Chapter 231: Chapter 231

“…Haa.”

Isella sighed deeply, feeling as though the ground beneath her was sinking. She lamented why she had to worry so much.

In the cathedral garden, there was an early-blooming rose garden. It was a beautiful garden, driven more by capital than by praise for God.

However, it did not meet Isella’s standards, and there were many other places to visit in the capital, so she didn’t feel the need to visit the rose garden. At least, not until today.

Isella felt pitiful, unable to go out to the city or enter the cathedral, nervously praying in the garden. She was even praying herself.

‘God, what should I say to Carynne?’

Staying at the cathedral, Isella had started praying to God for the first time in years. It felt awkward since she hadn’t done it in so long, but she couldn’t avoid it. It was that much of a headache.

“Donate only when it’s good for tax purposes, make the most noise when helping others, and never get involved in undesirable situations.”

She should have followed her father’s advice to stay out of matters that didn’t bring benefits. Isella clasped her hands together, looking up at the grand cathedral between the rose bushes.

‘Why did I do something I don’t normally do….’

She couldn’t bring herself to enter the main hall to pray. If she, who never usually prayed, were seen praying, any priest would ask her what was wrong, and Isella wasn’t confident she could answer naturally.

Moreover, she wasn’t confident in talking to Carynne Hare, who would be in the main hall at this time. So, Isella had stayed up all night and came out to the garden early in the morning, wracking her brain.

“Haaa….”

* * *

Carynne had shared all sorts of stories with her. She said she was cursed by something passed down from her mother and that she was of saintly blood from ancient legends. Isella had to clench her fist to keep from reacting to what sounded like the delusions of a teenage girl.

But that was the least of it. The more detailed the story, the stranger it became.

“I’ve lived for more than a hundred years.”

“……”

She claimed she had died and come back to life numerous times, but Isella was a person of common sense. It was a ridiculous story.

‘Oh, she’s really gone mad.’

Isella was convinced that Carynne was suffering from some kind of mental illness.

But there was consistency in her story. It was severe.

She was particularly disturbed by Carynne’s obsession with pregnancy. They were still barely adults. Carynne claimed that to break the curse, she needed to get pregnant, but she was barren. Because of her barrenness, she couldn’t escape the curse.

From that point on, Isella felt more than just strangeness. She felt a chill.

Carynne was seventeen years old. How could she be certain of her barrenness? What had she been doing all this time? With that beautiful face? Carynne was out of her mind. And she was far too pretty to be living in the countryside.

Crazy, beautiful, living in the countryside.

The implications were clear. She might have been driven mad by some terrible event.

Isella had heard various things about people through her father. From Verdic’s drunken ramblings, from the gossip of servants, and from those who held grudges against Verdic and came to him.

Thinking this, she felt goosebumps down her spine. She had to get Carynne to a hospital for an examination. Carynne was someone who shared meals and lodging with her most of the time. Having someone so far gone living right next to her was extremely unsettling for Isella.

‘I need to take her to the hospital for an examination.’

So, Isella tried to contact people connected to her father, whom she had been avoiding. She went directly to the largest hospital. It wasn’t too difficult, being in the capital. Isella sought out the old doctor she had seen when she was a child.

“Miss Isella Evans? What’s the matter? Are you feeling unwell? Ah, and it would be best for you to return home….”

“It’s not me who’s sick. There’s a girl my age in the room next to mine… I think there’s something wrong with her.”

“You mean the room next to yours in the Grand Cathedral?”

“Yes… So please, as quietly and discreetly as possible.”

“Understood.”

The doctor, having possibly received prior notice from Verdic, readily agreed to her request. Isella was in excellent health. She knew this well herself.

The problem was Carynne. Again, Isella felt a chill. She had been living and sharing meals with a mentally ill person all this time. Carynne might need to be put in a hospital immediately. Who knows what a crazy person might do?

After the examination, Isella, with a tense expression, asked the doctor.

“Please tell me exactly what Miss Carynne Hare’s condition is. And keep it confidential.”

“Yes, understood.”

“Is she really insane… Should she be isolated immediately?”

But the doctor shook his head.

“She does not need isolation. Her cognitive and thinking abilities are perfectly normal.”

“But she told me… strange… stories.”

“Ah, she laughed and said it was a lie to tease you, Miss Isella. She’s quite a charming young lady.”

“Excuse me?”

“And that’s the problem. That young lady is not in such a situation.”

Carynne had perfectly pretended to be normal in front of the doctor. She laughed off the stories she told Isella as mere legends and said she sometimes had nightmares because of them, but that was all.

It’s unclear what the truth is, but she can behave normally as she did before.

The real issue was Carynne’s physical condition.

Carynne Hare was pregnant.

…But who’s the father?

Carynne firmly believed she was barren. She hadn’t considered for a moment that she might be pregnant.

The idea that Carynne might have gone mad because of some terrible event in the countryside solidified in Isella’s mind.

If she was that obsessed with pregnancy, it was likely true.

Should she tell her the truth?

It might be better to tell her before it’s too late. Isella couldn’t help but be aware of the societal violence against unwed mothers. Even as Verdic’s daughter, an unwed pregnancy was terrifying. In a country where religion dominated society, it was inevitable.

Should she tell Carynne right now that she’s pregnant?

* * *

“It’s overwhelming….”

The sudden, extremely heavy reality crushed Isella.

Come to think of it, Carynne had been almost like a servant to Isella, attending to her every need during her long stay at the Grand Cathedral.

It was something Isella couldn’t understand. Even if she requested something from Verdic regarding the Hare estate, it was surprising that Carynne accommodated her to this extent. Isella found such behavior unsettling. She was sure Carynne had some ulterior motive.

Isella felt she was right. The reason Carynne was unsettling was that she was hiding many secrets.

Perhaps Carynne found it difficult to return to her family. Maybe, after being violated by some scoundrel, she couldn’t go back and was staying willingly with Isella at the Grand Cathedral.

Unlike Isella, who used the cathedral as a sort of lodging, Carynne attended worship and volunteer work diligently. She showed a deep interest in theology. Was it because her reality was so miserable?

The more Isella thought about it, the more places she realized Carynne was invited to in high society. But Carynne only attended a few gatherings with Isella.n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

Isella felt increasingly burdened and weighed down by the situation.

“I’m not interested in such messy matters…”

Isella slumped under the rose vines.

What should she say? How should she tell Carynne that she’s pregnant?

If Carynne were her maid, she could deny it, slap her, and throw her out. But Carynne was not her maid.

Was she a friend? Isella didn’t think so either. Carynne was a strange woman and an uncomfortable presence in her life. Isella didn’t want to get involved.

Rustle.

“Sir Zion, have you seen Miss Isella?”

“Oh, Miss Carynne Hare. It’s been a while.”

Eek!