CH 98

Chapter 98

“……Nice person?”

Then Lloyd muttered a little next to her. But Aria focused all her nerves on Veronica, so she couldn’t hear him.

“Gabriel?”

– Yes. Sir Gabriel.

As Aria pretended to be friendly and called his name, a subtle change was seen in Veronica’s expression. She has been living in the same space with Gabriel for 4 years, so it would be natural to think that it was a common name.

‘As if he didn’t even want that.’

But.

Usually, when a Garcia native is sent to Valentine’s Castle, they’ll think it’s lucky if he doesn’t get bullied, let alone have a nickname. The opposite is also true.

Because Garcia and Valentine were known to be bitter enemies externally. There’s no way Veronica didn’t know that.

‘Did you want your knight to be isolated?’

Aria looked at Veronica with a piercing gaze inside. And that moment.

‘Ah!’ Veronica exclaimed briefly.

“As expected…….”

As expected?

“After all, you were as kind as I had imagined.”

“……”

“No, you’re more than I expected. I didn’t know you’re such a beautiful, kind, and lovable person. I’m glad. It’s so…”

She was truly amazed. And she was thrilled. As if she couldn’t have been happier than this, she smiled broadly as her face lit up with a color, and tears welled up at the same time.

“It’s the first time I’ve met you, but I feel like I’ve met my lost sister.”

It’s too much. Aria trembled at the words about her lost sister.

“I’m sure Sir Knight was able to live a little more comfortably in a foreign country thanks to the Grand Princess.”

Aha. So, because Aria resembles Veronica’s sister, Gabriel agreed to the name and expressed his liking towards Aria.

Was this what Veronica wanted to say?

– Don’t say that. I haven’t done anything.

Aria smiled softly after the saint, and squeezed her hand tighter as Veronica was holding it.

– Rather, thanks to Gabriel, I found peace of mind. He prayed with me every day.

Did Veronica hear about that from Gabriel?

When Aria said that she had prayed with Gabriel every day, the expression on Veronica’s face showed displeasure rather than surprise. Because the corners of her eyes are very finely frowning.

“…Found peace of mind?”

Then she heard Lloyd muttering something next to her. This time she listened carefully, but Aria tried to pretend she didn’t know.

The clarification would be later.

– Of course, it will be of great comfort to Gabriel to be by the saint’s side more than me.

“Ah, is that so…”

– You would have been together longer and you would have built more bonds.

Aria smiled. Of course, she said this knowing that Veronica had been with him less than four years.

It was a word that pretended to be in favor of her saint. If he was such a precious knight, she should have kept him by her side, as if sarcastic.

‘I’ve scratched your nerves like this, sp aren’t you going to reveal your true color?’

Aria followed the gentle smile and watched Veronica’s reaction. Maybe she’ll make a grim expression or say sharp words without realizing it.

Aria expected such a reaction…….

“No, it seems that he has developed a deeper bond with the Grand Princess, doesn’t it?”

Unfortunately, however, Veronica was not a simple, see-through pawn like the emperor.

The sign of her slightly restraining Aria had completely disappeared. And she meekly admitted. Over the past four years, Gabriel has become closer to Aria than herself.

‘I knew it would be like this, but…….’

It’s also not common. It was for this reason that Aria never doubted Veronica in her previous life.

In that moment, she perfectly captures and erases her emotions.

‘If it wasn’t for the necklace, I might not have suspected her yet.’

But now that her fantasies of the saint have been stripped away, it was evident. Now, Veronica’s expression is mainly the expression that nobles usually make when they throw away cards that are no longer useful.

‘Gabriel…… no longer useful?’

The necklace was currently owned by Aria. So Veronica will need Gabriel more desperately than her past life.

‘Because it will be difficult to obtain divine power.’

Veronica, who was powerless, had to somehow get her hands on him and use him as a chess piece that moved at her will.

‘Or did you find another way to obtain divine power?’

No, no. Then, when Gabriel secretly looked at Veronica through the communication channel, there was no way that Gabriel, who was dull, could not feel it.

Didn’t Veronica all come to the Fineta Empire earlier than planned to find a way to increase the divine power?

Aria was confused for a moment at Veronica’s unexpected reaction.

“Ah, and Sir Knight seems to have said something because of me…”

Veronica blushed in embarrassment. And she immediately opened her eyes wide and then lowered her eyes and muttered as if crying.

