Chapter 230 - Unexpected

"So what happened in both the villa, the cathedral and then in Ashgraufelsen is that Lady Saskia, now Princess Alexa, had a sacred relic with her?" Prior Reuben Van der Velt rubbed his palms with his fingers, probably alleviating the symptoms of sweaty hands. His eyebrows furrowed as Alexander finished the long story, showing his astonishment at what he was hearing.

The night had come so quickly, and as agreed, the Prince Regent received the Prior for a private dinner. Narses and Blue Eyes were with them, in the same room in which Alexa was once exposed to ridicule in front of a small court.

The Princess could not help being dumbstruck by the twists and turns of life, but the situation was not yet comfortable. 

The Prior reminded her of a retriever, who was sniffing around looking for rabbits that just wanted to live their lives in peace.

He certainly had a good nose for what he did. He knew he was faced with a unique case of magic and 'dark' powers, he just still couldn't point the finger at it.

Alexa wondered what he would do if he really got to the truth. Would he remain blindly attached to his dogmas? Would he back away from dealing with powerful nobles? Or would he see the situation as it was?

From Narses' reactions, she didn't have many hopes that would be the last two options. Prior Reuben was nevertheless intriguing, but a major problem.

Alexa was sitting between Father Agnello and Narses, in front of Prior and Bernard on the other side of the table, with Alexander at the end. She had remained silent while the highest authority in the kingdom at the moment spoke.

"A relic like this has been in Constantinople all this time, and was it delivered by the Empress to the young Alexa?" the Prior repeated, thoughtful and amazed.

True Christian relics were coveted and it was possible that a relic with the true miraculous gift was in the possession of an empress. Of course Alexa had never heard of the Lamp of the V.i.r.g.i.n, but Alexander described in detail the small ceremonial lamp capable of illuminating darkness and expelling unclean spirits.

"Yes, I lied to the witches about Alexa leaving the house and she was there. Frightened by the dreams she had had. Because the burden of carrying such a sacred object was that the Enemy was tempting her with horrible visions and experiences that would have made a man like you cry ... Alexa bear the burden of the relic. But the Lord probably had a purpose for her, since he brought her to Holstein, where she interfered directly in Satan's work… But in the end, the relic fell on the bridge, when she last used the lamp… "Alexander stood up and went to a table, where he personally took a box richly decorated with ivory and gems. A box worthy of keeping a religious relic, especially if it was truly imbued with sacred power.

Alexa took a deep breath. She would never have guessed that Alexander was so cold-blooded. Nor that Father Agnello was so unmoved by a lie of this size and gravity.

She discreetly looked out of the corner of her eye to check her tutor's reactions, and only saw that he followed the events with half-closed eyes, sipping his wine from time to time.

Alexander opened the box in front of Prior, and Alexa had to contain her own curiosity, since she supposedly knew the object like the back of her hands.

"Of course, the relic was found after a search," Alexander completed, with a small smile.

The Prior made the sign of the cross.

It was done.

Alexander had found justifications for the gifts that Alexa presented, as if they were granted by the Christian relic and not inherent in her. He had told how he woke up the day after the wedding when Alexa was at church fighting the demon who had attacked him.

"And your mysterious illness, was it caused by this demon who was expelled by your wife?" Reuben van der Velt asked.

"Yes. This was revealed through a dream for Alexa. They had summoned the demon for this. The witch threw her conjure bag in the garden, through a window, and the conjure bag was hooked on a tree. It would be impossible to get out of there and I would die ... But Alexa pushed the demon away. However, as a guarantee, I decided to take the conjure bag out of there, and destroy it."

The prior's breathing was heavy enough for him to be heard fighting his heart. Again he looked at the object in the box and pulled out a handkerchief, drying his hands and forehead. Then he looked at Alexa, with curiosity.

"Your Highness ... Are you still disturbed by visions?"

