When Eliz finished, she had plenty of time before Donovan arrived. This time she had ordered a comfortable dress suitable for the longer journey. Alobela had brought a flowing dress in a deep purple color. The sleeves were palm length, sheer, tight fitting, and rose-patterned. Eliz also ordered a scarf as well. She still could not shake the horrible tingling sensation on her neck and felt the need to cover it. She felt a little better as she tied the scarf around her neck.
"Alobela, have four capes ready. The most inconspicuous ones you can find." Said Eliz as she made her way to the door.
Alobela was confused for the first time in a long time, but she bowed that she understood. The young lady was in a strange mood today, and her morning sickness made her anxious. She decided to keep watching her young lady for the time being.
Eliz walked briskly, frowning at everything around her. She still unconsciously touched her neck occasionally.
She went directly to the wing designated for the guards. That is their rooms, the dining room, the armory—barracks sort of. The House Von Roseblood was not poor and naturally maintained its armed forces. Of course, the royal crown only allowed the nobility a certain number of armed forces. This was done to avoid major conflicts and a rebellion against the crown. Anyone caught secretly raising an army was accused of treason and executed without trial.
The guard wing was bustling with activity. Guards in armor came or went, probably on their way back from or on their way to patrols. Some were dressed more casually, but by the ragged appearance, they were in training. Few looked truly relaxed; they were probably the lucky ones who had the day off.
Nevertheless, everyone who saw Eliz stopped and bowed immediately, exchanging confused and surprised looks. Young Lady Elizabeth never came in the wing of the guards.
Eliz noticed the looks but ignored them and instead walked over to the nearest guard. "Where is the captain?" She asked.
The man in the simple clothing that most guards wore under their armor was concerned by the young lady's intense gaze.
"This... Lady Elizabeth. Straight down the corridor and through the last door." He pointed and bowed again.
Eliz nodded and headed in that direction. The poor guard behind her sighed in relief. He regretted coming back here to change his clothes. Fortunately, nothing had happened.
Eliz did not know how she had frightened the guard. But even if she had, she would not have cared. Unfortunately, her bad reputation had taken root in her own home too.
Eliz reached the last door of the long hallway, which was the largest, and a sign hung on the wall next to the door.
'Liani Backhorn - Captain of the Guard'
Eliz knocked and heard a woman's voice, so she entered. She found herself in a small office consisting mainly of a large desk and chair. Another door led away from the office; Eliz guessed it was the captain's private quarters.
On either side of the desk were a large number of papers stacked neatly on top of each other. Behind the desk sat a middle-aged woman, but she was still quite pretty. She was wearing some lighter armor that covered only the vital areas of her body; the rest was just hardened leather. Everything was in the colors of blue and white. The woman had her black hair combed up and held together with a cape.
[https://i.ibb.co/9cDGc7h/74154.png]
The woman raised her dark blue eyes to Eliz, and Eliz noticed the tattoo the woman had on the center of her forehead. Eliz could only guess what it meant.
"Lady Elizabeth. What a surprise." Said the woman in a surprisingly rather husky voice and rose from her seat.
Eliz looked after her, closed the door, and approached the table. "It's true; this is my first time here. Is that a problem?" Eliz asked.
Captain Liani Backhorn immediately shook her head dismissively. "Of course not, my lady."
Eliz nodded and looked at the markings on her chest. Enhanced Berserker. Rank 4. Eliz raised an eyebrow in surprise. Aside from the fact that Rank 4 was really high, she had not expected her to be a Berserker. But no matter. Her Rank was more than adequate.
"I need your services, Captain Backhorn," Eliz announced.
The captain frowned. "Is there a problem, my lady?" She asked anxiously. She was unaware that there was a disturbance anywhere on the estate.
Eliz twisted her wrist. "Not yet. But I will need your services all day long."
Captain Backhorn frowned. "My lady, I have many duties. If it is convenient, I can assign you a suitable guard." She offered, but Eliz could see the displeasure in her eyes.
Eliz suspected that the captain of the guard didn't think well of her at this moment.
"Do you have anyone who is ranked 4 as well?" Eliz asked.
Captain Backhorn hesitated. "I am afraid they all accompany your father and mother." She replied.
"In that case, it must be you." Eliz nodded her head.
"My lady, surely there would be..." the captain's gruff voice became even gruffer.
"That's an order, Captain Backhorn." Eliz interrupted, staring at her insistently.
The captain fell silent and returned her gaze. Eliz saw the captain clench her jaw before exhaling a long breath.
