Road of the Heavenly Light

12-3: Divine Revelation

Edith was relieved to see that Brigid had not been held in some damp, underground prison cell, but instead in a place that could almost pass for a perfectly normal room. Almost. The guards at the door served as a reminder that until Brigid could walk out of the room with her good name restored, she was not safe.
"Halt! No one is allowed to see the prisoner under strict orders from the archbishop," one of the guards said. Edith had been prepared for this and tried to look as innocent as possible.
"I am a cousin of Brigid's," she lied, "my mother sent me here to hand her this," Edith held up a string of beads meant for prayer, "she said that if I didn't, the Saint would judge me, and anyone who stopped me..." Edith tried her best to sound like she was scared of the Saint's wrath, hoping to act on the guards' devotion to their church.
"Very well," the other guard relented, "you may see her, but only for a moment."
Edith tried her best to suppress a triumphant smile.
"Thank you. May the Saint bless you."

"Gullible idiots," Edith remarked after the guards had closed the door behind her. Brigid exclaimed her name and shot up from her bed, running towards her with her arms stretched wide.
"I'm so glad to see you!" Brigid said, "I don't know what they've told you, but I didn't steal the tapestry, I promise!"
"I know. Elliot and I are doing everything we can to prove it," Edith responded as they sat down on the bed.
"I had hoped as much, but it's a relief to have confirmation."
"I don't have much time, so I'm afraid we'll have to catch up another day. Whoever stole the tapestry is trying to frame you, and they have access to your house. They placed a lockpick made from a hairpin and placed it there, and they took strands of your hair and placed it near where the tapestry was on display."
Brigid's face grew pale as her eyes widened.
"That would prove my guilt immediately!"

Edith took Brigid's hand into her own.
"Don't worry," she softly said, "I found the hair strands first and took them with me. A hairpin alone won't be enough to convict you, and whoever is framing you knows that too. It's likely they'll place the tapestry itself in your house soon, so if anyone had broken into your house before your arrest, or if you had any stranger visitors... Please, tell me."
Brigid did not respond immediately, likely trying to recall whatever she could about the days before her arrest. The look on her face did not give Edith much hope, but thankfully, Brigid seemed to remember something.
"Cardinal Joseph visited me a few days ago to congratulate me on my brother's wedding, which was why I was in Antares to begin with. I thought it was strange, because I hardly knew him and we hadn't spoken before, but I didn't think much of it..."
"Would he have had an opportunity to plant the evidence in your house and take the hair strands?"
"Yes, he was! I had to open the door for a tourist who was lost and looking for an inn," Brigid explained, "but that was probably no tourist. I can't believe I let myself get tricked like that!"
"Don't worry about that now, I have all the information I need. I will do everything I can to get you out of here, I swear."

Edith meant every word of what she told Brigid. Elliot would never approve, but Edith knew the only way to prevent Brigid from being convicted was to break into Joseph's house and take the tapestry before he could place it in Brigid's house. But even if she were too late, she could always warn Elliot about it so he could take it out before Joseph could find it again. As Edith made her way to Joseph's house, she ran into her brother's page, who handed her another note.

The investigation will be delayed until the afternoon. Joseph has a meeting with the archbishop.

Burn this.

As Edith burned the note, she realized that she had just been given the perfect opportunity to look around Joseph's home while the cardinal was away. She sped up her pace and was relieved when she saw that the house was not some large manor that would take hours to look around. Edith went around the building and climbed over the fence into the backyard unseen. From there, she used a rain pipe to climb towards an open window on the first floor. Edith jumped through, right into the cardinal's bedroom. She immediately began to look around for the tapestry, hoping she wouldn't find anything obscene instead. Sadly, the cardinal's bedroom was rather empty and did not contain the tapestry, so she went to the next room she suspected: his study.

Luckily for Edith, any servants Joseph had would be attending the Sunday service, so she didn't have to worry about being seen as she traversed the hallway towards the study. It was just as mundane as the bedroom, but there was more to investigate, much to Edith's frustration. Edith came increasingly closer to giving up hope with every corner that did not contain the tapestry, and after yet another drawer with nothing, she allowed herself to fall down on a chair in frustration. As she hit the cushion, however, an odd sound caught her attention. She stood back up and saw that the cushion had moved ever so slightly. Edith moved it further away and uncovered a secret compartment. In it, she found the lost tapestry. She immediately grabbed it in her hands and left the house as fast as she could, determined to bring it back where it belonged.

Elliot felt like something was off the moment he arrived at Brigid's house. Joseph was even later than he had said he would be in his letter, and when he finally did arrive, he looked like he'd seen a ghost. When Elliot asked him about it, he seemed quite tense and eager to get the investigation over with. The two of them went inside and resumed their search, but to Elliot's great relief, they found nothing. He didn't know why the tapestry wasn't in Brigid's house, but he was relieved. It occurred to Elliot that Edith might have been responsible, and he decided to confirm his suspicion by suggesting to Joseph that they return to the scene of the crime. Elliot could barely suppress a grin when he saw that the tapestry had been returned to its place.
"T-That is impossible!" Joseph exclaimed upon seeing it.
"Perhaps this was all a great misunderstanding," Elliot reasoned, pretending to be just as surprised as Joseph, "but this is irrefutable proof of Bishop Brigid's innocence. You should tell the archbishop the good news while I free the bishop."
Joseph merely grumbled in acceptance.

As soon as Brigid was freed, Elliot took her back to his house, where Edith had clearly been expecting them. Elliot was not exactly pleased with Edith's methods, but even he had to concede that it was the only way.
"Thank you both so much for helping to free me," Brigid said, "I don't know what would have happened if not for your help."
"All the glory goes to Edith, she found the tapestry," Elliot responded, beaming with pride.
"To think I would have missed it completely if I hadn't sat down on that chair! Who hides a tapestry under a cushion?"
Elliot let out a laugh before turning to Brigid.
"You should probably stay on Fantasia Island for the time being, until things are safer."
"Have things ever been safe for the past ten years?" Edith commented with a sigh.
"We all wish things were different, but we must make do with the situation we're in now," Elliot said.
"I'm sure nothing will happen on Fantasia Island, but what about you two? Will you be safe?" Brigid inquired.
"My position will keep me safe, so long as I do not overstep, and Edith's invisibility should keep her safe as well. You needn't worry too much, dear friend," Elliot reassured her.
"Very well. Until safer times, then," Brigid said, before leaving through the back door.