Her mind became complicated. This time, she would have to either catch or kill Maximilian for sure, but her strength alone was not enough.

The best option would be to move the Archduke of Embly…

Cordelia tapped the armrest of the chair with her fingers before abruptly standing up. She decided she needed to meet and negotiate.

“Where is the Archduke?”

“Huh? He usually works in his office, but since the priests are arriving today, he probably went to the main gate to greet them.”

“Guide me there.”

“Ah. Yes.”

Chelsea looked reluctant but didn’t dare to block Cordelia’s way. In Embly Castle, Cordelia’s position was not that of a hostage, but a highly esteemed guest.

Following behind Chelsea, they soon reached the castle gates. As this was her first time venturing this far, having only wandered around the gardens near the main castle before, Cordelia looked around curiously as she walked.

“There he is.”

Following Chelsea’s pointing finger, Cordelia saw a group of people in white robes along with Anton. She straightened her clothes once before approaching them.

Anton was the first to notice her presence.

“Why are you here?”

“I heard that honorable guests from Yeratcus had arrived.”

Cordelia replied somewhat brazenly as she turned and bowed to the pilgrims. She knelt as she had learned from her nanny in the Leman faith’s custom.

[Le Ari. May the blessings of all things be upon you.] [It seems you haven’t forgotten the greeting I taught you.]

“Huh?”

An unforgettable voice emerged from among the group of pilgrims. Cordelia raised her half-bowed head in surprise.

“Could it be, Lani?”

“Young miss. Have you been well?”

“Lani!”

Although ten years had passed, Cordelia instantly recognized the owner of that voice. Seeing the face of the nanny who had watched over her childhood, Cordelia ran to Lani in one breath.

“My goodness, it feels like just yesterday you were at my waist, and now you’ve become a proper lady.”

“Lani! You went back to Yeratcus? Why didn’t you write? Do you know how much I missed you?”

Cordelia’s eyes had already turned red. She hugged Lani tightly after confirming her face.

“I missed you terribly too.”

Lani returned the embrace with a kind smile.

Anton and the group of pilgrims watched the tearful reunion in bewilderment. One of the pilgrims whispered to Lani in Bedos.

[Ahem. Epio Priest. Shouldn’t we greet the Archduke of Embly first?]

“Oh, my apologies. Archduke. I never imagined I would meet Miss Cordelia here, so I was rude.”

“How do you know her?”

“When I was staying with the Vasquez family, I served as a nanny for the young miss and Master Dennis.”

“You were a nanny at the Vasquez household?”

Anton expressed his surprise, looking back and forth between Cordelia and Lani.

“Yes. Lady Vasquez graciously took me in when she learned I was in trouble. It was all thanks to Ari’s grace. But Miss, what brings you to Embly?”

“Ah.”

Unable to tell the truth, Anton’s lips quivered in embarrassment. Cordelia answered with a bright smile instead.

“The Archduke of Embly here invited me. Oh, Lani. I became a magician. Like my mother.”

“A magician? It seems a lot has happened since I left.”

“Let’s go inside first.”

Anton politely interrupted between the two. Only then could the priests move their steps into the castle.

Cordelia stuck close to Lani’s side, chattering like a child. Lani also couldn’t hide her joy and happiness as she held Cordelia’s hand tightly. Seeing this, Anton quietly said,

“I thought your visit would be difficult this year. The election for the High Priest is not far off.”

“What difference would my presence make? Everything will happen according to Ari’s will.”

Lani left an ambiguous smile and words. Cordelia didn’t understand their conversation but walked along silently. At a fork in the path, Lani stopped.

“I’ll be staying in the east wing. Come visit anytime.”

“East wing? Ah, I see.”

Cordelia nodded and waved until Lani and the other priests were out of sight. Anton waited for Cordelia without leaving. When they completely disappeared from view, Cordelia lowered her hand and turned to Anton.

“Did you call the priests for Young Embly?”

“…Yes.”

“To pray for his soul?”

Anton pressed his lips tightly together. His heavy expression still made it impossible to know what he was thinking. Cordelia wanted to urge him but held back.

After a long silence, Anton opened his mouth. However, what came out was unexpected.

