Volume 8, Chapter 18 – The Wozwahl Ducal Estate

“Your Eminence, Cardinal Yisi Enya, on behalf of the House of Wozwahl, I welcome you and your companion.”

“It is I who should be thankful. Thank you for the invitation, Your Grace.”

As soon as she stepped out of the carriage, Duke Wozwahl greeted Yisi with exceptional warmth.

From the gate to the garden and all the way to the main building, the path was lined with all sorts of maids, each with a smile on her face. Although the estate was much smaller than the residences of the Blood Clan nobility, considering the premium on land in the Royal Capital, having such a large house with a garden was definitely a very fine place.

At Duke Wozwahl’s enthusiastic invitation, Yisi soon arrived in the living room. Although the luncheon was not yet ready, this suited Yisi’s intentions perfectly. Yisi and Pepe naturally took their seats on one side of the long table. Opposite them were Duke Wozwahl’s official wife, the Flower of the Kingdom, Cynthia, his fifth daughter, Alice, and two other concubines in simpler attire. As the head of the house, Duke Wozwahl sat at the head of the table.

“I heard from Cynthia about this child Alice’s rudeness to you yesterday, Your Eminence. My sincerest apologies, Your Eminence, Cardinal Yisi Enya. It is due to my usual lack of discipline. Alice, hurry up and apologize to Her Eminence!”

The speaker was a woman who bore a striking resemblance to Cynthia. The gentle lines of her face, combined with her sincere and apologetic expression, made one feel reluctant to make things difficult for her. This was Duke Wozwahl’s official wife, and the mother of Cynthia and Alice. The [Omniscient Map] showed that the Duchess was one of the Fallen. Although her clothes covered her well, Yisi still noticed the markings at her cuffs. With just a few more uses of her abilities, the marks of the Fallen would spread to her face.

No longer as willful as she was yesterday, Alice, curled up like a small animal, lowered her head and said softly.

“I’m sorry…”

“It’s alright, I didn’t take it to heart. Alice is actually very cute that way.”

Feeling very embarrassed, Alice lowered her head even further.

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“Mmm…”

She’s actually quite well-behaved when you look at her like this.

Of course, compared to my Mary, she’s still lacking a little something.

Duke Wozwahl, who had been observing Edith, took over the conversation with a smile.

“Your Eminence, this is…?”

“This is one of my closest friends, Loiswell Edith Pescia. As you can see, Your Grace, she is a direct member of the Blood Clan’s Pescia family. Although she is of the Blood Clan, she is very trustworthy.”

“Ah, I understand what Your Eminence means. I am considered a pro-affinity member within the kingdom. I do not disparage people based on their race. The Pescia territory and our Hels Kingdom have not had a conflict for over a hundred years, all thanks to Count Pescia’s peaceful policies. Compared to that, the Empire, which is of the same human race as our kingdom, constantly causes us trouble. Had I known she was Count Pescia’s daughter, I would have prepared some gifts she could bring back to the Blood Clan, hahaha.”

“If my father were to hear your words, he would be very pleased.”

With a humility that Yisi did not expect, Edith responded to Duke Wozwahl with a smile.

Is she being this calm because he’s a duke? Or is it because Duke Wozwahl praised Count Pescia? But Duke Wozwahl is just a lowly human in Pepe’s eyes.

Without asking the out-of-place question aloud, Yisi chose to get straight to the point. The [Omniscient Map] had revealed that Alice and her mother were the Fallen. For Duke Wozwahl to invite her so urgently, coupled with Cynthia’s request from yesterday, she would be an idiot not to see what they wanted.

Yisi smiled and handed a wooden box tied with a daffodil-yellow ribbon to the butler.

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“This is a small gift I brought from the Ymir Territory. Please do not disdain it, Your Grace.”

“The Ymir Territory?!”

Hearing the keyword, Duke Wozwahl’s voice suddenly rose a pitch. The Duchess, sitting opposite Yisi, trembled all over, her eyes wide with pleasant surprise.

