Chapter 184  

One day five years ago, Gabriel realized.

When Aria first reached out to him it was out of necessity.

‘The Grand Princess never once gave me a heart.’

She never even hinted. She rarely ever was serious.

It was only when he left her side and reached a place he couldn’t reach her, that he could see it.

It wasn’t that she did wrong.

Because she was kind, she just showed a little kindness. Just like towards everyone else.

He was the one in the wrong.

‘I am dragged around with a leash like a fool because of one kind word, one light smile.’

Ariadne Valentine.

A person cold and noble as snow.

A person who will never look back no matter what he says, even though she smiles with her face.

She didn’t care about anything except Valentine’s well-being. Even her own life.

How could that be?

‘Can’t that be me?’

For the first time in his life, he did not know what to do with the intense emotions in his heart.

He thought countless times. He resented it. He also regretted it. But no matter how much he thought about it, he couldn’t think of any way to change his mind.

Shall I get down like a dog and beg?

Shall I give her my life? Shall I sacrifice my soul?

‘What the hell do I have to do so she’ll allow me to be by her side?’

It was hard for him to admit that he wasn’t supposed to do anything. Was it because he was so insignificant that she didn’t even look at her for a moment?

Day after day, when his throat was dried up by the unknown thirst, he was summoned to Garcia.

“Everyone said they praised you. Even the commander of the Holy Knights said you had a great skill, so I couldn’t help but look forward to it.”

An audience alone with the Pope. It was something he had never dreamed of.

But when the dreamlike opportunity came, Gabriel didn’t feel any excitement.

‘In the past, I would have sworn allegiance and my eyes would be bright with curiosity, saying that I would make a better world…….’

He just bowed his head without saying a word. He felt like his emotions were broken these days.

“I’m flattered.”

But even so, Gabriel did not deny this opportunity that would never come again. He thought he should never let it go. To dedicate his lifelong allegiance.

He realized that he was too insignificant to be taken advantage of by Aria.

When Gabriel decided to work for the Pope, Veronica appeared in front of him.

“Have you been wondering where I’ve been all this time?”

“Not really.”

“Uhng, I’m sorry to hear that.”

When he met Veronica again, she had golden eyes as bright as Gabriel.

‘Symbol of divine power.’

What are those eyes? How is she still alive? Why was she wandering around the Papal Palace without being executed?

It wasn’t that he wasn’t curious, but he didn’t want to ask. But even though he didn’t ask, she began to babble.

“I was indebted to Duke Battenberg. Do you know?”

“……”

“He is a high-ranking nobleman of Fineta. He said he wants to become a people of the new world that the Holy Father will open up. He is a cute new servant of His Holiness.”The fact that Veronica is alive and well here now means that it is the Pope’s will.

Gabriel didn’t reply. It was because the moment he answered, it seemed like she was going to bite and stick to him endlessly.

“I’ve come up with a proposition, aren’t you curious?”

She spoke calmly to Gabriel, who was about to turn his back and leave.

“Valentine’s Grand Princess… No, is she the Grand Duchess now?”

“……”

“It’s a story that has a very deep connection with her, do you want to hear it?”

Veronica knew she was always capable of digging into the weakest part of a person.

Then Gabriel stared at her with a murderous gaze.

“If you do as I say, you will get her body and heart. Completely, all yours.”

Would you like to hear it? As she asked, this time he couldn’t turn his back.

But he soon rejected her sweet words and spoke coldly.

“That’s enough. I’ll pretend I didn’t see you today. Never touch her.”

Veronica smiled as if she knew that.

He thought that her unusually dazzling eyes were tinged with a strange light.

It was from then. Gabriel realized that his memories were beginning to fade.

“Ugh!”

Suffering from an excruciating headache, he suddenly came to his senses. He stood in a place he had never set foot in.

He thought it was because of stress.

Of having rolled like a dog for the last five years. Being willing to do anything if it was an order.

Anything…….

Whenever Gabriel hesitated, the Pope said.

“All this for the eternal glory of the Holy Empire and the Kingdom of God.”

Then, he heard a strange hallucination.

“All of this is for Aria.” —like that

Gabriel felt like something was falling apart inside him. His mind was all messed up.

To be precise, from the moment he met Veronica again.

‘My head hurts.’

He wanted to be comfortable.

As his headache grew so severe that even rational judgment became impossible, he recalled what Veronica had said.

“If you do as I say, you will get her body and heart. Completely, all yours.”

He eventually went to Veronica.

“I was waiting, Sir Knight.”

Her golden eyes curled finely, as if she had expected everything.

‘All of this is for Aria.’

Come to think of it, that was correct. All he does now is so that she could take one glance at him and look at her.

So Aria will understand.

‘It’s okay if she doesn’t understand.’

Aria will be by my side anyway.

Veronica pulled the mirror out of her arms.

She then stood with her back to the magic circle engraved red in blood, and she looked into the mirror.

Instead of Veronica, the mirror reflected a couple of man and woman. A large adult male and a relatively small adult female.“The curse seems to have been properly applied.”

“……”

“She didn’t walk to death. It only made the disease slightly worse.”

Gabriel said after closing his eyes tightly in a moment of pain.

“Keep your promise. If she ever gets hurt, my sword will be at you first.”

“Did I not expect that?”

Veronica didn’t blink an eye at his threat.

This time, she really wanted to keep her promise. At least while she’s alive.

“Haha, don’t look at me like that. Me or Sir knight. Do you think it will be different?”

Veronica looked at him for a moment with sympathy, then said.

“You’re the biggest contributor to this.”

A woman who willingly uses the lives and human rights of children for profit. Gabriel joined her tactics, even though he knew this wasn’t normal.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure it’ll work out as I say.”

“I still can’t fully believe what you’re saying.”

Gabriel clenched his teeth for a moment and averted her gaze, then he spoke.

“If Miss Aria’s surroundings are threatened, she overcomes the crisis with her power, and the more that happens, the stronger Garcia’s power is….”

Conceptually, it was incomprehensible. It was Gabriel himself who was willing to be swayed by those words, though.

‘Why the hell am I saying that…….’

“Ugh!”

That was then.

He suddenly groaned in pain and touched his forehead. In recent years, a terrible headache came and plagued him constantly.

“Oh, don’t think too deeply. You’re suffering from a severe headache.”

Poor thing.

Veronica whispered pitifully, leading Gabriel, who was staggering, towards the chair. And whispered in his ear, who was barely sitting on the chair.

“Trust me, it’s true.”

“……”

“Look at my eyes.”

Veronica lifted the chin of the knight that was frowning in a cold sweat.

And she said, pointing to the splendid gleaming golden eyes that seemed to contain the light of the sun.

“Do you think this just happened?”

“That’s… obviously, because you absorbed the divine power of another person…”

“Ah, come to think of it, you once poured divine power directly on the Grand Duchess.”

She continued with a condescending smile.

“Of course I didn’t think of it that way, but to my surprise, it just happened naturally.”

One day, Veronica suddenly received an overflowing divine power.

For no reason. Like a sudden blessing from God.

Why was it?

After much deliberation, she came to a conclusion.

“It was God’s will for me to go.”

No matter how much Aria tries to block her way, she will come back stronger.

“God opened the way for me to win.”

As soon as she realized that, Veronica was willing and able to fulfill her own ambitions, supported by God’s expectations.

“The curse that we put on has obviously weakened her body rapidly. But look at this.”

She looked at the man and woman in the mirror.

The scene where Lloyd puts an ice flower on Aria’s lips.

“Let’s see. After the Grand Duchess heals, we will have more power.”

That will prove it. She added that, and smiled brightly.