Chapter 128: A Special Day  

The night was as dark as the maw of an abyss.  

A dreary rain drizzled steadily over the western mountain range.  

Through the damp and ominous atmosphere, a single carriage arrived at the Central Prison of the Empire.  

“403. Step out. You’ve been granted a special pardon.”  

“!”  

Jude, who had been sitting on the edge of her bed, stood up as if spellbound.  

‘A special pardon. It’s only been two days since I sent the letter.’  

Margaret’s words weren’t a lie!  

The sound of the iron bars creaking open echoed, and Jude stepped out of the cell.  

She followed the guard down a long corridor. At the end of the corridor, a middle door opened, followed by another iron door leading outside.  

At the end of the pathway, a noble silver-haired man was waiting.  

The faint light spilling from the lantern of the carriage behind him revealed his identity—it was Arthur de Fabian.  

“Jude, I’ve brought you out. Where’s the evidence?”  

“……”  

Was this really the same person?  

The Crown Prince, whom she hadn’t seen in a long time, no longer carried his usual air of composure. His face was a chaotic display of emotions, as if arrows were spilling out of an overfilled quiver.  

Jude found it strange but quickly dismissed the thought. What mattered was that Margaret’s words had proven true.  

‘I’m leaving this prison.’  

She could finally be free.  

“The pardon documents first.”  

“Isn’t it obvious from the fact that you’re standing here? You’ve already been pardoned.”  

“I told you they were necessary. Without them, I can’t give you the evidence.”  

“You’re quite demanding. Fine.”  

Arthur threw a document envelope at Jude’s feet.  

The envelope landed in the muddy ground, soaking through. Jude bit her lip and quickly picked it up. Inside were two pardon documents.  

“Now hand over the evidence. If you’ve deceived me, you’ll regret it.”  

“Here it is.”  

Jude pulled the photograph Margaret had given her from her pocket and handed it to Arthur.  

“Count Willem.”  

“Yes, Your Highness.”  

From the darkness, Willem stepped forward and shone a lantern over the photograph. While Willem shot a look of disdain at Jude, Arthur burst out into laughter.  

“Kuhuhu.”  

“The original document is in the Duchess’s bedroom safe. You can retrieve it yourself.”  

“Ahahaha.”  

Something was off.  

Arthur had never laughed like this before, nor had he shown his emotions so openly. His once cold and indifferent golden eyes were now tainted with madness.  

Was this strange feeling that had been bothering her all along?  

An inexplicable sense of unease made Jude’s voice tremble.  

“W-Why are you laughing?”  

“Haha. Are you worried about me?”  

“Of course not. I’ll be on my way now.”  

Jude wanted nothing more than to snap the Crown Prince’s neck for using her, but she knew she had to prioritize her survival. She needed to leave this place as quickly as possible.  

She wanted to head straight to the Duke’s residence.  

‘But my lord wouldn’t welcome me.’  

Out of courtesy, she bowed her head to the Crown Prince and turned to leave.  

“Where do you think you’re going? I’ll take care of the Saintess, so you stay here and watch.”  

“What are you saying? I’m a free woman now.”  

“Are you?”  

As Arthur nodded, a heavy metallic click echoed. A shackle had been fastened around Jude’s wrist. The guard who had escorted her out of the prison had locked her hands in restraints.  

“What’s the meaning of this?”  

A blue wave pulsed through the restraints, and in an instant, her strength was drained from her body.  

“This is a special restraint I had the imperial magitech engineers create for me. It uses portal principles. I was going to use it on Xavier, but consider it an honor.”  

Arthur smirked as he snatched the envelope with the pardon documents from her hands. He tore it to shreds right in front of her.  

Shocked, Jude shouted at Arthur.  

“You bastard!”  

Thud.  

The guard punched her mercilessly in the stomach, causing her to double over in pain. Arthur looked down at her crumpled form, his golden eyes glinting with malice.  

“If Xavier finds out I pardoned you, it’ll be troublesome. So rot in here for the rest of your life. That’s what traitors deserve.”  

“You son of a bitch!”  

Jude couldn’t hold back her anger and spat out curses.  

“No need to thank me.”  

Arthur responded coldly, then stepped back. The guard kicked her in the abdomen again, sending her sprawling.  

Several more guards appeared, dragging the unconscious Jude back into the prison.  

The chilling sound of the iron door slamming shut echoed, and Jude disappeared completely into the depths of the prison.  

From the shadows, a man in uniform emerged.  

“Your Highness.”  

“Warden, thank you for your cooperation.”  

“It’s nothing. She was an insolent fool to demand a pardon without knowing her place.”  

“Indeed. Did you really think I would entertain such a letter?”  

“My apologies.”  

The warden quickly bowed and straightened.  

“That method wasn’t something she could have come up with herself.”  

“Exactly, Your Highness. Upon investigation, it seems a young maid who recently entered the kitchen requested to visit prisoner 403.”  

Arthur’s eyes gleamed with realization.  

Margaret.  

The rat he hadn’t managed to kill had fled here.  

“I see. She must still be lurking nearby. Make sure you catch her.”  

“Shall we bring her in alive, Your Highness?”  

“No, kill the rat.”  

“As you command!”  

The warden turned and shouted orders to the guards waiting in the dark forest.  

“There’s a cunning spy disguised as a young maid! Do not capture her alive—kill her on sight!”  

“Yes, sir!”  

Dozens of guards, armed with quivers full of arrows, began scouring the forest for the maid.  

