Episode 135
Elonia, Vivian, and Ricardo arrived at the Hellington estate.
It was a large estate, but finding Alisa’s room was easy.
“It’s that room.”
The window was covered in locks, and a closer look revealed a small hole, the evidence of the paper bird’s visit.
Elonia could easily infiltrate the room on her own.
But she also had to interrogate Marquis Hellington. Vivian, sensing her hesitation, said,
“I’ll distract the Marquis. You and Ricardo go to Alisa’s room. Her testimony will give us a reason to arrest him.”
“Vivi…”
“Hurry.”
Vivian tried to sound confident, but Elonia, worried, turned to Ricardo.
“Rica, go with Vivi.”
“Your Highness, Ricardo should be protecting you!”
Vivian protested, but Elonia was adamant.
“He’s weaker than me. What protection can he offer?”
“T-that’s…”
Vivian looked at Ricardo pleadingly, but Ricardo remained silent. It was true.
“I-it’ll look suspicious if I’m accompanied by Your Highness’s knight.”
“That’s easy to solve.”
Ricardo, at Elonia’s words, immediately changed his appearance. Vivian gasped.
“He’s good at disguises, so he won’t be caught.”
“…”
Was that really something to be proud of? Elonia, seeing Vivian’s stunned expression, added,
“And we need to be able to escape quickly. I can handle myself, but you can’t, Vivi.”
“But…”
“Vivi, I don’t want you to get hurt. So listen to me.”
“Your Highness…”
Vivian, unable to argue, fell silent. Elonia quickly turned to Ricardo.
“Rica, keep Vivi safe.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Ricardo grinned, his usual playful demeanor returning. Vivian, seeing Elonia’s determination, reluctantly agreed.
Elonia, after they left, cast an invisibility spell and flew towards Alisa’s window.
The numerous locks on the window crumbled at her touch. Opening the unlocked window was easy.
Alisa, her eyes filled with tears, was sitting by the window. She saw Elonia and cried out,
“Your Highness!”
“Shh.”
Elonia quickly covered her mouth. Alisa’s eyes widened, and she nodded, and Elonia removed her hand.
Alisa, her voice trembling with emotion, said,
“You’ve grown so much…”
“I did. Are you hurt, Lisa?”
“No, I’m fine…”
Alisa couldn’t finish her sentence. She threw herself into Elonia’s arms, sobbing.
“I missed you so much, Your Highness.”
“I missed you too, Lisa. Everyone missed you.”
Elonia’s words, strangely, made Alisa cry even harder.
She was relieved, but also overwhelmed by a strange mix of emotions. Sixteen years ago, she had held the baby princess in her arms, and now, the princess, all grown up, was comforting her.
“Thank you for saving me.”
Elonia, seeing Alisa’s tears, or rather, her clear eyes, was relieved.
At least she wasn’t affected by the potion.
“Vivi found you, so thank her first. She’s downstairs.”
“Vivian?”
Alisa stopped crying and looked up at Elonia, her voice urgent.
“Downstairs? Is she with my brother?”
“Yes, she and Rica are distracting him, but…”
“No, Vivian is in danger!”
Crash!
Before Elonia could ask what she meant, a loud crash echoed from downstairs.
Vivian and Ricardo had easily met with Marquis Hellington. He had greeted Vivian warmly.
“Lady Fiona, it’s been a while. How have you been?”
“I’ve been well. And you, Marquis?”
“Excellent. Please come in.”
The drawing-room he led them to was filled with vases of flowers, their scent almost overwhelming. But Marquis Hellington, oblivious to their discomfort, smiled and offered them tea.
“Please, try this new tea I acquired. It’s quite exquisite.”
“Thank you.”
“And you as well, Sir Knight.”
“Such hospitality. I’m honored.”
Ricardo, sitting beside Vivian with a charming smile, discreetly observed Marquis Hellington, his eyes sharp and assessing.
‘He looks like a con man.’
Never accept food or drinks from your enemy.
Ricardo, pretending to take a sip of tea, whispered to Vivian,
“Don’t drink it.”
“Okay.”
Vivian also raised her teacup, but she didn’t drink it. Marquis Hellington, fortunately, was too busy savoring his tea to notice.
He finally spoke after taking a sip.
“So, I assume you’re here about Alisa?”
“Yes, we’re worried about her. She hasn’t contacted us in three years.”
“My, my…”
Marquis Hellington’s eyebrows drooped sympathetically, but his next words were far from kind.
“But that’s a rather flimsy excuse. You know who Viscount Hugo, our former vassal, is serving now, don’t you?”
“But it wasn’t our intention, or Mother’s.”
“Are you saying you failed to control your subordinate?”
“That’s…”
Vivian fell silent. Winning this argument wasn’t her goal. She had to buy Elonia time to rescue Alisa.
Marquis Hellington, misinterpreting her silence as a sign of weakness, smirked.
“Alisa has been heartbroken for the past three years. She and Viscount Hugo had a special relationship.”
“A special relationship?”
“Yes, they were engaged.”
“…”
Vivian’s eyes narrowed.
Alisa had been a staunch advocate for singlehood since they first met. She would never get engaged.
