Ch. 54 - The Mysterious Tablet

Meanwhile in the capital city, Lucia was still carrying the slab of stone. Her head was covered by a veil. Together with the warriors who were escorting her, they weaved through the streets’ alleyways. The streets were filled with soldiers who were questioning and interrogating the citizens. Once they found someone suspicious, they shot them right away. They didn’t accept any excuses.

"Princess, where will you go after we get out of the city gates? Almost all of the castles and cities in Aixinzhe have now defected to Lex. We can no longer stay within the kingdom,” whispered a female archer with a beautiful body who was carrying a bow and arrows. Lucia was about to speak when a timid but excited voice came from behind her.

"Your Highness? I’m glad Her Highness is all right!"

As soon as they heard that, the soldiers around Lucia immediately pointed their swords at the source of the sound. If Lucia had been even one second late, the person's heart would have been pierced by sharp swords and arrows.

Lucia quickly turned around. She soon saw Luna standing behind her. Underneath the cloak, Luna’s joy could be seen. Immediately, Lucia waved her hand to stop the soldiers.

"Wait, she's one of my people!"

"Oh, princess! I thought you already..."

As soon as the soldiers exhaled and dropped their rapier, Luna whimpered and jumped into Lucia's arms. She then wailed like a child.

"Your Highness, the destination hasn't been set yet." The archer next to her reminded Lucia again.

Lucia tightened her grip on the slate in her arms. Determination and hatred bubbled in her eyes.

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend. I'm going to the Duchy of Kasmi! Then, I’ll attack the enemy by using the enemy’s hand!"

The surrounding soldiers collectively froze. Speechless, they exchanged glances with each other. Although they did not agree with her choice, it was still the most convenient strategy at the moment.

"Hey, have you heard? The nobles of Aixinzhe Kingdom plotted against the king and killed him!"

"Did you just hear that? Let me tell you, my nephew is a soldier at the border. He told me a large number of troops have been transported to the front. Various lords have responded to the Archduke’s call to go to the battlefield!"

"Oh my God, another war? I don't know how long it will take. I won’t be able to continue this business."

Paladin, who was in the church to hear the visitors' prayers, was listening intently to the commoners' discussions about the coup d'état that happened in the Aixinzhe Kingdom. He observed Luna’s reaction. She was casually sweeping the floor. She seemed unfazed. Paladin's brows immediately furrowed.

'I heard Luna's accent and, while I'm not sure where she's from, it's definitely not Kasmi's. She’s very suspicious. News about Aixinzhe arrived a few days after she arrived. At the same time, she is acting too indifferent about the situation. When someone hears that there is going to be a war, even ordinary people will more or less show some reaction. This Luna, on the other hand, is too unconcerned about the situation. No, it's not that she doesn't care. Rather, it’s more like she purposefully doesn't care!'

"Luna, let's have lunch," Paladin said to Luna with a smile after dismissing the last believer who had come for morning prayers.

"Hmm? Mhmm."

When Paladin approached the table, he saw mashed potatoes, clean and fresh tomatoes, a small plate of cheese, and toasted golden breads lined up across the worn table. Paladin unexpectedly approached closer and inhaled the fragrant scent. A smile immediately bloomed on his face.

"It smells good, Luna. Did you make all this?"

Luna smiled shyly but said nothing.

‘If it hadn't been for the fact that I studied cooking with the chef in the palace for a while purely for fun, today would have been a disaster,’ Luna thought.

Luna satisfiedly watched as Paladin sat down. Next, she also sat down because she was hungry as well. She was about to pick up a piece of bread and put it into her peach lips when–

Slap!

"Ah, it hurts! How dare you hit me?!"

Paladin slapped the back of Luna's hand and the latter's bread fell back into the basket. She didn’t think long enough before reprimanding Paladin as she patted the back of her hand. However, not long after, Luna knew she had said something wrong. This was not the royal palace, she was no longer the high and mighty Princess Lucia.

