I Was Adopted by the Villain Grand Duke Who Killed My Favorite Character - Chapter 91 - 7. The Fine Line Between Possession and Reincarnation

The news of a Saint’s appearance stirred up the capital.

Stories abounded of nobles in the capital waiting for days to meet the Saint residing in the Imperial Palace. Both Tristan and Lucas showed interest in the Saint.

Especially Tristan, who began conducting research at the capital’s magic tower after graduating from the academy, seemed to have met the rumored Saint in person.

“Although from a distance, I could feel a power different from magic. Well, she seems to have value as research material.”

With a playful smile, he poked my cheek.

‘He’s still annoying even after growing up.’

Tristan, now an adult with height, had transformed into a well-proportioned body with lean muscle. It was the result of exercising because physical strength was important for magical research.

His hair had already grown past his shoulders. Well-maintained, it had a natural shine.

Lucas, standing beside him, removed Tristan’s finger from me.

“Tristan, it’s not right to think of people as research materials.”

“I knew you’d say that, brother.”

“And I would have told you to leave your sister alone. Can’t you see Liat is reading?”

“Brother, you’re also ‘deliberately’ sticking close to Liat while she’s reading.”

“So you both knew.”

I closed the book I was reading and glared at the two of them. I had been trying to find information about the Saint that had appeared.

If not for their interruption, I would have made more meaningful progress.

“Tristan can come and go to the mansion using magic, but I don’t have much time to see you.”

“What do you mean, when you kicked away the position of Imperial Knight Commander to stay at the Grand Duke’s residence?”

Tristan immediately countered Lucas’s words. Lucas had rejected all external knight commander positions using his successor training as an excuse.

Many families wanted the youngest Sword Master.

‘Though his reputation isn’t great.’

His obsession with strength had become milder than in the original story. I wondered why.

I looked at Lucas with his silver hair that had a blue tinge. His appearance, which had always been beautiful, truly blossomed as he grew.

He was known for overwhelming people just by standing there.

“Liat? Why are you staring so intently?”

“Nothing. Just wondering.”

A body with elegant lines yet firm with muscle, and a face that exuded a cold, ascetic atmosphere.

The pure white silver hair, symbol of the Grand Duke’s family, suited him very well. Though his personality seemed to have developed well, his nickname remained “mad dog” as in the original story.

“Lucas, have you ever hit someone or picked fights?”

Lucas responded to my question with disgust.

“You don’t think I’m like Tristan, do you?”

“Knights trained by brother say he’s a demon.”

“I can’t be careless with training.”

“What about that noble youth whose ankle you broke recently?”

“That fellow said things deserving of a broken bone. I know you took revenge later too.”

“Don’t tell me that youth is Britten?”

Looking at their expressions, my vague guess was confirmed.

‘Of course they wouldn’t let it slide.’

Britten, son of a count in the capital, had been suspicious of me for some time. I heard he openly insulted me for being of common birth, but I didn’t pay much attention since I rarely stayed in the capital.

Then suddenly I heard news that Britten had fallen down stairs.

After that, misfortunes continued until he had no uninjured part left on his body, and to think these two were the cause. I thought I should send Britten an apology gift separately.

“I told you to at least tell me before causing trouble.”

“Liat. This isn’t trouble, it’s justified retaliation.”

“Right. It’s ridiculous for him to whine about a few broken bones.”

Both of them were quick with words and wouldn’t let it go. I decided to focus on the book I was reading instead of this troublesome fact.

It was a book from the library with information about Saints.

[It has been proven that Saints possess divine power similar to the Divine Beast. The connection between her, chosen by God, and the Divine Beast, a creation of God, is unknown.]

Evidence of God’s existence in this world.

If I asked Heishar, the Spirit King, I could get more detailed information about the Saint. Unfortunately, he had been absent frequently lately.

“I’ve become certain that the person I’m looking for exists in this world.”

“Then why don’t you find them right away?”

“I can’t find them. I can only sense the fact that they ‘exist’.”

Since becoming an adult, I have been speaking formally with him. After all, the Spirit King’s age was not something to be taken lightly.

‘Despite being my ancestor.’

When Heishar returns, I must definitely ask him.

Soon it would be time for the Saints’ “announcement.” I needed to meet the Saint before she joined hands with Michael.

***

The person I went to with my plan to visit the capital was Gerard. Though it would be faster to get help from Tristan, he demanded something in return every time I asked for a favor.

“Go tell Lucas I’m the best.”

“I want a handwritten letter from you. About this long?”

“Hug me first. And tell me you missed me.”

“Say, ‘I love you.” Easy, right?”

