FBM 31

Chapter 31

Aveline, who had been kneeling neatly at the Purification Spring, slowly opened her eyes. As she released her clasped hands, which had been held together in prayer, small ripples spread across the shallow water.

Beyond the transparent glass walls that encircled the space, sunlight poured in, casting shimmering scales of light upon the water’s surface.

Aveline, staring blankly at the light, gently swept the water’s surface with her fingertips. Her bare wrists, exposed after removing her gloves, were swollen red, but she moved her hands indifferently, as if she felt no pain.

The water that barely reached her ankles, dampening her knees, was none other than holy water infused with divine power.

Holy water was created when clerics with divine power blessed the water, imbuing it with sacred energy. Despite its grand name, it had no particular healing effects, though it could reduce swelling.

She silently watched as layers of ripples spread from her hands. Once the swelling in her wrists had subsided, she suddenly flopped backward.

The gently undulating water lapped at the outer edges of her ears, threatening to cross the boundary.

‘This feels awful.’

It was a thought she had harbored for so long that it no longer felt new.

Normally, when someone with divine power was touched by another’s divine energy, the forces would harmonize and blend. But for Aveline, it always felt foreign—like oil floating atop water, refusing to mix.

As if the differing natures of the energies were repelling each other. Though that shouldn’t be possible.

Yes, it shouldn’t be possible.

Aveline clenched her fist underwater, dragging her fingers against the bottom. The holy water slipped smoothly through her grasp. She squeezed her eyes shut.

‘No. Next time, it will be different.’

Next time, it wouldn’t feel so uncomfortable. Surely, it would blend willingly.

That was the only hope that had kept her going until now just as she longed for Kazerre’s heart to align with hers someday.

She would wait for as long as it took.

No matter how stubbornly persistent her feelings were—she could never let them go on her own.

*

After half a day of purification prayers and a ritual bath in holy water, Aveline took a stroll through the rear garden of the Grand Temple’s residence.

Leaving behind the clerics who, anxious about what trouble she might cause, wished to follow her, she wandered alone through the dense trees, as if in a forest.

Though the Grand Temple was barely over twenty years old, its trees were all tall and lush, making it easy to enjoy a solitary walk unnoticed.

As she followed the path without thought, Aveline suddenly halted. She recognized this place well.

The place where, weary of waiting, she had cried through the night. The place where, overwhelmed by sorrow, she had leapt toward a light that had appeared like salvation.

Aveline slowly brushed the grass with the tip of her foot.

The wind they had once cut through had long since passed. The blades of grass that had surrounded them must have withered. And yet, the memory remained vivid—so bright that even in the darkness, it alone seemed to shine, blinding her even now.

‘Do you even remember?’

The thought that it might be a memory only she held made the world he had illuminated feel dark again. She hadn’t dared to ask him, for fear of the answer.

Aveline, who had been absently brushing the ground with a somber expression, suddenly lifted her gaze.

The sun was setting between the tall trees. Through the dense leaves, streaks of reddish light flickered and disappeared. It was dazzling.

She liked the sky at sunset. Watching the midday vibrance fade and the glaring sunlight soften always calmed her and brought a strange sense of relief.

Had it not been for the faint sound of footsteps treading on the grass, Aveline might have remained there until darkness fully descended.

But the silence had already been broken, so she turned her head toward the source of the sound without hesitation.

“Oh my.”

Startled by an unexpected figure, Aveline widened her eyes briefly before curving her lips into a gentle arc, as if genuinely pleased by the encounter.

Yet, in her golden eyes, now as cold as ice, not a trace of laughter could be found.

“I see we meet here, Lady Clonay of House Huster.”

Clonay, who had been staring blankly at Aveline as if equally surprised, hurriedly bowed her head.

“…I apologize for disturbing you, Lady Croeta.”

Her greeting was calm, yet her voice trembled slightly. Aveline noticed it immediately.

Like a cornered mouse quivering before a coiled snake. The sight was so pitiful that Aveline’s lips curled upward in a crooked smirk.

“What brings you here, my lady?”

“I simply came to offer prayers in honor of the Oracle Day.”

Aveline was somewhat surprised by the unexpectedly devout response. It was an unusual sentiment for a noble of Mazengarve, who were notorious for having little regard for faith.

Narrowing her eyes as if trying to gauge Clonay’s true intentions, Aveline casually tossed out another question.

“For the Oracle Day?”

