CH 54

Verndia didn’t want to show her to Widnix, but he also couldn’t keep her locked inside the mansion. Widnix isn’t the kind of guy who’s going around talking, so it won’t be known anywhere.

Psychke finally saw the inside of the temple where the ceremony will take place. A small lake at the end of the white pillars, which supported the ceiling. The lake shone with golden light falling from above.

Lillian, the High Priest stood on the center. While Lenox and Melissa were outside, assisting the ceremony. And the rest are her, Verndia and Widnix.

Widnix muttered seeing her.

“Why is Princess Psychke here? It wasn’t like this before.”

Psychke was unable to hear his words, so she raised her face. But right now, she seemed to be facing light green eyes which looked insensitive and when she came into her senses, Widnix was already looking straight ahead. It was the first time for him to see her this small so he must be surprised, but expectedly, he was emotionless.

Widnix pursed his lips.

“What do you think, Verndia?”

“About what?”

“The result of the ceremony.”

“Does my opinion matter?”

“Nope.”

“Then just shut up and watch.”

Psychke felt a bit embarrassed. She thought that the Duke was not with Hillace because he called them both crazy, but it looked like it was not the case. Verndia is Verndia, that even to Widnix, he didn’t want to talk much.

‘Because Evergreen’s faction is neutral.’

She doesn’t know about the circumstances of the families if it was about their abilities, but from a logical point of view, there was no reason for Verndia to hate Widnix. Her thoughts were put to rest so Psychke looked at Lillian’s direction. She was on her knees, in a prayer position while on the water, but as stable as the solid ground.

Suddenly, a question popped into Psychke’s mind.

‘Has Lillian held a ceremony in the past?’

She doesn’t know if she didn’t do the ceremony at all, or maybe she did, but no one said it to her because she was not competent as per them. At the same time, her attention was not on that, so she couldn’t remember that well.

‘If Lillian had a superpower, it would naturally come out.’

So then, what will happen to me?

‘The Duke misunderstood that I am the owner of the unmelting ice.’

If that misunderstanding is corrected, what will happen to me? Suddenly, shiver ran down to her spine. That ability is something she didn’t want to give to anyone.

It was already enough to be mistaken, locked up, and had a hard time alone in Silkisia.  However, seeing that she felt like this, she seemed to be attached to him.

‘I shouldn’t be like this.’

Her desire to rely on to someone, and the desire not to be so collided at the same time, nauseous rose. She covered her mouth her hand and right then a large hand wrapped around her feet. As soon as she lifted her eyes, his purple eyes came into vision, which were so near.

“You must be thinking about weird idea again.”

Verndia turned his back to Widnix and whispered so that only she could hear it.

“Do you know what you look like right now, Princess? I feel like you’re about to bite your tongue and die.”

“I will not die.”

“That is what I am saying. Tsk, you’re being stingy.”

Verndia took out his clean handkerchief and rolled it around her body like a blanket.

“I think this is the 50th time I am talking about it. There is no such thing as an illusion in my life. And even if it is an illusion.”

His self-confidence, as splendid as his superpowers, burned fiercely. Like it was begging her to believe him. Psychke inhaled and held her breath.

“I will not turn away from the princess. No, I can’t.”

“…”

“Don’t you think we’ve come too far for that? There are a few secrets of mine that only the Princess knows.”

His long fingers nudged her forehead playfully.

“It is I, not the princess, who needs to be looked after. It’s not the princess who should be nervous, it’s me.”

“…”

“I want this. You’re small like a mouse bean, so there’s no way others can even touch you.”

Grinning, he put her in his pocket. It was a bonus that he made a footstool with his hands so that she could see the outside. As her feet touched his hand, her face heated up.

‘Wh, why are you doing this?’

She doesn’t think that the Duke used his ability to her, but why was her forehead so hot? She rubbed her forehead where his fingers touched. The fingers where his purple fire started, but one side of her chest felt warm. She wanted this kind of warmth to stay longer.

She squeezed the edge of his pocket and half covered her face. The hem of her clothes touching the tip of her nose conveyed his scent.

‘Ugh.’

