Chapter 109 …
Approaching—or Descending
“……Has the queen lost her mind?”
“……”
The Pope let out a hollow chuckle and casually tossed the letter down onto the table.
Normally, at times like this, Hael would appear to answer the Pope’s remarks. But instead, Hael stubbornly remained concealed in the shadows, pressed against the wall.
When the Pope turned his head toward him and rested his chin on his hand, Hael finally revealed himself, albeit reluctantly. The Pope stared at him intently.
“Hael. You used to chatter on so adorably. Now you look positively sulky.”
“……”
Only after being addressed by name did Hael step forward and kneel silently before the Pope, as though waiting for an order—any order.
“Are you upset that I didn’t assign you to stay by Bella’s side?”
“I clearly stated my intention to return to duty, Your Holiness.”
After losing consciousness due to the Saintess’s divine power, Hael had come straight to the temple and reported everything to the Pope.
That the Saintess intended to use a horrifying sorcery to obtain the soul of Cheyre Prelload.
“Return to duty? Don’t be ridiculous. Your duty is to protect me. Wanting to stay by Bella’s side—that’s simply your personal desire, isn’t it?”
“……That is incorrect.”
“Incorrect? In what way?”
The Pope laughed lightly, idly twirling his pure white hair around his fingers.
“Your Holiness must have known already—what kind of feelings the Saintess was harboring.”
“I did.”
“Then why—!”
“What I must protect is the Saintess, not Bella. And above all, Bella is far stronger than you think.”
“I clearly reported the Saintess’s plan that very day. So why are you just standing by and watching?”
In response to Hael’s report, the Pope had merely said he understood—nothing more.
He made no attempt to stop the use of forbidden sorcery, nor did he discuss what punishment the Saintess might face if she used it.
He simply watched.
“To break an egg, one must be willing to shatter their own world. Bella has long since left her cage and learned how to soar across the vast sky. But the Saintess hasn’t.”
“……”
Hael found the current situation unbearably frustrating. If Cheyre Prelload’s soul were to collapse, Bella would surely collapse with it.
To Bella, Cheyre was no ordinary existence. He was the only one who had ever entered her thorn-filled inner world—the one and only person allowed to step into Bella’s realm.
Bella loved Cheyre, and she could not help but love him.
What would happen if such a being were suddenly seized by the Saintess and bound in yet another shackle?
“I love the Saintess. Or rather, I can finally love her now. I’ve found the right direction.”
“Direction…?”
Hael let out a breath, dumbfounded. Trapped here in the temple, unable even to warn Bella of the danger, he was beyond frustrated—he was furious.
Yet the Pope remained utterly calm, as though everything unfolding were perfectly natural.
“Yes. Rather than a canary trapped in a cage, shouldn’t the Saintess be more like an albatross soaring through the open sky? Until now, I’ve been obstructing that magnificent flight under the guise of protection……”
An albatross—
A bird with enormous wings, capable of the fastest flight once airborne, yet once grounded, it becomes a foolish bird, easily caught and ridiculed.
“……”
Hael’s gaze fell upon the queen’s letter lying on the table.
**“I will help secure the temple’s independence.
In return, kill me in the most disgraceful way possible.
As I fall into hell, I will drag Chasten down by the ankle.In a week, filthy rumors about the king and me will spread through gossip papers.
At that moment, publicly attack the royal family.People will gather of their own accord to kill me—and him.
Then, act according to the Pope’s will.”**
It seemed the albatross that had once flailed absurdly on the ground, weighed down by its own massive wings, was finally preparing to catch the winds of the age and take flight.
Late that night, the moment Bella stepped down from the carriage, she spotted the Saintess standing by the front gate.
“You’re back quite late.”
It was unclear how long she had been waiting, but the Saintess’s lips looked slightly pale.
“Oh—Saintess! Did something happen?”
“No. I wanted to talk about the curse, but I heard you’d gone out.”
