A fortune-telling princess Chapter 171

“A smiling face would be even more beautiful. It’s a pity about that expression.”

I had wanted to apply this liquid when that face was lit with a bright smile.

Viscount Orleans lifted a brush towards the child’s face, his voice tinged with regret. He had waited until the last moment, but once again, he had failed. His stomach churned with frustration.

“Ha.”

“……!”

A strange laugh echoed through the room at that moment.

“It’s been a while since I’ve seen such a novel lunatic.”

Viscount Orleans’ face hardened instantly. A voice he hadn’t expected rang out in this secluded space, where no one but himself should have been present.

He was the only adult who could enter this place.

“W-Who?!”

Whipping his head around, he saw a man leaning casually against the window.

His face was obscured by a gray mask, but the twisted smirk on his exposed lips drew the viscount’s gaze involuntarily.

“Me? Just someone here on a job.”

“A job?”

The masked man took a step toward him.

Though he had not been explicitly threatened, Viscount Orleans instinctively stepped backward.

The man’s tone was polite, yet every fiber of the viscount’s being screamed in warning: this man was dangerous!

“The parents of the kidnapped children hired me. To find their missing child. And… to bring unspeakable pain to the one responsible for their abduction.”

“Impossible!”

Viscount Orleans bellowed. Every child he had taken had been of lowly status.

Some were orphans, while others had parents. But it had never mattered.

None of the families had the means to search relentlessly for a missing child. They were all struggling just to survive from day to day.

“And yet, you claim someone placed a request?!”

The masked man chuckled again.

“Not all parents surrender their children so easily just because they’re poor. Some stake their entire fortune and lives on bringing them home.”

Another step closer. A sharp dagger now rested in the masked man’s grip.

It was only a dagger, yet at the sight of it, Viscount Orleans felt as though death itself loomed over him. He shrieked in desperation.

“I—I gave them a new life! I granted them a fate far more noble and beautiful than the wretched existence they knew!”

The man’s smirk widened.

“Right. That’s a load of nonsense.”

Thwack!

“Aaaagh!”

The dagger flew effortlessly, embedding itself into the viscount’s foot. His backward retreat halted abruptly, replaced by an agonized scream.

“Don’t worry. Since my employer made a specific request, I won’t let you die easily.”

“M-Mercy!”

“……?”

“Divine mercy!”

“…Divine mercy?”

At those words, the masked man hesitated, and Viscount Orleans seized the moment, raising his voice desperately.

“Yes! The indulgence! I purchased divine mercy for every child here!”

“……”

“You—you cannot punish me for bringing that child here!”

The masked man burst into laughter.

“I had heard rumors, but so it was true?”

Indulgence. Also known as the ‘Divine Pardon.’

It was a document sold by the temple, a form of absolution given to sinners. By offering a certain sum to the temple, one could be exempted from punishment for a specific crime.

Of course, it wasn’t officially acknowledged, and only the highest-ranking members of the temple were privy to its existence.

Yet, Viscount Orleans was now openly invoking it.

‘Could the imperial family truly be involved?’

Recently, rumors had been circulating among the wealthy.

“I have already received absolution from the gods! Who dares to punish what even the divine has forgiven? I am without sin!”

It was said that those granted ‘Divine Pardon’ would be protected even if caught for their crimes. The empire itself would ensure their freedom.

Viscount Orleans shouted even louder, his voice filled with conviction. He had been assured that as long as he held an indulgence, he would go to heaven regardless of his sins.

Hadn’t the temple officials themselves guaranteed it?

Even if he were caught, they had promised to discreetly extract him from any punishment.

“Impressive.”

The masked man sounded genuinely awed.

“You must have spent a fortune securing indulgences for all these children. The temple must have been delighted.”

A brilliant smile spread across his lips once more.

“But unfortunately, I have no intention of taking you to trial.”

“W-What?!”

“Didn’t I say it earlier?”

The masked man leaned in close, whispering just above the viscount’s trembling face.

“To make you suffer the most.”

“……!”

“To ensure the most excruciating death possible. That was the request.”

“T-That…!”

“Execution through trial is hardly painful, wouldn’t you say?”

Viscount Orleans stumbled backward, desperate to escape. But the masked man was faster.

“Aaargh!”

In a single, fluid motion, the masked man yanked the dagger from the viscount’s foot and plunged it deep into his chest.

“Perhaps I should buy an indulgence too?”

His voice was laced with playful mockery.