It wasn’t even once or twice, but her heart raced wildly. With the ring, she clenched her teeth tightly to keep her feelings from being shared and pressed hard against her heart.

He snapped his fingers which caught her attention.

“Look closely at the color of the water.”

The ceremony was nearing its end. He was pouring golden holy water over Lillian’s head as she murmured words that the High Priestess could not understand.

“If it won’t change at all, it means no.”

“If you have a superpower, what color will it turn into?”

“Blue.”

Hearing his voice, Widnix immediately intervened.

“It changes to the color unique to that ability. It’s a rare opportunity to see the color of holy water change, but the princess is lucky.”

“What b*llsh*t are you talking about again, Widnix?”

“Literally.”

Widnix didn’t even look at them and brainwashed them.

“It is changing.”

“…. Hmm?”

He was not surprised but he still opened his eyes.

It was as Widnix said.

The color of her holy water was changing from where Lillian’s feet touched.

Shhhwaaa-

“Black…. color?”

It was painted as sinister Black.

“What is this?!”

“Nonsense. Black?!”

“Was there any situation like this?!”

The priests outside the lake were flustered.

The same goes to for Lenox, Melissa, Lillian, and even the high priest who oversaw the ceremony. Then, at some point, the High Priest, who came to his senses, hit the water surface with his stuff.

“Quiet!”

Strangely, something like a clear bell rang out everywhere.

“What kind of insolence in front of Holy Vicente?!”

“But high priest-!”

“This is the first time-”

“How can we count all of God’s will? It’s something we need to check step by step. Princess Silkisia, move your seat for a while…”

The high priest’s voice gradually faded. It was a windless room, but waves were rising on the black lake. Waves the size of a house started at the edge and gathered in the center. Then, at some point while in the air, jut before it poured over Lillian and the High Priest, it started to stick together.

It was a huge black orb.

“God’s word!”

Someone pointed a finger at the black orb and shouted. The high priest did not point out that someone’s rudeness. It was because he has lost his mind over the oracle for the first time in over a hundred years.

The black orb was split into two exactly as if it had been cut with a knife. Then each of them turned into parchment and slowly fell off. The high priest politely accepted the two parchments with trembling hands. Psychke’s blue eyes, which had been silently watching the situation, shook.

‘What?’

Sensing the ominous feeling, her chest trembled wildly. Things that had happened before she turn back time quickly passed through her mind. But no matter how much she recalled, this oracle never appeared in that first timeline.

What is this, what the hell is this.

“It’s definitely different from the past.”

A dry voice tore the air. Her chest sank. Psychke looked up.

“Isn’t that so, princess?”

Light green eyes that lacked the slightest hint of warmth were directed at her.

***

Vicente’s temple was closed immediately after hundreds of years of trust. Lillian’s unprecedented discrimination of black holy water was buried without much attention. It goes without saying how great the uproar was due to the trust.

“For now, take this.”

Returning to the mansion, Verndia gave Psychke an artifact in the shape of a brooch that Lia had repaired. When she reached for the brooch, her body returned to its original size. But what weird was that the clothes she was wearing grew as well.

‘Maybe it’s because she became smaller with the power of God.’

For some reason, Verndia felt sad.

“You can’t wear bells anymore.”

“Yes?”

“Nothing.”

He added, erasing his sad expression.

“You better not use that more than twelve hours a day, because there are side effects. To solve what is happening to you, hmm, according to the High Priest, I need Widnix’s help.”

Is that why Stella brought up the perfume? He almost threatened the high priest, who was flustered by Lillian’s oracle, and got an answer. He pressed his lips.

“Because I once said I’d burn the whole East Coast down if he talks b*llsh*t one more time.”

“You didn’t do that in the temple, did you?”

“It was in the past. As you can see Princess, I’m not the kind of person who likes things like that.”

He concluded by saying that since he was distracted by the ceremony, he did not think he could expect help right away.

“Let’s keep in touch with him.”

Psychke agreed.

Since she had no contact with Widnix, she had no choice but to lean on Verndia.

A few days later, however, the emperor summoned the three dukes, and Verndia had to leave the mansion early in the morning according to the emperor’s order.

Widnix came to visit her.