Chapter 81 – 8. Sabbath (1)
The sun was mid-heaven.
The day was still gloomy, but the blinding sun occasionally made its way through the thick snow clouds. Of course, it was only a fleeting moment at noon, but it was. In any case, sunlight penetrated into the bedroom of the Marquis of Lemoang Castle.
“My lady, wake up.”
It was a while after that that I came to my senses. I felt my whole body aching since the precious voice of Françoise flowed into my ears. As if I was suffering from body aches, I felt a slight fever and a stuffy feeling at the same time.
“… Bijou?”
Lucienne managed to get her body her up. The first thing the young lady saw when she woke up was a maid in a neat uniform. And while I passed out, it was a tidy interior, as if it had been cleaned. The duvet on the bed still had traces of their past affair.
“I got water in the bathtub and prepared something to eat on the table.”
Françoise added with a light smile and rummaged through the pockets of his apron. I took out something that looked like a round pill and put it in my mouth and carefully chewed it. After confirming that there was nothing wrong with her, she went over to the girl who was confused and kissed her on the lips.
“Wow… ?”
The fragrant smell of herbs, mixed with saliva and mash, ran down my tongue. I pushed it slowly so that it was easy to pass it down her throat. It wasn’t until later that she felt the aura flowing through her body’s blood vessels, but it was true.
“How are you?”
The rest of her frightened Lucienne gave Françoise a rough push, who was holding her by the shoulder. As for the elixir she gave her, it was an item that accelerated her so-called magic recovery in a short time, and it was a rare item that only her excellent alchemists could create her.
“Bijou, where did you get this… ?”
“The owner gave it to me.”
To be precise, he told me where to get it.
“Romuald? Why?”
It was the Dean couple’s everything store, although in return she had to run her feet herself with a few errands, but it was a deal that she had nothing to lose for her. Because it was a golden opportunity to break the spell that bound the spirit of her dear lover lady.
‘The baron introduced you?’
‘Yes, if you go here, you will be able to get something called a blue elixir…’
‘He really is a man who knows nothing. He just happened to have one coming in.’
Françoise studied Lucienne’s expression her with her worried face her. Fortunately, it seemed that Rom hadn’t lied, and the young lady, who had been suffering in many ways, seemed to be regaining her energy like before. To the extent that if she puts her mind to it, she can break the spell on me at any time.
‘It’s the result of stacking layers of magic vinegar soaked in the morning dew and steaming it in a special way for 10 days.’
‘Yes…’
‘There won’t be another item like this to recover rapidly consumed magic power.’
‘How much is the price?’
‘I’m not someone else, but the baron introduced me, so I can’t make a profit. Please give me two Gallic gold coins.’
It was too painful an amount for one of her maids to pay. Even though she had always been favored by her and possessed a fair amount of presents and cash. If it weren’t for the money she received from accepting a bet with Rom, she would have been difficult to airlift.
‘Oh, and if you don’t mind, could you tell him?’
‘Please speak.’
‘I’m done discussing with my wife. Please make a detailed plan to come see me soon. It will take a few days considering the things to be sorted out.’
Upon receiving the words of the young host, Rom nodded with a satisfied face. In the meantime, he sent me to Lucienne, saying that it would be a leisurely day. He ordered her messy room to be tidied up and food to be prepared for her when she awoke.
In addition, the command to hand over the prepared elixir and explain it.
“The owner said he knew. If you are a young lady who has reached the level of a mystic scholar, you will be able to get your hands on the madam, and even if the wasted magic power comes back, that spell, hypnosis, can be undone.”
“… Therefore?”
“He said that if you abide by one condition, you can release everything from the lady’s body.”
The effect of the blue elixir was certain. And as long as the empty mana was restored, there was no need to worry about those conditions. Even right now, I was able to get rid of all the witchcraft, the familiar that only caused side effects, and even the hypnosis that had plunged me into this abyss.
“What are the conditions?”
“An hour-long tryst every day. He said that whether he likes it or not, he must spend time with himself at least once a day. Soon it will be the Sabbath. The grown-up owner said he liked it and said he would set it up as her marriage to the mistress.”
The Sabbath month means one month of rest according to the gospel of the heavenly spirit among the 12 months according to the continental calendar. Of course, the standard of rest here was very strict, and even the most faithful of Amman, unless they were wealthy nobles, usually kept only a simplified Sabbath.
“Even then, he said that if the lady rejects the owner, he won’t get involved any more.”
“Why is it the Sabbath?”
