Misfortune 50

Chapter 50

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***

"What is it?"

Roan asked, not realizing he was focusing all his attention on the woman’s small voice, and for some reason he felt nervous.

"I'd like to go out next Friday."

That made the answer all the more devastating.

A hollow, airless laugh escaped his lips.

He wondered what the hell was going on in that little head of her, suddenly wanting to go out?

Perhaps his fears of what might have happened to her while he was gone were useless ramblings.

Perhaps she was having a good time and enjoying herself. The way she's so eager to get out of the house, even if it's just to get some fresh air.

"Sure."

Roan agreed what he would normally have said no without a second thought, not because he felt bad for her, but to make up for today.

‘Why next week?’

He wondered if she remembered what happened then.

No, she probably didn’t even think about it.

It was probably just a coincidence, but he wasn't about to let it slide.

He was going to wait and see what she would do that day, what fun and excitement she would have.

It would be enough to rekindle his increasingly lukewarm anger.

***

The air no longer held the heat of the day, thanks to a break in of the heat waves. The song of the leaves rustling in the clear, crisp breeze was clearer than usual.

On a day that couldn't have been more perfect for a picnic in a secluded field, Roan was following the woman's trail.

He wore the usual street clothes: a loose top and thin cotton pants, made especially for this day. Despite his preparations, it did little to disguise the sharp features of a soldier.

His preparations for the day didn't stop there. He had taken the entire day off work. This caused some commotion among his men, who thought something had happened to him.

He couldn't help but feel a little laughable when he remembered that all of this had been done solely to follow her.

All the more so when she was striding along at a leisurely pace, seemingly oblivious to her pursuers.

‘I thought you were going straight to the city center.’

Wearing only a black dress, the woman exited the mansion and turned into an alleyway that led in the opposite direction from the main street.

Roan, who was determined to see how much she could enjoy this day, followed her dutifully, keeping a respectful distance.

From the Main Street to the alley, back to the Main Street. As he passed through the many paths that crisscrossed the city center, a building caught his eye.

‘The chapel..................?’

The red bell tower towering above the low buildings was becoming more and more imposing.

But it wasn't until Delnia was fully inside the walls of the chapel that Roan could be sure of his guess.

He hadn't expected her to come to the chapel on a Friday when there was no mass.

For what?

Was she planning to move her family’s residence to the convent at Beauvais?

His eyes sharpened as he followed Delnia's every move.

Still oblivious to the fact that she was being followed, she stopped a passing priest and chatted with him for a while, then they disappeared down a side street by the main chapel.

Roan, who had been watching the direction of their disappearance, treaded cautiously.

The clearing beside the main chapel was lined with vines tended by the priests, and a narrow path ran through it like a forest trail.

Beyond the winding path, the footsteps of two people were slowly receding.

There were no other humans, so Roan followed, keeping a little more distance between them.

The grape vines that stretched out from the supports were so lush it was like walking into a cave made of leaves. With each step he took, the sweet green scent of sun-ripened grapes hit his nose.

Around every bend, her platinum hair flickered in and out of sight like a ray of sunlight through the shade. Strangely, it made him unbearably nervous.

Resisting the urge to turn the woman around, Roan paced thoughtfully.

When he finally emerged from the dark green caverns, he found a small chapel building that lingered in the shadow of the main chapel.

And beyond its doors, the golden hair fluttered like a butterfly and disappeared.

"Ha............"

Roan barked out a dry laugh.

Unlike the main chapel, which was piled high with red bricks and adorned with colorful glass, the building before him had gray stone walls and not a single statue. This made it easy for Roan to recognize its purpose.

This neutral-colored chapel was an altar to the dead.

Unlike the nobility, who had their own cemeteries within their estates, the commoners traveled to the chapel for their own burials, so the chapel usually had a separate room for mourners and memorial masses.

It was not hard to see who she might have come here to honor.

Her father, whose ignominious death prevented him from being buried in Belfort.

Of course, there was nothing wrong with memorializing flesh and blood, no matter how ugly and hurtful the final act.

Nevertheless, it was the timing of it that made him angry.

As he stared angrily into the chapel, the old wooden doors swung open once more, and the priest stepped out into the hall, closing them behind him.

Roan, who had been watching, no longer held back, moved.

"Wait."

"Hic!"

He grabbed the priest by the shoulder from behind, and the startled priest jerked his arm free. Something slipped out of the wide sleeve of the priest's robes and fell to the floor with a loud clatter.

Roan glanced at the floor, still holding the priest's shoulder tightly.

A single yellow gold coin glinted in the even more yellow sunlight.

"Now, who................"

The priest turned his head, shaking with fear at the fearsome momentum behind him.

"Uh................ Colonel Barthez?"

The priest nodded, surprised that he recognized him, even in this state of dress, and Roan let go of his shoulder, figuring it would be easier to gain his cooperation if he revealed his identity rather than hide it.

The priest tapped his surprised chest and turned fully toward Roan, letting his guard down.

"It is an honor to meet an Imperial hero in the home of the gods. What brings you here?"

The priest asked in a softer voice. Roan answered nonchalantly, his complexion unchanged.

"I'm here for the same reason as the woman who just entered."

"Ah, you must be with her."

He nodded wordlessly, and the priest kindly explained the situation.

"Anyway, I've just finished lighting the candles and saying a prayer of remembrance with the lady’s sister. She also made an offering for the deceased, and now she wishes to pray more alone, so I’ll her there for a moment."

"I see."

Roan nodded in agreement, for he had expected it. Still, his gaze remained fixed on the door of the chapel where the woman would be staying alone.

The priest nodded and continued. He didn't seem the least bit suspicious.

“I guess she is a very affectionate person. She never forgot the anniversary of her sister’s death, even though she passed away ten years ago, and she still comes to the chapel every year without fail.”

A sister who died over a decade ago?

Roan glanced back at the priest. There was a creaking noise coming from the back of his head, like an unoiled iron gate.

"..................isn't it Evan she's honoring now?"

"Evan?"

The priest cocked his head at the name of Count Eperne.

"You must be mistaken. It was a sister named Lena who I prayed for."

****

The door closed softly behind her back.

Delnia looked up at the beam of light that filtered through the thick, opaque glass. The black veil that hung over her vision shattered the shafts of light into tiny pieces.

The chapel was rather modest for a chapel in the capital, even for an annex dedicated to mourning. A boring altar and a row of pillars were all that was there, a far cry from the chapels of today.

She chose it over the newer chapels in the capital simply because it was within walking distance.

Still, Delnia had grown quite fond of the old chapel. It reminded her of the chapel in Belfort, with its canons that must have been older than the Empire itself.

It was also nice to have some quiet time alone to pray.

"May the mercy of the gods still be with you, Lena."

***

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