would... be appreciated."
He inclined his head with a careful bow, retreating silently, leaving alone with the soft scratch of Solena’s wings and the faint shuffle of papers that now lay in disorder across the desk.
I stared out the window into the cold, quiet night, the moonlight casting thin silver lines across the estate grounds. My mind refused to rest.
Why... why do I feel like everything... everything is on the verge of collapsing?
I clenched my fists, nails digging into my palms. The weight of the secrets I carried—the truth I’d been sworn to protect—pressed harder than any physical chain.
I hope... nothing happens. I hope... the truths I keep, the ones we have buried and locked away... remain sealed forever. From her. From Lavinia.
A shiver ran down my spine, and I swallowed, knowing... deep down... that hope was fragile, like glass, and the mont it shattered, nothing would ever be the sa.
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