CH 195

Aria frowned. And she sighed and said.

“I regretted doing you half-hearted kindness.”

Should she let go of his hand at all? Or, to not let go at all.

‘I should have done that.’

But what can she do when it’s already way too late.

Besides, she couldn’t figure out what was going on with everyone in this situation. So she had no choice but to follow her intuition.

“It’s not too late now. Please be considerate of it. Your kind words, actions, eyes, smile, everything…”

Gabriel whispered dangerous words. Then, a dark aura fell over his eyes.

However, Aria was preoccupied with checking Gabriel’s condition, no matter what he said.

“Keep your back down.”

“……what?”

Gabriel, who blinked with a dazed face, bent down as if possessed by something.

Aria looked behind his earlobe.

Then, ignoring the knight’s body turning stiff, she examined his exposed body here and there.

At one point, Aria’s gaze reached the nape of his neck, revealed beneath the collar of his paladin uniform. At first glance, it seemed that she had seen a black pattern.

“Did you know what was in the back of your neck?”

Gabriel rubbed the nape of his neck with the palm of her hand, blinking slowly. His pale skin turned red, unable to hide his emotions.

“No.”

“Check it.”

“Does it matter now?”

Gabriel looked perplexed.

It was because he expected that Aria would hate him extremely, resent him, and even pour out abusive words. Well, it seemed that way just a few minutes ago…….

He regained his composure in an instant and was only concerned with what was on the nape of his neck.

“Are you the one who stopped Carlin from casting spells?”

“…”

“Look. You don’t intend to tell me anything right now anyway.”

Then what can she do? Right now, she can never defeat him with power or ability. Then it was right to do what she could for now.

‘And at least I know that Lloyd is safe.’

If Lloyd’s body, which harbors ‘God’s malice’, disappears, this world will perish. Knowing that, she was able to act so calmly.

“Check it out quickly.”

Aria told him with unbelievable force that she was the one who had been kidnapped.

Gabriel opened a few buttons on his uniform that were fastened to the top of his neck, and examined the nape of his neck through the mirror.

“This…….”

“As expected…….”

At that moment, Gabriel and Aria reacted simultaneously. They met eyes for an instant.

Aria muttered that without realizing it because the pattern on the nape of his neck was the same as the pattern on the Siren’s ear lobe.

Gabriel is…….

“You look like you know what it is.”

“…”

“You didn’t know it was in your body.”

Gabriel reacted unknowingly, as Aria immediately saw through his thoughts. He closed his mouth and averted her gaze.

“Ugh!”

At the same time, he grabbed his forehead and groaned from an unknown headache. He has been getting so many headaches lately that he is used to it now.

“Commander!”

It was then.

Someone presumed to be a member of the knights urgently called Gabriel from outside the door.

“I think you should see it.”

Gabriel glanced at Aria and opened the door, holding his forehead. He opened only a little gap so that they could have a conversation.

“What’s going on?”

“Duke Angelo, who had been silent until now, has come forward himself.”

The knight whispered as low as possible, but unfortunately Aria heard everything he said.

‘Fortunately, the plan went ahead.’

Lloyd had a reason to convince her to go to the Angelo family. It was because all the evidence of Garcia’s evil deeds had already passed into their hands.

Aria had planned a move with the Angelo family in advance. The moment Valentine sends someone, they would immediately go ahead with the plan.

But if they suddenly lose contact, immediately explode the evidence they have been gathering.

Gabriel was silent for a while. Still clutching his throbbing forehead, he whispered in a low, subdued voice.

“Didn’t you take care of it earlier?”

“As you know, there wasn’t enough justification to get rid of the Angelo family.”

It took time because they were an upright family with no dust or speck.

The knight whispered in a troubled voice.

‘I thought so, so I asked the Angelo family.’, Aria thought.

After all, the reason she decided to join the Angelo family in the first place was because they were flawless and transparent. That it was a hard time to put a false name on them.

And Aria’s choice was right.

“’That person’ ordered the Commander. To immediately, bring the Grand Princess to the square in front of the temple.”

Hearing those words, Gabriel’s face, which had been holding his forehead, suddenly became stern.

