It was a special day when the closed gates of the castle of the Holy Kingdom were opened to a select few guests.
Many of the guests were royalty or high-ranking nobles of a country, as well as the most prominent aristocrats of the Helios Empire.
Of course, there were quite a few of them who ran famous newspapers or had relatives working as reporters.
"I had a dream. A pitch-black darkness came over me and swallowed a statue of Luz."
They were listening.
Yura spoke while kneeling, hands clasped in prayer, in front of the statue in the prayer room.
"Luz said that a devil with the face of a saint has appeared before us. Luz said we should be careful when dealing with them."
"Who is the devil?"
"How dare you go against our lord Luz!"
Despite the commotion of the people, Yura did not lose her composure.
She just remained there, in her praying position, shedding tears as a halo of light glowed around her.
Then, Yura said,
"It's her, the Purple Saint. I saw her identity clearly in my dream."
“……What is her identity?"
Yura stopped praying at that question.
She was helped up by the priests for the first time. Then she directly stared at the one who’d asked the question.
As though telling them to listen carefully to what she was about to say.
"When I removed the veil, the one looking at me was Duke Rosenta Estella."
***
Her head was burning.
‘So today, I’ll pick them up at the Duke of Estella's castle...…. Oh, before that, I should get permission from my father, as he’s the head of the household.’
She hadn't slept since last night.
She had spent the whole night thinking about how she could help Rosenta.
Of course, such worries continued until breakfast time.
"Vivian?"
"Yes...….”
Even as she responded to her father, Otis, she retained her blank expression that looked as though her mind was elsewhere.
But Vivian's red eyes opened wide at Otis' question.
"Is the Duke...…a woman?"
The fallout from those words was immense.
The Marchioness sipped her water elegantly before spewing it out, and her son, Lennox, dropped his fork.
Then, she laughed as if she had heard something ridiculous.
"You! You've been joking since this morning!"
"Asking if a man is a woman. Your father’s jokes are so ridiculous."
Vivian was the only one who couldn't laugh.
She placed the fork she was holding down on the table. Then she stared at Otis.
He was a silly father but wasn’t the type to make this type of joke lightly.
‘I'm sure he's noticed something.’
"What did you hear?"
"You don't deny it. Today, a priest of the Holy Land secretly contacted me and informed me, and I heard that the Holy Lady revealed things about the Duke...….”
‘This is how the situation that Rosenta told me about is unfolding after only one day.’
‘There isn’t much time left.’
Vivian quickly stood up from her seat as if eating would be a waste of time.
She looked at her father.
"I have a favor to ask of you."
***
Permission must have been granted, and since time was of the essence, Vivian headed straight to Estella Castle without waiting.
And she brought a lot of servants with her.
"Young, Young Lady?"
Vivian first met Edmund, Rosenta's butler.
She asked him,
"You heard about cleaning things up last night, right?"
"Yes, the Duke suddenly told me that he would give me a large severance payment, so I should try to finish everything within a day...….”
"So, are those who are left now the ones who chose to stay and work?"
"Yes, this is all of them."
"Hmm, at this rate I'd have no problem taking you all to my mansion."
While Vivian counted the number of people, Edmund bravely came forward.
Then he asked carefully,
"I...… Young Lady, I'm sorry, but what on earth is going on...….”
Of course, the question was immediately dismissed by Vivian.
Vivian simply asked back,
"I heard that the Duke briefly explained it to you before leaving."
"He said he was going on a long journey...….”
"He told you correctly."
Then she turned her head cynically.
Vivian never bothered to explain, saying she was just coming to pick up a few people.
Because the explanation wasn’t hers to give.
Therefore, she tried to suppress any emotions the best she could and stick to objective facts.
"Those who packed in advance, hurry up and get on the carriage. Those who are not ready, wrap it up quickly."
With that said, Vivian glanced at the servants behind her.
As though they’d discussed it in advance, they surged forth in and instant.
They began to carry any packed luggage to the Marigold carriage, regardless of order.
It was done in an instant.
"Everything’s ready...….”
