Satin raised her hand and felt around her collarbone. The emptiness after losing the necklace had lasted quite a while.

Whether it’s people or things, you don’t realize when they’re there, but the void after they’re gone is unimaginably large.

As the past rushed in haphazardly, the sounds of the world momentarily faded away.

When Satin suddenly came to her senses, some heated argument had taken place, and Rublier was angry.

“…I, too, am from the Ka Dillon family, a guardian family. If there’s a wrong, it must be corrected. With the oracle being forged, I can’t just stand by and watch the wrong person take the Holy See. It’s not because I’m Satin’s ex-husband, but something anyone born into this family should naturally do.”

“Haven’t you built a long friendship with His Eminence Kirion? Don’t you feel it’s a waste of time? Your future is paved with gold, why are you being so harsh to your friend?”

“I never befriended Kirion because he was to be the next Pope. It just happened that the person who approached me as a friend was to become the next Pope. If he had called me and said he hadn’t received the oracle, I would have just accepted it. I’d be surprised, but whether he becomes Pope or not, Kirion is Kirion, so why would the position matter so much?”

Rublier’s voice lowered slightly.

“Rather, I find it unfamiliar that he would forge the oracle and try to kill Satin.”

“Still, if His Eminence Vitalis ascends, it won’t benefit our family at all.”

“Since when did guardians only pursue benefits? We’ve gained enough benefits so far, so we should protect what needs to be protected. What’s the use of having five prestigious families? When Satin was the only one truly trying to protect the oracle like a guardian family should. If there’s no conviction, what’s the use of the name Ka Dillon?”

He was telling his parents the same things she had used to persuade her own parents.

Satin somewhat understood why her parents saw her and Rublier as similar types of people.

Even if she couldn’t agree with all of her parents’ thoughts, their judgment, having seen and experienced more people in their longer lives, was still valid.

After a period of heated debate, silence fell in the reception room. Satin started to move again. At the same time, in a somewhat subdued voice, Rublier’s father spoke.

“Rub. Did you go back to Satin because of the child? I’ve heard rumors that Satin is pregnant… You must know about the scandal that spread bitterly in public. Even now, people’s talk is not normal. Are you sure it’s your child? Can you trust Satin?”

The servants who had gathered near the reception room and spotted Satin turned ashen. Satin couldn’t move, trying to process what she had just heard.

What?

What did he just say…

She wanted to grab someone, anyone, and ask what she had just heard. Just as she was about to forcibly move her stiffened legs.

“From today, I am no longer a member of the Ka Dillon family.”

His anger erupted first from the reception room.

Satin stood still again, dumbfounded. Rublier’s indignation exploded, leaving her no time to feel her own emotions.

“You have said something that should never be said by a human being. I will never forgive anyone who doubts my child in front of me. You ask if I trust Satin? Who dares to demand trust from Satin? Rather, I want to beg Satin to please trust me.”

“Rub, that’s not what I meant.”

“I will never see your face again, Father. I’m too ashamed to face Satin. You should be ashamed. Do you know how dirty a false accusation everyone is jointly putting on the one person who is trying to follow the oracle when everyone else is pursuing their own interests?”

This time, Rublier’s mother took her son’s side.

“How could you say such a thing! A child with complicated circumstances like Del Mare, I may not like it either, but there are other things to doubt without resorting to such yellow journalism. How are we any different from street ruffians? The memory of being pregnant lasts so long, if she hears this, she’ll probably never forget it for the rest of her life. I’ve given birth to and raised three children myself, you know.”

Satin gave up trying to hide her presence. Without looking back at the reception room, she walked straight down the corridor and out.

“Satin!”

Before she could take a few steps after opening the door, Satin was caught by Rublier, who had rushed out leaving his parents behind.

Rublier immediately knelt down.

“There’s no room for excuses. It’s all my fault.”

Satin glared at him.

“What does it matter whose child it is? I’m going to raise it anyway. This child will inherit my surname and my family name, and since we’re divorced, it has nothing to do with the Ka Dillon family.”

“…Yes, I’m not worthy. I met someone too good for me, became greedy, and made too many mistakes… It seems you’re going through things you shouldn’t have had to experience because of me. I’m sorry.”

The man as big as a mountain was pale and trembling, not knowing what to do. While Satin was the one being suspected of carrying Gjorn’s child, it was Rublier who seemed to have taken the biggest hit from those words. In front of Satin, he volunteered to be the sinner.

Satin lowered her eyes.