"Excellent. Please allow me to turn the duties over to my second-in-command, and I'll be at your service immediately." She began to walk around the table.
Eliz raised her hand to stop her. "There's no need to be in such a hurry. Take your time and do what you need to do. The first thing I want you to do is this as soon as our guest arrives. Donovan Hephisto and I will go with him to Eren's room. As soon as we enter, I want you to stand by the door and prevent young Lord Hephisto from leaving the room if necessary." Eliz gave her instructions.
Captain Backhorn paused and frowned anxiously. "My lady. We cannot lay hands on a nobleman without reason." She warned her.
Eliz hated these rules. "It's all right. I do not think Donovan will fight. And you do not have to worry. I have really good reasons. But I can not share them with you."
Captain Backhorn closed her eyes momentarily as if trying to get the strength from somewhere to be patient.
"Yes, my lady. And what would you wish me to do next?"
Eliz could only consent to the captain's attitude. "Then you will accompany me, Eren, and young Lord Hephisto to the capital."
Liani Backhorn bit her tongue and nodded. "I understand, my lady. I will have the carriage prepared."
Eliz nodded in satisfaction. "Very well. I am counting on you, Captain Backhorn. And let the carriage be unmarked by the Von Roseblood family." With these words, she said goodbye and left.
The captain sighed heavily in her lonely office. "Spoiled brat." She muttered.
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Eliz returned to the main part of the estate just in time to see Donovan arrive. It was really strange to have to repeat all that at once. Eliz ran her hand over her throat, hoping it would be different this time. Because if she lost her life this time, that would be the end of her. She could not afford to make a mistake.
She opened her system window and looked at the status.
Name: Elizabeth Von Roseblood Role: Minor Villainess Position: Visitor number 247 -> 301 Cycle number: 1 Number of available revivals: 1 -> 0 Number of failures: 0 -> 1 Number of followers: 1 Finance: 3321 gold Property: 1 Roseblood Blue Rose Estate in the Eastern Province Achievements: - Big Sister Bonuses: -
Her stomach was cramped at all these red numbers. No, there was no way she was going to screw this up.
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She closed the window, and when Donovan reached the door, she opened it before he could knock.
Donovan was momentarily surprised to be greeted in person, but he immediately calmed down, clasped one hand behind his back, placed the other on his heart, and bowed.
"Elizabeth. What an honor to have you greet me in person." He said, but Eliz could hear the tension in his voice.
"It's no problem at all, Donovan." Eliz forced herself to smile but immediately turned away and went inside.
"Please follow me. I will take you directly to Eren." She said. Donovan had no choice but to follow her. Eliz used the same strategy as before and just chatted casually. Donovan had the same reaction as before. Eliz got a slight chill. It was strange. Not like a déjà vu feeling, but a real déjà vu.
She knocked and entered. Her throat tightened briefly when she saw Eren turn to face her. She touched her neck again and immediately had to reassure herself that it was okay. It was not Eren who had murdered her in her sleep. It was not him.
"You have a visitor." She told him.
Eren's expression was concerned. "And a visitor? That's not..."
Eliz interrupted him as she had before. "Don't worry. It not. It's only Donovan." She turned toward the door.
"Come in." She urged Donovan on, closing the door behind him as he entered. This time she did not lock it. She had no intention of staying long.
Donovan stared at her for a moment before turning to Eren.
Eliz watched the two of them for a moment, absently rubbing her neck as she examined Donovan's clothes. It was neat and fit him perfectly. He looked as straight as a ruler.
She, however, did not notice his clothes or his figure. She wondered in which pocket he had the cursed object. She didn't notice before. Donovan felt a chill, and when he turned around, he saw Elizabeth's gaze sliding over his body. He had the urge to cover himself with his hands and remembered Selene's words that Elizabeth might have a thing for him. Maybe she was right after all.
Thinking of Selene, he remembered the gift. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a suede box.
"This is for you..." He began and held out his hand to Eren. At that moment, Eliz moved and appeared right next to him.
"I'll take this." As she said this, she snatched the box from his hand.
Donovan froze in mid-motion as he turned his head toward Eliz, who was holding the box. Slowly, he lowered his hand. "Eliz. This is a gift for Eren." He emphasized with suppressed anger in his voice.
"Yes. I know. Nice 'gift.'" Donovan did not understand why she was being so snide.
"If you know, please give it back." He demanded, holding out his hand to her.
Elizabeth backed away. "No way." She refused, and Donovan suddenly felt like he was dealing with a child. "Elizabeth. You are making a fool of yourself."