"Wait."
When they were about to leave, Vivian raised her hand. She looked at the entrance of the castle as if she was waiting for someone.
Then, after a light sigh.
She beckoned to the coachman signaling him to proceed.
"Let's go."
Then, before Edmund, who was in the carriage, could say anything, the carriage’s wheels started moving toward the Marquis’ residence.
Vivian didn't budge. Until a specific carriage pulled forward.
"Vivian?"
The small window of the carriage opened, and Aphra appeared through it.
Without saying a word, Vivian squeezed herself into the carriage.
Then, as if it were natural, she ordered the coachman.
"To the Marigold Marquisate."
Aphra briefly faltered at the stubborn tone, but soon he also ordered the coachman,
"Go as the Young Lady said."
"Yes, sir."
The carriage carrying the two moved.
Creak, the sound of the wheels rolling could be heard, and before long the surroundings gradually grew quiet.
Vivian held something out as if she had been waiting to do so.
It was a document.
The document had 'investment confirmation' written on it in large font.
"This morning, I finished talking with my father. The paperwork was drafted in a hurry because I didn't have much time. If Aphra just stamps here...….”
"Wait! What's this all of a sudden?"
"From now on, we're going to erase all traces of Rosenta. The courier business will have been a business we invested in from the beginning."
“Why are you erasing all traces of the Duke? Don't tell me...….”
Vivian nodded.
And after clenching her fists to overcome the intense emotions, she slowly opened her mouth.
"Rosen's gone. But I'm going to stay here and protect what Rosen left behind. This time, it's my turn to protect Rosen."
Vivian repeated those words over and over again as if to make her resolution a reality.
‘I’ll definitely protect you.’
***
It had only been a day.
Nevertheless, under the label of prophecy, Yura’s dream had begun to spread throughout the country.
Of course, the empire was in an uproar.
Everyone headed to the Estella Duchy, but the castle had been empty since yesterday.
The Duke’s disappearance, without a word, intensified doubts.
Within hours of the article’s publication, official documents piled up like mountains in the emperor's office.
Most of the official documents included the demand to punish the devil and questioning whether there had even been an attempt to enchant His Majesty.
However, despite reviewing the articles and official documents, Theodore never stamped his seal.
"Your Majesty, are these official documents?"
Marquis Otis Marigold quietly approached Theodore.
"I expected that there would be a flood of official letters about him after seeing the morning newspaper, but...…. That's more than I thought."
A pair of complex, thoughtful eyes turned towards Otis.
Theodore asked,
“……Is it certain that he has left?"
"Yes, he’s left."
As soon as he heard Otis's confident words, Theodore unknowingly stared toward the balcony.
A memory from a day ago came to my mind.
Early dawn, that was where Rosenta disappeared, leaving him alone.
But Theodore hadn’t gone after him.
He could have run out to the balcony, but he couldn't bear to do so.
Because his father's face kept coming to mind.
"I see. He's really gone. He's no longer here...….”
Theodore's voice didn’t remotely match his calm expression.
It was a tone that held a subtle mix of emotions containing regret, hatred, and affection.
At last, he covered his face.
Then, he revealed his disheveled appearance, which he would never normally show, without holding back.
Otis noticed his appearance.
Unlike his daughter, who seemed to have grown up, Theodore seemed to be quite battered.
Actually, Otis didn’t know in detail what had happened between them.
But he knew this.
The world can’t be allowed to see the sight of a country’s emperor collapsing.
That's why he tactfully said,
"First, I will sort out all the aristocrats gathered outside. However, since the official documents are pouring in, I think it's right that a meeting be held at some point."
Otis quickly exited the office after speaking very briefly.
Then, his eyes landed on his daughter, who was standing in front of the door, waiting for him to come out.
"Can I go in now?"
"Yes."
As soon as Otis stepped away, Vivian roughly threw the door open without so much as a knock.
A sigh emerged at her seemingly disloyal attitude, but Otis turned away, trying to pretend he didn't see.
Now there was no Duke to take care of those two.
They were probably the most reliable people for each other now.