Chapter 164 164 – The Big House

The yellow light had disappeared. Adrian is no longer in this room. Lexi was bandaging my body while Velvet sat in silence. The prophet's gaze was still on where the magic circle had been.

The remnants of tears still wet her face.

"Hey." Ayre tried to communicate with the prophet for some time. "How are you feeling right now?"

And she still didn't answer.

"I still expected this." I winced in pain when Lexi made a knot in the bandages wrapped around my body. "No one can stand to experience something like that, not even a prophet."

Slowly, Velvet turned her head the other way. Her eyes widen again. "L-lady Lyra?"

I frowned. There's no one else in this room besides me, Ayre, Lexi, and the prophet herself.

"It seems her mind has been broken since she was in the prison cell," Lexi whispered.

"Ah, I heard from the guard that she used to talk to herself there," I responded in a voice that was also low.

The doctor gulped. "Or maybe it happened before that, my lord…. Maybe the reason she didn't wake up immediately back then and just now wasn't because of the effects of sleeping drugs…. It could have happened because of her mental state."

"I see." I looked at the prophet again.

"Lady Lyra, please tell me what to do." Velvet whimpered like someone in pain. Then, she shook her

head and shed tears for the umpteenth time. "Following my heart? I don't understand, lady Lyra…. Please, give me a definite answer. I'm very confused."

Ayre approached me and also spoke in a low voice. "I've done my detection in this place. However, didn't sense any subtle entities, energy pools, or the like in front of Velvet."

"She's talking with her hallucination then." I got up, still enduring the immeasurable pain in my back.

The prophet's cries grew louder. She made a gesture like holding someone's hand. "Please, don't leave me, Lady Lyra!!! Give me an answer!!! What should I do!? What should I choose!!?? Who else should I trust!!??"

She let out a long, heartbreaking scream, and we couldn't help but stare at her in silence. That woman's condition was so messed up. Her face was so wet and red because she had cried too much.

Velvet no longer looks charismatic like a prophet should. She is now just a woman with a broken heart. A woman that fought for her country and people but didn't get what she deserved. Instead, she lost someone she loved in a tragic way.

Poor her.

I approached that woman and tapped her on the shoulder. "Unfortunately, this isn't over yet, Velvet. There's still something you have to see to make things clearer. And for that, I apologize in advance."

She didn't answer and just looked down. This may be too cruel for her. But, again, this is necessary for her to fall on me.

Trust me, Velvet. Your suffering will ultimately end.

***

As the cold night wind blew, the prophet stopped before a large residence in the Ascaind nation's capital.

"M-miss prophet?" One of the guards at the front gate gulped. "You're back?"

Velvet didn't answer immediately but observed the fourth floor of the house with a sharp gaze. It was only when another guard was about to ask, she spoke. "Take me to Sir Gerald, your boss. And don't tell him I'm here."

"Before that…." The second guard grimaced at Velvet's puffy eyes. "Are you alright?"

"Don't ask too many questions, soldiers." She hissed. "Just carry out my order. You know the consequences of disobeying me, right?"

"Very well, miss!" Those soldiers saluted. One of them then escorted Velvet to enter the house.

While walking around the wide yard, Velvet's eyes again fell on the house. This building was made with the people's money, and that fact made Velvet feel like something was bubbling up in her heart.

The soldier continued to accompany Velvet as she walked down the halls and stairs of the house.

Occasionally the prophet put her finger to her mouth to whoever she met. And on the top floor, Velvet stopped at a painting that depicted the prophet Lyra in full armor. That woman with brown hair looked tough and ready to attack with a sword.

"Sir Gerald is there, miss prophet." The soldier pointed to a room not far from which Velvet stood.

"You better go, soldier." Velvet gave an order in a firm tone. "It's okay. This is my order, and I will take full responsibility. You won't lose your job."

That man gulped again.

"Actually, what business do you have with Sir Gerald?"

"I already told you, don't ask too many questions." Velvet then walked to that room. "And no matter what, don't come here, or you will suffer the consequences…. Well, it would be better if you also left this house."

The soldier started to tremble at the cold words of the prophet. He finally chose to retreat without saying anything else.

Velvet stopped at a large, marble-white door. Her heart was pounding like crazy, and she hoped Vorn's words were a lie.

Gerald is a servant of the state. Yes, as a councilor, his opinion sometimes contradicts Velvet's. However, something like that was to be expected. Not everyone can always agree on things.

And as a state official, Gerald couldn't possibly do something evil, right? This country considers officials to be extensions of God's hand, after all.

Taking a deep breath, Velvet kicked the door open. The people inside immediately flinched in shock. Velvet's gaze was immediately fixed on the three girls wearing transparent, skimpy dresses. They looked scared and in distress.

Then, Velvet looked at an old man holding a naked young girl on the floor. That man with a tiny build lowered his chin looking at the prophet. His cock was already out of his pants.

It was obvious he was going to have sex with that girl.

"Please, can you explain this…." Velvet hissed, turning to one more person in that room, the orange-haired man who always recited the prayers for the prophet every time she returned to this city. "...., father Patrick?"