“Lady Aria wasn’t supposed to ever step forward?”

Then, as if the knight knew in advance that Gabriel would react like that, he calmly conveyed more words.

“That person said that if you take care of this, everything will go as you wish. Tnd there will be nothing to take it from your hands for the rest of your life.”

At that moment, Gabriel let out a low moan with an ‘Ugh’. Perhaps his headache was getting worse.

Soon after, he lifted his head and muttered with slightly hazy eyes.

“For the rest of my life, in my hands…”

Aria stood behind him, narrowing her eyes. She had seen the black pattern on the nape of Gabriel’s neck turn red in an instant.

“Lady Aria, this is all for you.”

“…”

“Let’s go.”

The blurry eyes returned to normal.

But unlike before, when he seemed to have regained his sanity a bit, he started to sound completely insane.

“It’s okay if you don’t understand.”

After all, you will stay by my side. Gabriel muttered that and gave a faint smile.

‘I’m used to it…….’

Aria looked down at her ankles without words.

The power-controlling shackles on her ankles rattled as she walked.

The place where she was walking on right now was definitely the pure white hallway of the temple, but it seemed to overlap with the entirely golden palace hallway.

‘As expected, this place was a temple.’

The Great Temple of the Fineta Branch.

There was a reason Gabriel stopped Aria from opening the curtains.

If she had opened the curtains and looked out, she would have known right away that this was a temple.

‘Then, Carlin and Winter should be somewhere here?’

Aria kept an eye on her surroundings as she was being dragged by the paladins. Before long, she was able to reach the square.

And.

“Fellow believers.”

A familiar voice came.

Even if it’s just one word, she can figure out the other person in an instant.

‘…… Veronica!’

Aria hastily raised her head.

Veronica stood with her back to Aria. There were so many people in the square that it was hard to believe.

“Suddenly, I received very heartbreaking news.”

Veronica was facing the square, with her arms outstretched towards the congregation.

Like a priest preaching doctrine. It was a scene that made Aria feel deja vu, as if she had seen it somewhere.

“It is news that those who misinterpret the will of God are slandering the Holy Empire.”

Veronica was wearing the splendid dress of a cardinal.

Her golden hair, which seemed to have absorbed the sun, fluttered in the wind, holding a brilliant light.

“Nobles of the Fineta Empire. Those who are said to be of noble blood and are well-liked by generations. Among them, the imperial family. Those who call themselves descendants of God.”

“…”

“Why are they so easily seduced?”

When the crowd was agitated, she went on with her words softly, then raised her voice to the fullest.

“It’s because they’re not saved!”

When Aria heard that Veronica was missing, she was sure Veronica was alive.

She thought Veronica would be alive and running away from her pursuit, but she didn’t know that she would still be active in the heart of Garcia.

‘How on earth can you stand up in front of that crowd?’

She must have completely lost the trust of her followers, including Garcia, due to the plague incident.

‘I know she almost got the death penalty. She suddenly disappeared overnight, so she could not be punished…….’

But how? What happened?

‘Did the ‘that person’ the knight meant was Veronica?’

What was she thinking to bring Aria into this place?

Aria couldn’t hide her confusion and she was dragged in front of the square.

“Ariadne Valentine.”

Veronica, who had her back turned, turned her head towards Aria.

“No, Ariadne Cortez.”

While calling Aria’s real name.

“She is the hidden daughter of Cortez, and the leader of the Sirens.”

A legendary monster was hiding in Valentine’s estate.

Her declaration, mixed with sadness, made the audience tremble.

“Poisoned by the siren’s song, most of the officials in the imperial palace went mad. Not only the Emperor, but even the Princess…”

She paused for a moment, then spoke in a trembling voice.

“That’s why the Princess murdered the Emperor. She broke the laws of heaven because of a monster.”

Seeing the teardrops on the Saint’s eyes, the believers gathered in the square were agitated.

“Poorly, those who were not saved easily fell for the devil’s subordinate, the siren’s temptation.”

After saying that, Veronica stretched out her arm towards Aria.

And she very readily undid the shackles from Aria’s ankles.