Blackstone Manor.
Aaron Sothoth sat upright at his desk, writing down the secrets he had uncovered over the past few days in Chinese:
[First Stage: Unburnt -- Breathing Method, Meditation Method, Unburnt Ritual]
[Theory: Could they be using ascetic methods to hone themselves and awaken their dark spirituality?]
[Second Stage: Son of Burning (the cult's middle ranks), method of cultivation unknown]
[Third Stage: Dark Seeker (the High Priest is a representative figure; the cult's upper ranks)]
He had pieced all this together by eavesdropping and spying in Black Sun Town. It was probably more or less accurate.
It had taken him a great deal of time, but Aaron felt it had been entirely worth it.
He paused, then continued writing:
[Judging from the various clues and traces, the High Priest must be plotting something. Perhaps he plans to use the Unburnt as sacrifices, or... it could be connected to the Eclipse Ritual, some grand undertaking...]
After finishing, Aaron let out a long breath. "How could there possibly be saints in that mad world? The so-called savior is probably nothing but a lie!"
He could easily imagine how desperate those scavengers would be when the truth finally came to light.
Aaron put away his notebook and stood, then went to the window. He breathed out, and his breath instantly turned to frost.
The manor was blanketed in white. Clearly, a heavy snowfall had passed through.
For once, he put on a cloak, left the villa, and walked across the snow, leaving a long trail of footprints behind him.
I've nearly figured out the Unburnt's cultivation methods. Perhaps I can try... awakening my own spirituality...
As he pondered, Aaron scooped up some snow and packed it into a snowball.
"My lord!"
Just then, a slightly chubby young man in a gray scholar's robe came running toward him at full speed, holding up a letter. His face was bright red.
"What is it, my scholar Albert?"
Aaron asked with a smile.
He was a student recommended by the castle's scholar, the second son of a knightly family. He had studied grammar and etiquette for ten years and had a basic understanding of herbalism. He now served as the scholar of Blackstone Territory and the manor's steward.
"Huff, huff..."
Albert wasn't sturdy, just soft around the middle. Now he was gasping for breath. "A letter from Sothoth Castle. Lady Sylvie is pregnant."
"That's good news."
Aaron replied automatically, then suddenly sensed something was off. "When did she conceive?"
"By the dates, it would have been the month she got married," Albert answered.
"Oh, then there's no problem."
Aaron nodded.
He kept a tight rein on his subordinates, and none of them had ever laid a hand on Sylvie. So there was a ninety percent chance it was Colin's child, not one of the ruffians'.
But what Colin himself would think was another matter entirely.
And with Lady Sonia, who was always eager to stir up trouble, still in the castle, the scene was sure to be lively...
Sothoth Castle.
"Have you heard? Lady Sylvie is pregnant..."
"Such a blessing from the Green Grandmother!"
"I heard from the scholar's servant that something about the lady's pregnancy is strange... Maybe she conceived while she was being carried off."
"Are you trying to get yourself killed? May a Winter Forest Wolf carry you off! How dare you say such a thing!"
A group of servants huddled together, whispering. Then they spotted something and scattered like startled birds and beasts.
From a window high in the castle's walls, Colin, dressed as a nobleman, looked down at them, his face livid.
At first, he had been delighted to hear that his wife was pregnant. But before long, rumors had begun circulating inside the castle.
Colin's heart twisted as if a knife were turning in it. After all, he had learned on his wedding night that his bride was unchaste, though fortunately, the Green Forest People didn't care much about that sort of thing.
But he couldn't tolerate these rumors!
"Don't get angry. Don't get angry!"
"I know Lady Sonia is setting a trap. She probably started the rumors herself. I can't fall into it..."
Colin took a deep breath. But when he returned to his room and saw Sylvie Davis embroidering, especially her slightly rounded belly, his inexplicable fury rose all the same.
Sylvie smiled, her face glowing with maternal warmth. When she looked up and saw Colin's expression, she couldn't help but freeze. "Darling, what's wrong?"
"Aaron... what do you think of my younger brother Aaron?" Colin asked tentatively, suppressing the anger in his heart.
"Your brother, Aaron... He's a very contradictory person, both cruel and gentlemanly."
Sylvie said it without thinking. She knew he was the one who had taken the castle, but she couldn't deny that he had ordered his soldiers to stand down and put a stop to their atrocities.
And during the time she was held captive, he had treated her with considerable courtesy.
If not for him, she might have died in the castle. She certainly wouldn't have the life she had now.
Whenever Sylvie thought of Aaron, her feelings grew complicated.
"Gentlemanly? Gentlemanly!"
Colin, however, was like a lion provoked into a rage. He snatched up the ceramic jug on the table and smashed it against the floor.
Crash!
Ceramic shards flew, and water spread across the floor, reflecting Sylvie's pale face. "Y-you... What are you doing?"
"Tell me, whose child is the one in your belly?"
Colin's eyes were bloodshot. He was panting hard, almost ready to draw his sword and point it at Sylvie.
"By the faith we share, Colin, I swear this is your child."
Sylvie murmured, then suddenly understood. "Aaron... He didn't do anything to me."
She didn't realize that the more you tried to explain something like that, the worse it sounded.
At the mention of that name, Colin was already angry enough to want to kill someone.
"Arghhh!"
He roared and overturned the table.
Amid their furious argument, Sylvie's stubborn, sorrowful voice rang out. "If you don't believe me, I heard the scholar in the castle can brew an effective abortifacient tea. You can try it. Try killing your own child with your own hands..."
Bang!
Ginny frowned at the noise, which could still be heard even from this far away. Then, with perfect ladylike poise, she lifted her teacup and took a small sip.
Beside her, Lady Sonia spoke smugly to her daughter. "See... Colin is a fool. Anyone can see the truth, but he just won't—or perhaps deliberately refuses to. He's tormenting himself because he's jealous of and afraid of that man! My daughter, remember this: jealousy and fear can destroy a person more thoroughly than swords and knives!"
"Will Colin really order the scholar to brew an abortifacient tea?" Ginny asked worriedly.
"He won't!"
Lady Sonia answered with complete confidence. "Colin isn't decisive enough for that, and The Count knows everything. He won't let Colin do something like that..."
Suddenly, the woman smiled like a fox. "The Count desperately needs a child with blood from both branches of the family to consolidate his rule. Even if the rumors are true, it doesn't matter. The child is still his grandson, still his blood..."
"If the child is lost, everyone will be pleased. If it's born, it'll remind Colin of what happened today every single moment of his life, reopening the wound of his humiliation. What do you think will happen if this goes on for long enough?"
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