“Because I lacked divine power more than the other saints and priests… it seems that I unintentionally offended others…”

Aria remembered the day Gabriel said that something bad had happened to Veronica the other day. He said he couldn’t tell because it was the saint’s personal history.

“I don’t know exactly what Sir Knight said to the Grand Princess, but I just wanted to convey that you don’t have to worry about it at all.”

“……”

“I’m happy just like this. I don’t want to use other means to increase divine power.”

Veronica was smart. She was even guessing that Gabriel had learned how to increase divine power through Aria. And first, she drew the line saying that she didn’t need him on her side.

‘Don’t tell me you’ll try to predict what I’m going to ask first and block it in advance…….’

It was then. Aria was startled.

Veronica stroked the back of her hand with her thumb and let it go.

Goosebumps rose from the back of her neck at the sticky touch, with unknown intentions.

“You…….”

“Yes?”

Aria paused, but Lloyd quickly expressed his displeasure.

She blinked innocently as Lloyd showed a ferocious look. As if she had no idea.

Since she had already let go of her hand, it was an ambiguous timing to say something

Aria raised her arm and stopped Lloyd, who was clearly thinking, ‘Should I just kill this?’

“Great, Saint Veronica!”

At that time, the cardinal, who was surrounded by the believers and gave blessings, called out to Veronica in a loud voice.

He was recognizable at a glance by his glamorous, white appearance that could be seen from afar.

“Oh, Cardinal Andrea.”

Was the cardinal here? Aria was stunned. It was because she had no idea why the cardinal had attended this award ceremony.

‘It must be to protest the emperor.’

Because without a consultation he made everyone’s villain, Valentine, the hero. There will also be a lightning bolt from Garcia.

“I have something to tell you, so please come over here for a moment.”

He greeted Lloyd and Aria briefly and then tried to take Veronica quickly.

“I’ve got work to do, so I’ll have to leave.”

Veronica said sadly.

“Please take care of my knight for the rest of the year. A person who is more beautiful than a miracle with a warm heart and is more lovely than a fairy.”

As lovely as a fairy……. No matter how much sugar-coating it is, the rhetoric was too much.

“Then I look forward to seeing you next time.”

And left without regret. Leaving behind only an unknown, strange smile.

“What does all this mean?”

She doesn’t know either. Aria was only full of confusion.

‘It’s really not normal.’

She just felt it for sure.

“Now, all the things are…”

And right now, there was no time to seriously reflect on Veronica’s actions.

She had to keep calming Lloyd, who had become quite uncomfortable, until the ceremony was over.

***

“Grand Princess, I understand what you asked for before. I’ve been trying to…”

Cloud words trailed off as if in trouble for a moment.

“The whereabouts of the man could not be found.”

The man……. Perhaps he was called Ted.

Aria barely recalled in her memory the name, which had passed through her ears as she had heard it before.

“Is he missing?”

“No. He did not disappear, he escaped.”

“……escape?”

Aria asked, as if she couldn’t believe it.

“I heard that he has a wife and children. Did they also run away together?”

Then Cloud responded with a rare wrinkled brow.

“It is said that he abandoned his family and fled overnight without paying off his debts.”

Huh? It was more absurd than his sudden escape.

Isn’t he the one who set out to find the vain treasures of Atlantis to pay off debts and save his family? Then he got the money from the conch pearl, abandoned his family, and fled without paying off his debts?

The situation was not right.

“Did you confirm that he made it back to the estate safely?”

“Yes, I’ve heard it from the other Black Falcon.”

Since she had paid for the pearl, they would have kept an eye on the money to make sure it wasn’t stolen by bandits or used for dangerous things. They wouldn’t have bothered to go inside the estate and check it out.

“Then it has to do with the Lord.”

Aria was sure.

The Lord’s humanity has been questioned ever since he taunted his servants for breaking a teacup, putting the servants in debts and taunting them to come find the treasure.

“What? The Lord?”

Then, Cloud looked startled and asked in disbelief. The reaction seemed unpredictable.

‘No way, he didn’t ask questions, he just came back without doing anything…….’

Aria slightly regretted sending Cloud alone. It was simply because she thought lightly that it would be over if Cloud brought Ted.

She didn’t expect she would be involved in an incident in the middle.

“How is Sir using your head?”

At that time, Vincent, who was next to Aria, was researching the materials about Atlantis, asked.

He was genuinely puzzled, not mocking.

Then Cloud answered calmly.

“I hear a lot about it being a decoration.”

“You are proud of yourself, aren’t you?”

“Doesn’t that mean I’m handsome?”