In Aliyah"s memories, it was Agatha who disclosed the secret to the royals of Borley. They were hoping she could also help them to unlock their bloodline. However, she did not have the method with her. It was actually already a lucky encounter that she read about the real lineage of that family from one of the history books owned by her mentor.With the need to know the unlocking method, after the death of the Obson heir, Agatha left for Holon as she wished to consult some elders in the witch society regarding the Borley family"s demand. She had to do this in exchange for Borley"s kingdom"s support and perhaps, the cure for her barrenness.
Right. This was the dilemma all along. She was barren. She wanted to be a queen. But how could she become queen without giving the king an heir? The problem was not only her. They were not getting any younger so even if she managed to preserve her beauty and slow down her aging, time would still catch up with the king. In short, she had to solve the issue as soon as possible.
Actually, the first method the desperate woman thought of was to seek help from the temple…. But would there be a G.o.d or an angel willing to hear out a plea of a witch, a believer of a fallen angel? Was she eligible to receive healing magic from a high priest? Thinking of this, Agatha could only pretend that the idea never crossed her mind.
From the beginning, she only had one choice. The Church of Wisdom. They had always claimed to be the most knowledgeable in the world. They wors.h.i.+pped and sacrificed to Penemue and in turn, this G.o.ddess bestowed them knowledge practically about everything.
They surely possessed the method to cure her. When she sounded them out before through her servants, she saw clues that they have the means. Getting the piece of knowledge from them should be something that needed no ceremony or contact with an orthodox divinity. In other words, the acquisition of the cure or method would not put her life in danger.
Yet here was the problem. The royals of the neighboring kingdom told her there was only one person in the world who had access to this kind of intel… The Pope of the Church of Wisdom.
However, he was a loyal dog… or rather, a follower of the Borley royals! Agatha, too, did not want to see him since his kind would be able to perceive her peculiarity at a glance.
As part of the deal, the royals got the intel from the Pope, yet these people said they would only tell it to her after she fulfilled the next part of the deal. This secretly enraged Agatha. Still, no matter how she hated it, she had to go back empty-handed and do her best to get the information they wanted from her elders.
Agatha"s date of return happened to be on the same day Jiang Li and Aliyah arrived in Holon City. Since then, she had been thinking hard of ways to access the needed intel. Yet, she only managed to make up her mind on the fifth day, meeting Count Cornwell, one of the powerful warlocks hiding in the kingdom.
Getting acquainted with a mysterious young man called James was an unexpected gain.
…
"… I can"t believe the two plots going on at the same time are all triggered by the villainess just because of her infertility."
The conclusion he managed to arrive at made him feel weird. He didn"t know whether to laugh or cry. And by all means, he was merely borrowing the phrase from a popular Huaxia author who loved to pepper his novels with these words.
That night, before going to sleep, he asked Margarette, "Among Aliyah"s personas, is there anyone proficient in treating infertility? Or know any method to cure this?"
When the words left his mouth, the girl in his arms immediately gasped and tightened her grasp of his arm.
He, of course, realized what had gone in her head and hurriedly explained the matter. Still, he would never forget the heartbroken look she gave him. He found it very interesting as it was not an expression she would normally wear in her face.
…
Borley Kingdom, Obson Territory.
The town near the Obson castle did not change much. Peasants still woke up early to start their busy day. The majority of the men would go to the fields or the castle to help in miscellaneous tasks. Women and children were not slacking off too, either doing housework, weaving or feeding the livestock. Everyone had work to do and sloth was not tolerated since if one failed in his or her task, there was a chance there would be no food for him for dinner.
Probably if something changed, it could only be that the Church of Wisdom was entertaining an important guest, a member of the royal family. It was no regular royal, the guy was the second in line to the throne after the crown prince, Third Prince Benedict Borley. This person arrived three months ago and had been staying in the church since then, much to the headache of the clergymen there.
"If only His Holiness is not very close to the royal family…"
Bishop Gregory inwardly shook his head in dismay after seeing the prince walked out of the small mansion given to him. The latter was dressed like a normal n.o.ble son. Without his exaggeratedly decorated prince-wear and robe, none from those who had not seen him in the royal palace before would suspect his ident.i.ty.
The opinions of everyone in the church vary. But the majority did not want to entertain this annoying ancestor. He said he fell for the daughter of Viscount Obson and wanted to woo her, but when that young lady disappeared, he never made an effort to look for her. At best, all he did was pester the priests for news about her.
Bishop truly did not know what was with him. Apart from smiling and acting cordial with the prince, there was actually nothing else he could do since he did not know his real intention. What was going on in this person"s head? Why would someone of his standing stay in a mere town of a Viscount? At the very least, he should stay in the castle, not in their church!
"Your Honor, it is another pleasant day, isn"t it?" greeted the prince who was still in his usual attire. All his attendants and knights were following him.
The bishop smiled stiffly and slightly nodded. "It"s all thanks to G.o.ddess Penemue"s grace."
Pretending he did not see the stiffness in the expression of the other, the prince smilingly parrotted his words, "Yes. It"s all thanks to the G.o.ddess" grace."
In terms of appearance, the prince was really good-looking, at least way more than Jiang Li. He was tall, and lean, and had a bearing that would not put his family to shame. The blond hair glistened like a pale golden bolt of silk under the sun. The hyacinth eyes were very attractive. His lips and nose too were like a work of a grandmaster sculptor. However, in the eyes of the bishop, he would only become attractive if he left.
Yup, since the Bishop"s faith and loyalty was in the G.o.ddess alone, this royal prince was nothing but an eyesore. There was no reverence whatsoever in his heart and he wanted nothing but the prince"s departure. Once that happened, the expenses would be cut in half and none of his people would be so careful when breathing in his presence. They would certainly regain their peace. Yup, as the G.o.ddess once expounded in Her holy scriptures, there was nothing sweeter and more desirable in this world than peace.
"So Your Highness, when are you leaving?" The bishop asked for the nth time in his mind. It had become a habit since the second day of the prince"s stay.