So I Was the Persecuted Grand Duchess Destined to Die? Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Diana only offered a gentle smile, saying nothing more.

Xavier, now fully alert, sprang to his feet at once. Diana quietly straightened his collar and smoothed the creases in his coat before speaking in a low voice.

“The only one who can protect Renée… is you.”

“Yes. I know.”

“…Be careful.”

“Yes.”

With that, Diana turned and left the sitting room—forcing herself, again and again, not to look back.

“Alright then,” Ternox said lightly. “Shall we go save your wife?”

He held out a lock of Renée’s silver hair.

“Take the other end.”

Without hesitation, Xavier closed his hand around the strands.

“……”

The moment that soft silver brushed his palm, a fierce ache surged from deep within his chest.

Ternox saw Xavier bite down on his lip—and began chanting.

Wind howled briefly around them.

Then—

Silence.

The sitting room was empty.

“Ugh!”

Woooong—

As if he had slammed into an invisible wall, Xavier was thrown back by a powerful force—but he regained his footing instantly.

The scenery had changed in a blink.

Pitch-black darkness surrounded them.

“Damn,” Ternox muttered.

A spark flared from his palm—

Fwoosh.

Flames ignited.

“Where are we?” Xavier asked.

“The closest location to Renée we can reach,” Ternox replied, “outside the barrier’s blocked zone.”

With a flick of his fingers, torches along the stone walls lit one by one.

The corridor stretched endlessly, resembling the underground passages beneath the Grand Temple.

“This must be one of the palace’s underground corridors the Second Prince mentioned.”

“Yeah. We move fast.”

They advanced quickly.

Behind them, the torchlight dimmed naturally—erasing any trace of their path.

“…Priest, it’s my turn now…”

“…No need to rush…”

Soon, murmurs echoed through the stone passage.

The acoustics suggested a wide, open chamber nearby.

Xavier sensed it immediately.

Innocent civilians were being held close.

“Pull your hood up. Just in case,” Ternox said.

From his subspace, he produced two coarse cotton cloaks like those worn by commoners.

They pulled the hoods low and blended into the crowd.

The underground chamber was vast.

Hundreds of refugees filled the space. Some were already shouting and shoving.

“I told you I was first in line!”

“Can’t you see this festering wound?! Yield for once!”

“Yield? Say that again!”

“Calm down!”

Priests in clerical robes attempted to maintain order.

“Those who cause disturbances cannot be escorted to the sanctuary. Do you truly wish to miss the High Priest’s miracle of healing?”

“Th-that’s not it! I just thought my injury was worse…”

“Judgment is not yours to make. Even if you do not rush, everything will return to its rightful place soon.”

The priest bowed piously and stepped away.

“…They’re lining up for ‘treatment,’” Ternox muttered darkly.

The scent of blood lingered thick in the air.

They didn’t need to see it to understand what “treatment” meant.

“Renée first,” Xavier said quietly. “Then we uncover everything.”

That was when Ternox noticed a little girl clutching a ball, fidgeting anxiously.

“The big sister is still all alone! I have to go save her!”

“Sally, please! How could there be a sister locked up down here? How long will you keep talking about that dream?”

“It wasn’t a dream! She was really in a prison!”

“If there’s someone in prison, she’s a criminal! Stay put! Jimmy’s burning with fever—if we don’t reach the High Priest…”

The mother held a younger boy, pressing a hand to his forehead.

She was too overwhelmed to spare attention for her daughter.

After warning Sally repeatedly, she joined the very last line.

“A sister locked up…” Ternox murmured.

Xavier met his eyes.

They approached the girl.

“Hey,” Ternox said gently, crouching to her level. “What’s wrong?”

The girl glanced nervously toward her mother, who wasn’t paying attention.

“The big sister said she’d come… but she didn’t. She must be lost.”

“Big sister?” Xavier asked quietly.

“Yes. She’s really pretty. Silver hair. Red eyes. She said she’s very close with the Duke of Celeste!”

Xavier and Ternox exchanged a sharp look.

It was Renée.

“She talked to a priest and said she’d follow soon… but even after I slept and woke up, she didn’t come. Mom and Dad don’t believe me…”

The girl puffed her cheeks.

“Do you know the way?” Ternox asked softly. “We can bring her back.”

The girl nodded and traced a tiny map across Ternox’s palm.

Messy. Childish.

But clear enough.

Renée was close.

Before she finished, Xavier was already striding away.

“Always impatient,” Ternox muttered fondly, ruffling the girl’s hair. “Thanks, little one.”

He followed.

Priests stood at every exit.

Some cast suspicious glances their way.

“…Should I cut them down?” Xavier muttered.

“Don’t.”

Ternox gave a short whistle.

The priests’ gazes softened.

Soon, no one noticed them at all.

“What did you do?”

“Concealment magic,” Ternox said smugly. “I dampened our presence.”

“Then why the cloaks?”

“Because blending in got us information, didn’t it?”

“…Fair.”

They passed through unchallenged.

Guided by the girl’s directions, Ternox brought out Renée’s hair again and closed his eyes.

Through mana alone—

Her aura shimmered faintly.

The closer they moved, the stronger it burned.

Then—

After the final corridor—

Xavier stopped.

Beyond iron bars—

A small figure sat curled on the cold stone floor.

“Renée!”

Was I hallucinating?

Was I dreaming?

A voice that should never reach this place shook my mind.

I kept my body curled tightly.

If this is a dream… let me hear him a little longer.

My lips trembled. Tears threatened to spill, so I bit down hard.

Then another voice cut through reality.

“Damn it… how many layers of barrier did he stack?”

Bzzt—!

Sparks exploded through the darkness.

I turned instinctively toward the entrance.

Hidden magic circles flared into view—layer upon layer—as Ternox tore through them.

And behind that—

Blue-violet eyes.

Locked on me.

“……”

“……”

We simply stared at each other.

Without a word.