Elizabeth tore her gaze from the box and glared at Donovan. "It may look that way to you. But I think I am acting perfectly reasonable right now." She turned toward the door.
Donovan gritted his teeth and reached for her hand but immediately withdrew when there was a sharp blow, and Elizabeth slapped the back of his hand.
Stunned, he reached for his hand; if he had not been wearing a glove, they would have seen that the place where she hit him had turned red. "Do not touch it." Said Elizabeth coldly.
Eren was also surprised and concerned by Elizabeth's behavior. "Elizabeth. What are you doing?" He had not expected her to hit Donovan.
"Something important. You two are coming with me now." She ordered and headed for the door.
Looking at Donovan, Eren shrugged, indicating he did not understand his sister's behavior. Donovan frowned and rubbed his arm, not because it hurt but because it surprised him.
"Where do you want me to go? What if I refuse?" He asked, trying to suppress his anger.
Eliz gave him a look before taking the door handle and opening it, only to see a scowling Captain Backhorn standing behind the door.
"Then I will make you." Retorted Eliz uncompromisingly.
Donovan's eyes widened in shock, and Eren gasped. "Elizabeth, now you are overreacting!" He went to her, hoping to talk some sense into his sister, perhaps.
Eliz quickly pulled the hand holding the box away from him and reached out with her other hand to stop him from coming any closer.
"Eren. You asked me to protect you. And that's exactly what I am doing now. Trust me." She looked him in the eye.
Eren hesitated, and after a moment, he looked away. He nodded. "Sure." He agreed.
Donovan gritted his teeth. "Then, at least tell me where we are going." He demanded.
Eliz considered before nodding. "We are going to the capital. To the Cathedral." She replied.
They all looked at her in confusion.
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Soon the four, dressed in inconspicuous cloaks, boarded the carriage that Captain Backhorn had arranged.
Inside, they threw off their hoods, and the carriage began to move. Everyone was silent. Three pairs/sets of eyes were fixed on Elizabeth, who watched the swaying curtain at the window and held the suede box so tightly in her hands that her knuckles turned white.
The first few minutes flew by.
"Can you finally explain what you are up to? Or do you want to be charged with kidnapping?" Donovan finally spoke up impatiently.
Eliz sighed and looked at him. She did not know if she should say anything. Selene was able to control Eren. She was not sure how far her abilities extended. But at this point, maybe she should not know what was happening. But it still seemed too much of a risk to Eliz.
"You'll find out when we get there. Until then, I suggest you get some rest. It's a long trip." She finally answered vaguely.
Captain Backhorn folded arms in front of her chest and closed her eyes.
Eren leaned his hip against the carriage door; only Donovan remained upright with his arms folded in front of his chest, watching Eliz with narrowed golden eyes.
She ignored him and continued to brood.
They rode in a similar atmosphere for the next four hours. Eren occasionally tried to spark up a conversation because he was a social butterfly, and it made him uncomfortable to sit in silence for so long. But because of the mood in the carriage, he was not very successful.
Donovan watched Elizabeth most of the time and noticed a few things about her. For example, how anxiously she clutched the box. She sometimes nervously ran her hand over her neck or acted bossy, which was not unusual but even more so today. Something was obviously wrong, and that worried Elizabeth. After all, he was even a little curious about what Elizabeth was up to, so he decided to cooperate for now. He did not think she would use a rank 4 Enhanced Warrior against him.
Eliz was in the capital for the first time. She could hear the noise of the vibrant city behind the curtain. But she resisted the urge to look around. She was not just trying to be inconspicuous for the fun. She had no idea if it would do any good, but it could not hurt either.
Gradually the carriage began to rattle a little as if they rode out on cobblestones, so Eliz held onto the carriage wall but clutched the box tighter in her hands.
Then suddenly, they stopped.
Captain Backhorn opened her eyes. "We're here." She announced.
Eliz nodded and put her hood back on, and everyone followed, stepping out one by one, mainly in a state of already weary resignation and a touch of curiosity.
Eliz had to look up. The cathedral was beautiful. All white stone, maybe marble with golden decorations like stars and suns. The building was huge, an architectural gem. The walls were mostly smooth as if carved from one large piece of marble. Large stained glass windows with colored glass depicted scenes from the lives of the saints and or perhaps blessed by the power of light. Two white towers with pointed roofs rose into the blue sky, and at the top of each tower was a golden spire with a banner of white and gold sun.
They stood at the foot of the stairs leading up to the massive main gate, which was wide open and through which the worshippers or priests and nuns, dressed in white uniforms with gold designs, went in or out.