Marquis Hellington was lying. She hadn’t trusted him from the start, but this was too obvious.
He, oblivious to her thoughts, pressed on, his face smug.
“She’s been devastated. And she’s almost forty now, still unmarried.”
“…I see. But I doubt there’s anyone suitable for her among my acquaintances.”
Vivian, forcing a smile, retorted. Marquis Hellington waved his hand dismissively.
“Don’t worry about that. You should focus on finding a husband for yourself, Lady Fiona. As for Alisa, any man will do, as long as he’s not a complete failure.”
He smiled, his expression anything but brotherly.
‘He’s just trying to get rid of her.’
How could he say such things about his own sister, especially in front of her friend?
Vivian’s fists clenched, her anger simmering.
‘I want to punch him…’
Just then,
A thud echoed through the room, and Marquis Hellington’s head snapped to the side, his body falling backwards over the sofa.
Vivian blinked, confused.
‘Why does my hand hurt if he’s the one who was hit?’
Before she could process what had just happened, she grabbed him by the collar.
“Lady Vivian!”
Ricardo cried out in alarm, but Vivian, her body moving on its own, dragged Marquis Hellington towards the window.
Crash! The window shattered.
“Ah, perfect.”
Vivian, even as she said those words, didn’t understand what she was doing.
She just wanted to hurt him, to make him feel the same pain Alisa had endured for the past three years. And her body was obeying her instincts.
She grabbed a shard of glass and held it to his throat. Marquis Hellington, who had been momentarily unconscious, woke up and gasped, his eyes wide with terror.
“Eek!”
Just as Vivian was about to press the shard against his face,
“Vivian, no!”
“Vivi!”
Bursts. Thud!
Elonia burst through the door, and a sickening thud echoed through the room.
Silence.
The shard of glass, which Vivian had been about to use, was embedded in Ricardo’s shoulder, narrowly missing his neck.
“Ricardo…? Why…? Ah.”
Vivian, her eyes wide with shock, murmured, then collapsed. Ricardo had knocked her unconscious.
Elonia, after Vivian fell to the floor, rushed to Ricardo’s side.
“Rica, are you okay?!”
“Ow, ow, ow… Yes, I’m fine. It’s just a scratch—”
“A scratch?! Your disguise spell wore off!”
“Ah.”
Ricardo touched his face, but his disguise spell, which had even withstood the dangers of the battlefield, wouldn’t have been broken by a mere shard of glass.
They both realized,
“A holy tool.”
There was a holy tool in this room, probably the potion of luck.
That was why Vivian had lost control, and Ricardo’s spell had been broken.
“I didn’t drink the tea. I touched the teacup, but I didn’t drink it.”
“Then what is it? And why is the scent of flowers so strong…?”
Elonia, looking around the room, then turned to Ricardo, who also seemed to have realized something.
Just then, Alisa, who had finally arrived, screamed.
“V-Vivian…!”
She stared at the unconscious Vivian and the bleeding Ricardo, her face pale with horror. Elonia quickly ushered her out of the room.
“Lisa, hold your breath! It’s dangerous here! Stay back!”
“Y-Your Highness, but Vivian—!”
“She’s alive. Just unconscious. Now go!”
“Y-yes…!”
Alisa reluctantly retreated, and Elonia slammed the door shut.
Her eyes, cold and sharp, turned towards Marquis Hellington.
“Where do you think you’re going?”
“Eek!”
Marquis Hellington, who had been trying to escape through the broken window, flinched. He gave up on escaping and bowed his head, feigning politeness.
“Y-Your Highness, it’s been a while. You’ve grown so much—”
“Marquis Hellington, answer my questions.”
Elonia marched towards him and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground.
“Where are you hiding the potion you mixed into the flowers?”
The strong floral scent in the room was mixed with Holy Power.
It wasn’t just a pleasant fragrance anymore. It was the potion of luck itself.
Ricardo’s disguise spell and Elonia’s immense mana had protected them.
Marquis Hellington, who hadn’t expected to be discovered, quickly shook his head.
“I-I don’t know what you’re talking about…!”
“Still playing dumb?”
Elonia, her grip tightening, held him out the window.
“Gasp…!”
Marquis Hellington, his eyes wide with terror, looked at the blue sky above, then at the ground below, which seemed miles away, and then clung to Elonia’s hand as if it was his lifeline.
“I-I’ll tell you! Please don’t let go!”
He was dangling precariously, and if Elonia let go, he would fall.
“Where is the potion of luck?”
“I-in the basement storage room…”
“Rica, sorry to ask this of you while you’re injured, but go check. And seal it with a protective spell if it’s there.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Ricardo left the room, and Elonia continued her interrogation.
“You used Viscount Hugo to sell this potion to Count Mason, didn’t you?”
“Y-yes. He never betrayed us.”
He quickly confessed.
Elonia’s face hardened, her aura so intense that Marquis Hellington almost fainted. But she pressed on, her voice cold and sharp.
“Last question. Where did you get this potion?”
Marquis Hellington averted his gaze, and Elonia, her grip loosening slightly, prepared to drop him.
“Eek!”
He struggled, but he couldn’t break free.
He finally shouted,
“The Church of the Resurrection God!”