What was easy about any of that?

There would be no end to Tristan’s growing demands. But if I took Lucas to the capital, I would have to endure his overprotection.

He tried to prevent any negative words from reaching my ears.

Just being escorted by the man most famous as a potential husband in the capital would attract attention. His overprotection unfolded embarrassingly regardless of place and time.

“The sunlight seems too strong. Come over here.”

“That fellow seems to be looking at you. Can you wait a moment?”

“I worry about you all the time, so stay close to me.”

Moving with Lucas made any secretive approach impossible.

Arriving at the training ground, I approached Gerard, who was training. He was parrying attacks from a knight who was swinging his sword, completely drenched in sweat.

Clang! Clang!

Gerard’s appearance hadn’t changed much since I was young.

This was because his aging had stopped when he reached Sword Master level while training under the Grand Duke. Seeing me, Gerard used magic to send the knight’s sword flying far away.

“Grand Princess. Had you informed me in advance, I could have greeted you in a better state.”

“Should I let you change clothes?”

“Well. It’s only natural to want to show a good appearance to the master I serve.”

“What a waste of talent.”

Gerard, who had become a Sword Master, volunteered to be my guard.

“Choosing whom to serve is a knight’s right.”

Surprisingly, the Grand Duke approved Gerard’s transfer without much comment. The vacant Knight Commander position was succeeded by Lucas after his appointment ceremony.

Lucas seemed very satisfied that he didn’t have to leave the Grand Duke’s residence. I made my request to Gerard, who had become a Sword Master and volunteered to be my guard.

“I want to go to the capital and meet the Saint. The sooner the better.”

“Have you told His Grace? He will worry.”

“If you say you’re going with me, father won’t oppose it much.”

“If that is my master’s wish.”

He wiped his sweaty face with a towel and gathered his sword. He seemed to have intuitively sensed my intention to see the Grand Duke right away.

Gerard put on his uniform over his hastily dried upper body. Feeling a bit sorry for troubling him right after training, I apologized.

Gerard stroked his chin with an embarrassed face and then smiled.

“I’m already happy that the Grand Princess came to find me first. So there’s no need to apologize.”

“Then I’ll say thank you.”

For the past few years, he had also been my swordsmanship teacher in name. Of course, with Kashian’s memories, I had surpassed Gerard’s skills long ago.

‘Though I couldn’t become a Sword Master.’

It was difficult to use magic without the help of spirits. This seemed to be a side effect of the incomplete contract. Instead, when Heishar helped, I could use almost unlimited magic.

Protecting one’s body was possible even without magic.

“Are you also interested in God’s revelation, Grand Princess?”

“What about you?”

“I think it’s better not to know about revelations. Even if you know, there are many things in this world that you can’t stop.”

Most revelations contained content that forced certain actions. That’s why most people who received revelations were negative about them.

No one knew when, where, or how revelations would come.

‘Until the Saint is appointed.’

The Saint could see others’ revelations, albeit to a very limited extent. Occasionally, visions of future situations would come as dreams, like oracles, regardless of one’s will.

It was this kind of ability that allowed Hella, the Saint, to see that the Grand Duke would start a rebellion.

Originally, at the point when the oracle came down, it could have been used as an excuse to exterminate the Grand Duke’s family. However, doing so would also result in the deaths of many people unrelated to the rebellion.

[Hella decided to join forces with the Crown Prince to prevent the Grand Duke’s rebellion without making the revelation public.

Also, if a high noble family were exterminated because of a revelation, nobles would become wary, potentially endangering her life.]

If the Grand Duke’s family were exterminated, it would mean the same could be done to other families. Nobles would not want a situation where a Saint of common birth could bring down noble houses.

Probably this time too, Hella would soften the oracle before announcing it.

[Hella hid the fact that the Grand Duke would commit rebellion and instead said only this:

Something bad will happen the moment the Grand Duke comes to the capital.]

Because of just that oracle, the Grand Duke would be detained in the Imperial prison.

‘I have to stop it before then.’

The aftermath of that coercive order accelerates the preparation for rebellion. That was the trigger for the entire Grand Duke’s territory to harbor resentment against the Imperial Palace.

And the Grand Duke, imprisoned like that,t would even be tortured.

“The two of you are going to the capital together to see the Saint?”

The Grand Duke, wearing his work glasses, rubbed between his eyebrows while looking at me. Gerard answered the Grand Duke’s question first.

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“If possible, please arrange an appointment with the Saint, Father.”

“You certainly know how to use that word.”

Sighing, the Grand Duke stamped the permit. With this, we could go to the capital tomorrow.