The Strongest Daughter-In-Law Of The Black Lion Family [EN]: Chapter 134

#134.

Rather than feeling resentful towards the rabbit who ran off with the scripture, I felt a surge of frustration.

What excuse could I possibly use this time to prolong the conversation?

For some reason, her tearful departure continued to bother me.

It felt like I had witnessed that exact scene in a dream before.

Having already noticed her retreating figure, I couldn’t help but sigh.

“I explicitly told her not to even consider stealing it.”

“Yes?”

“Haa.”

Hearthcliff ignored Rudy’s bewildered expression and sighed repeatedly.

At that moment, I found myself speechless. When I met her tearful blue eyes, my head throbbed, and coherent thought became impossible.

Rudy, who had been quietly observing him, steered the conversation back to the matter at hand.

“By the way, the paternity test results are in.”

“The results?”

“It’s confirmed that he is a Sarvan. Apparently, they’ve decided to relocate to the Sarvan estate within the week.”

“Really? Zabisi agreed to that?”

“Yes. I heard that Zabisi’s young lord insisted on going with her. It’s quite absurd; it’s the first time I’ve ever seen an heir forsake his family to follow his wife to her family’s home as a son-in-law.”

“That simply means his desire to be with her outweighs everything else.”

Regardless of Zabisi’s consent, Chersia was inevitably heading to the North. He likely concluded that accompanying her was safer than allowing her to travel alone.

I anticipated a more protracted deliberation, but their decision was surprisingly swift.

‘Is the Null Opal the reason for this?’

My thoughts inevitably gravitated in that direction as Rudy spoke.

“It’s a relief. I was concerned she might resist, but she was surprisingly compliant.”

Perhaps Zerachiel had also discovered Chersia’s pursuit of the Null Opal.

He must have realized that concealing it from his family was no longer an option.

If she was willing to risk remaining in the North, the matter must be of considerable importance.

However, even with Zabisi’s assistance, acquiring the Null Opal wouldn’t be a simple task.

‘Interpreting it alone will be exceedingly difficult.’

Hearthcliff shook his head, his thoughts returning to the scripture Ella had pilfered.

The Ebenesev Scripture was a notoriously challenging epic to decipher. Its interpretations varied wildly, depending on one’s perspective.

Moreover, the location of the stone believed to be the Null Opal was encoded in a complex manner, almost like a riddle.

Regardless of Ella’s efforts, interpreting the scripture necessitated finding someone intimately familiar with it.

And Hearthcliff possessed such a deep understanding of the Ebenesev Scripture that he could practically recite it from memory.

Furthermore, if his prediction held true, the location of the stone presumed to be the Null Opal was situated relatively close to the Sarvan territory.

* * *

After finally managing to calm Ella down, I returned to my room and opened the Ebenesev Scripture.

The first page bore the following phrase:

[On the day the star that began in the North shines brightly,

My beloved, please bloom fully this time.]

A poem reminiscent of a heartfelt love letter.

The subsequent content recounted the story of Ebenesev, Larien’s sister and the one who harbored affection for the Divine Beast.

Larien, the chosen one of the Divine Beast.

And her sister, Ebenesev.

The Ebenesev tale was a relatively concise epic.

It narrated the story of Ebenesev, who, unloved by the Divine Beast, envied Larien for monopolizing his affection, ultimately transforming into stone.

The image of Ebenesev, tormented by unrequited love, stood in stark contrast to Larien, who appeared perpetually dissatisfied despite possessing the Divine Beast’s undivided attention.

The narrative felt excessively biased towards Ebenesev, portraying Larien as almost villainous as I delved deeper into the scripture.

It seemed as though she was acting selfishly, disregarding Ebenesev’s feelings.

“That’s precisely why Hebel designated it as a forbidden book.”

Although Larien had fallen from grace, she remained the first saintess chosen by the Divine Beast, and thus, revered within Hebel [the religious order].

They would undoubtedly disapprove of such a portrayal of her.

Moreover, Ebenesev was conspicuously absent from the historical records of Hebel’s past saintesses.

This was because she was never officially recognized as a saintess. Strictly speaking, she was only granted the privilege of residing in Hebel as the saintess’s guardian.