“It’s a day that has special meaning for you two. Mrs. And Mrs. I don’t know more precisely.”
“I don’t understand. As long as I regain my magic, Romuald is over. As soon as I solve this, I can go to him and hypnotize him.”
If you are the best mystic in the frozen land, you will surely be able to do that. That fact is beyond doubt. But Françoise admonished her, feeling that she needed to be more careful. The fact that my lady suffered from Rome, who could be said to be an outsider in magic or mysteries, was because of her impulsive behavior.
“The owner did that. Because she loves her, she’s looking after her. She wouldn’t say never twice, but every time she did something crap, she would pay the price. This is my opinion, but I don’t think it’s good to hurry up. She must have a reason for being so confident.”
That was right. Lucienne narrowed her brows in displeasure. After the spell and hypnosis on me are resolved with her accumulated magical power, there is not much left. That’s because unlocking the ban on one’s own is a magic technique that only advanced occultists can do.
“What the hell is Romuald thinking… ?”
Françoise shook her head. He was more like a mystic scholar than the Lady of the Marquis, who had kept his identity secret until now. Indeed, if he had known what he was up to, things wouldn’t have come to this point.
“Are you trying to play with me?”
Muttered Lucienne. On the spot, without any tools, she touched her belly and completely erased her hypnosis hanging over me. She also got rid of her witchcraft that made her body hot one by one.
“Are you going to accept it?”
“Hey, it can’t be helped.”
Arrogance causes anger. I don’t know what Rom’s ulterior motive was, but letting me go was a huge mistake. The two women wanted to believe that. If I don’t, the feeling of humiliation that is deeply ingrained in my bones will eat away at my lofty pride.
“Then, lady, in the meantime I must accompany him. I decided not to meet without permission from now on.”
“So you’ve been calling me master since before?”
“Because you never know.”
Françoise, with a puzzled expression on her face her, held her young lady tightly in her arms her. She patted her back as if everything would be fine now and whispered. The man who served as the owner might be reluctant because of the traces he left the night before, but he didn’t care and stayed there for a long time.
“I’m sorry that I made you suffer because of me.”
“You did it because you were worried about me.”
“Nevertheless. I’m fine with whatever decision you make, so please go through it as you please, lady. If you don’t think you can return to your old life, take care of it by yourself.”
Lucienne replied that she would. A tryst does not always have sexual connotations. So, it would be good to put everything else aside and take care of yourself first. If I just do that now, free from all restrictions, at least I won’t be swayed by him.
“You can’t skip meals without me.”
“Hang in there. I will quickly make Romuald regret it.”
Perhaps.
* * *
The steps on the way back were quite heavy. By the time I passed through the silent hallway, I was more concerned than the bitter cold seeing into my skin. Françoise paused from time to time, then began to move slowly forward.
Baron Romuald.
The purpose of the mysterious knight was still puzzling. Although she tried to reason carefully, she was such a shrewd man that it was difficult for her to find clues. So, just like my lady Lucienne’s doubts, she also felt curious.
‘What kind of bet are you talking about?’
‘It’s like a bet on the body and mind.’
The rules were simple. She serves him day and night until the Sabbath. While responding to various requests, periodically confirming the intention. And if I refuse to be wooed to be mine even for a moment, I swear that I will.
‘It seems pretty fair, how is it?’
‘Are you sure you won’t touch the lady until the Sabbath?’
‘It’s not completely untouched. I plan to have a tryst for about an hour a day. But she promises to step down if she doesn’t ask for it first.’
‘If I win the bet, they won’t approach us forever, right?’
‘Sure. Even so, I’ll still be by Oriane’s side.’
Françoise agreed to accept the bet. It wasn’t that she wasn’t fearful, but she would endure anything to break the witchcraft of the girl she adored. Moreover, correcting the wrongs I had committed came as a kind of duty.
‘No medicine or magic.’
‘I don’t even need to check. If I had intended to write something like that, I would have finished it long ago.’
‘You wrote it for the lady!’
‘That’s a little different. It wasn’t something I started first.’
If it wasn’t cowardice, he was confident. I didn’t know what the hell he was going to do, but it wasn’t my loss anyway.
‘So, what should I do?’
‘… I’ll do it.’
Françoise, who had finished her brief recollection of her, hurried on her feet of her. So she straightened her clothes and raised her hand before the baron’s door, where he was waiting for me.
“Master, this is Françoise.”
Then finally, smart
“I will go in.”
Knocked on the door.
