Chapter 159 – Fragments of Mystery

Evelyn listened quietly as the woman spoke, nodding from time to time. Considering Dahlia was a priestess of the Grand Temple, it wasn’t strange at all for her to be deeply devout. Still, Isabel seemed to think differently.

“She wasn’t that devout from the beginning.”

Although more than half the people of Rowendel were believers, Dahlia’s family had never been among them.

“But one day, she began spending all her time in the chapel, day and night.”

She then said it was the first time she had seen her friend pray so fervently.

Upon hearing something that had never appeared in the original story, Evelyn felt her heart waver. Whenever she thought of Dahlia, she was often gripped by an inexplicable sense of unease. Dahlia Lorenheim, whose path now strayed so far from that of the female lead in the original story,  had been entangled in nearly every strange incident that had occurred over time.

It’s hard to dismiss it as mere coincidence…

She wet her dry lips before finally speaking.

“Do you happen to know why Lady Lorenheim suddenly turned to faith?”

“No. She never told me the reason, either.”

After quietly observing the woman shaking her head, Evelyn soon fixed her with a sharp gaze.  

“But why are you telling me all this?”  

After all, they had only met for the first time today. She couldn’t fathom why a stranger would so readily share her friend’s story.

When Evelyn voiced her suspicion, Isabel waved her hands quickly, as if to dispel any misunderstanding.

“It’s nothing like that, my lady.”  

Then, with a somewhat worried expression, she continued: 

“I just… wanted to know if she was doing well.”

She explained that she wanted to check on her friend’s well-being herself, since they could no longer even get in touch or be reached by letter. As an apprentice priestess, she had no reason or permission to travel to the capital. Still, she added with a small smile that she was relieved to hear Dahlia seemed to be doing well.

Evelyn thought she could understand that feeling, at least a little. It was only natural to miss and worry about a close friend who had left their hometown and then lost contact.  

Just as she was slowly nodding toward the woman, who seemed reassured after hearing about her friend—  

Knock, knock.

“It’s time for us to return now, my lady.”

When Gideon lightly knocked on the lounge door, Evelyn glanced at her pocket watch. Since it was nearly time to board the express train, she would have to return to the station soon.

Rising from her seat, she turned to Isabel with one last question.

“Do you know anything about the Moon Goddess?”

At the question, the color drained from the woman’s face.

“…I’m sorry. I don’t think I can talk about that.”  

Isabel’s reply, though she seemed troubled, was a firm refusal.

︵‿୨ ₊‧꒰ა ཐི༏ཋྀ ໒꒱ ˚₊ ୧‿︵

Back at the mansion, Evelyn rested her chin on her hand and tried to sort through her jumbled thoughts.  

“There are far too many things that don’t add up.”

A soft sigh escaped her lips as the female lead of the original story, Dahlia Lorenheim, came to mind.

If only it were just my imagination…

Running into Dahlia’s friend in Rowendel had been a completely unforeseen twist. Still, it had yielded an unexpected piece of information.

Of course, it was too soon to say for certain whether Isabel’s words could be trusted. However, when Evelyn pieced together everything she had learned so far, the story held enough weight to seem believable. Above all, the woman hadn’t struck her as someone capable of lying.

Even so, she would still need to look into Isabel Magnolia.

“What in the world is the truth?”

The uncertainty gave her a dull ache behind her temples, and she pressed her fingers lightly to her forehead. Looking back, there were far too many things about Dahlia that now seemed suspicious.

Pulling a sheet of paper from her desk drawer, Evelyn began writing down what she knew about Dahlia Lorenheim, one point at a time.

First, her personality had changed after she recovered from the fever.
Second, from that time on, she devoted herself entirely to religious activities.
Third, she began speaking in an unfamiliar language and developed a taste for spicy food she had once been unable to eat.
Fourth, she was seen frequenting dangerous districts known for harboring the worst sorts of people.
Fifth, perhaps Dahlia was…