Chapter 95. A Saint who was Adopted by the Grand Duke
Updated: Mar 6
The information was confirmed from the group of bandits in which Lucifer fled with.
“The information from the old woman is on par with the timing of his appearance and leave. It was also said that the person called Lucifer always happened to blabber about the ‘slum’ in his drunken phases.”
“If we are already so certain, why haven't you found him yet?”
“Yes. Apparently, as the association collapsed, he was immediately introduced to another profession and became a mercenary.”
It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to say the particulars were rather precise. Now that their path had been outlined to a certain extent, it was only a matter of time before the person would be trapped in Darwin’s grasp.
“A mercenary. Anyhow, that's good. Make sure to track him until he is spotted.”
“I understand.”
After Ben left, Darwin fiddled with his glass apprehensively and opened the desk drawer.
Inside was the finely wrapped necklace that he had retrieved from the old woman.
As he unfolded the rich silk, the elaborate work of the coral-pink diamond shone mysteriously.
While Darwin held the necklace against the fulgent night sky, it felt like something was poking at him impatiently.
‘I’m somehow familiar with it.’
Darwin’s neck stiffened. He was almost sure that he witnessed this very necklace in an unthought of place.
“Where did I see it?”
Just as he wrapped his forehead and seriously sought to trace his memory, someone lightly knocked on the door to the room and slightly unlatched the knob.
Darwin swiftly returned the necklace to the drawer and glared fiercely at the perpetrator who dared to enter without his permission.
“Dad. It's me.”
It was none other than Esther who opened the door and peeked her face inside the empty space. A soft smile quickly formed Darwin’s mouth.
“Come in.”
As soon as he saw Esther, his efforts to recall the necklace seemed to have turned to dust.
Esther hesitantly approached the study, stood in front of Darwin’s desk, and greeted him with a cute smile.
“Why did you wake up from your sleep?”
“I heard the sound of a carriage.”
She instantly jumped from her bed upon hearing the sound of Darwin’s carriage as it came to a halt. She had been tossing and turning the whole night anyhow, so it didn’t matter whether she stayed in bed or not.
Esther wanted to hear what happened at the election from Darwin, so she pretended to rush because she missed him.
On the other hand, Darwin wasn’t able to control his overwhelming emotion as he thought the adorable Esther came to see him.
“Come closer.”
He pulled a small chair and sat Esther beside him.
Then, he lowered himself and asked what happened during his absence.
“Have you been well with your brothers?”
“Yes. Ah! I went to the south of the territory with my brothers. There was a slum there, too…”
Esther's short legs swung about as she chatted on.
As Darwin heartwearmingly observed the lively Esther, his expression gradually hardened.
The area Esther spoke of was the place the Temple took charge of.
As the drought worsened, he was too busy with other areas to tend to the place himself.
He offered vast donations to the Temple in return for their management, but it seemed they haven’t lifted a finger.
Darwin’s eyebrows twitched before he loosened them and praised Esther.
“Next time, I'll have to go there myself. Good job. Well done.”
He was happy that Esther and the twins accomplished what no one asked them to do. He patted her on the head.
Esther smiled as she felt Darwin’s warm touch. She then seeked a chance and carefully brought up Noah.
“Did you decide on the Crown Prince?”
Crack. Veins popped from the back of the hand Darwin stroked Esther’s head with.
He accumulated a reasonable suspicion that she was curious about Noah, rather than who was decided as the Crown Prince.
“The results aren’t out yet. The 7th Prince received overwhelming support, but as you can guess, his qualifications were held as a main topic.”
Esther's eyes rounded.
“Then what will happen?”
“I don't know. It’s been put on hold, but an official letter will soon be released.”
Esther's expression hardened. Things didn’t end as well as she had expected.
Darwin’s eyes narrowed at her change in expression. He stared suspiciously.
“Are you worried about Prince Noah?”
“What?! N-no way.”
Esther nervously moved her stiff neck and stared elsewhere.
As she turned towards the documents on the desk, she noticed a paper related to the Temple sitting in the middle.
“The boundaries of protecting the Empire… An ancient promise?”
However, as Esther read the content, Darwin pulled his hand from his chin and placed it on the desk in surprise.
“Can you interpret this?”
“Interpretation? Well, I can read it.”
Esther scrutinized the letter again, confused by his bewildered reaction.
Now that she examined it closely, the paper consisted of ancient letters rather than the Imperial alphabet.
During the time Darwin was dispatched to the eastern border, he happened to discover ancient letters engraved on a stone.
No one was able to interpret the writing , so he considered sending the script to the Temple. It was surprising how Esther could easily read the words.
“Ah, well, I can actually interpret ancient letters.”
Esther quickly explained to Darwin.
