I Became The Wife Of The Cursed Grand Duke Chapter 127

After cleaning up the blackened ground, they returned to the guild headquarters. 

 

Everyone marveled at the snowfields, which had returned to their true colors in an instant. 

 

Only one person, Ines, still wore an uncomfortable expression. Evelyn, observing her behavior, became convinced that Ines would answer her questions.

 

In the parlor of the headquarters, where everyone had gathered, Evelyn stared at Ines over a steaming mug of tea. 

 

She was the first to speak. 

 

“How am I able to… clean up a contaminated land?”

 

Ines wasn’t surprised by the straightforward question. 

 

She leisurely picked up her own cup and sipped her tea, as if she had anticipated Evelyn’s inquiry. 

 

Then, she leaned closer to Evelyn’s ear and whispered, “Earrings.”

 

“If it’s the earrings, does that mean… it has the power to cleanse the land of pollution?” Evelyn asked, her voice tinged with curiosity. 

 

This was what she had wanted to know ever since Leon had mentioned it at the palace. 

 

“Leon told me that each of the three holy objects has specialized powers.”

 

Ines nodded, as if there was no point in hiding it now. 

 

“That’s right. Each of Helene’s relics has its own abilities. The first ring is the flowering of divine power, or awakening.”

 

At those words, Evelyn remembered the commotion at the entrance to the village of Litchev. 

 

“Would you sacrifice your life for him?” “Pray, foolish one.” 

 

A flash of light had emanated from Kalian’s outstretched hands as he tangled with the falling Mors.

 

Ines continued, “And the earrings have the power to cleanse the earth of magical contamination.” 

 

Evelyn had seen it with her own eyes—the light spreading out like tree roots, purifying the blackened earth. It was no illusion.

 

“Finally, the necklace kept in the temple contains a pendant that will seal the demon completely,” Ines concluded, her gaze lingering on Evelyn’s jewelry. 

 

“So be careful not to lose them, for they must be delivered safely to… the one who will seal Babel once and for all.”

 

“Deliver them?” Evelyn looked at Ines in disbelief. She still had unanswered questions. 

 

“Aren’t holy objects only responsive to powerful divine forces?”

 

“That’s right. You’re wondering why the holy artifact responds to the Grand Duchess’s magic power, aren’t you?” Ines replied.

 

“Yes,” Evelyn admitted.

 

“Hmm, that’s…” Ines paused, her expression shifting to one of disapproval before she continued. 

 

“It’s because your father was a paladin. While he wasn’t a very powerful one, his abilities combined with the power of regeneration passed down through the Lindbergh family for generations. That’s how you inherited those abilities.”

 

Evelyn’s thoughts raced. 

 

‘My mother, however, was intentionally kidnapped. That meant the High Priest needed me in some way. As Dante had said, I would be the vessel for the creature that would need to be resurrected by the sacrifice of the 100 Primal Stones. If my mission was simply to deliver the relics safely to the saint, why would Louise risk her life to do so?’

 

Evelyn took a deep breath. 

 

“Believe it or not, when I was swept through the gate, I traveled to the past, and that’s where I met my mother.”

 

“Your mother… you?” Ines asked, her tone cautious.

 

“Yes,” Evelyn confirmed. 

 

“That’s what my mother told me—that there was a very tall half-breed woman in Odd Eye who told her where Helene’s coffin was.” 

 

Evelyn remembered her mother’s touch as she held her tightly before they parted for the last time. 

 

A knife-like pain sliced through her heart, but she didn’t falter and continued. 

 

“Have you ever met my mother?”

 

Ines’s face slowly, almost imperceptibly, became thoughtful. 

 

“No, of course not. If she was a child, it must have been a long time ago. Do I look so old to you?” Ines squinted, trying to regain her composure, but it was too late.

 

“I didn’t say I went back to my mom’s childhood, I just said it was the past…” Evelyn pointed out, her voice firm. 

 

Ines said that without realizing it, because she knew that it was her mother’s childhood when she showed her where Helene’s coffin was.

 

Evelyn cleared her throat and pointed to the relic in her ear.

 

“You were the one who told me the holy relic was in the Grand Duchy. If you were the one who told my mother the location of the ring, then you were the one who told me…”

 

“It was just a guess,” Ines interjected quickly.

 

“Well, that’s what I thought too, until I met my mother,” Evelyn countered.

 

“If it wasn’t a guess, what is the truth in your opinion?” Ines asked, her tone challenging.

 

“Well, what I think is the truth…” Evelyn’s voice trailed off as the question seemed to slip in and out of her mind. 

 

For once, she had nothing to say, and she gritted her teeth. 

