After divorcing Estelle, Helios was branded with a humiliating stigma and was said to have devoted himself to the temple.
Since it had been less than a year since the divorce, that also meant he could not have been serving as one of the god's attendants for very long.
Unless one possessed exceptional divine power, the proper period of training would place him as still a novice priest—or at best, a freshly inducted low-ranking cleric.
And yet, Colin, a senior priest of advanced years who had been devoted to the temple far longer, was nervously watching Helios' mood.
"Forgive me for speaking out of turn, but Lord Helios, isn't there no longer any need for you to concern yourself with Lady Estelle?"
At those words, Helios turned and faced Colin.
When he rose from his kneeling position to stand upright, the difference in their physiques became starkly apparent.
Even clad neatly in the black priest's robes, his robust build was impossible to conceal.
Golden blond hair, blue eyes.
A strikingly handsome man, marked by the faint upward curve of his lips and the gentle cast of his gaze.
The strict, concealing attire only heightened his aura of asceticism.
Only the chill in his eyes as he looked at others betrayed otherwise.
"O-of course, I understand that Lord Helios still harbors ill feelings toward Lady Estelle."
How could he possibly know whether something was wrong with his performance, when he hadn't even spent the wedding night?
For that, one had to revisit the claims Estelle had repeated again and again.
[It's small.]
The way to clear himself of that disgrace was simple.
All he needed to do was prove to others that it wasn't actually small.
Yet Helios had offered no excuses.
He had simply accepted the divorce without resistance.
Afterward, when he devoted himself to the temple, rumors twisted it into an act of running away, and he became a target of ridicule.
Unlike Estelle's other ex-husbands, he was young and strikingly handsome—yet people said he was, in truth, nothing but an empty shell.
"But… ordering me to keep track of Lady Estelle's affairs on a regular basis—it has become impossible,"
Colin pleaded, unable to overcome his conscience.
He truly wished Helios would have nothing more to do with Estelle.
To Colin's eyes, Estelle was like a beehive—poke it the wrong way, and one would be mercilessly stung.
"Because of the strict security, I can't know the inner workings of Winteren. But since her current husband is that very Winteren, she must be barely clinging to life, suffering far more than what appears on the surface."
" ….... "
"A man like you, Lord Helios, has no reason to trouble yourself so much over a single woman…"
"Brother Colin."
Helios firmly cut off Colin's words.
"We're going to Winteren."
"Lord Helios!"
"If we use a pilgrimage as an excuse, they won't be too suspicious. After all, monitoring the lands tainted by demonic energy is part of our duty."
Helios' tone was gentle—
yet it carried an undeniable pressure that left no room for refusal.
From the beginning, Helios had never intended to heed Colin's persuasion.
His mind was already too entangled in its own storm.
Estelle… why is she making an exception this time?
Had she truly resolved to live as Lennox's wife?
Or was she being coerced, crushed under the heel of that wicked man, Lennox?
To unravel this doubt, Helios knew he had to meet Estelle at once.
"Understood. I'll make the preparations."
Colin bowed his head in assent.
If that was Helios' will, then he had no choice but to obey.
Helios was not someone Colin could ever dare to defy.
Though the world said Helios had fled to the temple after divorcing Estelle—
that was not the truth.
From a very young age, Helios had belonged to the temple.
The reason he hid that fact and pretended to be an ordinary noble was because he was an exceptionally rare case.
"At last, I'll be able to meet her again."
He possessed divine power so immense it might even surpass that of the current Pope.
Recognizing this ability early on, the temple had raised him in secret as the designated successor—the next Pope-in-waiting.
And now, the most devout servant of the god could not hide his excitement.
A few days later, at the annex where Estelle was staying.
The physician who had just taken her temperature let out a sigh of relief.
"Her fever has gone down considerably. That's fortunate."
"Is my mama okay?"
Clutch.
Durén clung to the hem of the physician's robes, his eyes brimming with tears.
Suppressing the urge to pinch those soft cheeks, the physician answered kindly:
"Yes, she's all right. You needn't worry, young master."
"That's a relief! Mama's okay, he said!"
Overcome with joy, Durén leapt straight into Estelle's arms.
"And her overall condition?"
This time, it was not Estelle who asked.
It was Lennox, who had been boring holes into the physician's back with his sharp gaze for some time.
Suppressing the cold sweat running down his spine, the physician reported his diagnosis.
"Amazingly, she's in good health now. If before, her state was like that of a walking corpse… ah, forgive me, my lady, it's just a figure of speech."
