The Villainess Has Proposed a Contract Marriage

71 – Miracle

A commotion erupted.

The fact that a young boy had fallen during the Emperor’s birthday celebration was a major incident. On a day that was supposed to be more joyful than any other, a disaster had occurred, and it was inevitable that curiosity and fear would mix, drawing the crowd in.

“It’s chaotic.”

“Yes, it’s a mess. I suppose it’s a result of being too careless.”

When Lirinia Catadel spoke, someone immediately chimed in. Although they didn’t show any interest, they couldn’t help but be drawn to the power in front of them.

“Don’t make a fuss. It’s not like we need to be interested, anyway. Others will probably gossip about it soon enough.”

“Ah, wise words, milady.”

“I’m embarrassed just listening to myself.”

At first glance, Lirinia’s opinion seemed correct. She was showing a dignified and noble demeanor. However, her inner thoughts were different.

“What kind of upbringing did that child receive? How dare they ruin the Emperor’s birthday celebration like this?”

What kind of education would lead to such a mistake? If it were her own son, who had received a proper upbringing, he would never make such a fool of himself. But, in the future, he would become the proud Duke Catadel, surpassing Elpisia Luminel. He would never make such a mistake.

However, as time passed, the reaction became strange.

People’s gazes began to center around Lirinia.

The sympathetic and suspicious glances were split evenly.

At this point, even the noblewomen who were with Lirinia couldn’t help but feel a strange atmosphere. They made excuses and left Lirinia’s side, eventually leaving her alone.

Of course, Lirinia, who was at the center of the whirlpool, also sensed the strange atmosphere. And she suspected that the reason for the atmosphere was related to the boy’s fall from outside.

As she thought about it, her heart began to race. Anxiety drove her footsteps, and a cold sweat ran down her spine. Lirinia forgot about her dignity, revealing her anxious emotions, and her skirt fluttered as she hurried away.

Finally, the Duchess arrived at the backyard where the young boy had fallen, her mask completely shattered.

◇

When Hart and Elpisia arrived at the scene, Linia was frozen like a statue, as if she had been petrified by magic. She was unable to process the storm of thoughts swirling around her and was paralyzed.

“That’s… Lord Cattadel, right? As expected…”

“What kind of accident happened?”

“Anyway, the reputation of the Cattadel family is…”

Reputation. Yes, the damn family’s reputation. Linia was tormented by that reputation, her thoughts tangled in a web of worries.

“What’s going on? Why is my son like this? No, rather than that, what about the rescue efforts… Why did he fall? Did he jump on his own… No, I need to treat his wounds quickly… But people’s gazes are…”

While Linia remained motionless, Helio’s flame of life, which he had been carrying, was dwindling. He was taking shallow breaths, gazing at his mother, who was lost in thought. He was the one who had the greatest expectations of him, and the woman who loved him…

Meanwhile, Elpisia gazed at the current situation, her eyes narrowing.

“Is this woman usually this stupid? If she’s worried about the family’s reputation, shouldn’t she rush to call a doctor?”

It would be better to faint than to remain frozen in her current state. But Linia was unable to make a decision, stuck in a state of indecision.

“What’s going on? Is he going to die? He should have died instantly, but… It seems the impact was reduced since he got caught on a branch.”

As much as Linia was aware of Elpisia, Elpisia was also aware of Linia’s existence. She had been watching Linia try to overcome her from the beginning, and it was quite amusing. Yet, it was surprising to see Linia unable to handle the situation in front of her.

“Let’s go, Hart.”

“…”

“Hey, you?”

Elpisia glared at Hart, but he didn’t budge, gazing at the dying boy. It was strange, so she tried to grab his hand, but just then, Saint Evria arrived from the other side.

Someone who couldn’t bear to watch Linia’s inaction grabbed Evria’s arm and asked,

“Saint Evria, Saint Evria… Is there any way to save that child? If anyone can do it, it would be you, who can hear the voice of God…”

“Just bless him once, please.”

“He’s still just a child, and today is the Emperor’s birthday celebration…”

They didn’t know anything about the sacred name. They didn’t even have experience seeing the divine. They simply had a vague belief that there must be a reason why Evria was called a saint.

A shadow fell on Evria’s face.

In reality, Evria’s divine power could perform miracles. However, even if someone close to her was in trouble, her divine power couldn’t be revealed to the outside world.

As the owner of the sacred name, Evria was torn.

“I… can’t use my divine power…”

That’s why the temple didn’t easily let the owners of the sacred name go outside.

Outside the temple, there were countless people’s stories tangled like a net. And there were as many temptations as those stories.

Greed, lust, jealousy, self-righteousness. These were strong temptations, just like justice and compassion. Therefore, it was safest for the owners of the sacred name to ignore the outside world within the temple.

The only times they revealed themselves were when humanity was on the path to destruction.

Or when the demon tribe used divine power for evil.

Only in these two cases was it right to descend upon the world.

Evria was torn between virtue and compassion when…

Suddenly, a man in pure white robes pushed through the crowd and walked towards the center.

It was Hart.

For a moment, Elpisia thought she saw a different person, as Hart’s usual carefree expression had completely disappeared.

He approached Helio, who was barely holding on to life with ragged breathing, on his knees beside Linia.

Thud.

Harte kneeled on the grass, then gently laid Helio down on his knees.

Harte and Helio’s eyes met.

Helio’s eyes were a beautiful green. Although his brown hair was Linia’s, his eyes, which seemed to hold an olive stone, were undoubtedly a legacy of Raynerus.

