Chapter 20

Chapter 20

“Well, now. I’m sorry for startling you, my child.”

A middle-aged woman, her hair a frosty shade of gray, stood at the entrance of the sanctuary exuding an air of experience that only comes with years of living. She wore a striking crimson pallium draped over her pristine, white, priestly robes, leaving no doubt in anyone’s mind that she held the esteemed rank of cardinal.

I could sense a palpable surge of divine energy emanating from her very being, unmistakably signifying the presence of considerable power within her. Was she really a cardinal? What perfect timing.

“Were you in the middle of your morning prayers?” she asked.

“Ah, yes. I come here every morning.”

“It’s not common for a young girl like you to display such devout faith. And...” The cardinal’s stare paused atop my head as she drew out her words. “A special little girl at that.”

The way she scrutinized me made me flinch. It was as if she could read me like an open book. Who could this person be? And what business did she have with the count?

“It looks like you’re wondering who I am. Since this is the count’s castle, you may call me Madam Gilette.”

“Oh!”

Madam Gilette. Mother-in-law to Countess Gilette and Bianca’s grandmother. Every servant working in the castle was familiar with Madam Gilette. The servants of the castle who had been there for many years remembered her as an austere, devout master.

Austere. Devout. Individuals associated with such modifiers were typically known for their conservative nature and Madam Gilette was no exception. As such, she was never particularly warm or affectionate toward the countess who had once been a commoner. Despite this though, there wasn’t much friction between the two. A few years after Bianca was born, Madam Gilette declared her devotion to religion and went to live in the Holy Kingdom of Elfenheim.

I’d heard stories of her devout faith, but I never imagined that she’d be a cardinal. The religious order, which permitted its members to marry, seemingly also allowed for the continuation of familial relationships their members had established as laypeople.

Pushing aside my meaningless thoughts, I greeted her with proper customs and courtesy.

“You honor me with your presence, Madam Gilette. My name is...”

“Ailette Rodeline. I remember you.”

Maybe my transmigration host was more memorable than I thought?

As we exchanged words, the hallway leading to the sanctuary began to fill with commotion until a group of people emerged through the doorway. Leading at the front of the crowd were Countess Gilette and Bianca.

“M-mother, how good to see you.”

“Welcome back, grandmother.”

Madam Gilette peered at Bianca as she gave her expressionless greeting. Yet again, I found her sharp eyes staring not at Bianca’s face but at the space just above her head. The way she stared into the empty air was unnatural.

Just then, Lord Voice chimed in to give me a hint.

⟬The Voice that Shapes the World observes Cartelaya Gilette with great interest.⟭

What? Cartelaya Gilette? She’s Cardinal Cartelaya?

Ahhh, now I see. It all made sense as memories of her character flooded back to me. I remembered her unique ability apart from her divine power.

✠

The people of the religious order valued diligence and temperance, and as such, they all ate breakfast at the crack of dawn.

The entire Gilette family shoved their breakfast down their throats, forced to conform to the cardinal’s lifestyle during her stay.

Bianca let out a small sigh as she returned to her room after breakfast. I handed her a digestive potion and asked, “Why the frown? Did something happen during breakfast?”

“No. It’s just so difficult to be around my grandmother.”

“Difficult?”

It was amusing to see that Bianca, who had her own fair share of people that found her difficult to be around, had finally met her match.

Then again, Cardinal Cartelaya and Bianca gave off similar vibes. Maybe it was genetic.

“Grandmother really hates me.”

“What?”

I kept quiet and decided to hear her out.

“She was never fond of my mother for being a commoner. She probably feels the same way about me. According to my mother, my grandmother wouldn’t even look at me when I was a baby. Then she left for the holy kingdom.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond to such a story.

“But it is a bit strange,” Bianca continued. “I heard that when my brother was born, grandmother personally baptized him as a priest and was on fairly good terms with mother for that period as well. But I don’t know why I...” She trailed off sadly.

Bianca was crestfallen but tried her best to hide her low spirits. “At least today was a lot better than three years ago. She used to refuse to even look at me or talk to me.”

“Did she talk to you this time?”

“Yes. She asked me what my relationship with you was. I said you were just my friend but...”

Bianca’s face lit up for a second, but her brows furrowed again. I could see that she was worried that her grandmother would harm her commoner friend.

“It’ll be all right. Grandmother seems cold on the outside, but I don’t think she’d ever do something to harm a subordinate.”

It pained me to see this little girl sticking by someone who apparently hated her. Bianca could be so sentimental at times. I guess it was my turn to step up. I put my hand on Bianca’s drooping shoulders.

“You know, Bia. Everything that you’re imagining about Madam Gilette may all be simple misunderstandings.”

“Misunderstandings?”

A quiet knock interrupted us and then the butler stepped in. “Excuse me, Lady Bianca. Madam Gilette wishes to speak with Ailette Rodeline.”

“Grandmother... wants to see Allie?” Bianca’s eyes wavered a bit. “I’ll go with her.”

“I’m sorry to say, the madam has requested a private one-on-one meeting.”

