Chapter 168
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 168
It was Evangeline who had saved Jeremia. Still, Jeremia couldn’t forget Gabriel, who had tried so desperately to save her. She certainly owed him a debt of gratitude as well.
Jeremia resolved to get word to Evangeline as soon as possible.
‘The problem is, there’s no proper way to send a message…’
With watchful eyes constantly monitoring her in the temple, her only opportunity was now, while Bishop Marik was away.
Even so, she secretly suspected this might be a test from Tenebrae. Jeremia carefully studied Tenebrae’s expression.
Tenebrae was smiling brightly, patting her on the shoulder as if satisfied with her response. Acting with the benevolence of a monarch commending a subject, Tenebrae’s demeanor suddenly shifted. Her grip tightened, and gritting her teeth, she dug her fingernails into Jeremia’s shoulder. Since Jeremia was in Azazel’s body, it wasn’t particularly threatening, but she thought it best to play along and hunched her shoulders in feigned pain.
Having forced Jeremia down to her level, Tenebrae whispered in a venomous voice.
“If the Bishop finds out I’m useless, it will be entirely because Sir Astaroth let his tongue slip, won’t it? If I am abandoned by the Bishop, I will personally rip out your tongue and feed it to the livestock.”
The fanatical words sent a chill down Jeremia’s spine. Tenebrae had always had a gloomy side, but she had never been this cruel.
Had she been influenced by Bishop Marik’s ruthless methods, or was her hidden, wicked nature finally revealing itself? Jeremia furrowed her brow and retorted, “This all could have been avoided if you hadn’t told me about Sir Gabriel in the first place.”
“But when I’m the only one who knows something that even Bishop Marik’s most loyal guard doesn’t, it’s only natural to want to brag, isn’t it?”
Bishop Marik only ever tested Jeremia, never sharing crucial information with her. Tenebrae seemed incredibly pleased by that fact. In other words, she had come all the way to the dungeon just to boast that she was more trusted by the Bishop than Azazel was.
Her childish desire for validation as Bishop Marik’s most beloved was painfully transparent. Still, Jeremia supposed she should be grateful. Tenebrae’s jealousy of Azazel had inadvertently revealed Gabriel’s whereabouts.
“You’re nothing short of a fanatic.”
Jeremia spoke sarcastically, forgetting for a moment that she was supposed to be Azazel. Or perhaps she had immersed herself so deeply in the role that she had simply let the insult slip.
Realizing her mistake, Jeremia flinched and quickly checked Tenebrae’s reaction. Fortunately, there was no sign of anger. In fact, Tenebrae agreed with her.
“A fanatic… Yes. The world calls me the darling of God, but to me, the Bishop is no different from God. She is the one who saved me. She gave me the chance to take revenge on my hateful father and helped me live like a human being.”
Being used by Bishop Marik to murder her own father and sister was salvation? Anger flared inside Jeremia like a wildfire. But more than a desire for revenge against Tenebrae, it was a suffocating frustration at having to deal with such a fool.
Tenebrae was thoroughly brainwashed. The memory of her father stroking her hair with a warm smile was still vivid in Jeremia’s mind. That gentle man, abusive?
No, even if… even if that were true, why hadn’t Tenebrae told Jeremia and asked for help, instead of killing her too?
“And living under Jeremia’s name is what you call living like a human being?”
“Yes.”
Tenebrae clutched the emerald around her neck so tightly she looked as if she might crush it. She held it like something incredibly precious, yet at the same time, seemed to desperately want to shatter the gem.
“Everyone loved Jeremia. I couldn’t even match her shadow. Only after killing her was I finally able to take her place! Now, at last, everyone loves me. Everyone likes me. I can finally live like a human being. Wasn’t it cowardly of Jeremia to monopolize all that love for herself?”
Jeremia wanted to scream, Is that why you killed me?
And… if everyone loved her now, why wasn’t she living happily with them instead of clinging so pathologically to Bishop Marik? Why did she act as if her world would end if the Bishop abandoned her?
The questions hovered on the tip of her tongue, but she forced them down. Azazel would never ask such things.
“I finally managed to be loved like this, and yet Uncle came to steal my place… even though he was already abandoned once.”
Tenebrae’s breath hitched. She glared at Gabriel’s miserable figure behind the iron bars, her eyes full of jealousy, then spun around.
“I’m going back. If I stay here any longer, I might end up killing Uncle with my own hands.”
Without a backward glance, Tenebrae left the dungeon. Before following, Jeremia turned her gaze to Gabriel. He had heard everything Tenebrae said but seemed only slightly surprised, his expression remaining largely indifferent.
‘I will ask Lady Rohanson for help. I promise.’
