Episode 138: Spread the Word (XV)
Deheen was escorted to the reception room where Duke Brions was waiting.
“Thank you for coming this far. I’ve been waiting.”
“Long time no see.”
Deheen and Duke Brions shook hands lightly.
They both had smiles on their faces, but it wasn’t a very comfortable atmosphere.
‘What’s going on?’
Duke Brions was baffled. What’s the purpose of his visit?
“Would you like tea or coffee?”
“I’ll have tea.”
Soon, a maid poured hot water into the tea leaves that Deheen had chosen from among the many prepared.
Deheen pretended to take a sip, then he put the cup down and stated,
“I heard that you have recently released people in my territory.”
“Yes? What do you mean…”
For an instant, Duke Brions’ eyes shook greatly.
He was surprised that the matter came up right away, and he had no idea that Deheen knew about it.
“Look at this.”
Deheen took the drawing of Lucifer he had deliberately kept out of his pocket.
Although it was heavily crumpled, there was no problem in recognizing a person’s face.
Upon seeing that, Duke Brions suddenly felt thirsty and gulped down the cup of water placed next to him.
However, he did not lose his external composure and smiled softly.
“He is a very important person to me, I have to find him. I got information that he went over to Tersia… Sorry for not telling you in advance.”
“I see. Why didn’t you ask me for help? It might be easier to find him.”
“Thank you for the thought, but aren’t you very busy? It’s my personal business.”
Duke Brions tried to figure out if Deheen’s indifferent words were sincere.
If Deheen wanted to take issue with it, he would be able to hold him accountable.
As whatever the reason, it was akin to secretly releasing private knights in the grand ducal territory.
But Deheen had no intention of tripping over such a trivial matter.
“Why are you looking for this person?”
“In the past, he ran away with something very important of mine.”
Deheen’s eyebrows twitched, wondering if ‘something important’ was a metaphor.
“I wonder how important the thing taken was that you’re looking so hard for him.”
“Haha. I’d like to tell you, but it’s too personal… Well, do you know anything about this man?”
Duke Brions felt something amiss. Not only did it seem like the grand duke deliberately brought up the story, there was also a strange nuance in his words and the way his eyes flashed.
“I have him. His name is Lucifer, right?”
“…H-How, the Grand Duke…?”
Duke Brions flinched noticeably.
Never in his wildest dreams could he imagined Deheen would have the Lucifer he was looking for.
He did think it was abnormal that the whereabouts of Lucifer, who he had been tracking, had simply disappeared from the territory of Tersia.
But if Deheen had him, that oddity was explained.
‘Do you know something?’
At this point, Duke Brions raised his guard and became nervous. His hands were wet with sweat.
“He was arrested for theft and is in prison. I happened to know you’re looking for him, which was why I asked you.”
Deheen stimulated Duke Brions’ a little more while carefully examining his reaction.
“I see. I’m really glad you found him. Could you perhaps hand him over to me?”
The eyes of Duke Brions and Deheen collided intensely in the air.
“It would be difficult to hand him over? He doesn’t seem to be sane.”
“What? For what reason…”
“He kept calling a certain woman’s name over and over again. It’s said she ran a teahouse…”
“Could it be Catherine??”
Duke Brionw, who had been listening nervously, was startled at the new information and reflexively spat out the name.
In an instant, wrinkles formed on Deheen’s forehead, but he forced them away.
“I guess that’s the name. Was she a woman you knew?”
“Just a little… Were there any other stories besides that?”
“He talks about many things, but I don’t know what kind of story will interest you.”
Duke Brions gulped and his legs trembled apprehensive.
The thought that maybe Catherine was still alive and that Lucifer might know her whereabouts made him even more anxious.
“Please. Hand him over to me.”
“Well, shall I?”
“Thank you.”
Duke Brions lowered his head in delight. He was smiling because he did not know that he would get Lucifer this easily.
‘How stupid.’
He clicked his tongue inwardly, deciding that Deheen didn’t know about Esther yet.
However, Deheen intended to talk with Lucifer before handing him over to see Duke Brions’ reaction.
“I owe you one.”
Deheen moistened his lips as his eyes glazed over.
“Oh, I’ve been hearing strange rumors lately. Did you hear about it too?”
“What rumors are you talking about?”
Although Duke Brions already knew everything, he forced a smile and pretended not to know.
“The rumors about the saint. They say she is a fake. Surely that’s not true, right?”
“Haha. Of course. Does it make sense that she is a fake? It’s a story made up by people who love to frame others.”
“I thought so.”
Deheen did not miss the somewhat awkward expression and tone of Duke Brions.
Actually, it would have been natural and normal for him to get angry, so it was suspicious that he was so calm.
Well, the more people wanted to hide, the more they would disguise it like that.
Having gathered everything he wanted to know, Deheen pushed his cup forward and rose slowly from his seat.
“Then I will send Lucifer soon.”