The young spy, who had been desperately fleeing, was eventually cornered at the edge of the forest. Near a waterfall cascading into a misty spray, an arrow struck her chest.  

“Ahhh!”  

The girl, who had dreamed of selling out the Saintess and returning safely to her family, took her last look at the indigo sky just before dawn.  

She fell into the raging waters of the waterfall below.  

＊  

A few days had passed since my visit to the temple.  

Today was a once-in-a-lifetime day for me. I was so excited that even I, a notorious sleeper, had trouble sleeping.  

I woke up naturally, got out of bed, and sat at the dressing table. As if she had been waiting, Maya opened the door from the adjacent room and entered.  

“My lady, you’re up early.”  

“Yes, Maya. Did you sleep well?”  

Ada followed behind her.  

“Did you sleep well, my lady?”  

“Good morning, Ada.”  

Maya gestured for Ada to open the window. Fresh morning air poured into the room.  

“My lady, I’ll just ventilate the room for a moment. The weather is milder than yesterday. It seems the Carbo plague is finally subsiding.”  

“It does feel that way. Just a few days ago, it was freezing, but today feels refreshing.”  

I adjusted the robe Ada helped me into and sat back down properly. Maya, holding a hairbrush, asked,  

“What about breakfast?”  

“I’d like to eat, but I’ll skip it. I’m too nervous because of the special event.”  

“Understood. Ada, inform the kitchen.”  

“Yes, my lady.”  

Ada responded with a sharp salute and headed to the kitchen. Her disciplined demeanor made me chuckle.  

“Maya, aren’t you being a bit too strict as a senior?”  

“To teach properly, one must enforce discipline.”  

“Fair enough.”  

Maya’s stern training of Ada often seemed harsh, but to me, it was endearing and a little pitiful.  

Even though she used to grumble at Rosetta, she had grown fond of her. With Ada, however, she maintained a professional distance.  

‘It must be because of Rosetta.’  

“It’s incredible that the imperial family is holding a special event in your honor, my lady. They’ve even invited the people from Pins and the Duke’s territories. It’s unbelievable.”  

“Right.”  

My eyes naturally drifted to the invitation on the dressing table. The gold-trimmed parchment had been sent by Emperor Charles de Fabian himself.  

[Saintess Yuria, we have prepared a special event in Pins Square to honor your contributions. Please attend. — Emperor Charles de Fabian.]  

Maya, carefully brushing my hair, whispered,  

“My lady, please pinch my cheek.”  

“Why? You know I don’t do that anymore.”  

I looked at her reflection in the mirror with curiosity.  

“Please, my lady. I can’t believe it. Our Madam receiving an award from His Majesty the Emperor! It must be a lie!”  

“Just focus on my hair.”  

“Yes, my lady. I’ll make you the most beautiful today.”  

Maya pursed her lips and quickly braided my hair elegantly. Once she finished styling my hair and applying light makeup, there was a knock at the door.  

“Ada?”  

Maya turned, expecting Ada, but it was Xavier who entered the room.  

“Oh, Xavier. I just finished getting ready.”  

I turned to greet him with a smile. Dressed sharply in his formal uniform, Xavier was ready to go as well.  

“I’m here to escort you, Saintess.”  

“It’s an honor, Duke.”  

I looked up at him playfully as he approached and took my hand, helping me up.  

“Yuria, shall we go on a trip after the event?”  

“A trip?”  

“A honeymoon. Most things have settled now. I remember you saying you wanted to go on one.”  

“You remembered?”  

He nodded.  

‘Yes, it would be nice to create memories before heading to the Cursed Land.’  

“Alright!”  

“Good.”  

“Let’s go to the Eastern Continent across the sea! They say there’s so much to see and do there. And they’re famous for their spicy and delicious ribs. We have plenty of money, so we can just bring ourselves.”  

“I’d prefer if we focused on just the two of us during our honeymoon.”  

Xavier smiled softly and kissed my forehead.  

“Oh, come on, the maids will see.”  

“Let them.”  

In the mirror, I saw Maya covering her face with her fingers and Ada, who had just entered, standing frozen in place.  

Then, suddenly, I remembered something. I opened the dressing table drawer, took out a portable portal device, and placed it in my handbag.  

“What’s that for?”  

“It’ll be convenient to have. Let’s leave right after the event.”  

“That’s a good idea.”  

As we left the residence hand in hand, the staff congratulated us. Even Albert and the other servants came out to see us off.  

‘I can’t believe I’m receiving an award when I was once despised as a little villainess.’  

Oh?  

I noticed Daniel running out of the mansion late, waving awkwardly toward the carriage.  

‘Is he congratulating me?’  

I smiled warmly at everyone to convey my gratitude. Daniel, his face red, quickly retreated back inside.  

The carriage carrying us picked up speed, heading toward the event venue. Patches of dry ground peeked through the melting snow.  

“It’s perfect weather for receiving an award. The snow has melted quite a bit.”  

“It has.”  

Following my gaze, Xavier also looked out the window.  

The Empire was slowly returning to its former self after a harrowing time that had frozen the world.  

Though it was still winter and cold, it was no longer the deadly chill that claimed lives. There were no more people suffering or grieving from the Carbo plague.  

The Empire had overcome the epidemic faster than expected and was regaining peace.  

The carriage soon arrived at Pins Square.  

I was left speechless at the sight unfolding beyond the glass window.  

“Oh my goodness.”