Chapter 87 – Puzzle Pieces (1)
Translator: Lunarise
Editor: Larkspur
In the darkness of the night, Viola noiselessly jumped onto the roof. A cat followed her, jumping onto the roof as well. She glanced at the feline in tow, and then scanned her surroundings.
“Ming, look around. If someone approaches, just let me know, alright?”
Meow-
As Ming rubbed his hair against Viola’s hand affectionately, Viola smiled. After a moment, he felt a presence approaching before she noticed it. It was Paul. In response to him, the feline’s ears perked up, as opposed to how he reacted when he saw Lustian, which was to scowl fiercely with all his fur standing on end.
“How did it go?” Viola queried.
“It is said that the crown prince suffers from a chronic disease.”
“A chronic disease?”
It was completely unexpected for her, to find out that Lustian had an illness. Viola’s heart seemed to be pounding in her chest.
“I wasn’t able to find out any specific details. However, based on rumors from around the palace, the crown prince would occasionally have seizures, and every time that happened he would jump into the Judith River.”
“He said his body was overheating… And that he felt thirsty.”
He had suddenly clutched his chest in pain. He had recovered pretty quickly after kissing her, but the kiss couldn’t exactly serve as medicine… Viola’s body trembled in the cold night breeze, and she pulled her shawl over her shoulders.
“When I was a mercenary, I heard a rumor that the Arpen Empire was blessed by the Gods. Otherwise, there’s no way that the continent could split like that and all of the water could gather into the Arpen Empire in one day. Maybe that has something to do with it—” Paul said.
“Yes, I’m thinking so too. It is also strange that the flow of the river has changed… And the fact that the Gods only blessed the Arpen Empire…”
Viola remembered the history she had learned so far. She had immediately dismissed it as simple idolatry upon hearing it, but perhaps it was more than that.
The founder of the Arpen Empire was the God of Water who lived in the Lake of the God. It was clear in the history books that the empire was able to cultivate wealth due to its blessing from the Gods. It was said that this land was the place where a woman that was loved by the god lived, so that was why he blessed it.
But no matter how much he loved that woman… Would he simply bestow such a huge blessing without any conditions?
“There are no blessings without conditions—”
Unlike humans, who loved their Gods blindly, the Gods constantly put humans to the test. How many times had Lustian called her a divine test? A test from the Gods… He was referring to the fact that his heart was wavering for her.
At that moment, the text from the book she had seen in the crown prince’s office came to Viola’s mind.
Do not despair any longer, my son! I will give you a chance. I will split your heart in two…
I will send the other half to the human world, and the day that you find it, you will be able to love again.
“Could it be…?”
“What is it?”
Viola broke out in a cold sweat.
“God’s Companion… They’re looking for God’s Companion. If the imperial family of Arpen completes that mission, Lustian’s chronic illness is a divine revelation!”
She was certain of it. Only now did all the pieces of the puzzle fit together. The Arpen Empire sought God’s Companion as a condition for receiving the divine blessings. The princesses who had been sent to the empire as concubines for the past 100 years were not mere hostages. They were candidates for God’s Companion. And Lustian’s chronic illness was a revelation from the Gods to find the companion. If so, the song added in the book was a prophecy that God’s Companion would be reincarnated.
Viola felt a sense of separation from reality. She was overwhelmed with confusion.
“God’s Companion? What do you mean…?”
“The song about the foolish God Judith, that song is about hoping that a maiden would be reincarnated. And in a book I found a while ago, the end of the song was written. If the maiden is reincarnated, that person becomes God’s Companion.”
Viola bit her nails. Remembering all of Lustian’s actions so far, she thought about the words he had carelessly uttered.
“Are you saying that the person the emperor seeks is God’s Companion…? But how do we find her? We don’t have any clues—”
“No, she’s been found. Yes… it has to be her!” Viola said.
“What?! Is that true?!”
“I think it’s Guinev.”
“Pri-princess Guinev!”
“The emperor took her and suddenly disappeared. If we can find out where she’s being kept, we can carry out my father’s next orders.”
Suddenly, a wave of anxiety washed over her. On the day that she would execute the king’s last orders, she would leave this place. After breaking up with Lustian, she would go to the place where she belonged and prepare to ascend to the throne in Edward’s stead. She would have to say an eternal goodbye to Lustian, the man who would kiss her lips and look into her eyes with such longing. She felt a tightness in her throat. At the thought of breaking up with him, she felt deep pain.
Viola cleared her throat and swallowed before continuing. “I think I know where she is.”
“You do?!” Paul’s eyes widened.
“Tell Father, and ask him what we should do once we find Guinev.”
“All right. I shall go back, then.”
“Be careful, Paul. This next part of the plan is very important.”
“Yes Ma’am.”
Paul bowed his head in front of Viola. As he turned his back, she saw bloody marks on his clothes from where he had been whipped. Her heart felt sore. His back reminded her of Edward’s, so she called him again.
“Wait. Take off your shirt, so I can reapply the medicine.”
“Do you think it’s okay to do that?” Paul was hesitant.
“It should be okay. Since there’s no one around. Ming is on the lookout.” Viola reassured him.
“All right.”