“Lani Epio is one of the strongest candidates for High Priest.”

“Lani?”

In Yeratcus, where religion is everything, the High Priest is a power comparable to a king. Cordelia wrinkled her nose in slight surprise.

It was hard to believe that Lani, who was just a nanny until ten years ago, was now a candidate for High Priest. The length of ten years suddenly felt more tangible.

“I knew she was originally a high-ranking priest, but I didn’t know she’d become a candidate for High Priest.”

“…She would be trustworthy.”

“Of course. Lani is such a devout and honest person. I can vouch for her.”

Cordelia said, pounding her chest. Anton gazed at Cordelia intently. He reached out and placed his hand on her shoulder very lightly, as if dust were settling.

“If Rosalyn had been as strong as you, it would have been better.”

“Though I’ve never met her, I think she was plenty strong. She protected her child until the end before departing.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

Anton smiled very faintly. That smile no longer showed pain or regret. Instead, everything looked blurry as if it would disappear at any moment. Cordelia, unknowingly frightened, grabbed his clothes tightly.

“You can’t die.”

“What?”

“You haven’t forgotten that you poisoned me, right? You said I need to take the antidote once every ten days. If the Archduke dies, I die too. And also, didn’t you say Embly’s son left a child named Daniel? You should watch your grandson grow up too. Besides, even if living feels like hell, if you endure and hold on a little longer, things eventually get better.”

She didn’t know why such words suddenly came out. It just felt like if she didn’t say something, anything, about why Anton needed to live, he looked so precarious as if he might throw himself off a cliff at any moment.

Anton removed his hand from her shoulder and took a step back.

“Go back to your room.”

“Then, no… Alright.”

She had hoped to get a definitive answer today, but it seemed he still needed time to sort out his thoughts. Cordelia trudged back to her room, leaving Anton behind.

But when she opened the door and entered the room, it was very dark with all the curtains drawn.

“Huh? Chelsea? Is anyone here?”

Cordelia fumbled as she walked towards the window to draw the curtains again. But then someone suddenly grabbed her shoulder and pulled.

“Wh-what?”

Her heart sank as she hadn’t imagined anyone hiding in the darkness. Even though the people of Embly Castle were friendly towards her, Maximilian was also here. Cordelia immediately cast a defensive magic barrier while resisting with her whole body.

“Let go!”

“Your reaction speed has improved quite a bit.”

“M-Master?”

Although her eyes hadn’t adjusted to the darkness yet and she couldn’t see his face clearly, it was definitely Leonard’s voice. As soon as Cordelia realized this, she rushed to him. She hugged his waist tightly and buried her face in his chest.

“Master! Why did you come only now? I’ve been waiting for so long. I missed you terribly. Really. To the point of dreaming about you every night.”

The longing she had suppressed without being able to speak burst out like a flood. As it sank in that Leonard was by her side, tears suddenly welled up.

A low chuckle was heard from above her head.

“It was good to be apart. You’re even saying you missed me.”

“How can you say that? I missed you the most in the world.”

“I missed you too, silly disciple.”

The warmth of his embrace was so much warmer than she expected that the tears that had been welling up rolled down her cheeks. Cordelia sniffled and hugged him even tighter.

What should this feeling be called?

Is it because he saved her life that she misses him so terribly when he’s not around and her heart races with joy when she sees him again?

“You don’t think the master can do just that much?”

“Ahh!”

Cordelia nearly fainted from shock. It felt like discovering an unexpected intruder in a space she thought was certainly just the two of them.

She jumped and looked around. Her eyes had now adjusted somewhat to the darkness, allowing her to make out shapes.

“Beluce? Wait, there’s even one more person…”

Looking around with wide eyes, she saw that even Gasil was there.

Realizing that others had seen her crying like a child and whining to Leonard about how much she missed him, Cordelia suddenly felt embarrassed. So she struggled to break free from his embrace, albeit belatedly, but Leonard didn’t budge.

“Let, let me go.”

“You said you missed me, just stay. And only the Archduke of Embly knows I’m here. That’s why the curtains are drawn.”

“The Archduke already knows?”

Cordelia looked up at Leonard, forgetting her struggle.