A New Life After Divorce - Chapter 122

Ahem. I cleared my throat to break the awkward silence.

“Anyway, it’s strange. If that man was a monster, why didn’t he kill me?”

Edmund frowned, seemingly displeased with my choice of words.

I gave an awkward smile and corrected myself.

“Alright, not kill. Threaten. It’s strange that he didn’t threaten me.”

His expression softened, and he fell into quiet contemplation. After a while, he spoke.

“…Perhaps he recognized your ‘Purification’ ability.”

“He recognized my ability?”

“Saintesses used the life-draining ‘Purification’ ability not for destruction but as an experiment in reformation. Lunox, who had been sealed in the purification stone, was likely one such subject. If he had been exposed to divine power for a long time, his resistance would be lower, making it easier for him to recognize your ability.”

“But if he knew about my ability, wouldn’t I have been a threat to him?”

After all, I not only wielded ‘Purification’ but also threatened his existence through Lebron’s commercialization.

“…”

Edmund met my gaze with concern, silently acknowledging my point.

Just as we were sinking deeper into unanswered questions—

Knock, knock. A knock echoed through the room.

“Come in.”

Edmund leaned back on the sofa, his tone cold as if he already knew who it was.

Soon, Tale entered. His usually composed expression held a subtle tension.

“What is it?”

Tale glanced at me, his lips parting slightly before hesitating. He was silently asking me to step aside.

Just as I was about to rise, Edmund stopped me.

“I told you, there’s nothing you shouldn’t know.”

He motioned for Tale to proceed.

“Yes, well… It’s about the maid’s mother from the magic stone management department. It seems she has regained her sanity and started speaking.”

“Is that true?”

A maid? Her mother? That sounded familiar.

Seeing my confusion, Edmund explained calmly.

“This is about the matter I mentioned when I told you we were tracking the monster. On the day of the incident, we received a report that a maid from the magic stone management department was acting suspiciously. Given the monster’s appearance at the ducal estate, we suspected she was involved, so we took custody of her mother.”

Ah, right. Now I remembered. Edmund had not only speculated that the monster freed itself but also considered the possibility of an external force at play.

“It must be the result of all those years of research in the Zeder Forest.”

He had spent years revisiting and analyzing that hellish time.

I couldn’t help but admire his dedication and keen insight.

Edmund continued in a measured tone.

“I became more convinced after you mentioned what you learned from Verita about the monsters. The dead maid from the magic stone management department must have been the one who placed the purification stone.”

“So, you believe the maid was the monster’s contractor.”

Edmund simply gave me a firm look, as if confirming my thoughts.

“Edmund, then we should question the maid’s mother to find the contractor. If we threaten her, we might also find the monster—”

Edmund shook his head decisively.

“Why not?”

“The maid is already dead.”

“She’s dead?”

I blinked in surprise.

The maid was dead? Then why was the monster still alive?

That didn’t make sense.

A monster’s contractor must be human.

The contract requires a soul with a deep desire.

The contractor’s heart is bound by chains upon making the contract. That was why Viscountess Dien died of heart failure.

By that logic, if the viscountess had died first, the monster should have died as well.

Lost in thought, I murmured blankly,

“That maid… she might still be alive.”

Edmund frowned, puzzled.

“What do you mean?”

“If the maid was the monster’s contractor, she might still be alive.”

Clatter—Tale stumbled back, bumping into a bookshelf in shock.

He stared at me, eyes wide as lanterns, covering his mouth with his hand.

“H-How did you know? The mother claims the maid—her daughter—is still alive. The physician suggests her mental faculties are impaired, causing memory distortion.”

At that moment, Edmund and I exchanged glances in midair.

“Then right away—”

I sprang up but froze when I noticed my attire and the dark sky outside. Realizing my mistake, I laughed awkwardly and looked down at Edmund.

“Shall we go… tomorrow?”

Edmund nodded and stood, slowly curling his lips into a smirk. He took my hand and pressed a soft kiss to the back of it.

“You must be exhausted. Don’t worry about anything tonight and get some rest. As long as I am by your side, you will be safe.”

“Thank you.”

I smiled gently at his warmth.

That evening, Edmund ordered increased patrols and security around the mansion and Buell territory. Meanwhile, I requested additional Lebron ore from Baron Totair for extra defense.