The ability to discern ancient texts was also one of the abilities bestowed upon a Saint.
For this reason, it was assumed that ancient texts originated from the Temple.
Unlike Saints, High Priests required time to master the skill, and this was by interpreting the actions of the previous messengers.
“Is that so? I was going to send it to the Temple so it could be translated…”
As Darwin thought it was fortunate he didn’t have to send the letter to the Temple, Esther immediately offered to help.
“I'll write it down next to you!”
Esther firmly insisted on doing the job despite it being late. Ironically, it wasn’t until a few moments later that the child dozed, sluggishly turning over a few pages.
Darwin smiled gently. He was appreciative of his daughter’s willingness to fight off her sleep in order to help him.
“My kind daughter.”
He glanced at the clock while brushing over Esther's messy hair as she lay on his lap. It was scarcely twelve o'clock. It would be better to return her to bed now.
He swiftly but carefully left the study so that she wouldn’t wake up, his wide strides directing him to her room on the third floor.
Esther was too immersed in her sleep to wake up to him laying her on the bed.
“Have only sweet dreams.”
Darwin closed the curtains by the window and sat beside her.
Something wriggled beneath Darwin’s feet. He looked down to find a white snake slithering about.
“You were still here.”
He knew Esther was raising the pet, but it's been a long time since their last encounter.
“Should I construct a snake house in the garden?”
He repeatedly pushed the snake away as it moved to rest beside Esther.
He even had the thought of twisting the snake’s neck, but recalling Esther’s favor towards it, he held back.
As the two immersed in a fight with Esther in the middle, a ‘meow’ sound could be heard.
As he frowned and looked under the bed, there appeared a tiny kitten.
“Ha? So the family increased?”
Darwin, a person not particularly interested in animals, held his forehead.
He shook his head. At this rate, he didn't know whether he’d end up establishing a zoo. Darwin lifted the quilt to Esther’s neck and went on his tippy-toes so she wouldn’t wake up.
As he reached the staircase, Darwin halted and turned to gaze at the room on the very end of the third floor.
At that moment, he happened to recall the necklace in his study.
“Irene?”
There was a similar relic which belonged to Irene, the wife of Darwin.
He thought it was ridiculous, but in the end, his feet reached the room at the end of the third floor.
A room which concealed things related to Irene. He unlatched the door with the key he always accompanied with him.
Kitchak. The door that hadn’t been touched in the longest time creaked open. The room was full of dust because he wished for Irene’s remnants to remain here.
Darwin slowly looked around the room. It seemed as if time had stopped. He made way through the accumulated dust.
While immersed in his dim gaze, he walked towards the portraits of Irene that hung on the wall.
Among the portraits categorized by age, Darwin stopped before a youthful version of his wife.
“I didn't see wrong.”
Darwin’s eyes shook as he gazed at the frame.
The very necklace he found with the old woman was the same one adorned on Irene's neck.
He had never witnessed the item in person, but he recalled passing by this portrait before.
Darwin clenched his fist and leaned against the wall in a state of frenzy.
“Just what is going on?”
The old woman claimed for the necklace to have been hung on Esther's neck from the very beginning.
Moreover, when he first encountered Esther, didn't he think she resembled Irene?
“By any chance… Catherine?”
Darwin wandered the room anxiously as Irene’s sister, Catherine, resurfaced his mind.
For Irene, an orphan, Catherine was her only blood.
As such, the two cared for each other terribly. Darwin often met and chatted with Catherine in the past.
Catherine desired to open a tea house, so he even invested in the store himself.
Then Catherine, an unmarried woman, suddenly claimed to be pregnant, which caused Irene to be overly upset because she wouldn’t tell her who the father was.
Catherine suddenly disappeared one day with her unborn child.
Darwin assumed she had left with the child’s father, but Irene went through a hard time.
Irene from then on became ill, and soon passed away, unable to get rid of her melancholy.
Esther, who resembled Irene.
Catherine, who disappeared while pregnant with a child. And this necklace.
Darwin frowned. Even when he didn't want to link the facts, his thoughts continued wandering that way.
He then reached an impression that perhaps his relations to Esther might have been deeper than he thought.
“Irene, did you know?”
Darwin slowly caressed Irene's portrait, his expression brimming with pain.
Time has passed, but his feelings for Irene remained the same.
“Don't worry. If there is a truth that must be revealed, I will find it somehow.”
Darwin vowed to Irene, his expression firm.
For now, he would focus on finding the man named Lucifer and thoroughly investigate Catherine’s whereabouts.
***
Hi guys! I'd like to just say a quick thank you for the comments you post at the end of the chapter, I may not respond but I really, really, really appreciate it LMAO It drives me to post more chapters, so thank you for helping me continue this story! (that's all ahaha)
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