<em>Hope</em>


    "You must not value your life!! That house is cursed!! Everyone in the house has been cursed! That girl is cursed, and she''s still continuing to curse others!! You must not know that even a doctor was cursed. All those who try to undo her curse are cursed to death!!"


    Standing at the carriage, I replied, "I don''t believe that''s true. It''s just a contagious disease."


    Leah didn''t panic or react scared despite hearing me mention a contagious disease. She leaned in and sniffed me: "Papa, you don''t have the scent of disease on you, and Leah can''t smell the scent of the living. Papa, who exactly did you see inside?"


    "Leah, can you smell the scent of a contagious disease?!"


    Leah looked nonchnt. Her look that screamed that her ability was a matter of course suggested she was bewildered that I couldn''t smell it. Leah proudly exined, "Ill people have a different smell on them. In addition, I can sense weak people. I don''t know why, either, but I can sense them. You do not exude the aura of a weak person, but you don''t have the smell of another woman on you, either. That''s unlike you, Papa."


    "Why do you always think that I''m making contact with women?! Papa only interacts with women for work! Otherwise, Papa would never interact with them!"


    "Oh?"


    Leah looked at me with look of surprise and disdain for the first time. Usually, she unconditionally believed what I sad. She didn''t believe me this time… That hurt my feelings.


    "What have I ever done wrong to be treated this way? I''m not a man who''s obsessed with women. Everything happened for a reason. There was always a reason…" I wanted to exim.


    I climbed onto the carriage and knocked on the door. The sun was setting, and I had yet to decide on my ns for the night. Nevertheless, I nned to head back. I learnt a lot of things while out and about for the day. If I continued to move about at night, the chapel might find a chance to leverage something against me. The risk was particrly high, as I wasn''t familiar with the imperial capital. There was nothing worse than the fact I visited the pope''s home during the day. Once he found out I put a green hat on his head, he might really drown me in some nearbyke. I decided to think about what to do after we returned to our lodging.


    The horse carriage travelled along the stone path. The sound of the horse hooves making contact with the ground was clear. I hugged Leah and quietly thought to myself in the carriage. Suddenly, I realised something.


    ========


    After Lin Dongqing just left the pope''s house.


    "Ascilia, head back. It''s cold. Don''t expose yourself to the cold."


    Ascilia''s mother went up to her side and gently ced her hands on Ascilia''s shoulders. She looked in the direction her daughter was gazing to see the back of the ck horse carriage slowly departing. Ascilia had her hands gently ced on the window. She had her lips gently pursed together, eager and disappointed.


    "My daughter met him for the first time today, but, for some reason, he must''ve be very important to her. It''s simr to romance stories where the male and female lead fall in love with each other upon their first meeting. I don''t know what to say to my daughter," Ascilia''s mother thought.


    Ascilia''s mother gently hugged her. A bitter feeling almost brought her to tears. She didn''t want to destroy her daughter''s pure feelings despite not knowing what Lin Dongqing was after. She, however, didn''t know how much longer her daughter had to live. She didn''t know how much longer she could feel love. If she destroyed a love her daughter found after so many ordeals, she truly would be unworthy of being a mother.


    "Allowing my daughter to experience the beauty of love is a good thing. At the very least, he promised toe every afternoon," rationalised Ascilia''s mother.


    The evening breeze gently grazed the side of the young girl''s face. The sunset shined a gentle pink light down on the girl''s pale face. Ever since she fell ill, Ascilia never felt the evening breeze or saw sunset again. That day, when she watched Lin Dongqing leave, her eyes radiated with life. She wore a subtle smile. In spite of still being sick, she was energetic just as the flowers outside were in bloom again in spring. She admired the sight of the sun shining its final rays. She looked in the direction that the carriage left in and quietly murmured, "He… agreed."


    "I don''t know where he came from, but he gave Ascilia the best medicine: hope. Perhaps this is what they call fate. Perhaps this is God''s will. I always revered and respected God, and God has finally decided to gaze upon me. That man isparable to an angel. He came out of nowhere and brought hope to the one who I love most," Ascilia''s mother said to herself.


    Ascilia''s mother gently rubbed her head: "Mm, he did, too."


    Ascilia gently nodded then softly said, "Then, Mom, can you help me find the clothes I used to wear tomorrow? Also… I need to do my make-up… I want to wait for him… looking the same as I did in the past."


    "''Kay, ''kay, Mom will help you prepare, okay?"


    "It''s not easy to live on, but the desire to live is very important. No one can treat someone who has given up hope. Although I don''t have the confidence to drive out the demon spirit, I can alleviate her pain. In saying that, having the hope to live on is always a positive," Ascilia''s mother told herself.


    ========


    I froze for a moment when I saw Achilles, who was already sitting in the bar drinking. I asked, "Has the vouring deal finished?"


    Achilles raised his ss upon seeing me with a jolly smile: "Of course. No merchant would require a scale for a deal at night. I sold the vouring for a good price during the day. Are you in a rush to get your share?"


    "No, I''m not. I''ll leave my share with yourpany. Give me a cheque as you didst time."


    I didn''t want to be running around with hundreds of gold coins. It wasn''t a meagre several hundred coins. Achilles grin told me he earned arge sum. I always suspected he might''ve falsified the price of the vouring, but I didn''t have the spare energy to get to the bottom of it.


    We made a toast. Achilles remarked, "How about you? Did you learn anything during the day? The chapel''s people probably do not like you, right? I heard that you went to the pope''s ce. You sure are brave."


    "I have to go where I have to go even if it''s dangerous. Furthermore, if they senselessly killed someone who met with Queen Sisi, that''d be a perfect motive for her to deploy military might. The chapel wouldn''t conspicuously offend her."


    "Did you get anything, then, or did you need to find out something?"


    "An elf. Achilles, I''m certain you have connections to an elf; otherwise, you couldn''t possibly have managed to contact Lucilia. I need to see an elf."