Jeremia mouthed the words silently, though she couldn’t tell if Gabriel had read her lips. She then turned and followed Tenebrae out of the dungeon.
*
Upon returning to the castle, Tenebrae went to bed as night fell. Jeremia, standing guard at the door alongside an imperial knight, watched for an opportunity before speaking up.
“Did you hear that sound just now?”
“Pardon? What sound?” the knight asked, snapping to attention from a sleepy yawn.
Jeremia replied casually, as if stating a simple fact. “I heard a strange noise coming from inside the room.”
“I didn’t hear anything…?”
“Well, you were dozing off. Of course you wouldn’t have heard it.”
As she sneered in a tone she had now perfected, the knight’s face flushed. But his companion was a close confidant of Bishop Marik himself, so he couldn’t protest and simply clamped his mouth shut.
“I was not dozing…!”
“Then my eyes must have played tricks on me,” Jeremia said dismissively. “Ah! Or perhaps it was a wicked entity, something only my ears could perceive.”
“Is that so…? Hmm. Well, if it’s a sound only a paladin can hear, it makes sense that I couldn’t.”
Jeremia had thrown him a lifeline, and the knight eagerly took it, nodding in agreement.
After their brief exchange, the knight’s sleepiness vanished completely as he began to keep a proper watch. Goosebumps broke out on his neck; he was undoubtedly imagining all sorts of terrifying things about the sound only Jeremia could supposedly hear.
Timing it perfectly, Jeremia used her power to move an object inside the room. A soft thud echoed from within.
“……!”
“Did you fail to hear it this time as well?” Jeremia asked.
The knight froze. Since he hadn’t been dozing, he had definitely heard it.
“I-I heard it this time,” the knight whispered, terrified of being overheard. “Could it be an intruder?”
Jeremia didn’t answer, instead knocking gently on the door. “Princess? Is everything alright?”
When no answer came, she immediately grabbed the doorknob. Instead of stopping her, the knight rested a hand on his sword, readying himself for an actual intruder. Jeremia deliberately opened the door slowly and quietly.
“There is nothing here.”
The windows were tightly shut. The only sound in the room was the soft, rhythmic breathing of the sleeping Tenebrae. Jeremia scanned the room, then picked up an object that had fallen to the floor.
“It’s a necklace.”
The knight’s face turned pale when he saw what was in her hand. It was the necklace of the deceased Princess Tenebrae, the one set with a hideous black jade.
“There isn’t even a breeze, so why did this fall…?” Jeremia muttered softly.
The knight shuddered violently, looking as if he had just seen a ghost. Technically, since the deceased was standing right in front of him, he had.
“My word,” Jeremia said, her voice low. “Has the deceased Princess Tenebrae come to seek revenge?”
With that final, chilling remark, the knight looked ready to wet himself on the spot. When Jeremia called out to him, he let out a pathetic squeak.
“I should search the room, just in case. Please keep watch outside while I look around.”
The cowardly knight nodded and left without a backward glance. Jeremia clicked her tongue at his poor judgment—leaving a sleeping member of the imperial family alone with someone, even a paladin. She stared at the closed door for a moment before placing the necklace back on the desk.
Tenebrae had taken the necklace from Jeremia’s corpse. The sight of that black gem in this room made her feel utterly nauseous. Glaring hatefully at the jewel, Jeremia quickly checked Tenebrae’s condition. Once she confirmed the princess’s breathing was steady, she hurriedly searched the drawers for writing paper.
Fortunately, the layout hadn’t changed since she had used this room, and she found the paper easily. Not knowing when Tenebrae might wake, Jeremia’s hands moved with frantic speed. The hastily scribbled letter was disjointed and messy.
“Ugh…”
Tenebrae groaned, seemingly tormented by a nightmare. Jeremia silently slipped out of the room, praying that she was the one haunting those dreams.
The knight, who had been pacing anxiously, sighed in relief when he saw her.
“There was nothing unusual. However, just to be safe, I should go patrol the perimeter.”
“There are plenty of guards patrolling outside. Is there really a need for you to go, Sir Astaroth?”
“Those knights aren’t paladins like me.”
At Jeremia’s reply, the knight grimaced but nodded. “But the Princess is our priority, so you must return immediately.”
“Of course.”
Jeremia navigated the familiar corridors and, spotting a servant, called out to him.
“Sir, do you require assistance?” the servant asked politely.
Jeremia handed him the letter, which was sealed with the imperial crest. Upon seeing the seal, the servant bowed even lower and accepted it.
“Could you deliver this to Duke Hosaquin’s Estate?”
“…To House Hosaquin?”
The servant looked up at Jeremia, his expression filled with doubt.