[Ebenesev, who became stone, poor Ebenesev.

At the end of the endless wait, may you get what you want.]

“Hoo.”

I exhaled softly as I read the scripture. The scripture was replete with symbolic language that defied easy interpretation.

Without any contextual knowledge, deciphering it was virtually impossible.

In my past life, I gravitated more towards grammar than literature, so what could I possibly do?

“Black is writing, white is paper.”

I fluttered the scripture and collapsed weakly onto the bed.

At this rate, possessing the scripture was utterly pointless. I couldn’t even begin to decipher its meaning, let alone pinpoint the location of the Null Opal.

“I suppose I have no choice but to return to Dane Village.”

However, venturing to Dane Village [a village known for its connection to ancient texts and forgotten lore] was currently out of the question.

Because the banquet was imminent.

‘Should I simply ask Heathcliff?’

Ella had mentioned that the Page family secretly sponsored the Luden Temple and Dane Village.

Hearthcliff seemed to share a close rapport with the village chief, so perhaps he possessed the ability to interpret the Ebenesev Scripture.

Ella seemed hesitant to seek Hearthcliff’s assistance, but I saw no other viable option.

‘Should I broach the subject with him tomorrow?’

Lost in thought, I succumbed to the weight of my eyelids and drifted into a deep slumber.

* * *

“……Larien!”

With that voice, my vision cleared as if I had been abruptly pulled from the depths of the water.

And before me stood a strange woman. The woman, adorned with glossy black hair and piercing black eyes, addressed me with a displeased expression.

“Larien! Are you sleeping here again? Have you forgotten our promise?”

“Promise?”

“Look, you’ve forgotten again. Are you truly going to do this?”

The woman scolded me, her face hardening with anger.

By the way, why is she calling me Larien?

My name is… Oh.

In an instant, the name I knew seemed to fade away, replaced by the overwhelming sensation that Larien was, in fact, my true name.

Simultaneously, I realized that the woman before me was Ebenesev.

“I’m sorry, Sister. I think I dozed off.”

“It’s alright. I’m the only one who’s always sincere. You must be happy, receiving so much love from the Divine Beast.”

Ebenesev turned her back with a sulky expression. I clung to her shoulder and said.

“I haven’t forgotten the promise. Don’t worry.”

“Really?”

“Yes. But this is the last time, Sister.”

“Thank you, Lari!”

Ebenesev embraced me as if she had never been upset. But my expression only darkened.

My one and only twin sister, Ebenesev.

She harbored a deep infatuation with the Divine Beast.

Ebenesev in love was a sight to behold, radiating beauty.

I sincerely hoped that the Divine Beast would reciprocate her feelings.

‘I only need you. So, please, no more talk of Ebenesev.’

Unfortunately, the Divine Beast displayed no interest in Ebenesev whatsoever.

‘There’s nothing more I can do for your sister. I’ve already saved her life, which was nearly lost because of your request, and granted her unrestricted access to Hebel, haven’t I? I believe it’s greedy to ask for more.’

‘But Sister is deeply fond of the Divine Beast…….’

‘Stop. Say no more. If she incites you again to get what she wants, I will truly banish her then.’

‘Divine Beast.’

‘Like you, Ebenesev already receives reasonable promises and rewards. Therefore, you needn’t act as her guardian or feel sorry for her.’

The Divine Beast was particularly cold towards Ebenesev.

In the first place, it was my stubborn insistence that allowed my sister to enter Hebel, so it was only natural that he was displeased.

I stared blankly at my sister.

As is often the case with twin beastkins [individuals with animalistic traits or abilities], one is born weaker.

The weaker one between me and my sister was my sister. I always felt a pang of sorrow because of that, and it was difficult to refuse my sister’s requests.

If it weren’t for me, my sister wouldn’t be sick.

Was that the reason? Was that why it was so difficult to tell Ebenesev the truth?

“I’ll be back, Larien!”

I couldn’t stop Ebenesev, who was smiling brightly. And I never dreamed that Ebenesev would break her promise with the Divine Beast that day and be in danger of being expelled from Hebel.