The Saintess flicked her gaze toward Cheyre. However, Cheyre didn’t even look at her and walked inside ahead of them.
Feeling awkward, Bella laughed lightly and gestured vaguely behind her.
“We just took a short walk around the capital. The road was under repair on the way back, so it took longer than expected. So—what did you want to discuss?”
“I plan to begin the purification tomorrow, just before dawn, when my divine power is at its strongest.”
“Tomorrow…?”
Bella’s eyes wavered. She had been told they could endure at least another week.
“Hadn’t you already made up your mind?”
At the sharp edge in the Saintess’s tone, Bella tilted her head. She couldn’t shake the feeling that the Saintess was sulking at her.
But hadn’t she said the Saintess had lived for centuries? Surely she wasn’t pouting like a child just because Bella went out without her.
Shaking off the thought, Bella offered a polite, social smile and extended her hand.
At this point, Bella could no longer resolve anything about the curse herself. All she could do was maintain a pleasant atmosphere so as not to offend the Saintess.
“……That’s true. Then, I’ll be counting on you.”
“I’ll do my best.”
“Thank you, Saintess.”
At the sight of Bella’s smile, the Saintess abruptly turned her head away and left first.
Left alone, Bella shrugged once and followed her into the mansion.
Inside her room, she saw Cheyre sitting in a chair, flipping through the pamphlets they had picked up earlier.
“You look like a parent taking their child to the doctor.”
Cheyre spoke without lifting his eyes from the pamphlet. He must have already heard the conversation with the Saintess.
“That’s not far off. It’s the feeling of hoping nothing goes wrong—that everything turns out well.”
Bella walked over and sat beside him out of habit. Unaware of her inner turmoil, Cheyre looked calm as ever.
Noticing her complicated expression, Cheyre spoke gently, as if to reassure her.
“Even if the curse is lifted by divine power and I disappear, divine power exists for the sake of humans. My soul would be able to be reborn.”
“Really? So—not resurrection, but reincarnation?”
Bella’s eyes widened at the unfamiliar idea. She wondered how Cheyre, who stayed cooped up in the mansion all the time, managed to know things like this.
He probably would never tell her.
Usually, he gathered information by tracing others’ memories and emotions—so this must have been the same. Most likely, he learned it during his last contact with the Saintess.
“Yes. If a soul is destroyed while bound by a curse, or if its natural cycle is violated by forbidden power, that soul can never be reborn.”
“Hmm… It sounds like good news, but this world isn’t exactly easy to live in.”
Bella scrunched her nose playfully.
If you asked a soul whether it wanted to live in this world even once, she doubted many would readily say yes.
People live clinging to the thought that even rolling in a pile of dog poop, life is still worth living—but if one had awareness and choice before being born, it would require serious deliberation.
Without the slightest hesitation, Cheyre took Bella’s hand, pulled it toward him, and gently rested his forehead against the back of her hand.
“In that case, it’s a joyful thing. No matter the era, no matter the place—I’ll be able to meet you again.”
“Uh—Cheyre… what do you mean…?”
“The only reason I cling to life is you. If I can see you again, even after being reborn, that would be a joy for me. No matter what form I take, no matter what circumstances I’m born into.”
“……”
In the era Cheyre had lived in, placing one’s forehead against the back of another’s hand signified eternal loyalty and a sacred vow.
Of course, Bella seemed completely unaware. Cheyre smiled faintly and released her hand.
By dawn, Cheyre would likely no longer be able to meet Bella.
Whether the Saintess’s attempt succeeded or failed.
If it succeeded, his soul would find rest. If it failed, Cheyre—having lost almost all of the curse’s power—would lose his form and become invisible to all.
“Bella. Stay with me tonight. Until dawn.”
For once, Cheyre was grateful for the deep blue darkness of night. At least for this time, he could remain with Bella.
Cheyre pulled her into his arms.
Bella willingly let herself be drawn in, letting out a soft, sorrowful smile.
“Gladly.”