“Thank you again. I’ll be waiting.”
After exchanging a few more simple greetings, Deheen left the reception room without regret.
“How was it?”
“He definitely knew Catherine.”
Deheen sighed bitterly.
This made him think that there might have been some kind of relationship between Duke Brions and Catherine.
“I really hoped it wasn’t.”
A secret about a man that Catherine didn’t even tell Irene.
His mind became complicated in many ways; perhaps she did so because it was Brions.
“Ben, what happens if someone who claims to be Esther’s father appears?”
“Are you talking about her biological father? Um… In fact, if it goes to court, the biological father has an advantage. If he claims that he lost her rather than abandoned her… There are many cases where the court rules in favor of the biological father.”
When Deheen didn’t get the answer he wanted, he glared coldly at Ben.
“But the case of the lady is different. Whatever lawsuit it is, Your Grace will surely win.”
Ben quickly changed his words and nodded vigorously.
“To Esther, I am her only father.”
“It’s an accurate statement.”
Loathing the thought of being sued, Deheen mounted his horse and pressed his throbbing brow.
“When I go back, I’ll try to coax Lucifer and use him.”
Coaxing… Although Lucifer didn’t have a choice at all.
“Will he listen?”
“If he doesn’t listen, I can make him listen.”
The simple and clear words sent chills down Ben’s spine. He smiled awkwardly and followed his master.
After Deheen left the reception room…
Secretly, Duke Brions watched him leave through the window.
“Still, I’m glad I found Lucifer. Ha… In the grand duke’s prison. If not for the grand duke, I would have never known.”
While tracking Catherine’s whereabouts, he had discovered Lucifer’s existence by accident.
It was reported that Lucifer was seen taking a woman away from the back alley where Catherine was last seen.
He heard that at the time, Catherine’s newborn baby was also present, and she was frantically pursuing him.
“He is worthy of being brought, even if it makes me in debt to the grand duke.”
Duke Brions angrily closed the curtains and returned to his chair.
He called his aide.
“Did you say that rumors about the saint being a fake seemed to have spread from Tersia?”
“That’s right. It spread so quickly that we can’t be sure, but given the circumstances, it’s highly likely that it’s Tersia.”
“Is he testing me?”
Recalling that Deheen asked if he knew of the rumors, Duke Brions kicked the desk.
If Tersia was really the source of the rumor, it meant Deheen knew that Rabienne was fake.
“No. He has no way of knowing.”
No matter how much he thought about it, no one knew that he might have had an illegitimate child.
Besides, even he himself had a hard time believing the absurd coincidence that she became the grand duke’s daughter.
Duke Brions was sure that Deheen couldn’t know, but he never fully buried his doubts.
“Once Lucifer arrives, we’ll start looking for Catherine’s whereabouts.”
It was then.
There was the sound of a beak banging against the window, and then a pigeon came flying.
After receiving the letter from the pigeon and reading it right away, Duke Brions’ expression gradually turned grim.
“A qualification test?”
His head felt like it was going to explode with the Lucifer issue, and now that there was another issue, a hysterical voice came out by itself.
“Nothing is going right.”
It felt like troubles just kept piling up without any solution.
Rabienne said via letter that she would try to dig a trap and call Esther to the temple.
However, even if it succeeded, it was only a temporary method and not a proper solution.
“Call the messenger of the guild.”
“What kind of work are you intending of issuing?”
“The highest difficulty. Say that I will pay very generously.”
He wanted to bring Esther back without anyone knowing, leaving the paternity suit as the last resort.
If he managed to somehow secretly bring her in, all the troublesome problems would be solved at once.
“All right.”
Since a long time ago, Duke Brions had connections to a cruel guild.
He decided to have them kidnap Esther as she returned from the temple.
“If it’s my daughter, it’s natural for me to take her, right?”
The crooked smile did not disappear from his lips.
For the sake of the family, as well as for himself, Rabienne had to sit in the saint’s place.
Every other day, Esther visited the shelter to do relief work.
As usual, the twins went about their own business, while Esther headed upstairs to take care of the holy flowers.
“I have never seen such rich and lively holy flowers.”
“Is it so?”
“Yes. I am amazed every day at how excellent the lady’s divine power is.”
Paras truly admired the holy flowers that had grown to his knees.
Esther didn’t hate this kind of praise, so she finished the purification with a shy smile.
“Please send half of this to the Imperial Palace. I’ll go down now.”
It was said that other territories were overflowing with patients, but it was difficult to find seriously ill patients in Tersia.
It was unknown if it was because of Esther or because of the shelter, but it seemed as if the epidemic left just as suddenly as it came.
Still, more and more people were entering the shelter.
This was due to Esther’s recent and continued rise in reputation.
“Oh, she is going to fall.”
As Esther was going down the stairs, she saw an old woman who was being pushed around by the crowd.
She was dressed in ragged clothes and her legs were limping, and she looked unwell as she staggered.
