A New Life After Divorce - Chapter 124

Edmund and I sat side by side, facing Lova.

Lova glared at Edmund with sharp, piercing eyes, clearly displeased. But Edmund, unfazed, simply sipped his tea with grace.

Both of them waited silently for me to speak.

Once I had moistened my throat enough, I set down my teacup and wiped my lips with my fingertips.

There was something I needed to clarify first.

“What you want, Lova, is to publicly announce the prophecy of the ‘Child of Dawn’ and my ‘Purification’ ability in order to restore the temple’s influence, correct?”

“That is correct.”

Lova answered without hesitation.

As expected. Edmund frowned, and I nudged his arm with my elbow.

‘We anticipated this. Relax your brows.’

At my whisper, Edmund let out a deep sigh and slightly eased his expression.

However, his gaze toward Lova was still sharp, as if he could bite at any moment.

It was only natural for Edmund to be angry. If this became public, I would have to prove my power, and that would mean putting my life at risk.

Of course, my plan was to go along with them for a while and then use the temple’s ethical image to escape. I could frame myself as a special figure in need of protection, ensuring I would never have to use my abilities again.

But no matter what, who could stay calm when a loved one’s life was at stake?

‘He’s managing to stay rational only because we agreed on this beforehand…’

I looked up at Edmund anxiously.

As expected, his deadly aura had not faded.

“Priest Lova, are you saying that you wish to trade Etricia’s life for the temple’s power? It seems your god has raised quite the fine disciple.”

“Do not insult me. And it seems your words are rather short. I am clearly older than you.”

“I do not worship your god, nor do I belong to the temple. Why should I speak formally to you? If you care so much about hierarchy, I can remind you of it.”

“……”

Lova bit his lips in silence. If rank were to be considered, Edmund, the empire’s only duke, was superior.

I widened my eyes in surprise at Lova’s inability to respond.

Lova was known for his quick thinking and exceptional social skills. He wasn’t the type to lose composure like this.

The tension between them grew as their gazes clashed like sparks.

I barely held back a laugh and decided to step in.

“Lova, first, I want to thank you.”

Lova relaxed his gaze and looked at me in confusion.

“I was so overwhelmed that I forgot to express my gratitude. Thanks to you, I was able to uncover the cause of the monsters appearing in the Buell territory and awaken as the ‘Child of Dawn.’”

“……”

Lova pressed his lips together tightly, his expression betraying a pang of guilt.

‘At least he’s aware of it.’

His so-called kindness had always come with ulterior motives.

But even knowing this, I had willingly played along. Because of him, I had been able to save Edmund.

That didn’t mean I intended to keep being used by Lova.

As a child, I had been manipulated by his ambitions, forced into endless purification experiments and training.

Back then, I had been a lonely child who craved his affection.

That same longing had once clouded my judgment, leading me into a marriage with Devon.

‘Please, save the world. Only you can save the High Priest and restore the temple’s honor, Lady Etricia.’

As a child, I had felt a sense of superiority.

I had foolishly believed I was special to him.

As I grew older, I realized that his kindness was not pure. The thought of losing everything as the ‘Child of Dawn’ terrified me.

‘And so, I began to avoid the temple.’

I turned to look at Edmund, who was watching me intently.

Since my divorce, I had been working toward a new life. My ultimate goal was this man.

For Edmund, I would protect myself. Because if I didn’t, he would once again sacrifice everything for me.

‘If I don’t protect myself, I protect nothing at all.’

I would never let Lova control me again.

Taking a deep breath, I looked at Lova with calm determination.

“I owe you a favor, so I will agree to your request.”

Lova’s face immediately brightened.

“However, there are conditions.”

“Conditions…?”

Lova narrowed his eyes in caution.

There were many conditions—my freedom would not be restricted, Lebron Mine would not belong to the temple, the number of purification uses would be limited, and while my abilities could be announced, my identity would remain secret.

But those details could come later.

I lifted my gaze with a solemn expression.

“Until this case is resolved, you must help us.”

“This case?”

I glanced at Edmund, who gave a small nod of approval before I spoke.

“Do you remember the tragedy in the duchy about nine years ago? The truth is…”

After I explained everything, Lova’s face twisted in horror. But at the same time, he seemed as if he had expected it.

Lova lowered his gaze and spoke in a heavy voice.

“So it’s true… monsters can turn into humans. To be honest, Lady Etricia, the Magic Tower hesitated to make an official announcement.”

“Why?”