 

‘You’re not going to tell me the truth…’

 

In other words, she no longer trusted Ines. In this state of mind, what was the point of asking about the meaning of Dante’s words and the being that Babel’s followers hoped to resurrect?

 

Evelyn’s expression hardened. She bowed to Ines and left the guild headquarters.

 

* * *

 

A rainy and stormy night enveloped the city. Claudia, dressed in dark robes, moved stealthily through the shadows without her maidservant. 

 

The loud pounding of the rain drowned out the sound of her footsteps. 

 

‘How dare they… locking up my bluebird in such a shabby place!’ 

 

Her pace quickened as she hid against the cold stone wall, her mouth dropping open in horror at the sight before her.

 

“What is that… a person?” she whispered to herself.

 

Inside a massive iron cage, someone lay helpless. It was Julius, his golden hair as bright as the sun. 

 

“Uh, Juli—!” Claudia was about to scream, but she managed to muffle herself. 

 

This was the dungeon of the Imperial Palace—deep, dark, and devoid of guards, but she couldn’t let her guard down.

 

Rushing over, Claudia placed her hand under Julius’s nose as he lay near the bars. 

 

To her relief, she felt his warm breath. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she caressed his face. 

 

“Oh, God. Thank you. Thank you so much…” But the anger in her heart remained. 

 

‘Why in the world does my Julius have to lie here like this? That damned bastard Kalian…!

 

Grinding her teeth at the memory of Kalian, Claudia heard a faint voice. “…ring. Put the ring on…” It was Julius’s voice.

 

“You want a ring?” Claudia asked, her voice trembling. He barely nodded. 

 

Calming her racing heart, she took the ring from her hand and slipped it onto Julius’s cold finger. 

 

As she did so, a dark red aura emanated from the black gem in the center of the ring.

 

Pow!

 

The ominous smoke went straight into Julius’s mouth as he lay sprawled like a corpse. Soon enough, he began coughing violently, his body convulsing.

 

“Juli, Juli, are you okay? It’s me, Claudia. Are you awake?” Claudia asked urgently, reaching into the cage. 

 

This was no place for Julius—the cold floor, the dank, fetid odor. 

 

“What the hell is going on? Do you have any idea how frustrated I’ve been?”

 

Claudia had gone to see the Emperor and Grand duke as soon as she heard of his imprisonment, but they had refused to tell her anything. 

 

Meanwhile, the investigation into the temple continued, and vicious rumors began to circulate throughout the empire. 

 

“They say you embezzled the temple’s offerings, that you used the money to build a harem and take youngsters, even Cortijan, for all manner of debauchery…”

 

Claudia shook her head vigorously, as if to clear away the rumors. 

 

“Of course, I know it’s not true. If I can’t trust you, who can I trust?”

 

Julius’s coughing subsided, and he leaned back against the wall with a croak. 

 

Claudia hoped he’d start with an explanation, but he only rolled his eyes in annoyance. 

 

She clenched her fists impatiently. 

 

“So I was trying to figure out a way to make it work when your servant sent me…”

 

“Shh,” Julius interrupted, putting his index finger to his mouth. 

 

His head hurt, and he wanted her to be quiet. Claudia obeyed, shutting up like an obedient animal.

 

In the silence that followed, Julius narrowed his eyes at her. 

 

“But you can’t come here, Claudia. What if we get caught?”

 

Claudia’s face briefly flickered with regret at his eerily small, shrill voice. But she quickly relaxed, thinking he was worried about her being caught by the guards. 

 

“I’m fine,” she said. “But these are things you asked for, and I’d feel better if I brought them myself…”

 

“That’s what I asked him to do! They’re important. Leave them with the person I sent them to! If the guards find them and confiscate them, it’s all over!” Julius snapped, his voice rising.

 

“Juli…” Claudia’s eyes flushed with hurt. 

 

‘You weren’t worried about me. You were angry that your plans would be disrupted?’

 

Understanding him was one thing, but feeling sorry for him was another. 

 

“Why on earth are you so angry? I wasn’t caught. Nothing was taken from me…”

 

“Claudia, please!” Julius wrapped his hands around his head as if he didn’t want to hear any more. 

 

“You know this isn’t the time for this kind of lip service. You’re the Empress. Can’t you… figure out what’s going on?”

 

“Juli…” Claudia’s lip trembled as she looked into his bloodshot eyes. 

 

Tears threatened to fall, but she held them back. 

 

She wondered if she’d provoked him unnecessarily and made his condition worse. Besides, according to him, this wasn’t the time for this kind of talk.

 

Clenching her jaw, Claudia slid the package she was carrying into the cage. 

 

She had packed it a week ago, in response to a letter from Julius that someone had brought her.