Chapter 109
Chapter 109
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 109
Chapter Title: Awakened Divine Grace
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The moment Florian grabbed my hand with desperate urgency, just like he had caught the child plummeting beneath the collapsing building in the past.
My Divine Grace instantly swelled my body, engulfing every flame he had ignited.
Even amid the cascading spray of water, Florian gripped my hand tightly.
'Florian has always been that kind of person.'
The memory flooded back with the Divine Grace's torrent—of him never letting go of my hand, even as the house crumbled and we fell together.
The water swept around us in an instant, just as fiercely as before, then receded.
The strength in Florian's hand, still clutching mine, began to ebb away bit by bit, and clarity returned to his eyes in equal measure.
Only now did the pain set in.
"You... "
The hand clasped with Florian's was bright red from the heat he had unleashed earlier.
Florian gritted his teeth as he examined the wound on my groaning hand.
His gaze slowly scanned me from head to toe.
The burn mark left on my ankle from being grabbed.
The scraped knee from the fall.
And my face, surely drenched and filthy from the deluge.
I looked up at him as he meticulously checked every inch and flashed a grin.
"Now I know how to use my Divine Grace, too."
"... "
"I felt bad always relying on you, but this time, I saved you, right?"
"Mariella."
Florian, who had always called me "baby," now pronounced my name clearly, syllable by syllable.
"It's not just this once. You've saved me every time."
His eyes stared straight into mine. His voice trembled slightly.
Florian couldn't finish what he had started to say.
He simply pulled me into a fierce embrace, as if he couldn't bear it any longer.
The warmth from Florian—always a touch higher than others—enveloped me, bringing a wave of relief that slowly blurred my consciousness.
...Cold.
Even in my drowsy haze, the bone-chilling cold was unmistakable. And I knew its source wasn't outside, but within me.
I instinctively curled up, and someone placed a hand on my forehead.
The pleasant warmth made me nuzzle against it like a lifeline before I opened my eyes.
After blinking my crusty eyes a few times, I recognized the face looking down at me.
"Daddy!"
The hand belonged to the daddy I'd missed so much.
As joy lit my face and I tried to sit up in one go, Daddy gently pressed down on my shoulders.
"Lie still, Ella. You just awakened your Divine Grace—no straining yourself now."
"Have I been out long?"
"Two days. It'll be bearable after another day or two."
I recalled that even sturdy Dietrich, built like a warhorse, had been bedridden for three or four days after his awakening. So it would be about the same for me.
Lying still as Daddy instructed, my memories gradually returned.
In the cave, I'd tried to stop Florian's rampage and awakened my Divine Grace.
Unable to handle its power, I'd lost consciousness.
Now taking it in, I realized I was lying inside our family's familiar carriage.
"When did you arrive?"
"Two days ago."
"The evidence...?"
"Don't worry—Florian grabbed what he could. Dietrich and Lavinia found more from their side."
Those Morten Merchant Guild bastards had set up workshops in both colonies. Talk about bold.
"What about Count Dvayer?"
"Once he learned we had evidence and witnesses in hand, he gave up resistance quick. The knights are escorting him to the ducal residence under watch."
Good.
I should've come to my senses by now.
Of all times, awakening my Divine Grace had knocked me out cold.
Still, everything had worked out fine. That was a relief.
A relief, but...
I stole a glance at Daddy, who gazed down at me with an expression devoid of any smile.
"I'm sorry. For jumping into something so dangerous on my own."
That was the first thing I had to say.
Daddy looked at me silently for a moment before finally speaking.
"You should've thought about how worried Daddy would be first."
"I did, but... I panicked that Count Dvayer might destroy the evidence."
If that happened, Uncle would find some way to bail him out.
He'd already try to tie Daddy up in all sorts of charges, after getting our letter and mobilizing the knights.
Under Grandfather's rule, inter-territory conflicts were strictly forbidden in the North.
As Grandfather had said before, the North had plenty of external enemies.
In that situation, if Daddy mobilized knights on his own and found no evidence, anyone could guess how Uncle would react.
"He'd make things hard for you then..."
"Ella, dealing with Dominic is something Daddy can handle."
Daddy's voice was firmer than ever as he cut me off.
He had never spoken to me so resolutely before, leaving me stunned, staring up at his face wordlessly.
I opened my mouth to say something—anything—but my lips only quivered.
"You always rush into danger because of me."
"Daddy, that's not—it's just..."
"Even if throwing my child into danger let me crush Dominic, what would be the point?"
"Daddy!"
"You think some Northern Duke position means as much to me as you, Erich, or Dietrich? That petty seat?"
I shot up from the bed and clung to Daddy's clothes.
His face, angry at me for the first time, looked so sorrowful that I couldn't help it.
I was the one being scolded, yet he seemed the one suffering more.
Only then did it hit me like a cold dousing—how deeply Daddy cherished and loved me.
If he'd rushed into danger like I had, it would've broken my heart.
How could I have done this to him, knowing that?
"I was wrong. I was just so desperate..."
Tears fell.
I wiped them away fiercely, cheeks stinging, desperate to speak without crying.
But fresh tears welled up, soaking my cheeks again.
After repeating the futile motions several times, Daddy seized my hand, stopping me from rubbing anymore.
Then how would I wipe them?
In the end, I had to keep talking while sobbing uncontrollably.
"Uncle's always hurt our family... and now his friend, Count Dvayer, is hurting ordinary people too, hic, so I love the North, and I want to protect it..."
My words broke off in gasps from the crying.
Yet Daddy waited patiently, letting me finish through the tears.
When I was done, I clenched my teeth to stifle the sobs.
Daddy pulled me into his arms.
"Don't worry. Daddy won't forgive the ones who made you cry."
His every syllable burned with clear fury.
But that voice, which struck fear into others, felt like an impregnable fortress to me.
"Just promise me you won't be this reckless again, Ella."
"Yes... "
Sobbing, I burrowed deeper into his embrace.
A warm, utterly safe space.
My daddy's arms.
A kitchen servant set a massive roast duck before me.
"Bring out the next dish!"
At the command, the next servant placed a platter of oysters bigger than my palm in front of me.
"Next!"
Steamed dishes packed with herbs, grilled eel, even a soft stew made from braised turtle—once they piled up before me, I raised my hands in surrender.
"I can't eat any more, Grandfather."
"What nonsense! You just awakened your Divine Grace—you need to nourish yourself now."
"But if I eat more, I'll get sick."
"Wh-what...!"
Grandfather's face stiffened, the mountain of tonics he'd been piling up for me forgotten.
"It'll be miserable throwing it all up. My throat will hurt too. But if you say I should, Grandfather, then..."
"Stop! Clear all this food away from my granddaughter—now!"
Sorry to the hardworking kitchen staff, but I truly couldn't eat another bite.
Grandfather, who had been busy stuffing me with every tonic under the sun, gently stroked my hand, where the wound hadn't fully healed yet.