I could just see Bianca’s imagination coming up with all the possible ways I might be harmed. I held Bianca’s hands and reassured her. “Bia, don’t worry. Also...” I leaned in close and whispered in her ear.

Her eyes widened as she listened to me.

Pulling back, I gave her a quick smile and left the room. It was the sly smile of someone with a plan.

✠

Madam Gilette was an ultra-important guest at Gilette Castle. Both Countess Gilette and the servants were doing their very best to please the cardinal.

Even this private meeting was proof of their dedication. The countess herself had set up a splendid tea table outside in the fine garden. Looking at it, not many would believe the spread was set up for tea time with a young maid.

That’s a ton of desserts. The religious order forbade gluttony, but the table was filled with delectable treats. Was this all for me?

“Help yourself.”

“Ah, thank you.”

Just as I was about to take a huge bite, Cardinal Cartelaya sipped her chamomile tea and asked, “What is your relationship with Bianca?”

Hmm, straight to the point I see. Not bad, not bad at all. I was about to just give her my dry, business answer and say that I was just the young mistress’ playmate, but changed my mind.

“I’m her friend. A really, really close friend.” I noticed one of the cardinal’s eyebrows twitch and innocently continued. “Bia is the best. She’s smart, pretty, and kind! There isn’t a single book in Gilette Castle that she hasn’t read, she memorized all of the servants’ faces and names, and she is super good at calculating stuff in her head.”

“Is that so?”

“That doesn’t even cover half of it. This one time, she even saved my brother who was being beaten...”

Cardinal Cartelaya fixed me with an intense stare as she listened to my every word with rapt attention.

After rambling on for a while, I paused to observe the pleased expression in her eyes. The truth can never be hidden for long. Especially with people like Cardinal Cartelaya. I baited her slightly to see what was going on in her mind.

“Bia is a lot like you, Madam Gilette.”

“I’ve always thought that too, yes.” The cardinal found herself agreeing enthusiastically before covering her mouth with her teacup. She had returned to her stoic facade, but I pressed on.

“You came back to visit Gilette Castle to see her, right?” The cardinal didn’t respond. I took her silence as affirmation. “I may be overstepping my boundaries here, but don’t you think it’d be better if you spent more time with Bia now?”

“All is well, now that I’ve seen that she is safe.” Her words contained hidden significance. Of course, there was no keeping it from someone who already knew what her ability was. I decided it was time to get to the point.

“Now that you don’t have any more reason to keep your distance from Bia, can’t you be more affectionate to her?”

“What?”

“You’ve seen for yourself that her lifespan has changed.”

“You...” Her eyes, the Eyes of Fate, had the ability to see the years an individual had lived, as well as the years left to come.

That was Cartelaya Gilette’s unique ability. Over time it had forced her to develop a habit of looking at the lifespans hovering above a person’s head, instead of at their faces. The other day she had called me special because she could see that I’d lived a life beyond that of a ten-year-old girl.

“I was wondering why you would remember the name of a mere maid. It was probably because Bia and I shared the same lifespan. And you decided to schedule a sudden visit because you hadn’t received notice of the death you’d been expecting.”

Cardinal Cartelaya did not deny what I said. “You’re no ordinary maid. So, what exactly are you?”

“You probably already have a hunch, since you’ve seen the years that I’ve lived.” She’ll probably guess either regression, transmigration, or reincarnation.

“Indeed, you are a Returnee. That’s how you knew about Bia’s future and twisted the strings of fate.”

Out of the three options, Cardinal Cartelaya chose regression. She probably still considered me a normal, powerless girl, so she assumed that I would need to know the future, at the very least, in order to change fate.

It’s actually transmigration... She got it wrong, but I had no intention of correcting her. It was more than enough that she no longer saw me as a potential threat. And beyond that, it’d be insane of me to explain the whole transmigration process to someone of this world.

It seems sharing secrets really does increase feelings of intimacy, because Cardinal Cartelaya made a sad, wistful face before me. “How regretful. If I had known this would happen, I would’ve treated her with love and affection as I so longed to before. I’ve done a terrible thing to my granddaughter.”

Her ability could only give forewarnings about imminent death. Not only was she not able to find out the precise when, where, and how of the death, but she was also forbidden from interfering. All she could do was observe in stony silence from afar.

What anguish and despair she must have felt when she lay her eyes on her newborn granddaughter, only to find that her life would be cut so short. Cartelaya suffered in silence as she resisted the urge to love her granddaughter. This caused her to become extremely distant, eventually forcing her to leave her home.

“Bia now has a normal lifespan. Thank you so much.” Madam Gilette appeared to contemplate something for a moment before removing her necklace and handing it over to me. The cross-shaped pendant was undoubtedly made of pure gold. “It’s for you.”

“What is this?”

“It’s my dear friend’s keepsake. I am entrusting this to you with the request that you remain good friends with Bia. Please, take it.

“Ah! Thank you!”

The cardinal’s brows arched as I accepted the pendant with no hesitation. "I expected you to refuse it at least once, for the sake of propriety.”

“Well, if I didn’t accept it right away after you put it like that, it would have hurt Bia’s feelings.”

“Hmm?” The cardinal paused and set her teacup down, sensing that something was amiss.