Alexa nodded sadly, but then said, "Yes, prior. Nightmares about future things, things I don't understand. Like the nightmare that took me to the lighthouse, only to find… that."

"There was a rumor that the Princess had died there," the Prior commented.

"Alexa had a dream about a witch that my father had trapped there. That witch was my grandmother. My mother's mother. Which is why my father never killed her. Because I thought she might regret her sins…" Alexa's thoughts fled Alexander's words for a moment, pondering when Magnus and Alexander discovered this fact. But Alexander still explained, "Alexa tried to cast out the demon that my grandmother served, but was seriously injured. And she was taken to a convent, where she recovered. The place remained defiled after my grandmother died."

His serious and somber tone was an assertive and cold report, capable of shivering even Alexa, accustomed to the most horrifying subjects.

"This is the price that those who choose to fight evil have to pay," finally Alexander said, sitting down and taking a sip of his wine, thoughtfully.

Silence fell on the table. Alexa was still in awe of Alexander's inventiveness, and wondered if all three, Agnello, Alexander and Narses, hadn't invented this together to get rid of the Inquisition once and for all.

"Does the Princess use prayer so that the lamp will be lit?" it was a direct question to her, so Alexander could not take his wife's word as he was entitled.

Alexa nodded again, "Yes, Prior."

"Could you ... Please ... Show me how?" The Prior asked in a humble and kind tone. It was a reasonable request.

Alexa felt her heart skip a beat, and this time even Blue Eyes shifted in her chair.

Narses commented in a low tone, "Prior Reuben, I certainly never saw my sister doing this, and I think I would be delighted to see divine power working through a relic that my only living relative used. But that does not mean that the relic can work miracles in any environment and at any time. "

"It puzzles me that Lady Saskia came here after the massacre at the villa, and didn't mention any of that."

"I was afraid. I was a nobody and I had a past that I wanted to forget. I was ready to forget, but the divine purposes for me were very different from what I had imagined, "Alexa said.

"Could the princess at least show what she does, so that I can record it in a letter to the pontiff?" The Prior insisted, still kindly. 

Alexa lowered her face pretending modesty and embarrassment, hoping that someone would interfere and make the Prior stop insisting.

Alexander reached out and closed the box with the fake relic.

"Prior Reuben, there was an essential condition for the relic to emit its light. The Lamp of the V.i.r.g.i.n should necessarily be carried by a maiden ... "

Alexa held her breath, listening to the heart beating loud and resounding in her ears. 'What?! What did he say?!'

It was natural for men to shift in their chairs, and the Prior asked, without hiding his astonishment,

"Oh! I understand! But… in that case, will the marriage annulment be revoked? "

Alexander gave a crystalline laugh, which startled Alexa,

"Apparently there is no more possibility of annulment!"

ººº

Alexa entered the room next to yours, where Alexander was currently taking off his shirt.

The Princess looked around, recognizing the objects she had used, the canopy bed of stars, and even the toiletries, as if they were her own. In fact, the princess room was not as expensive as this one. And even looking at Alexander's body confused his mind. That body had been his. He was more developed, more flushed, more full of life.

Your life.

Half of his life he had left for Alexander.

Without turning around, and putting on another shirt, the Second Prince asked,

"Is Balbo all right?"

"Yes. He said he'll be up tomorrow to go with you to the border. He's crazy, because he has fractures and wants to pretend that everything is fine. " The question took Alexa's focus for a moment, and she answered honestly. I had just returned from the infirmary. "He asked about his cat. I sent for the puss. "

"Cats make me shiver, and you know why," he commented, pretending to shiver. "Me and Romeo." He went to the covered cage, peering under the cover to see how his pet was doing.

But Alexa had not come there for pleasant conversations. It was impossible to look at him and recognize the person he spoke to the first time inside a bird.

"Alexander. I did not understand. I really don't understand what you did that night. What's the point of that? Why did you say that to Prior, and why did you let him think we're a couple?"

"Alexa, it's simple. I changed my mind," he replied with a smile.