“C-could it be…”

“Let me see it, quickly!”

Oblivious to his own loss of composure, Duke Wozwahl hurriedly beckoned to the butler, having him open the gift box. When Duke Wozwahl saw the pale blue potion bottle inside, joy uncontrollably spread across his face. Although he tried his best to suppress his excitement, his trembling hands betrayed his true feelings.

As if afraid it would be snatched away, Duke Wozwahl pressed his hands firmly on the gift box, not even noticing that it was about to be crushed. His gaze slowly turned to Yisi, his usually stern face now filled with nervousness and anticipation.

“Your Eminence, what is contained within is…”

By the looks of it, my guess wasn’t wrong.

Yisi secretly sighed in relief and said with a smile.

“These are the Tears of God. After returning to the temple last night, I heard from others that Your Grace has been searching for them, so I brought a bottle with me today as a small token of my regard.”

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“Let me see it, quickly!” Tossing etiquette to the wind, the Duchess anxiously snatched the gift box from Duke Wozwahl’s hands. The force with which she nearly tore the box apart made Yisi break into a sweat. “A pale blue, clear liquid… it’s just as the description says! Alice, come, drink it quickly!”

Having never seen her mother in such an ecstatic, tearful state, Alice was at a loss. In the end, prompted by Cynthia, she tremblingly took the potion bottle and drank it in front of everyone.

“How is it? Do you feel any better?”

The Duchess asked the question that everyone in the Wozwahl family wanted to know. No one paid any mind to her loss of composure at this moment. Everyone, including the servants in the house, focused their attention on Alice.

Alice swallowed and said cautiously.

“It feels… very cold.”

“I’m not asking about the taste, I’m talking about your Fallen mark. Ah, right, we just need to look at your back to know the result. Come, take off your clothes.”

“But this is the living room…”

“We’re all family here, what’s there to be afraid of.”

Just as little Alice was in a difficult position, Cynthia rose from her seat and stood between Alice and the Duchess.

“Mother, Cardinal Yisi is still here. Shouldn’t we entertain Cardinal Yisi and her friend first?”

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“Er…” Finally realizing the presence of Yisi and Edith, the Duchess froze on the spot like a wind-up doll, her face the picture of embarrassment. “L-Lady Yisi, please forgive our behavior. We have been worried about Alice for so long, we couldn’t control our emotions for a moment… Alice, give me your hand.”

Pulling Alice’s right hand in front of her, the Duchess gently rolled up her sleeve. A fair and slender forearm was instantly exposed to everyone. The dark red markings on it were rapidly receding from her wrist up under her clothes, at a speed visible to the naked eye.

“Haha! It really is the Tears of God! It really is the Tears of God! Alice is finally saved! Hahahaha! Those damned nobles can finally shut up today!”

It was not the Duchess, but Duke Wozwahl. The latter’s large, round eyes were almost bulging out of their sockets as he slapped the table and laughed heartily. The servants in the room who had witnessed this scene showed joyful expressions while wiping away tears.

“How did you know that girl was one of the Fallen?” Edith lightly pinched Yisi’s waist from under the table and smiled maliciously. “For them to show such a defenseless side in front of you, it would be a shame not to ask for a hefty reward.”

“Her ability is too special. I’ll consider the reward, but for now, let’s let them be happy for a while. Mmm… what does Pepe think we should ask for?”

“Me?” Edith’s scarlet tongue licked the corner of her mouth. “Of course, I want you. Speaking of which, it’s been a while since we’ve done something as intense as what Shinku and Fran did today. You—”

“Eh… let’s not. Pepe still owes me a cup of blood.”

“You want me that badly?”

“Don’t say it in a way that can be misunderstood. Honestly.”

With a helpless, wry smile, Yisi watched the Wozwahl family, who were so happy they were about to dance, and relaxed her entire body, giving a long stretch.