Everything was in chaos because her insides were in turmoil.

Did she want to hate him, understand him, or resent him?

He loved her, and she loved him.

But because the depth of their hearts accumulated much faster than the depth of time, as soon as there was a ploy that cleverly stimulated their insecurities, their eyes and ears wavered. In the end, the wounds were that much deeper.

Satin slowly composed herself. She opened her eyes and asked calmly.

“Why didn’t you tell me such rumors were circulating?”

“I didn’t want to disturb you with such nonsense.”

“You quit the Knights, and you’re cutting ties with your family… I can always go back to Del Mare, but what’s left for you? I told you. You no longer have a wife or a child. We’re finished.”

She spoke harshly on purpose, knowing it would hurt him. But Rublier showed a faint smile instead.

“I know. If that’s the price I have to pay for my mistakes, I can bear it as much as needed. Satin. Right now, I have only one wish.”

Rublier slowly repeated. Somehow, even in the midst of calmness, his tone was so firm that his wish felt like more than just simple words, but a kind of will.

“I just want you to live.”

His voice came choked up like a lump.

“I don’t care what happens to me. I just want you to live. If I can just make that happen, I have nothing more to wish for.”

* * *

The person in charge of the Pope’s week-long state funeral was Kirion.

He appeared in a refined manner, directing the procession through the city streets and listening to the citizens’ condolences.

He completed everything from the sacraments at the Great Temple to the burial ceremony in the cemetery. It was the perfect posture that anyone would expect from the next Pope.

While Kirion was checking the funeral procedures and summoning people to give various orders, Vitalis silently followed his brother.

Although he had a role to play as the second son, it was so insignificant and shabby compared to Kirion, who was at the forefront, that he went unnoticed throughout the funeral.

Especially during the processes of giving speeches on the platform or entertaining people. Vitalis, who stuttered, was ashamed of his weakness and retreated to the back.

Kirion also clearly distanced himself from his brother, who he had to compete with for the Holy See, so despite being brothers, the two never had a private conversation.

The day Vitalis quietly approached Kirion for the first time was near the end of the week-long state funeral.

Kirion was briefly reviewing the backlog of work in the Pope’s office when he greeted his brother.

“What is it?”

“B-Brother.”

Vitalis nervously looked at Kirion, who was naturally sitting at the Pope’s office desk.

An awkward silence passed.

Kirion, who was keeping his eyes on the documents, bluntly asked a question.

“Vitalis. Do you think you’re fit to be Pope?”

Vitalis was startled. He was so surprised that his heavy body jumped up into the air and then sank back down.

“What? N-No. How could I d-dare…”

Kirion calmly retorted, maintaining his attitude.

“Then why are there people who want to make you Pope?”

“…W-Well, that is…”

Vitalis, who had been anxiously watching Kirion’s reaction, gathered his courage and opened his mouth.

“Th-That’s why I came. B-Brother. I’ve b-been thinking about it all along. A-After the state funeral, I… I will leave for the provinces.”

It was truly an unexpected proposal. This time, even Kirion was quite surprised.

“You’re leaving?”

“Yes. I th-think that will make Caldeblanca p-peaceful…”

“It is quite noisy right now.”

“I’ll l-live quietly. L-Like a dead mouse.”

Vitalis flinched, his neck shrank back, buried in flesh. He had no intention of competing with Kirion, he wasn’t fit to be Pope, and he would stay quietly in the provinces until Kirion ascended to the Holy See and the world became peaceful.

Interpreting his brother’s half-formed language, Kirion secretly pulled at the corners of his mouth. It was a story with nothing to lose.

“Do that then.”

“O-Only… I have one r-request for you, B-Brother.”

“What is it?”

“Th-The oracle…”

Vitalis suddenly mentioned the oracle. Kirion watched his brother with sharpened eyes.

The trial had already become a mess, and Rublier had left the Knights, so just thinking about the oracle made him feel sick to his stomach.

Vitalis was immediately intimidated. Having been compared and discriminated against a lot since childhood and being in a weaker position, Vitalis was good at reading Kirion’s mood. He couldn’t help but feel burdened when Kirion’s mood soured.

Nevertheless, he carefully conveyed his wish until the end.

“Th-There seems to have been some error, it’s r-regrettable. It m-must have been a mistake. D-Del Mare only has o-one heir… P-Please be a bit more generous, B-Brother.”

For no one to be greatly hurt by this matter and for him to quietly step down alone.

This was Vitalis’s hope.