Last Chance [Extra #2]

Part 6

The Cardinal sat in his room with a solemn expression, quietly wondering about whether he should check on Lady Heroux or not. He was sure she was dead, as he drove a dagger through her chest, but he was one of those people who liked knowing that his job was done. He had an unsettling feeling that something might have gone wrong, and Lady Heroux somehow survived. Although, it made little sense. Unless there was someone with power equal to a high priest nearby, there was no way the young lady could've survived such a wound.

He had no idea that there was indeed a high priest nearby – Sol. The younger priest rushed to the Heroux family mansion as soon as he heard about the Cardinal heading there, and he saved the very life that the Cardinal was trying to end.

While the Cardinal worried about Lady Heroux's possible survival, her family worried about her detached attitude and lack of interest in anything. Elena was still too weak to move on her own, so she was forced to stay in her wheelchair. There were two maids with her at all times, as the family was too scared to leave her alone, but even their company did nothing to lift the girl's mood.

They weren't aware that Elena was simply lost in her thought. Celosia tried to put her thoughts together and try to think of a way to coax Elena's family to kill her. It didn't have to happen right away. She wasn't opposed to staying alive for a few more decades, but she wanted to die at Elena's family's hands. Maybe, in time, the love they felt for their daughter would turn to her instead, and thus could end her miserable life.

In order to achieve that, she needed to recover. Having stayed in bed for almost a year took a huge toll on her health. She couldn't even hold cutlery without dropping it right away, so moving around was out o the question.

Celosia knew it would take quite a long time to bring Elena's body back to normal. Even though it was weak to begin with. Celosia couldn't bear to have such a weak body, so she intended to make it stronger. She needed to because there was someone who was adamant about killing her. The Cardinal. He would stop at nothing to get rid of her, as she discovered his morbid secret.

However, nothing came easy for Celosia.

Ever since she entered Elena's body, it became incompatible with the world's magic. It collided with Celosia's power and weakened her body to the point of being unable to move. She couldn't risk being exposed to more magic while she stayed at the mansion, though it was almost impossible. Magic was everywhere. There were tons of magical items around the house, albeit too weak to cause any harm. The issue lay elsewhere, though. The omnipresent magic that was literally everywhere, even in everyday objects, was much too dangerous for Elena's body. It wouldn't be able to withstand the constant discordance between Celosia's power and the magical energy surrounding her.

The most reasonable choice would be to stay in seclusion, but Celosia didn't know if she could leave the family behind. She considered them her ticket to death.

Celosia saw in Elena's memories that the girl was always open with her family and hardly ever hid anything from them. Her biggest secrets were the fact that she stole a plate of cookies from the kitchen when she was seven or that she secretly snuck out with her brother to the garden at night when they were eleven. Other than that, her family knew everything she did, no matter what it was.

Maybe it would be a good idea to tell them the truth about her state. They were such loving parents that they would probably believe everything their daughter told them.

Celosia tested that theory during the next family dinner. It had been a few days since she opened her eyes, and every day she would eat with Elena's parents and brother. They hardly ever left her alone. They ate all meals together, and whenever Elena wanted to go outside to the greenhouse, either the Countess or Edgar would join her. They really didn't want to leave her alone.