Chapter 17: The Queen’s Escape and a Curious Companion

The Duchess sprang from her rocking chair at the words.

Her espionage mission had been personally commissioned by the Queen, and before its execution, she and the Queen had established numerous codes for their communications.

The invitation to play croquet was a coded reference to a report.

As for the Lady of Hearts, that referred to Queen Isola herself!

‘Her Majesty the Queen has come in person! She truly escaped from the Imperial Army!’

The Duchess was ecstatic; the miracle she had so desperately hoped for had actually come to pass.

Yet, her professional training as a spy quickly brought her back to a state of calm.

‘It might not be Her Majesty the Queen. It could also be someone sent by the Church, having learned confidential information from the Queen herself.’

This suspicion surfaced in her mind for a fleeting moment before she dismissed it, realizing it was entirely uncharacteristic of the Church.

‘Once they knew she was a witch, the Church would undoubtedly eliminate her without hesitation. Unlike the Queen, who was a “Banshee,” she was merely a “Succubus,” holding little value to the Church.’

‘If the Church were to act, they would either dispatch Holy Assassins or deploy the Inquisition. If Holy Assassins had been sent, her head would have silently parted ways with her body by now. As for Inquisitors, they would never politely request an audience outside a house; they would simply storm in, ransack the place, and kill anyone who dared to resist.’

‘A witch’s death premonition did not activate every time, especially not so soon after a recent activation.’

The Duchess’s prolonged silence caused the Butler, waiting outside the door, immense torment; he assumed she was displeased by the interruption to her afternoon nap.

“Madam, shall I send them away?” he offered.

“No!” the Duchess snapped instantly.

The Butler, standing outside the door, was utterly bewildered.

The Duchess pondered for a moment before finally making her decision. “Invite them in.”

Having spoken, she adjusted her collar, then paced back and forth for a short while as she waited.

As she heard approaching footsteps from outside the door, she positioned her hands in front of her, stood tall and straight, and assumed a solemn stance facing the entrance.

Indeed, this was a grave matter for her, regardless of whether it was the Queen or someone from the Church arriving.

The Butler opened the door, and a young woman with long, dark red hair flowing freely stepped slowly into the study, followed by another girl who bore a striking resemblance to her. The two appeared to be sisters.

The Duchess exchanged a glance with the young woman, then turned to instruct the Butler. “I need to speak with my guests. Do not allow anyone to disturb us for the next half hour.”

“Yes, Madam.” The Butler respectfully withdrew once more, closing the door behind him.

After the Butler’s footsteps faded into the distance, the Duchess approached the young woman and met her gaze for a moment.

Then, she extended her arms and embraced her tightly.

The visiting young woman, Queen Isola, also extended her arms, returning the Duchess’s embrace.

“You truly are unharmed!” The Duchess’s voice was hushed, yet her excitement was palpable. “The Goddess of Fate has not abandoned us! She has not abandoned our nation!”

“I am also glad you are safe, Patra,” Isola said softly. “It’s a relief you are still alive.”

To contend with the Fourth Saint who had marched on the Kingdom of Starfall, the Grand Witches defending Starfall City had been almost entirely annihilated. Patra was now one of the few Grand Witches who had survived.

After a considerable moment, the two finally parted.

“How exactly did you manage to escape?” the Duchess asked, her face alight with joy as she scrutinized Isola from head to toe.

“That’s a long story,” Isola replied, glancing back, almost inadvertently, at Levi, who had remained silent behind her.

“And this is…?” The Duchess shifted her gaze to Levi, and after carefully examining her appearance, she immediately noticed the striking resemblance between Levi and the Queen. “My Queen, have you… created your own retainer?”

“They…” Isola’s eyes flickered away for a moment when Levi was mentioned, and she answered evasively, “They are the one who rescued me from captivity.”

“My name is Levi,” Levi introduced themself, seizing the opportunity.

“Oh?” A playful smile immediately appeared on the Duchess’s face. She first observed the Queen’s reaction, then fixed her gaze intently on Levi, making Levi feel a prickle of unease.

Each path, from the Third to the First Rank, is considered a Divine Rank. Those who reach these exalted ranks possess varying degrees of divinity aligned with their respective paths. They are no longer merely “those blessed by divine power” but true demigods.

Divinity offers numerous effects: it grants its possessor greater proximity to immortality, significantly extends their natural lifespan, and bestows powerful resistance to negative effects caused by supernatural abilities such as mental corruption, charm, curses, and instant death.

However, the most prominent effect of divinity is the ability to create retainers. Holders can select a limited number of mortals and “bestow” a portion of their power upon them, allowing these individuals to directly become blessed adherents of that path without any cost.

The higher a demigod’s rank, the greater the number of retainers they can create, and the higher those retainers’ ranks will be.

A Third Rank demigod, for instance, creates retainers with Ninth Rank power. Following this progression, a First Rank demigod’s retainers would leap directly to the Seventh Rank.

Creating retainers requires a series of time-consuming and intricate rituals, often taking a full day to complete.

Nevertheless, there are also expedited methods for these rituals. While each path’s quick ritual differs, they typically involve intimate contact between the demigod and the mortal destined to become a retainer.

For example, the “Red Moon” path requires the demigod to directly absorb the mortal’s blood, completing a ritual known as the “First Embrace.”

As for the “Witch” path…

The Duchess looked at Isola, asking meaningfully, “Forgive my bluntness, Your Majesty, but you didn’t happen to use an expedited ritual, did you—”

“Patra.” Queen Isola abruptly interrupted her with a commanding tone. “I have fortunately escaped, but the situation in the Kingdom of Starfall remains critical. Let us sit down first and discuss ‘important matters.'”

She deliberately emphasized the phrase ‘important matters’.

The Duchess immediately grasped Her Majesty’s meaning: only ‘important matters’ were to be discussed, and anything else was not to be mentioned.

In a way, this evasiveness only served to confirm the Duchess’s suspicions.

‘No way? Then they…’ The Duchess glanced at Levi again. ‘Could they have been a man before?’

“We can discuss these matters later; let’s talk about important business first!” Queen Isola’s brow furrowed slightly as she actively tried to steer clear of the topic.

“I guessed correctly? Haha, I knew it!” The Duchess covered her mouth, a look of surprise on her face.

“Pa-tra!” Queen Isola glared, “answering” the Duchess syllable by syllable in a warning tone.

The Duchess immediately fell silent, adopting a serious expression. Her rational mind told her that for the sake of her personal safety, it would be best not to press any further on the matter.

“Understood, Your Majesty. Please, take a seat. I shall have someone prepare a pot of tea immediately.” The Duchess smiled knowingly, gesturing towards the guest’s chair.