"I'll tell you that I need to purify the land, so you should come with me. Look around and tell me if your thoughts are correct."
As the carriage rattled along, Louis complained about the ride.
“Did you know how long it would take to get there when you said you were going?”
“The Duke of Russell told me to go. To stop the Emperor if he tries to do anything outrageous.”
It was a given. No matter how comfortable the carriage interior was, lined with cushions, it was difficult to expect bed-like comfort in a horse-drawn carriage.
“Why does the Emperor do useless things...?”
As soon as the Duke of Russell's permission was mentioned, the sparks flew to Ivan. Since this division had been started by Ivan, the criticism he received didn't seem to matter much.
"Well."
Amelia answered indifferently, looking away from Louis. She didn't want to talk to Louis, who was always complaining. She'd rather her curl up and fall asleep, even if it meant being uncomfortable.
“Really, as soon as possible...”
“Louis.”
Louis spoke again. Amelia lifted the book next to her and called Louis's name irritably. Louis blinked silently, seemingly surprised by the unexpected action.
“I’m already worried about leaving Ian behind, so don’t make me worry about him too.”
Amelia snapped aggressively. Louis rolled her eyes in bewilderment, then nodded with a bewildered expression. Considering how Amelia usually clung to Ian, she figured the current situation of leaving the child behind would be irritating. Besides, Amelia currently hated Ivan to death.
“Mrs. Howard, please take good care of Ian.”
"Don't worry. I won't leave Ian's side for even a moment until you two return. Furthermore, His Majesty the Emperor has strengthened security around the area, so there won't be any problems."
But Louis's guess was far from Amelia's true thoughts.
She can't say she didn't think about Ian. Before leaving for the nameless land, Amelia entrusted Ian to Mrs. Howard, repeatedly asking her to take good care of him, and she recalled that conversation several times.
“The Emperor suddenly expressed his intention to visit an unnamed land.”
But what came to mind more often was the Duke of Russell. Ivan had informed Baron Jasper, the landowner, of his intention to visit the estate, but it was the Duke of Russell who secretly responded. Even though the connection between the two was obvious, the Duke of Russell told Amelia nothing.
“So?”
Because in his mind, Amelia was still a foolish and stupid woman who was swayed by emotions.
“Go with him.”
But Amelia was already convinced that the land she was about to visit held a secret other than a curse.
“They were talking about purifying the cursed land.”
“...”
“When I told him to excuse you that you could not serve the Emperor because the land was full of fraud and danger, he said he would go with you.”
As the carriage rattled along, Louis complained about the ride.
“Did you know how long it would take to get there when you said you were going?”
“The Duke of Russell told me to go. To stop the Emperor if he tries to do anything outrageous.”
It was a given. No matter how comfortable the carriage interior was, lined with cushions, it was difficult to expect bed-like comfort in a horse-drawn carriage.
“Why does the Emperor do useless things...?”
As soon as the Duke of Russell's permission was mentioned, the sparks flew to Ivan. Since this division had been started by Ivan, the criticism he received didn't seem to matter much.
"Well."
Amelia answered indifferently, looking away from Louis. She didn't want to talk to Louis, who was always complaining. She'd rather her curl up and fall asleep, even if it meant being uncomfortable.
“Really, as soon as possible...”
“Louis.”
Louis spoke again. Amelia lifted the book next to her and called Louis's name irritably. Louis blinked silently, seemingly surprised by the unexpected action.
“I’m already worried about leaving Ian behind, so don’t make me worry about him too.”
Amelia snapped aggressively. Louis rolled her eyes in bewilderment, then nodded with a bewildered expression. Considering how Amelia usually clung to Ian, she figured the current situation of leaving the child behind would be irritating. Besides, Amelia currently hated Ivan to death.
“Mrs. Howard, please take good care of Ian.”
"Don't worry. I won't leave Ian's side for even a moment until you two return. Furthermore, His Majesty the Emperor has strengthened security around the area, so there won't be any problems."
But Louis's guess was far from Amelia's true thoughts.
She can't say she didn't think about Ian. Before leaving for the nameless land, Amelia entrusted Ian to Mrs. Howard, repeatedly asking her to take good care of him, and she recalled that conversation several times.
“The Emperor suddenly expressed his intention to visit an unnamed land.”
But what came to mind more often was the Duke of Russell. Ivan had informed Baron Jasper, the landowner, of his intention to visit the estate, but it was the Duke of Russell who secretly responded. Even though the connection between the two was obvious, the Duke of Russell told Amelia nothing.
“So?”
Because in his mind, Amelia was still a foolish and stupid woman who was swayed by emotions.
“Go with him.”
But Amelia was already convinced that the land she was about to visit held a secret other than a curse.
“They were talking about purifying the cursed land.”
“...”
“When I told him to excuse you that you could not serve the Emperor because the land was full of fraud and danger, he said he would go with you.”
The Duke of Russell sarcastically remarked on Ivan's excuse. He seemed to find it ridiculous that Amelia, even if she truly possessed divine powers, insisted on accompanying him when he knew she would have lost them during their night together.
