“Woooow! Is this a snack basket? It looks delicious!”
While Linna was cheering as she checked through the contents, I ⊛ Nоvеlιght ⊛ (Read the full story) stood silently in front of the carriage, watching Abraham.
Abraham, still at a distance, looked at me with a quiet smile.
“It was a pleasure to meet you, Rosie.”
Then he scribbled something on a note and had the butler deliver it to me.
The note from Abraham read:
But from now on, it’s best to keep your ability to read the ancient language a secret. I don’t know the full story, but I felt compelled to say this—it's not something beneficial to have known about, I fear.
I stared at the note and let out a long sigh.
...If you wanted to keep it secret, you could’ve just come closer and whispered it...
In the end, after some hesitation, I began striding toward Abraham.
Abraham, startled, took a step back. But already worn out and leaning on his cane, he couldn’t move quickly.
I dashed toward him, thinking to myself:
‘No wonder he’s kept his distance since yesterday...’
He hadn’t shared the carriage with us. Even when I visited his study this morning, he’d stayed far off during tea time, and at the dining table, he sat by himself at a distance.
“I heard he developed a leg condition in his mid-thirties and started throwing fits every day, saying he smelled terrible.”
Julian had said that once. And yesterday, even Cashie said something similar:
We were too young and too indebted to ask, “Why won’t you come near us?”...
But if the reason he kept his distance wasn’t because of us, but because of himself...
Penelope, apparently, had thrown hysterics about it. But Abraham, who hated burdening others, simply stayed away quietly, even with the same condition.
Because even with the same illness, people act differently depending on their character.
“Anyway, I heard she cursed Grandfather daily, saying she couldn’t call for a priest because of him. In the end, she died giving birth to Aunt Monica—something completely unrelated to her illness.”
They’d said it had been a long time since any priest had been summoned to the Sinessé Marquessate.
‘Knowing Grandfather, even if they weren’t close, he would’ve called every doctor in the land for Grandmother. That must mean it was an untreatable disease.’
With that thought, I rushed up and grabbed Abraham’s hand.
Then I stood on tiptoe, met his eyes, and smiled.
“It was a pleasure to meet you too, Marquess.”
“Wait—there’s no need to come so close...”
“I’ll tell you one more of my secrets.”
I wiggled my fingers and loosened my ring slightly. At the same time, I gently channeled divine power into Abraham.
“Please keep this secret too.”
I whispered to him as he leaned on his cane.
“You barely moved, and your legs were already giving out... Last night, you didn’t even share the carriage with us because you didn’t want to inconvenience us...”
I wasn’t stupid—I knew it wasn’t wise to let others know just how much divine power I possessed.
But seeing Abraham quietly staying away, convinced he was a nuisance, yet still taking care of us despite being unable to move well—it shook me.
“Please take care of your health, Marquess.”
I continued to whisper into Abraham’s stunned ear.
“Even when you’re unwell, you came to the villa last night because you care about your domain.”
On top of that, Sinessé was a family that could easily summon priests again, but he hadn’t—even while sick.
And he had even offered sincere advice about keeping my ability to read ancient texts secret...
‘I know my kindness might come back to bite me... But if I don’t do this, I’ll regret it.’
I couldn’t leave a good relative—who had been so kind to me—in pain. Especially when it was something I could heal so easily.
Abraham’s cane slipped from his hand with a clunk. His legs were no longer trembling.
“Now you can see us off up close, right? Next time we meet, let’s share a meal together—face-to-face.”
I smiled softly and released his hand.
“That way, you’ll get a better look at me enjoying the food. My grandfather used to say just watching me eat filled him up.”
Abraham stared at his legs in disbelief.
And just as he began to speak—
A servant came running from afar, urgently.
“Marquess! A message just came in!”
Abraham furrowed his brow and turned around.
Communication stones, used for long-distance correspondence, were only installed in large cities. It seemed the Sinessé territory had one as well.
“If it’s not urgent, I’ll check it later.”
Abraham waved his hand dismissively.
“Let me see off our guests first...”
“B-But it’s from the Imperial Palace! A personal letter from His Majesty!”
That made Abraham stop. I too opened my eyes wide in surprise.
Wait, why would His Majesty be contacting Abraham now?
Abraham hurriedly unfolded the letter. Noticing the tense atmosphere, both Linna and Ray edged closer.
After reading carefully, Abraham slowly looked toward Linna.
“This old man isn’t sure what the letter means... but it seems the real recipient is standing right next to me.”
Linna looked at the letter Abraham held out.
Marquess of Sinessé, forgive the sudden contact.
I believe the Idra Duchy’s villa is located nearby.
If Lady Linna Idra is staying there, would you kindly deliver this message to her? I ask for your discretion.
Due to the security magic on the envelope, nothing more could be read.
Linna quickly opened the sealed envelope addressed to her.
Lady Linna, forgive the sudden contact.
I understand that a maid named Heidi is currently near you.
Would you kindly deliver this letter to her? Please ensure its secrecy.
Linna frowned as she pulled another envelope from inside the letter.
“The first two were basically the same message. Just fillers. This must be the real one.”
In the end, the true recipient, after three layers of procedure, was me.
As I took the letter, Linna chatted beside me.
“But thank goodness. If we hadn’t gotten held up here being treated to all this, we never would’ve received this message.”
It was true. Our time here had extended because of the meals and hospitality.
If we had rushed off in the morning as originally planned without leaving word of our destination, the letter would’ve been completely lost.
‘In that sense, we were pretty lucky.’
Still, the fact that the letter had gone through so many steps meant something urgent was going on.
I had a very bad feeling.
I hastily unfolded the letter sent to me.
Everything has been exposed.
The message was brief, but it left me breathless.
Your former fiancé seems to have found the place where he can achieve his goal, and it looks like he’s already gone.
The envelope had protective magic, and the sender had gone to great lengths to obscure the critical message.
Zahid’s goal had always been singular:
To become strong enough through the awakening of the Divine Beast to kill Aietar in one blow.
‘So Zahid found the place to awaken the Divine Beast—and went there!’
The final sentence offered no hope either.
Since you’re already in hiding, do not—under any circumstances—return home.
There was not a single line in that letter that wasn’t horrifying.
Before I knew it, the strength drained from my legs.