Paladin simply looked away, clasped his hands in front of him, and closed his eyes before praying reverently.

"Thank you, Mighty God, for giving us food so that we don’t get hungry. May your goodness shine upon us forever, amen."

Luna couldn't retaliate. She had seen stubborn priests like Paladin before. She didn’t have any excuse, so she had no choice but to repeat what Paladin had said. Paladin smiled slightly and started to eat.

The meal was extremely boring. Because of etiquette, Lucia often couldn’t talk while eating in the palace. But, sometimes parents turned a blind eye when they were talking with their peers. Though when faced with Paladin, she couldn’t put up a fight. From the beginning to the end, she actually didn't say a word. She just vented her repressed voice to the plate of bread, not noticing that she was the only one who was still eating.

After the tedious lunch, Lucia's suffering was far from over. Paladin did not give her time to rest. At noon, Paladin invited those energetic choir members to practice singing. At the afternoon Mass, Lucia was asked to prepare tea and water on the side. The Holy Bread was served along with the Holy Blood. My God, what a big jug full of wine! It weighed between four and five pounds and she had to serve the wine for two hours!Lucia was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion, but then, she still underestimated Paladin's ability to order people.

After Mass, the church was littered with litter and dust. Lucia was nominated as a nun, so she had to clean up all of this manually. She worked until the sky turned black and the owls began to hangout on the treetops and hooted. The work for the day was finally complete.

"Father, I'm going to take a rest. Good night."

Paladin, who was about to go upstairs with the Bible, immediately smiled gently and reminded her.

"Remember to pray before going to bed."

"Mhmm…."

Lucia reluctantly suppressed the anger she felt when dealing with this young but old-fashioned priest. She dashed into the recently vacated grocery room, paying no attention to how messy it was or how strange it smelled. She immediately collapsed on the floor. After a few breaths, she fell into a deep sleep.

Even Lucia would’ve never imagined sleeping in a bed that even her servants wouldn't sleep in a month ago. Now, this was the place where she was the happiest and most satisfied. Lucia, who had never exercised or worked out, was forced to do physical work so suddenly. Feeling physical fatigue was a natural thing. All of this, however, was planned by Paladin.

Three hours later, in the dead of night, Lucia's door was gently pushed open. Paladin entered silently, his face dark. The faint moonlight from outside the window, albeit dimly, helped Paladin to see the curvy figure that was lying on the bed. A figure that could not be covered even by the quilt.

The undulating mountain peaks, smooth grasslands, and brilliant landslides, the figure’s perfect lines could make a man lose control. It was even amplified by Lucia's pretty face, red lips, and brown hair. There was a faint fragrance coming from her that made people feel dizzy and fascinated. When Paladin inhaled it, in an instant, a surge of the most primitive human desire spread to Paladin's limbs.

With a slight shake of his head, Paladin drove those thoughts away. His main goal was to find out the identity of the woman. Paladin regained his composure and began rummaging Lucia’s belongings for something relevant.

A bloodstained wedding dress.

Paladin's pupils shrank rapidly. The fabric was exquisite. It was embellished with exquisite handiwork. Paladin became aware that the background of this woman called Luna was not simple. When he spread open the wedding dress, a symbol that was stained with blood came into view. The symbol was a dark red coat of arms, on which a lion with two swords was standing and roaring in the fire. No matter how ignorant Paladin was, he knew that this was the symbol of Aixinzhe Kingdom’s royal family, which was publicly known as the enemy of the Duchy of Kasmi!

"This woman has something to do with Aixinzhe's rebellion! Perhaps, she's a noble from the royal family!"

Paladin was taken aback by his newfound speculation. He hurriedly put Luna’s things back in place, trying his best to make it seem like it had never been turned over. He took a deep breath and quietly opened the first drawer, his expression intense. A stone slab wrapped in thick cotton cloth appeared before his eyes.

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