Chapter 125: A Web of Deceit

The journey back to the Royal City was uneventful. Everyone returned safely.

Upon arriving at the Church, the group was dismissed. Julie’s face was etched with deep shame, ashen and lifeless. A Crimson Family carriage waited for her on the street outside the Church.

Members of Julie’s team attempted to speak with her, hoping to offer comfort. Yet, Julie remained unresponsive, boarding the carriage in a daze before it slowly departed.

She had suffered an immense humiliation this time. It wouldn’t have mattered if she hadn’t secured the top spot; Theresa had never demanded a specific ranking from her. However, she had now tarnished the Crimson Family’s reputation. She dreaded imagining the punishment Theresa would mete out upon her return.

Elena’s scheme, too, had failed. Lucia remained unharmed, and Elena might even face repercussions for her failure.

****

“Teacher… aren’t you going to follow her?”

Lucia and the other three had witnessed Julie’s disheveled state outside the Church.

Lucia recalled Lovelenica’s earlier words in the carriage and turned to look at her.

“Didn’t you seem a little worried about her before? She looks to be in a very bad state.”

“It’s fine. We can talk about it later when we’re back. Once she’s home, others will naturally comfort her. She probably won’t need me.”

Lovelenica responded casually. While she maintained a facade of pity for Julie, deep down, she didn’t care for Julie at all. Julie’s well-being was utterly irrelevant to her.

Had it not been to provide cover for Julie, Lovelenica wouldn’t even have bothered to pretend.

“It’s getting late. I’m going back to rest. You two probably still need to report to the Mage Association and the Knight Order. I’ll head off first. Bye-bye.”

“Yes, Teacher, please get some good rest.”

“Alright, you two as well. Especially Thor, remember to check your wounds again when you get back.”

“Thank you for your concern, Miss Lovelenica.”

It was already evening, and indeed, it was time to rest. Thor bid farewell to the other three, then followed the direction of Julie’s departing carriage, gradually disappearing down the street.

The Crimson Family had not provided her with a personal carriage, so she usually had to walk back to her mansion.

“Then I’ll head back to the Knight Order as well. See you in a couple of days.”

Attestor said the same, then walked off in a different direction.

After watching Lovelenica and Attestor leave, Imeline remained standing rooted to her spot.

“Huh? Imeline, aren’t you going to report to the Mage Association?”

Lucia asked, puzzled by Imeline’s stillness.

“I’ll report later. Let’s go inside the convent. I have something to tell you.”

Imeline’s tone was extremely serious, her expression equally solemn. Without explanation, she seized Lucia’s wrist and strode quickly into the convent.

“W-wait… that hurts. What is it?”

Lucia rarely saw Imeline look so serious, and her grip was even causing a slight ache in Lucia’s wrist.

Upon hearing Lucia’s question, Imeline still said nothing, continuing to pull her along, though the strength in her grip eased slightly.

Knowing Lucia’s room, she quickly led Lucia back to it. After closing the door securely, Imeline finally released Lucia’s wrist.

“Hiss… What was that all about? So mysterious?”

Freed from Imeline’s grasp, Lucia couldn’t help but rub her wrist. A circular red mark had appeared on her fair skin, though it quickly faded. She stared at Imeline, perplexed; this side of Imeline was truly rare.

Magic stirred at Imeline’s fingertips, and a faint barrier enveloped the room, muffling sounds from both inside and out. Only then did she speak, a hint of urgency tinging her grave tone.

“You’ve been deceived. Lovelenica is absolutely not a good person. There’s something wrong with her and the Crimson Family behind her. Those black-clad figures who attacked us were very likely sent by the Crimson Family!”

“What?!”

Lucia’s pupils instantly constricted. When Imeline first began to speak ill of Lovelenica, Lucia had felt a pang of displeasure, wanting to stop her. But as Imeline continued, her displeasure vanished, replaced by sheer shock.

After all, this was no laughing matter. It was different from simply thinking Lovelenica had a bad character; this involved Fantasy Creatures. And Imeline was so serious, even needing to isolate their voices for a secret discussion. Clearly, she was utterly earnest this time.

“You… you’re sure you’re not joking? How did you come to this conclusion?”

“…I need to tell you something first. I previously investigated the orphanage under the Crimson Family’s name. Something is very wrong there. The children there have their blood drawn once a week, and some children are taken away, supposedly adopted by nobles.”

“For nobles to adopt these orphans is a good thing, isn’t it? …Wait? They have their blood drawn once a week? Everyone?”

Lucia quickly noticed the discrepancy. Normally, healthy individuals had no reason to have blood drawn weekly. Only those suffering from specific conditions would require continuous blood tests to monitor their health.

“Yes, everyone.”

Imeline nodded gravely.

“Moreover, those orphans were only *said* to be adopted, but their true whereabouts are uncertain. Even if they were to change names and identities after adoption, there should still be a record or contract of adoption kept at the orphanage. I couldn’t find any such documentation.”

“Aren’t those supposed to be the orphanage’s confidential files? Aren’t you going a bit too far by investigating them?”

Faced with Lucia’s skepticism, Imeline scoffed, interrupting her.

“I wouldn’t normally investigate such files! Do you think such frequent blood draws are normal? I only continued my investigation after learning about their unreasonable blood-drawing practices!”

Lucia was left speechless by Imeline’s rebuttal. Indeed, such high-frequency blood draws were unreasonable; even adults might not tolerate it, let alone the children in an orphanage. Imeline’s decision to investigate was entirely logical.

“Alright… so did you find out what happened to the children?”

“No.”

Imeline shook her head, and a brief silence fell between them.

This sudden revelation made Lucia’s heart tremble. She knew, deep down, that this world held a dark side, just as she could infer that Lovelenica might have sought to use her power for some ulterior motive. Yet, Lucia had always been unwilling to confront these darker truths.

She wanted to imagine the world as a beautiful place, just as she had chosen to trust Lovelenica. And Lovelenica had seemingly been moved by her trust, beginning to treat her with genuine sincerity.

Unfortunately, some things cannot be made beautiful through innocence and wishful thinking alone. The people who had previously abandoned their human identities to become Incomplete Bloodkin were a testament to this.

📚 Also on NHV Novels

The Price of Stardom

ModernRomance

Read Now →
Not interested