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Chapter 31
Translated by Yonnee
* * *
Doah wasn’t actually interested whether Angela went and confessed her sins to Grand Duke Credel or not.
It was just a pretense.
The important thing here was to allow her to move autonomously.
That way, it would be possible to figure out who’s the one telling her to do these things.
In short, it was like using a small fish as bait for a larger fish.
To find out who the mastermind was, pulling the strings from behind the curtains.
‘But this
’
“Darling.”
Doah, lost in thought, raised her head suddenly as someone called her.
“I shouldn’t come to see you, I’m only making you tired.”
It was a sweet voice, so very full of affection.
“Go ahead and lie down. I just meant to see you for a second.”
It was ambiguous whether she was still youthful or whether she was already middle-aged.
She was a beauty, the kind you’d see as an actress in classic movies.
Warm, golden eyes and neat, platinum silver hair.
Even though she was wearing frugal clothes with not a single jewelry adorned upon her, there was an air of elegance surrounding her.
It’s her, Grand Duchess Fluvia.
“I visited the temple to pray for you. I wished for you to get well soon.”
As the woman let out a sigh of great concern, Doah looked up at her.
Ophelia’s biological mother died ten years ago while giving birth to her.
Then, Grand Duke Credel remarried two years after his first wife’s demise.
There seemed to have been a reason for it.
‘She was originally called a ‘saintess’ after all.’
She was Saintess Fluvia, the one who saved the world from destruction.
When the empire had still yet to unify, there was a group of vicious knights who tried to throw the world into chaos.
Grand Duke Credel was the one who sealed the monsters that were summoned and militarized by the sorcerers. But on the other hand, it was Fluvia who blocked and suppressed their plans, coming forward as a great support to the grand duke.
However, she exerted herself too much and completely lost her divine powers in the process. She was then cast aside by the temple.
She was the saintess who saved the world, and yet she had been excommunicated by the temple. She lost everything and was kicked out to the streets.
Grand Duke Credel, Master of the Blue Moon, could not stand by and just watch this happen. Fluvia was his comrade who he shared experiences of life and near death with on the front lines.
And so, he remarried and gave her the position of the grand duchess.
Although it was a marriage without love, it allowed her to receive the proper respect that the savior of the world should get.
‘And sure enough, Fluvia knows more about the forbidden arts more than anyone else.’
There were still a handful of sorcerers who survived the battle.
They were holding their breaths, waiting for the right time.
It was to put a curse on Ophelia, the symbol of peace, and to let it be known to the world that they still held power on their side.
To protect his daughter, who his beloved wife left behind, Grand Duke Credel needed Fluvia.
Although she had already lost her divine power, she was still once the saintess who personally dealt with the forbidden arts before.
However, the sorcerers’ grudge was very deep and persistent.
The day Ophelia turned seven years old, the sorcerers finally succeeded in leaving a curse upon the symbol of peace.
‘After that, according to my memories
’
The grand duke tried every means necessary to lift the curse, but when each and every attempt failed, it was decided that the curse should be moved to a different target.
And that target was Bunny now.
‘Now that I think about it, it was Fluvia who directly moved the curse to Bunny.’
She was the only one who knew how to do it.
And this was as far as Bunny memories went.
Fluvia was smiling at Doah now, a graceful expression that would remind you of a goddess. Doah stared at the woman sharply.
“Has something happened recently?” Doah asked.
“Why do you think so?”
“Your hands are shaking.”
“Ah.”
Fluvia clasped her trembling hands together, as if it’s her first time realizing this. Then, she spoke in a quivering voice.
“Actually, the head maid came to me and said something strange.”
“Something strange?”
“The head maid
 Oh, I can’t bear to say it myself. It was such an unfathomable idea, such an unforgivable thing
 I was so shocked that I wanted to make sure you were safe.”
And at this point, Doah was confused.
‘Is that also acting?’
She seemed genuinely shocked though.
‘Your physiognomy doesn’t look bad either.’
There was a bit of a shadow over her forehead, but her thick eyebrows were neat, and her high nose was angular.
‘Even if you were born in a poor family, you were still blessed with a lot of help from the people around you.’
Her eyes neither drooped nor rose too much. Still, the corners were rising slightly upward, which meant there was a blessing in disguise.
Her nostrils were also shaped appropriately, signifying how she would later be able to enjoy wealth, riches and honor. Apart from that, her plump lips signify her open mind and tall virtues, which would allow her to be blessed with power and glory as well.
It could be said she was the true epitome of a saintess.
‘But, then again
’
There’s something
 off.