“Yes. Back home, I visited the temple every year on this day. But this year, I am observing it at the Grand Temple for the first time…”

“Then shouldn’t you be waiting quietly in your chambers until tomorrow? Why wander outside? Hoping to ‘coincidentally’ run into someone, perhaps?”

Like a cat baring its claws after having its territory invaded, Aveline interrogated her sharply.

It was a baseless accusation—she had no right to question Clonay. The Grand Temple did not belong to Aveline, and Clonay was free to walk wherever she pleased.

Clonay had every reason to refute Aveline’s irrational claim and defend herself.

But before logic could intervene, her face flushed red.

As if Aveline had struck a nerve, Clonay averted her gaze, prompting a merciless scoff to follow.

“I was just making a guess, but it looks like I was right?”

“……”

“Oh dear. And to think you ran into me of all people. I suppose I’m not the one who should be apologizing, am I?”

“No.”

“Then, should you be the one apologizing?”

Her tone, which had held a trace of mockery, suddenly shifted in temperature.

Clonay, who had averted her gaze, lifted her eyes to meet Aveline’s once more. A cold, piercing stare bore into her.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t know who you were hoping to run into while wandering around here?”

Even the pretense of sincerity might have been a lie. Perhaps she had come chasing after the news that Kazerre was here.

No, that had to be it. Aveline was already convinced.

That woman, oblivious to her place, was clinging to him unilaterally. Her persistence was so fierce that even Kazerre wavered for a moment.

And so, what Aveline needed to do was simple—uproot that pitiful hope entirely, that desperate desire to catch even a glimpse of Kazerre.

“How naïve you are. Or should I say, how foolish?”

“……”

“You must have entertained some ridiculous fantasy just because Kazerre was a little kind to you. But he was always mine, and that will never change. Do you have any idea how many women like you there have been? Do you need me to tell you exactly how I dealt with those disgusting creatures?”

“Then why do you seem so threatened by me?”

“…What?”

Aveline’s eyes, which had widened in surprise, flickered hazily at the unexpected retort.

In contrast, Clonay’s green eyes glimmered with unwavering resolve. They reminded her of weeds that refused to die no matter how many times they were trampled. It was repulsive.

“If you were truly secure, you wouldn’t be acting as if you’re afraid the Duke’s heart might be taken from you.”

Afraid.

When Clonay finally uttered that word, Aveline’s mind went completely blank.

She wanted to strangle that delicate throat and silence her forever. Her hands trembled with an emotion she couldn’t discern—was it fury or unease? She clenched her fists, and her fingernails dug painfully into her palms.

“Even if the Duke’s heart were to turn elsewhere, you are still the one who will marry him. Isn’t that enough? Wanting even his heart is nothing but excessive greed.”

Clonay was composed. With unshaken confidence, she accused Aveline of greed.

It felt as though her entire being had been plunged into a molten furnace, burning black from within. The cruelty bubbling inside her now was far beyond anything she had ever felt before.

“And yet, you—who dare to harbor feelings for a man chosen for me by the divine—have the audacity to call me greedy? To pretend to be so devout while mocking the gods?”

But instead of striking Clonay, Aveline reined in her vicious impulses with words alone.

Not for Clonay’s sake, but because she had just undergone the purification ritual that entire afternoon.

Though she often scoffed at the ritual’s importance, at least until tomorrow, when she would wield her divine power, she wanted no filth, no taint anywhere near her.

And if that arrogant woman was truly devoted, then this would wound her more deeply than any physical ass*ult.

Indeed, Clonay’s face turned pale as if she had only now realized the depth of her own blasphemy.

‘So, her faith is real after all.’

Feeling nothing but pure disgust, Aveline twisted her lips into a smirk.

“You were wondering how the capital’s Grand Temple observes the Oracle Day? It’s quite simple. Before the eyes of all, Kazerre and I will personally reenact the miracles of the gods, offering our gratitude for their divine blessings.”

“……”

“So, rather than risking contamination by someone like you, perhaps, as one who has been chosen by the divine, I should show a little mercy.”

Aveline gazed at Clonay with a gentle, benevolent expression.

Like a blade of grass swaying helplessly in the wind, Clonay’s pupils trembled violently.

To ensure that she would never again dare to rise, never again lift her head.

Like a true victor, possessing the one and only treasure in the world, Aveline looked down upon the defeated and cast her curse.

“Watch closely. Feel it for yourself. How insignificant and worthless you truly are before the weight of our fate.”

Then, as if there was nothing more to be said, she turned away.

Anticipating the utter despair Clonay would taste tomorrow, Aveline had no doubt—this ceremony would be more special than any before.