KFBRV Pt 2 Ch 14
- 14 hours ago
- 7 min read
⌈Charlotte, the A-class Purifier and currently the Empire's sole Purifier, has been selected to officiate this year's Victory Day memorial service.
This year's Victory Day festival promises to be an unprecedented spectacle. Festivities include daytime cannon salutes and parades, culminating in an hour-long fireworks display at night.
Although Lady Odette passed away, the void left by her death has not been felt over the past two years. This stability is entirely due to the presence of Charlotte within the Empire.
Lady Odette was undeniably an exceptional Purifier, but one can't deny that Charlotte surpasses her in her absolute dedication to protecting the Empire.
Two years have passed since the Calamities vanished. Is a Purifier's raw power truly more vital than a compassionate heart?
Considering these facts, His Holiness the Pope's decision to entrust her with the memorial service must be commended as a brilliant stroke of leadership......⌋
The article continued, filling the entire page with endless praise for Charlotte.
Victory Day belonged to Rosaline. It was a day established by Rosaline and dedicated exclusively to Rosaline.
It commemorated the day Rosaline awakened and instantly purified every Transcendent, empowering them to unleash their abilities without restraint and defend humanity from the Calamity.
It was a festival celebrating humanity's absolute first victory against the Calamities, and a solemn occasion to honor the Transcendents of that era alongside Rosaline.
To appoint another Saintess to officiate a day so revered that it was commonly called "Rosaline's Feast Day"?
[Odette] "It seems the Pope intends to blatantly throw his weight behind Charlotte......"
The Pope's underlying motive was transparent.
He intends to use a new Saintess to erase the lingering fallout of my death. That is the only way to recover the believers' plummeted faith.
Today marked exactly two years since Odette's funeral mass.
The Pope undoubtedly calculated that it was time for the Imperial citizens to move past their mourning.
While the Pope acknowledged that the citizens' grief for Odette was genuine, he also knew that no sincerity could outlast the passage of time.
[Odette] "Well, from the Pope's perspective, having the citizens mourn me for two entire years must have been utterly galling."
In the photograph accompanying the article, Charlotte beamed with a radiant smile. The Pope stood beside her, his arm wrapped affectionately around her shoulder.
Staring at the image, one corner of her mouth curled upward.
[Odette] "Do you really think I will fall for your schemes in this life as well? Charlotte."
True to her nature as a master manipulator, Han Songyi consistently employed a specific tactic: the more her opponent tried to hide, the more obsessively she tormented them.
Her primary strategy involved initiating the harassment, waiting for her target to snap in a neurotic reaction, and then expertly playing the victim. Consequently, she was incredibly weak in a confrontation.
Because she had always relied on socially burying her opponents before a direct clash could even occur, she possessed zero experience in facing an enemy head-on.
The more passive my approach, the more momentum I hand to her. Therefore, my only option is to counterattack as brilliantly and explosively as possible.
She recalled the intelligence Lize had forwarded. Reports indicated the Count was desperately trying to establish a connection with Charlotte, eagerly positioning himself as her sponsor.
Of course. That man only knows how to survive by peddling a Purifier.
To the Count, Charlotte represented his sole remaining lifeline. He would undoubtedly move heaven and earth to adopt her.
Conversely, Charlotte would want absolutely nothing to do with the Albrecht family, whose reputation currently lay in ruins.
[Odette] "If I have to wipe them both off the board anyway, it will be far more convenient to tie them together and dispose of them simultaneously."
This Victory Day. Charlotte would receive absolutely nothing of what she anticipated and desired. Odette intended to shatter her expectations entirely.
The greater Charlotte's fury, the better. The more her rage blinded her, the more desperately she would be forced to join hands with the Count.
The pre-dawn darkness lifted as the sky began to brighten.
In every alleyway branching off Canaris Square, merchants bustled about, preparing to open their shops.
[Merchant A] "Did you hear? That Albrecht Count bastard. Word is, he finally got divorced."
A woman running a fruit stall, having just finished arranging her display, tossed out the opening remark.
[Merchant B] "Ugh, is that mess finally over?! I suppose it had to end eventually. They've been making a racket for two years straight. It's not even my trial, but I'm sick to death of hearing about it."
Intrigued by the topic, a young woman from the neighboring flower shop immediately joined the conversation while organizing her stand. A middle-aged woman from a grain shop also scurried over.
[Merchant A] "There were three mistresses called as witnesses for the former Countess! And every single one of them was a woman in her prime twenties! It's absolutely disgusting for an old geezer like him."
[Merchant B] "He committed every dirty deed imaginable, yet he tried to paint his wife as a madwoman? Is that something a human being does? It makes my skin crawl, honestly."
Naturally, a commoner caught insulting a noble faced severe punishment under the lèse-majesté laws. However, as long as they weren't caught, even the Emperor was fair game for back-alley gossip.
Furthermore, the subject was Count Albrecht. Who would bother holding their tongue? These days, it was impossible to find a commoner who didn't curse his name.
Throughout the trial, the Count and Sasha relentlessly attacked each other's vulnerabilities, but the Count emerged looking far more debased.