The child, who resembled both parents, shed tears.

“It hurts so much.”

“I don’t know…”

Helio denied it in a weak tone. Because if it hurt this much, he wouldn’t be able to become Elpisia Lumine. But Harte was more saddened by the heart that had already died than the dying body.

“Pain isn’t just a word for the flesh.”

“I don’t know… it hurts, but…”

“Then you’re invincible.”

“I’m not…”

I’m not… I’m not invincible, but Elpisia Lumine…

“Ugh…)

Helio slightly turned his head. Then, Elpisia Lumine, who was still watching from Linia’s back, came into view.

“Uh…”

At that moment, Helio realized.

The dream of becoming Elpisia Lumine was just a futile wind.

Unlike him, she had a straight back and eyes that seemed to dominate the world. Even with just a sidelong glance, her unique confidence was palpable. And she possessed a freedom that didn’t exist in puppets. Even as a seven-year-old child, she had awakened to something he couldn’t bear.

“Huff, huff…”

Tears mixed with blood flowed from Helio’s eyes.

Harte calmly asked.

“Do you have something you want to say?”

“Ah… uh…”

Then, Helio’s trembling lips whispered a long-held desire.

“Please save me… it hurts… it hurts.”

“…”

Originally, he just wanted to take a breather. He felt suffocated and dizzy, so he wanted to change his mood.

So, when he went out to the balcony and leaned on the railing, his vision blurred.

That was all.

“It’s hard to breathe because it hurts… if I’m at home, I’ll make a mistake… it’s better to go to God quickly…”

“…”

But looking back, a question arises.

Was it really a mistake?

Perhaps he had jumped to his death, using the excuse that his vision had blurred because he wanted to die. The question that arose couldn’t be answered even by himself.

However, now that it’s come to this, he knew his true intentions.

“I want to die…”

The child, who was on the verge of death, confessed to the desire he had hidden deep in his heart. It was a pure, unadulterated truth that couldn’t be revealed to Linia, who was Helio’s world. However, the man’s blue eyes, which had laid him down, were incredibly kind and peaceful, forcing him to spit out his true feelings.

“… Yeah.”

After a while, Harlte, who had picked up the child’s wish, opened his mouth.

“If you want, let’s go. To the side of God.”

“…… Yeah.”

While promising to fulfill the child’s wish, Harlte betrayed his virtue.

“Live properly, then.”

There is light.

The hand of God’s vanguard, which was stretched out, held the glorious light.

The man with the baptismal name gazed at the existence of the lord, who was pouring down golden particles on his palm and bestowing blessings.

At that time, the clouds that had been covering the night sky parted, and the moonlight shone down.

It was a pure coincidence, but people thought it was a miracle.

The pale moonlight and the sacred golden light intertwined, brightly illuminating the palace. The light that floated like a firefly was the power of God itself.

Divine.

The light of the miracle, which should not be revealed in the secular world, covered Helio like a warm blanket.

At the same time, Helio’s wounds were healed. It was as if time was rewinding, and the external injuries were completely cured, and the blood and dust that had stained his clothes were cleanly washed away.

Helio, surrounded by the gentle miracle, closed his eyes.

The accumulated fatigue overwhelmed him, forcing him into a deep sleep.

“Ah… Ah…! Helio!”

Rinia finally rushed to Helio’s side.

“It’s okay, you’re all better… You’re fine, let’s start again. We’ll make sure this doesn’t happen again…!”

Before she could even be surprised by the miracle in front of her, Rinia’s eyes sparkled with anger.

Harlte held Helio and took a step back from Rinia.

“Give him to me. Quickly.”

“I refuse.”

“What?”

Harlte declared unilaterally to Rinia, whose focus was lost.

“From this moment on, the noble’s safety is under the temple’s jurisdiction. I won’t allow any objections.”

“How dare you…? I’m Helio’s mother!”

“You can’t claim that right. You’ve already given it up yourself.”

“This…! You’re just a nobody…!!!”

From noble mtl dot com

Rinia shouted violently.

“Guards! Come here and stop the criminal! Stop him!”

But the prestige of the Duchess of Katadel didn’t work on the guards. They, who had directly witnessed the divine, couldn’t dare to lay a hand on Harlte. It was a scene that naturally inspired awe, even if they didn’t believe in God.

It was truly a reenactment of a myth.

No one could stop Harlte, who was holding Helio, from walking away.

“Ugh!”

Rinia nervously clenched her head.

After that, the Katadel ducal family would file a complaint with the temple to retrieve Helio.

However, Rinia’s demand, which even mobilized the judiciary, was completely rejected. The reason was that the imperial family guaranteed the temple’s extraterritorial jurisdiction according to the law.

This became an opportunity for many nobles to reconfirm the temple’s existence.

◇

“… Ugh.”

Elpisia vomited at the washbasin as soon as she returned from the banquet. When she closed her eyes, the scene of Hart taking the child in his arms and revealing his divinity flashed back. The fragment of memory that was difficult to erase for a lifetime continued to torment Elpisia.

“Haa… haa…”

She had only thought of him as a foolish man. He was a man who was stupidly obsessed with her. But the face Hart showed today was worthy of being called a saint.

“This is disgusting.”

It’s dirty.

It’s filthy.

It’s maddeningly dirty. In that situation, she, who had callously judged the dying child, wanted to utilize that light… It was too shameful.

‘I’m too dirty to live a mundane life with that man.’

Elpisia’s perception was changing.