We were tightening the net around the monster. And at last, after a long wait, the monster revealed itself.

The day of reckoning was approaching.

Following Edmund, we arrived at a small village.

Though small, the village thrived on fertile land, producing and trading crops.

The arrival of a carriage accompanied by knights stirred a commotion among the villagers, who were already busy working early in the morning.

They had never encountered such a situation before, unsure whether to bow, kneel, or pretend not to notice us.

“Come here! Don’t go there!”

The adults tried to restrain the children running around us.

I gestured for them not to scold the children. Just seeing them playing freely was enough to tell me this was a peaceful village.

“It’s a good village.”

Edmund nodded slightly and signaled to Tale, who promptly led us further away from the village.

We soon arrived at a house. The woman had originally lived in a crumbling hut but had been moved here for medical care.

Sunlight streamed into the room, illuminating an old woman groaning in bed.

Her right face was paralyzed, and she looked frail.

Seeing us, she reached out a trembling hand.

I stepped forward and took it.

“Etricia.”

Edmund called my name, stopping me.

“It’s fine. She’s just a patient. She can’t harm me.”

Though she was the mother of a traitor, she was now just a mother searching for her lost child.

The woman tried to speak.

Recognizing her struggle, Edmund signaled a knight to bring writing materials.

The woman’s shaky hands scribbled something before weakly holding it out to me.

Her frail body trembled, but her eyes burned with determination, like a warrior facing battle.

I read it.

The letters were barely legible, but after careful observation, I deciphered the message: Forgive me. Find my daughter.

The old woman slowly got up and knelt on the bed. Then, lowering her head, she rubbed her dry hands together. Tears flowed down her wrinkled cheeks without a chance to dry.

“Uhh… uhh…”

As if she knew her daughter had committed a crime, and as if she knew we were the victims, she begged and begged with a face full of guilt.

I bit my lip, unable to stop her as she kept bowing with her thin, frail body. I couldn’t stop her. She was doing the only thing she could right now.

This woman had lost her daughter overnight.

Even if her insides were torn apart and her flesh rubbed with salt, could it compare to the pain of losing her child?

I turned my eyes away. My eyes stung, but I kept them wide open to hold back the tears.

To me, she was a grieving mother who had lost her child. But to Edmund, she was nothing more than the mother of the criminal.

I could never show pity or cry for her in front of Edmund.

For the sake of the countless victims of monsters, including the late duke and duchess.

Just as I strengthened my heart, a warm hand held mine.

I looked up at Edmund in surprise. He was looking at me gently, as if telling me it was okay to cry.

My nose tingled.

Thank you…

Unable to let the tears fall, I pressed my forehead against his shoulder and swallowed the sobs.

Inside the carriage heading to the mansion.

There was silence.

It was Edmund, lost in thought, who spoke first.

“As you guessed, the maid is alive.”

“How can you be sure? The maid’s mother might be lying. Or maybe, like the doctor said, her memory is distorted.”

Edmund glanced at me, then smiled with a wrinkled brow.

“There’s no need to deny it. You believe it too, don’t you? So do I. I’m sure there’s something—something you can’t explain with words—that tells us, through blood, that she’s alive.”

I rubbed my eyes and smiled awkwardly, embarrassed he had seen right through me. Just like he said, I had avoided looking at him because I felt guilty.

“Sorry for crying. To you, she’s just the mother of a traitor.”

“You act like you’re not, but I know you’re someone with a kind heart and full of tears. I feel hurt when you try to hide it.”

Edmund reached out and gently cooled my sore eyes with his cool hand.

I gave a faint smile and leaned into his touch. His warmth, embracing every part of me, was so lovely.

“That’s probably why I feel I can be honest about my emotions in front of you.”

Taking a deep breath to continue the conversation, I cleared my slightly hoarse voice and moved his hand away.

“More importantly, we have to find the maid.”

Only then can we understand everything clearly—and maybe find the monster’s weakness.

Edmund rubbed his brow, looking troubled.

“But we can’t just go around looking for her with a portrait like we did with the monster.”

“Don’t worry. There’s a way.”

Though…

“We have to go to the temple.”

Once again, I needed Lova’s help.

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