Consequently, he currently endured a level of public vitriol that far exceeded the hatred once directed at Odette.
[Merchant C] "We must have been blind two years ago. Praising a piece of trash like him as if he were some grand man of character......"
[Merchant B] "Exactly. If he's the kind of man who would throw his wife of thirty years into a monastery, do you honestly think he protected his daughter? The Brentano Press called it. That bastard is the one who spread all those rumors about Lady Odette. How could she endure her own father spearheading her torment? That's why she passed away so tragically."
A brief sigh of genuine pity for Odette escaped the women's lips.
Then, they enthusiastically resumed their tearing into the old, cunning, and insidious Albrecht bastard.
They paid absolutely zero mind to the unmarked carriage parked on the side of the street.
And reasonably so. That specific black, four-wheeled carriage was a common brand, seen everywhere in Canaris Square. It was moderately expensive but offered excellent value, making it a popular choice among wealthy merchants.
Therefore, they couldn't possibly imagine that the very 'Count Albrecht' they were eviscerating sat inside that modest, uncrested carriage.
[Ulrich] "Dammit....... Now, even these vulgar wretches dare to insult me?!"
How much money had he already hemorrhaged to secure Ferdinand's immunity from execution?
Noble trials were conducted as a single-instance system. Because Ferdinand's execution could be finalized in a single trial, the Count was forced to expend an astronomical sum on legal defense. Bribing and persuading the noble jurors required an equally massive fortune.
Furthermore, with the Brentano Press relentlessly targeting Ferdinand, the Count had to personally visit other newspaper companies and aggressively lobby them to publish favorable articles about his son.
To make matters worse, Sasha initiated the divorce proceedings during that exact period. Right when he was marshaling every ounce of his wealth and mental fortitude to save Ferdinand.
That wretched woman has zero maternal instinct. Initiating a divorce trial when her son's life hangs in the balance?
The Count found himself forced to choose between his fortune and his heir. He ultimately chose Ferdinand, and as a direct consequence, Shylock ripped away forty percent of his total assets.
The judge ruled in Shylock's favor, acknowledging the undeniable reality that the dowry Shylock provided had significantly contributed to the Albrecht family's current wealth.
[Ulrich] "Divorce or no divorce, it's none of their business. How dare these insects make such a racket?"
With zero income and mounting expenses, the Count lacked the financial capacity to maintain a luxury carriage.
That was why he currently sat in this wretched carriage—one with atrocious suspension and even worse soundproofing. The insects' gossip filtered in with maddening clarity.
Having lost all desire to read the newspaper, he crushed the pages in his grip with raw irritation.
The headline, reading ⌈The Culmination of Squalor: The Albrecht Divorce Trial Concludes with the Count's Defeat⌋, crumpled violently.
[Ulrich] "Just how much longer must I endure the drivel of these vulgar things—!"
The Count, raising his voice in fury, abruptly stopped. A sudden spike in blood pressure sent blood rushing to his head. He covered his face with one hand, forcing himself to calm down.
When he lowered his hand, his eyes were hollow. He let out a heavy sigh laced with profound desolation.
[Ulrich] "Huuu."
As his anger subsided, even the act of raging felt utterly exhausting. He forced his gaze out the window.
The commoners were still excitedly gossiping about him.
Enough. Regardless of the cost, the worst of the crisis has passed. The precious herbs have finally reached the harvesting stage.
Two years ago, following the massive fire at the research institute, Ferdinand had purchased expensive herb seeds from a trusted farmer.
At the time, they lacked sufficient seeds for mass production. They had spent the past two years meticulously cultivating and multiplying the stock.
I can finally resume production of the lucrative medicines that I was forced to halt.
Immediately after Odette's death, the pharmaceutical company had entered a state of severe austerity due to the severed income stream.
Therefore, resuming the sale of those expensive, rare drugs would quickly turn a profit.
Furthermore, even though he suffered a catastrophic defeat in the divorce trial against Sasha, he had, at the very least, saved his son.
The defense successfully argued that because Ferdinand's immunity was previously confirmed, altering that status retroactively based on a change in circumstances was unlawful.
This logic, drawing a parallel to the principle of double jeopardy, was accepted by the Imperial judge and the jury.
Consequently, Ferdinand's immunity would never be challenged again.
No matter how much the Brentano Press attempts to incite the public, they can no longer touch the Albrecht heir.
The arduous trials were finally over. The Count hardened his resolve, pressing his lips into a thin line. His snake-like eyes, with their deep teal irises, glinted sharply.
With a decisive motion, he tapped the carriage floor twice with the tip of his cane.
Having failed to locate Ferdinand in Canaris Square, there was no reason to linger.
Understanding the signal, the coachman immediately shouted "Hyah!" and drove the horses forward.
The Count couldn't possibly imagine that every single action taken by the Brentano Press was actually orchestrated by Odette.
At that exact moment.
In the bedroom of the cabin, Odette was examining her back in the wall mirror. She was meticulously unraveling the bandages wrapped around her shoulder.
As the final layer fell away, a pale scar near her right shoulder blade became visible in the reflection.
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