“I wonder if he wants to let you know that you lack divine power... I don’t know what the Emperor is thinking right now, so please try to be accommodating. And don’t nitpick.”
That's what the Duke of Russell had said. To be precise, there would have been no valid reason to refuse. The one who had informed Ivan of his visit was Baron Jasper. Baron Jasper, considered a representative of the fallen nobility, had no power to oppose the Emperor. Furthermore, Amelia's reason for accompanying him was for the Emperor's safety, so there was no reason to refuse. That was why Amelia was able to accompany Ivan.
“Louis, it looks like we’ve almost arrived just as you wished.”
She sensed the carriage was coming to a halt. It didn't look like it was going to take a break.
“We have arrived.”
As Amelia had suspected, Ivan's knight soon announced that the carriage had reached the cursed land. While Louis hurriedly prepared to disembark, Amelia quietly drew back the curtains covering the window and looked outside.
“...”
Her guess was correct. The castle where Ian had once been born appeared beneath the dark sky. Shadows fell over the dirt floor, and an eerie silence hung over it. It was as if the very ground was steeped in a terrible despair and sorrow. The old castle towering above it seemed like a curse itself.
“Hello, distinguished guests. My name is Joseph, and I am in charge of the castle.”
Butler Joseph, who appeared between them, greeted Ivan, Amelia, and Louis as they got out of their respective carriages.
“I am an old man, so I may have some shortcomings in managing the castle, but I will do my best to serve you.”
The greeting was polite, but there was something sinister about the smiling face.
***
As Joseph was known to be the only resident, the castle was quiet. In reality, only a few servants were present when Amelia or her mother was staying, and only Louis and the midwife were present during childbirth, so he was likely alone most of the time.
Amelia was guided by Joseph to the room assigned to her. It was the same room she'd used since giving birth to Ian. With no one living there or managing it, even the worn-out bedding was perfectly reminiscent of her memory.
“There was nothing strange before.”
It was undoubtedly true that the Duke of Russell was the true owner of this land and that it was this land that she gave birth to Ian.
However, it was difficult to guess what secret the Duke of Russell was hiding. Even while Ian was born here and recovering, she never felt anything unusual. She initially assumed the lack of people was simply to hide the Priestess's secret and the child's existence.
“...”
Amelia approached the window, opened it, and looked outside. Untouched grass grew lushly, tickling the high windows on the first floor whenever the wind blew. It seemed to hide itself from the outside world, and it was easy to guess why this land was so terrifying.
“Is there anything strange over there?”
But aside from the noise made by the newcomers to the castle, there was no sound, just silence. At first glance, it resembled peace.
“There is nothing special.”
The knights moved in unison, scanning the surroundings under the pretext of ensuring Ivan's safety. Something about the angles felt particularly sharp, and Amelia glanced around with a puzzled expression for a moment before finally realizing the cause. Ivan was standing, watching the knights from a hunched position.
It was pointless. Even if he'd kept this land hidden from prying eyes, it was highly unlikely that the Duke of Russell would have so carelessly spread his secrets within the castle. If he had hidden something, it would likely have been in a secret passage or space he used within the palace. However, since he was a guest, Ivan and his knights couldn't search every inch of the castle.
“...”
Just as she was thinking that, her eyes met Ivan's. There was no sharpness or aggression in his gaze. Perhaps he remembered that this was where Amelia had given birth to Ian. Perhaps he felt pity for how everything connected to Amelia, when peeled back, seemed to turn out the worst.
“Your Ladyship.”
It was a bit bittersweet, considering that no one in the world wants to see themselves in such a pitiful state.
“This is Louis.”
Just then, Louis appeared with a knock. This happened before Amelia could even give permission to enter.
"What's the matter?"
“Joseph told me to let you know that dinner was ready.”
Louis answered with a slight frown. While Amelia was recovering after giving birth to Ian, Louis had stayed with her in the castle. Therefore, she knew full well how inconvenient meals and daily life were. She couldn't bring herself to know that Amelia kept Ian's gender and hair color a secret, because she couldn't even take care of her own discomfort.
“They probably just served me a steak dripping with blood.”
Perhaps to Joseph's taste, he served a barely cooked chunk of meat on a plate. It was closer to raw meat than cooked, to the point where it was more accurate to call it a "chunk of meat."
“I never thought I'd come back here again. My appetite is already gone.”
At first, Amelia wondered if he was persecuting her on Aaron's orders, but seeing him continue to suggest the same thing to Louis, she changed her mind. She was born that way.
“Should I recommend that to His Majesty?”
“...”
“Louis.”
Amelia's question made Louis look taken aback. Ivan hadn't brought the palace cook with him. But Joseph, who didn't care whether he was with Amelia or Louis, didn't seem to care. He wondered if he would be mindful of the Emperor.
"If you do that, the Emperor might kill Joseph. Go ahead and tell him not to serve him such a dish."
At Amelia's command, Louis, unusually, dashed out. Amelia was right. The Duke of Russell hadn't insisted on Joseph's life, but as the steward of the lands he secretly owned, he wouldn't welcome his death.
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