“Once they realized the Buell incident was the same as the previous duchy tragedy, doubts arose about whether Duke Mipedian’s testimony had been true all along. If the truth were revealed, even civilians might start questioning their surroundings. The Magic Tower always acts in its own best interests and avoids unnecessary entanglements.”

Just as he said, the Magic Tower was part of the empire but operated independently.

That was why Edmund and I wanted to handle Lunox quietly.

The victims’ pain should never be used as an experiment or for profit.

If the truth about monsters living among humans spread, the empire—and the world—would fall into chaos.

I nodded in understanding and continued.

“The truth is, the monster came looking for me.”

Lova turned pale.

His eyes darted over me, scanning for injuries.

“Are you all right? Did it harm you?!”

“I’m fine. But if we leave it unchecked, who knows what might happen next.”

The duchy’s tragedy could repeat itself.

I couldn’t bear the thought of another victim like Edmund.

Edmund unconsciously wrapped his arm around my shoulders.

I gave him a faint smile before speaking again.

“The day of the final battle is approaching. To prepare, we need to find the maid. And for that, we need your help.”

“What kind of help…?”

“We need the ‘Mirror of Mind.’”

Lova’s calm expression crumbled.

“Lady Etricia, what are you saying right now? You know what the ‘Mirror of the Mind’ is.”

“I do.”

The “Mirror of the Mind.”

An ancient artifact that shows the thoughts of the person looking into it and reveals the location of the object they’re thinking about.

Only the High Priest has the authority to use it, and it was once used in wartime to find the Saint.

Unfortunately, it cannot locate things with dark energy, like monsters or purification stones. If it could, we would’ve looked for Lova first to find Lunox.

I took a quiet breath and looked at Lova again.

“The High Priest is asleep, but as his assistant and deputy, you have the authority to use it.”

Lova rubbed his forehead and sighed like he had a headache.

Then suddenly, as if something came to mind, he lifted his head.

“I also have a condition.”

“A condition?”

Just as Lova was about to speak, Edmund slammed his hand on the table and stepped between us.

“Unbelievable. Taking life force isn’t enough now?”

His voice was as cold as ice, and even I felt a chill.

While Lova was flustered, Edmund stood up and looked down at me.

“Let’s go. It’s better to release the knights and search the entire empire.”

It looked like he might lift me up and carry me out of the temple at any moment.

Lova broke into a cold sweat and jumped to his feet.

“P-please calm down, Duke.”

“Calm down?”

Edmund ground his teeth and looked at Lova.

“What excuse do you have, trying to gain something from my fiancée’s life?”

Faced with such harsh energy, Lova couldn’t say anything and simply licked his lips.

It was the first time I saw him so flustered—twice now.

Because of that, I realized he was the type who struggled when dealing with direct or unpredictable people. A type I hadn’t seen in the temple before.

Lova, looking a little down, spoke softly.

“That’s not it… I was going to ask you to meet the High Priest, just once…”

“The High Priest?”

I frowned.

When I saw him during the memorial prayer, he had made the same request.

Was he going to say again that I’m the only one who can bring the High Priest back to life? That ridiculous thing?

Seeing my sharp gaze, Lova let out a regretful sigh and lowered his eyes.

“He is the foundation of the temple. If he wakes up, the temple will regain its dignity. No one will dare say we’re weak in battle or call us useless. He is living history… the beginning and the end…”

“He’s been asleep for decades now.”

It was true—the temple had started fading from people’s memories ever since the High Priest slept and Lebron appeared.

As the head of the Buell family, I felt a little responsible, and I also felt weak against Lova’s persistent request.

I sighed, closed my eyes tightly, then opened them again.

“I can’t promise that I’ll be able to wake him.”

“…!”

Lova, who had looked discouraged, suddenly lifted his head.

“T-then…!”

“I’ll go meet him.”

“L-Lady Etricia…”

Lova’s eyes filled with tears of gratitude.

“Etricia.”

Suddenly feeling a sting at the top of my head, I looked up.

Edmund had his arms crossed and was leaning crookedly on the table, giving me an unhappy look.

I awkwardly moved my lips into a smile.

“I said I’ll only meet him, not use my ‘purification’ ability.”

He stared at me for a long time, then finally let out a deep sigh.

“Coming to the temple in the first place was a mistake.”

Meanwhile, Lova, who had come around the table in excitement, tried to hug me but stopped when he saw Edmund’s threatening glare.

“Ahem, your fiancé is quite aggressive.”

“Etricia, may I cut off this man’s tongue?”

May I? I glanced at him with a teasing look and ended up laughing, feeling the tension fade.

Soon after, we followed Lova’s lead and headed to the Glass Garden, where the High Priest was kept.

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