Everything was so bright that Eliz's eyes hurt.
"Let's go." She urged her little group on and went up the stairs.
As Eliz approached, she heard the quiet choir singing back. It was beautiful, but it was almost like... Eliz shivered. It almost felt like she was approaching the gates of heaven.
Next to the gate stood a smiling young man in robes, greeting each newcomer and bidding a friendly farewell to those leaving.
It was the same. "Welcome, brother. Welcome sister. Goodbye, brother. Goodbye, sister." Eliz could only pity the young man. She would say that this job was not a popular one.
When the young priest greeted her, she nodded and went inside.
Eliz had to pause once more to take in the place. The ceilings were very high and decorated with frescoes. They reminded her of a few European cathedrals. The ceiling frescoes depicted other religious scenes, the centerpiece of which was the depiction of the Holy silhouette of Man, before whom people bowed their heads. Probably it was the god of light and his newfound worshippers?
The arches supporting the high ceilings were gilded and ornately decorated with images of the saints. There were men, women, and to her surprise, even the form of a humanoid lion. She remembered the information she had read about the lion race. Slowly, it was the only animal race with its own kingdom to compete with the Silk Kingdom. The God of Light influenced them as well.
In front of them was a wide aisle where three people could walk side by side, and on the sides were long benches made of heavy wood with cushions to sit more comfortably. At the very back was a raised area on which the altar rested. No one was giving a talk, but there was a choir of children and young people in pure white robes singing under the direction of one of the nuns.
Half the seats were occupied. People were either praying or listening to the choir. The worshippers were a mix of people and races. She even spotted a few people of the raccoon race in their furry form.
Eliz stopped and looked around for someone to approach. She did not want to draw too much attention to herself, so she looked for someone standing a bit out of the way. Finally, she found a young nun standing nearby, looking toward the choir congregation, her hands clasped before her and looking a little proud. The sister had dark red hair and light orange eyes. Her face was soft and sympathetic to look at.
[https://i.ibb.co/VN1yjjG/416411.png]
Eliz approached her. The nun noticed her, so she turned to the small group with a small smile.
"Welcome to the Cathedral of Light, sisters and brothers. How can I help you?" She asked in a soft but gentle voice.
Eliz nodded. "Yes, Sister. I urgently need to meet someone who has the power of light. Would that be possible?"
The heads of her companions turned to her in surprise.
The young nun looked uncertain. "I am sorry, sister. The bishop is the only one who wields the power of light in the cathedral. And unfortunately, he's occupied."
Eliz naturally thought that the most important person in the cathedral would not have time to meet with anyone.
Eliz positioned herself so the others could not see her face and pulled her hood down a little to reveal more of her face.
"My name is Elizabeth Von Roseblood." She announced quietly. "I know Bishop is busy, but could you ask him to meet us privately? It's a matter that only those who have the power of light can resolve."
The young nun became even more nervous standing before someone with status. She let her gaze wander over the choir before looking at Eliz again.
She nodded. "Alright, I will ask him. Please wait a moment." She agreed and went to a smaller, somewhat hidden side door.
Eliz exhaled. So far, so good.
Donovan approached her. "Seriously, Elizabeth. What are you trying to prove here?" He asked.
Eliz shook her head. "You'll see."
Donovan could only grit his teeth. He could not understand her actions.
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A young nun, Dolia, hurried down the corridor toward Bishop's office.
She did not particularly like it when nobles used their influence to bend the rules, but she was only a simple nun without lineage, so she could only accommodate such people. And if Bishop refused to meet, it was no longer any of her business.
She knocked on the study door and entered when invited to do so. A man in his late forties in a white and gold clerical robe stood by the bookshelf in a cozy and comfortable wood-paneled office. He had short blue hair and made a friendly impression, even if his narrow face was slightly straining.
[https://i.ibb.co/d4jvS6J/29.png]
He looked back at the young nun. "Sister Dolia. What is it? The choir is not over yet. I thought you were going to watch your younger brother."
Nun Dolia bowed slightly. "Yes. But a visitor has arrived. The daughter of Duke Von Roseblood. She would like to meet you."
The bishop put aside the book he was holding and turned his full attention to her. "Oh? And what does young Miss Roseblood want?"
Dolia hesitated. "I do not know. She only wished to speak to you on a matter that only the power of light can resolve." She translated what Elizabeth Von Roseblood had said.
To her surprise, Bishop frowned and became serious. "I see. Bring her here."