Chapter 516
“I was thinking just that.”
“I’ve had enough of the hypocrisy and filth of the nobles. Every day I deal with them, I feel a deep-seated rejection and disgust…”
“I’m not cut out to be a Lord anyway. The Regent Minister and the Noble Council are enough to manage the entire territory. With or without me, Bold remains unchanged.”
“Rather than being a useless vase in the castle, feigning pleasantries with those odious people, drowning in parties and salons, I would rather return to where I am truly needed, and become a devoted ascetic.”
“I hope to join the Church of our Lord. I hope to hear our Lord’s teachings, and like Charlotte, I hope to become a practitioner of our Lord’s word…”
Upon hearing Eleanor’s words, Misha sighed softly and said,
“Perhaps, this is the trial our Lord has set for you.”
“Lord Eleanor, you always say you’re just a vase, merely a nominal Lord, but isn’t that itself a form of escapism?”
“Our Lord can bring us dreams of changing the world, but dreams also require our own efforts. This is our Lord’s expectation of us, as well as a trial.”
“The world is constantly changing. Even divine beings need to adjust their guidance to their believers with the times, and so does our Lord.”
“In the distant past, our Lord’s faith was spontaneously formed. Our Lord never asked anything of the believers, nor had he plans of establishing a Church. But now, our Lord has plans in this regard.”
“Our Lord is omnipotent, but he also understands the power of mortals. Divine beings are the protectors of all creatures, yet the world belongs to these creatures.”
“I think… our Lord doesn’t want to see a Lord who flees, but one who faces difficulties, turns faith into strength, and practices the glory of our Lord.”
Eleanor felt a stir in her heart:
“What do you mean?”
The sub-human maid looked at her meaningfully:
“Lord Eleanor, do you really believe you are just a vase? Do you truly believe that giving up your position as a Lord to become a priest is the right path?”
Eleanor fell silent.
After a long while, she sighed:
“Miss Misha, you’re right.”
“I am indeed running away, avoiding everything I have to face. I lack the confidence to be a good Lord and to command the allegiance of the nobles.”
“But… I don’t know what to do or what our Lord needs me to do. I’m lost. I yearn for the change everyone talks about, but I don’t know how to bring about this change or what role I can play in it…”
“That’s why I had the idea of becoming a priest. I wanted to start as an apprentice and do what I can.”
The maid Misha shook her head:
“I understand your thoughts, but don’t you think that this is giving up your biggest advantage?”
“Lord Eleanor, as the Duchess of Bold, you could do much more than a priest. Lord Charlotte is a classic example.”
“Our Lord has just returned. His Church is not yet formalized. His ideas are currently just that – ideas, not yet final doctrines and scriptures. Our Lord’s followers also need worldly protection…”
“Lord Eleanor, I think… maybe you could try, try to become a true Duchess.”
Eleanor’s lips moved:
“Do you mean to say that I should provide protection for the Church as a Duchess?”
Misha smiled:
“You see, you’ve had the answer in your heart all along.”
Eleanor fell silent.
After a moment, she sighed:
“But… I don’t feel confident. I don’t even have the confidence to control Bold, or to face the Regent Minister and the Noble Council…”
Misha shook her head:
“How will you know unless you try?”
Eleanor still hesitated.
Misha thought for a moment and then said:
“If you are still unsure, then pray to our Lord.”
“I think… as long as you are sincere, as long as you earnestly seek guidance from our Lord, He will surely hear your voice.”
With those words, the sub-human maid saw the time and said:
“It’s getting late. Lord Eleanor, I’m going to prepare lunch. Please do think it over.”
After she had finished speaking, the sub-human maid, Misha, left.
Eleanor remained alone on the porch, her gaze somewhat vacant.
To the god… pray?
But would a lost believer like her really receive a response from the divine?
Eleanor didn’t know.
She hadn’t been a believer of the Lord for long, and her understanding of her faith was still being perfected; she didn’t even know the true name of the Lord.
She only knew that the Lord was the great Blood True Ancestor famous in history, yet he seemed to be completely different from the brutal deity described in the scriptures.
“True Ancestor, should I truly continue to strive to become a qualified Lord and contribute my strength to you?”
Eleanor murmured.
After speaking, she couldn’t help but laugh at herself.
How could she, who did not pray to the Holy Emblem and was so full of inner turmoil, possibly receive a response from God?
However, before the thought had passed, Eleanor suddenly felt a mysterious power descending upon her.
That power was vast, ancient, and majestic, yet at the same time warm, gentle, and intimate…
Eleanor was in a trance.
She seemed to see a towering ancient castle, the world enveloped in crimson light, while ethereal and hazy whispers rang in her ears.
Eleanor couldn’t make out what the whispers were saying clearly, but somehow, she felt she had received guidance and a proclamation that went straight to her soul…
Go ahead.
Follow your true heart, confront the difficulties, and become a truly devout believer.
The power came quickly and left quickly.
In a daze, the whispers had faded, the ancient castle and the crimson mist seemed like illusions.
But Eleanor’s eyes widened in disbelief:
“The True Lord… This is the power of the True Lord!”
“He has actually responded to me, He has noticed my confusion!”
Eleanor’s expression gradually became excited, and after the excitement, there was a long silence.
It was broken by the arrival of a Personal Guard Knight:
“Duke, Count is back.”
Eleanor came back to her senses, her gaze deep:
“Gaston?”
“Yes.”
“Bring him to me.”
The Personal Guard Knight swiftly left, and Eleanor once again gazed into the distance.
“Face one’s true heart, huh…”
Looking out at the streets of Lutecia, her gaze gradually became resolute.
Before long, the travel-worn Count Gaston appeared before Eleanor.
He bowed slightly to Eleanor and said:
“Duke, what would you have me do?”
Feeling the perfunctory tone in his attitude, Eleanor clenched her fists slightly.
However, she quickly suppressed the discomfort in her heart and mustered her courage to put on a serious face, declaring in a deep voice:
“Sir Gaston, I’ve changed my mind.”
“I won’t leave, not Bold, not my subjects.”
“I shall take up the reins of power in Bold, I will enforce my will, and become a true Duke!”
Upon hearing Eleanor’s words, Count Gaston was taken aback, feeling like the young Duchess before him had become a different person in just half a day. Her entire aura seemed to have changed.
Feeling curious, he was about to ask her the reason, but the moment he raised his head to look at her, he stood rooted to the spot.
In his “vision,” he saw Eleanor surrounded by a halo of crimson light, and a familiar yet awe-inspiring presence emerged proudly, slowly reaching him…
It was as if invisibly, a pair of eyes of reddish gold were watching him through the void.
Count Gaston’s eyes widened instantly, a chill running down his spine.
This is… the power of the True Ancestor!
She, she, she… she has been noticed by the True Lord!
He no longer dared to look down upon the young Duchess and took a deep breath, bowing solemnly:
“Duke, I will follow your will in all things.”
Seeing the usually haughty Regent Minister act so “tame,” Eleanor was also stunned.
Some things, it seems, aren’t so difficult after mustering the courage to do them…