CH 7

Duke Gracie tilted his head as if he could not believe it at all. The thin creases between his eyebrows clearly showed that he distrusted my words.

Indeed, it was ridiculous. The two of us just met last night. But asked me if I could save his granddaughter’s life?

It was naturally absurd from Duke Gracie’s POV. Strangely, however, he felt a strange certainty when he met Lobelia’s emerald eyes. Just like how their relationship wasn’t just like a coincidence… It was a truly absurd premonition.

“First of all, I gave her medicine. She calmed down a little bit, but…” Allison, who stood awkwardly between the two, looked at their faces and blurted the end of his words.

Princess Gracie, Bella’s illness was not something that could be healed by a doctor. At most, the doctor could only delay her death, even just a little bit.

Duke Gracie stared blankly at Bella with a pale face. The painkiller made her look better, but she still suffered. Right, he was in a position where he could try whatever to save her.

Duke Gracie sent Allison out first because she wanted to listen to her. As he left, Duke Gracie spoke cautiously. “What do you mean by that? You can save my granddaughter? My granddaughter has been like this for three months… She’s not even conscious.”

“To me…” Hesitant, I blurted the end of my words. There was no way to guarantee this person was different from Kriella. He might just use me and not listen to what I wanted.

However, I had to do something. This revenge and resentment filled my heart to the point where my hands were shaking. If I didn’t solve this, I would use my power to become a demon.

“I have holy power, Duke.”

The rest was all I had to think about then. I threw out my words with a feeling of gambling.

“Holy power?”

At my words, his pupils dilated as if struck by lightning.

Holy power was the power given to the Shinsu clan along with mana. If the Shinsu clan had remained so far, his granddaughter wouldn’t have been sick for this long.

He looked bitterly at Bella, who was suffering on her bed. The sight of his granddaughter, who was groaning in a cold sweat, was so sad that he would rather take all her pain instead.

“Isn’t holy power the power of the Shinsu clan? You… are you saying that you’re the descendant of the disappeared Shinsu clan?”

Knowing it could not be the case, the Duke of Gracie stared intently at Lobelia’s face. He looked like he was trying to find something like a treasure.

“…I’m not a member of the Shinsu clan. But…” I rolled my brain and blurted out the end of my speech.

Five years had passed since I had been pushed by Magorit’s hand. Until then, my mother even sealed my mana to hide that I was the last descendant of the Shinsu clan. I didn’t know the current situation was going on or what kind of person Duke Gracie was, but I couldn’t reveal my identity.

Except for the Shinsu clan, only one person can have holy power.

Having finally found the excuse, I slowly parted my lips. “My ancestors once said to be priests of high repute before.”

“Priest?”

Priest was a status that honored and worshiped the Shinsu clan like a god. After receiving the holy power from the Shinsu clan, they used it to run the temple and heal the injured. Of course, no single priest was left in the Tiazen Empire who could use the holy power except for the High Priest, who was barely maintaining his holy power.

“Yes. So, my mother told me I have the holy power inherited from my ancestors. With that power… I can save the Princess’s life.”

“Haa…”

Even more, worry piled up on Duke Gracie’s worried face. He sighed deeply and ran a slow brush through his white beard.

When the Shinsu clan disappeared 20 years ago, all the priests also disappeared. The power of the priests was based on the Shinsu clan, but since the Shinsu clan disappeared, it was natural for their power to disappear too. Until now, he had never heard or seen the story of a priest with remaining holy power. If there was such a person, they would have been revered as a saint.

“Hmm…”

However, even if her words were lies, he felt that he wanted to hold on to that straw. Duke Gracie pressed his temple as if he had a headache, then opened his mouth again. “Do something. I can grant… any favor you ask.”

“Yes.”

Responding decisively, I drew closer to the bed where Bella was lying. Even with my mana sealed, I saved Endimion from being attacked by a monster using the power of my pendant. Besides, my power had grown so strong that I could clearly feel that it was flowing through my entire body.

I can do it.  Of course, I can. My eyes lengthened sideways. I lifted my power from the lower abdomen

At that moment, a golden light that was so blinding enveloped Lobelia’s entire body. Duke Gracie’s mouth opened slowly. A miraculous power, wonderfully beautiful. The moment that brilliant light touched Bella,

“Uumm…”

Her eyes slowly opened.

“Bella!”

“Grandfather…?”

“Allison, Allison!”

As Bella raised herself, Duke Gracie raised his voice and called Allison. The door burst open, and Allison hurriedly entered the room. Then, as soon as he saw Bella open her eyes, he opened his mouth in surprise.

“H-How…!”

“Hurry up and check her condition!”

Allison urgently checked Bella’s condition at Duke Gracie’s command. Having grasped her pulse, he couldn’t properly speak as if he couldn’t believe it at all.

“No, how could this happen…”

“My body, it feels so light…” Bella’s red eyes twinkled, and her voice trembled.

“I think I could get up…”

“What…?”

“Can you give me a hand…?”

Since she began to suffer from the disease, her body has weakened to the point where she cannot even take a walk. The more she didn’t move, the less strength her legs became, and soon she couldn’t move around the room properly without a wheelchair.

“My dear, it’s too much…”

But now Bella,

“Grandfather…”

Holding Lobelia’s hand, who was closest to her, she stood up on the floor.

“I stand up…!”

Duke Gracie blocked his mouth because he was choked with tears. Despite his blurred vision, his granddaughter, who had been sick for a long time, was standing tall in his eyes.

“I got up again…!”

The golden eyelashes trembled miserably. Soon tears of joy filled it.

“I… again…”

Her voice trembled as if her throat was choking.

“I’m not dying…? I can live…?”

“…Yes, right, Sweetheart.”

Duke Gracie could no longer hold back his tears and hugged Bella tightly. “You can live. You can…”

They cried together for a long time.

I looked at Duke Gracie and Bella for a long time. The two of them were crying so sadly that even my eyes turned red. Their faces overlapped with me and my mother, and me with Merilly.

At the same time, the tears that wet my eyes slowly dried up. Soon, my face, which seemed to be suffering as I held back my tears, became cold, like a person with no emotions.

Don’t be moved by their story. I put ice on the top of my warmly beating heart and covered it again.

Now that I had shown my power, it was my turn to be wary of being betrayed. Somehow, with an uncomfortable heart, I cautiously left the room full of emotion. Whatever they did, he said that she hadn’t regained consciousness for three months, so they should have time to relax.

I turned my steps towards the room in which I had woken up. Hmm? As I headed to my room, I saw portraits hanging on the wall. Are they portraits of Duke Gracies from generation to generation?

I looked at the portraits one by one. Everyone had gorgeous blond hair as if their hair shining like gold was characteristic of the Gracie family. While looking at the portraits for a long time, I suddenly stopped in front of a portrait.

Huh…? I couldn’t take my eyes off the portrait hanging right next to the current Duke Gracie. The slightly drooping, good-looking eyes were impressive, but I didn’t stop because of that.

That bracelet… The man had a bracelet on his wrist, with a pendant and blue gem attached. I took out the pendant hidden in my clothes and fiddled with it. Although it was a very ordinary shape, it was definitely the same color and design.

I frowned, unable to hide my surprise. What is this…? For some reason, I felt uneasy. Did the fact that I was founded by Duke Gracie mean something?

I blinked my eyes quickly and turned my head to the side. Then, a large shadow fell in front of my eyes. I slowly raised my head. The identity of it was,

God…?

A statue of a god. That, too, was exactly just like my mother.