Chapter 37

“Your Highness, where are you going?"

Lloyd, who was waiting outside the castle, stood in front of Fernan.

As Fernan silently walked past him, Lloyd stopped him again.

"Didn't you hear what the doctor said? Rest first. Knights are continuing to search the land, so don't be too anxious….”

"Have you tried to find the priest of the Temple of Ilion?"

Fernan suddenly opened his mouth. He had forgotten about it for a while, as he had been so absorbed in his search that he became distracted.

There was a good chance that that priest in the temple was involved in Julia's escape.

Lloyd gave a quick answer as if he had remembered it only then.

"Yes, but priest Matheus stayed in the imperial palace at the time of the Grand Duchess’s disappearance. Perhaps he was not directly involved in her escape.”

"…Julia was carrying a pendant. It's filled with holy power."

Fernan muttered in a fading voice.

"I'm sure she had helpers. It's possible that they have Julia with them."

"Yes, I'll look into that matter again. So Your Highness, go back in and….”

"No, I'll go there myself.”

Fernan moved quickly to his feet. If he pursued the priest, he might be able to get a clue to Julia's whereabouts. At once Fernan jumped on his horse. His vision blurred for a while due to the residual effects of the sleeping potion, but he just pulled the reins. He couldn't waste a second. He had to go find Julia right now to make up for the time he lied down in a daze. He had to look for her. 

“What I’ve experienced so far is enough.”

Fernan suddenly stopped the running horse.

He couldn't breathe for a while as he thought of Julia's face as she told him about her misery.

He lowered his head for a long time and exhaled.

***

Inside the Temple of Ilion.

Matheus was kneeling on a small platform with his eyes closed.

In the absence of Mass, he generally performed blessing ceremonies at the request of outsiders. But for the past few weeks, Matheus had been spending his time praying for others.

‘What happened to Julia…?’

Julia had left everything behind and fled, and Matheus had no idea where she was now or what she was doing. Cedric, who directly assisted Julia in her escape, reported that he sent her alone because the situation was not favorable on the way.

What happened to her after that, Cedric said, he did not know.

She may have returned to the castle, or she may have succeeded in escaping safely.

He could only hope that she was safe wherever she was.

“Master Matheus, you have a visitor.”

At that moment, he heard a quiet voice along with a pounding on the door.

By the time Matheus, half awake, turned around, someone opened the door and revealed himself.

"Your Highness.”

Matheus slowly stood up and slightly bowed at the unexpected visitor.

Inside, Fernan strode up to Matheus.

In contrast to his unstoppable steps, Fernan’s face looked like he was about to collapse.

“Why did you come all the way here?”

Seeing his appearance, Matheus could guess that Julia had succeeded in escaping.

Because there was no reason for him to come this far.

"Tell me everything you know about Julia's whereabouts."

Matheus looked at him strangely as Fernan spat out his purpose of coming here without further explanation.

"May I ask why you are asking me where she is?”

"I came here knowing that you were the one who gave Julia the pendant, it would be best if you didn't make any excuses."

Fernan frowned.

"Or any idea of where Julia is."

"…"

"If you know anything, please tell me."

"I'm sorry, Your Highness."

Matheus replied in a quiet, somber voice.

"It is true that I gave Lady Julia the pendant filled with holy power, but I do not know where she is either.”

"You don't know?”

Fernan looked at him sharply, as if trying to grasp his true intentions.

But Matheus was really innocent, so he just faced Fernan with serenity. Soon Fernan continued in a fierce tone.

"…Julia jumped off the cliff."

"…"

"There must have been some part of her that believed. A belief that she could somehow survive.”

"…"

"Otherwise, she wouldn’t have jumped without hesitation…"

Fernan bowed his distorted face slowly. Yes, Julia wouldn’t have tried to kill herself.

She must have been sure that she would survive, whether it was holy power or not.

However, unlike his thoughts, an emotion appeared on Matheus' face.

Matheus, who had been thinking about something while looking at the sky for a while, opened his mouth with a serious expression.

“Did Lady Julia have the pendant?"

Fernan's brow wrinkled. He took the pendant from Julia at the time he first found her.

Matheus's face grew darker as he read the reply from Fernan’s expression.

“If she had kept it close to her heart, she might have somehow survived by using the power…"

"…"

“Otherwise, I can't be sure.”

Julia was able to use holy power thanks to the holy power of Matheus, which resided in her heart from birth.

The pendant was a medium of sorts, and it was only when it was placed near her heart and resonated with the power of her voice that she was able to use it.

Since Matheus could not be with her every moment, he gave her a medium to help her use her own holy power.

Still, he couldn’t relax, so he sent Cedric to help her, and after leaving Cedric, she must have acted on her own judgment about the situation.

"Of course, but Julia is ….."

Fernan murmured in a fading voice.

Matheus turned away from him and answered in a heavy voice.

"Maybe… maybe she was willing to give up her life."

"…"

"Whatever it was, Julia only wanted one thing."

"…"

“To avoid misery and to be happier.”

When he finished speaking, Matheus looked at Fernan, who froze.

There was actually one thing Matheus didn’t tell him.

If Julia had really lost her life, the holy power that resided in her heart would have returned to its original owner, Matheus himself.

He hadn't seen any sign of that until now, so Julia was probably still alive.

However he didn’t know how she survived without the pendant.

“I'll wait until I have a better idea."

Looking at Fernan, who was standing there without a single  movement, Matheus quietly examined him.

He had no intention of letting him know this fact. It would be more useful for Julia, who was still alive somewhere.

Immediately after Fernan left the temple, Matheus was lost in thought with a dark expression. He tried to think of a place where Julia might be, but he couldn't come up with a clear answer.

Looking at the sunset through a small window gap, he soon opened his eyes wide.

A white messenger bird flew in from the distance and landed at the window.

"Cedric must have sent you.”

Matheus, who looked brighter, slowly untied the cloth from the bird's leg.

When he unfolded the cloth, he saw the short sentence "I have found Julia" written in an urgent handwriting.

***

It felt like she had a long dream after being submerged in the river.

It was a hopeless dream, drowning in a sea of darkness all around, struggling helplessly.

She felt like she couldn't get out of it, sinking deep into the endless deep sea.

At that moment, a ray of light fell on her. At the same time, a strange sensation enveloped her body, and her choked breath quickly subsided.

This was how the dream ended. Julia's eyelids began to slowly open.

"Julia, are you awake?"

At the faint voice, Julia struggled to turn her gaze.

Through her blurry vision, she saw green eyes.

"Priest Cedric.”

When she murmured quietly, Cedric finally breathed a sigh of relief and nodded.

Julia slowly blinked and looked around. It was an unfamiliar place, an unfamiliar bed.

She was in a daze for a while, but soon asked in a faint voice.

“Where am I?"