If I Disobey the Duke

Shattered (1)

“As you can see, I am fine.
Please tell Vlad that I am okay.” Lily sat down.
She was seated across from the tea table, leaning restlessly and folding her arms.

“Yeah, I can see it.
But if I neglect my job right now, I’ll be killed.
I don’t know if Madam has any hobby of collecting high priest’s ears…”

“Oh, okay.” Lily lowered her legs and took off her burgundy cloak.
Her comfy indoor dress was revealed, with a wide, semicircular neckline.

She lowered her head slightly in embarrassment.
She looked down at her toes with slippers and she licked her lips.

After checking her pulse and feeling hot, the priest slumped back into his chair.

“I will report to the lord that there is nothing wrong.”

Lily covered her body again with her cloak.
It looked like he was going to quietly ignore the bruises and teeth marks that colored the nape of her neck.

“Priest Ivan.
You said the situation is not good right now…” She paused.
“Is it because… of my brother?”

Ivan denied it without hesitation, “It’s because no one caught the person who was banned from entering Cadis.” He shrugged as he stood.
“Madam was threatened by him in Cadis Jail.
No one was to prevent him from sneaking around Cadis and hurting you.
Above else, the image that I want to show you of the lord…” He bit his mouth.
He looked like he was trying to swallow something he was trying to say.

Lily, who had been restless in her mind, immediately shook her head.

It’s not confirmed…

Her heart was pounding.
It was like everything she tried to do well was actually just a headache.
Disappointment filled her head.

“There is absolutely nothing you are to blame for.
The fort guards didn’t do their job properly.
Whenever the lord is not here, the hostess of this land cannot be imprisoned in the castle.”

It wasn’t consolation.
It was sincere.

“Then, is the Lord of Cadis being reprimanded?”

“You don’t have to worry about him.
He is one of the two people who dare to speak back to the duke.
Him and the High Priest of Nerva.”

There was no sign of intentionally omitting her.

Lily’s eyes widened.
It was because she heard an unexpected name.
“High Priest Nerva… Is she alive?”

Ivan’s eyes widened.
“Do you know her?”

Lily was surprised that he was even surprised.
It wasn’t even that much of a shock.
“Who does not know her?”

A high priest and sage with divine power that surpassed that of the Pope.
She was a seeker from the lowest places, looking out for the most miserable.
Rejecting any power and honor, she spent her later years in Rakuna.
She was known to have ended her life when someone set a fire and burned the village.

“As expected.
She’s famous enough for everyone to know.
Yes.” It was a strange tone of speech that conveyed disappointment and relief at the same time.
It was him who soon regained his lax and natural expression.
He laid his hand on the back of his chair and crossed his legs as if drooping like a laid-back cat.
There were crooked wrinkles on the neat black uniform.
“At a carriage speed, about a month and a half was spent in the north, the Taurus Mountains.
It is a beautiful mountain range facing the sea to the east.”

Lily remembered the Arcadia map that she had memorized all night long.

Because if there was an ocean, it could be opened for ports and widen trade routes.
It was a well remembered place.

Ivan continued his explanation, drawing a map in the air with his long finger, “She has been living in a rare valley in the Taurus Mountains, taking care of children for 15 years.
It’s top secret, but it’s happening on Madam’s land, so you should know.”

It wasn’t just children who stayed in the chapel, though.
She didn’t know what she would be like if she stayed there.
In the end, Ivan was also a selective supporter this time.

Lily couldn’t hide the excitement that came out of her cheeks.
She was really alive.

Her heart was thrilled.
She looked like she was looking into the colourful memories she had put in the most precious box in her memory.

Right before life turned to achromatic colors.
It was the last splendid period of ignorance.

“I saw her when I was little.”

The momentum to confide suddenly stopped abruptly.
It was a story she wasn’t ready to tell anyone yet.

Lily carefully looked into Ivan’s eyes.
“Can I go see… him?”

“Well… We should ask first.” Ivan wiggled his leg nervously, standing with a bitter smile on his face.

Lily’s green eyes, which gradually regained their color, followed him.
Her complexion had returned to her pale face.
“Thank you.
Is Vlad in the Knights Templar now?”

“Nope.” He sighed.
“The Lord told me not to tell you… He is in the dungeon.
With your brother.”

Lily’s heart sank.