When Estelle looked at him as though to ask what on earth he meant, the physician hastily apologized.
"At present, all her bodily functions are operating normally. In short, she appears to be an ordinary, healthy person."
"So the mandrake remedy must be taking effect."
Lennox nodded with satisfaction.
It seemed, after all, there would be no need to seize the Tower Master by the collar.
But with those words, the physician stiffened in shock—while Estelle froze in confusion.
"What did you just say?"
"I said the medicine seems to be working well. Is there a problem?"
"Did you say mandrake remedy?"
"Ah, I hadn't told you, had I."
Because Estelle had kept slipping into sleep from the effects of the drug, he hadn't had the chance to explain.
"On the very first day you collapsed, I gave it to you."
"Your Grace! How could you keep such a thing from me as well?"
The physician, who had been listening quietly, blanched in horror.
"Given that her condition wasn't improving despite your reputation, I began to suspect the Tower Master had handed over a counterfeit—but it seems that wasn't the case."
"Still, medicines all have compatibilities. Since the Tower Master himself crafted it, it was likely safe, but had it clashed with any common remedies, the consequences could have been disastrous."
Lennox brushed aside the physician's fussing without a care.
Instead, he focused on Estelle's voice, which at last broke the silence after a long pause.
"You truly used that medicine on me? Why?"
Estelle looked at Lennox with eyes that brimmed with incomprehension.
"I merely sought to keep the vow we made at our marriage."
Because listening ears were present, he deliberately chose the word vow instead of contract. It sounded less suspicious that way.
He kept me alive instead of my sister… just to fulfill the contract term?
That indifferent man?
Estelle stared at Lennox, unable to believe it.
Her most urgent health crisis had been resolved in such an unexpected way.
According to her original plan, she had intended to win over his aide, Pippin, and escape little by little under his cover.
Ah, Pippin! Could it be that Pippin persuaded him?
It was a reasonable conclusion.
When they had quarreled over Durén's living arrangements, Lennox had been stubborn at first—yet after a single word from Pippin, he had abruptly yielded.
I'll have to treat Pippin even better from now on.
Though this matter had nothing to do with Pippin, Estelle naturally felt grateful toward him.
Had Lennox been able to read her thoughts, he would surely have felt wronged.
"Mom, you have to live for a long, long time."
After the physician finished his examination and departed, Durén burrowed into Estelle's arms, rubbing his cheek against hers.
"Let's live together for a hundred thousand years."
It was something his grandmother often said.
Durén didn't know exactly how long a hundred thousand years was, but he understood it meant never parting for a very, very long time.
For a moment, Estelle froze.
"…Yes."
Though she knew it was a promise she could never keep, she still nodded. Durén's innocent eyes sparkled with joy.
"Then let's go for a walk!"
" ..."
She had forgotten.
That unless she went out for a walk at least once a day, Durén would never be satisfied.
Durén blinked his big eyes at her, sweet and expectant.
Sparkle, sparkle.
Since I've taken the mandrake, perhaps it would be all right to run around a little…?
Just as Estelle was about to unconsciously answer yes under the weight of Durén's pleading gaze—
"Even if you're feeling better, a walk right now is too much. I'll go with you instead."
Lennox cut in with his curt tone.
It seemed he intended to honor the promise he had made with Estelle—to spend at least an hour each day with Durén.
But the boy's reaction was far more defiant than expected.
"No! I want to go with Mama!"
Durén shook his head furiously.
"Go away, mister!"
Somehow, during the time they hadn't seen each other, his distrust of Lennox seemed to have deepened.
He clung tightly to Estelle's side, refusing to budge.
Lennox, watching silently for a moment, finally spoke.
"Lately, this child has been staying in the annex rather than the main estate. Naturally, that's because you're living here."
"That's right. Is there a problem?"
"Wherever the boy wanders, so long as he remains within the bounds of protection, I have nothing to say. But… do you intend to continue living here like this?"
" ..."
"You're the one who said you'd remain in the annex for a year."
Lennox was pointedly referring to Estelle's past statement—that she would live in the annex until the divorce.
And even now, just as then, Estelle showed no sign of wishing to return to the main estate.
So Lennox came up with a ploy.
"If you return to the main estate, the child will naturally follow. Then I, too, will have more chances to grow closer to him."
Estelle thought to herself,
"So, for that reason at least, you should come back to the main estate."
What he was saying made sense—
yet why did it feel so much like she was being drawn into a trap?
READ MORE CHAPTERS HERE: https://payhip.com/pokemon1920