Herbie Verlock has been Young Duke Edward Frost's attendant for more than five years now. He was a young man in his twenties with orange hair and freckles on his face.

Herbie was responsible for assisting Edward in simple day-to-day activities. As per his daily duties, Herbie would wake up Edward before the sun rises, clean the room, make the bed, and lay out the clothes for the day before Edward returned from morning training. After that, he would do menial chores around the estate and help wherever he could.

When the sun sets, Herbie would prepare Edward's bath and nightwear to conclude the day. And the cycle repeats itself the next day.

During the period Edward was cursed, Herbie continued his duties diligently. Given his position, he was one of the few people who worked closely with the Young Duchess Angelica Frost before her unfortunate demise. He along with the rest of the servants in the estate mourned her untimely death and prayed for her to get a peaceful afterlife.

After Edward had risen from his curse, he had become a changed man. Most days, Herbie would come in the morning to wake up Edward, only to find him fully awake in front of the fireplace, looking like he had not slept a wink the entire night or holed up in his office staring at maps with an obsessive expression on his face as if he was desperately searching for something.

This went on for years till one day Angelica miraculously returned to the Frost estate in Edward's arms in the middle of the night.

Herbie did not believe his own eyes until he saw Angelica heading to the dining hall the previous night escorted by the Knights. The Young Duchess Frost they had thought to have perished years ago was back in the flesh as if she had risen from the dead.

Right now, Herbie was on his way to wake up Edward. He greeted the Knights standing guard at the entrance to Edward's chambers as they let him in through the doors.

Unlike the other Frost Knights, these Knights were members of the elite Dark Wolf Knight Brigade that operated solely under Edward's command. Herbie had become acquainted with the Dark Wolf Knights over the past few weeks ever since they started guarding Edward's chambers.

Once he reached the entrance to the inner bed chamber, Herbie knocked on the door to make his presence known. He was feeling nervous since this was his first interaction with Angelica after she returned.

"Come in"

A few seconds later, Herbie heard Edward's voice from the other side of the door permitting him to enter his bed chamber.

Herbie straightened himself before twisting the door knob. He wanted to make a good second first impression on Angelica. He recalled how they used to have pleasant conversations back in the day when he was attending to a cursed Edward.

With that in mind, Herbie opened the door and stepped in.

"My apologies!!"

However, the next second Herbie closed the door and ran out of Edward's chambers his freckled face as red as a tomato. He desperately tried to get the picture of the young ducal couple out of his mind as he rushed outside much to the confusion of the Knights.

'Howw-How dare I!'

Herbie clenched his spinning head. He had just seen Angelica sitting on top of Edward, her hand on his cheek and leaning into his face. Both of them were disheveled in a mess of sheets, their faces flushed with a hazy expression.

For a young man his age, it was evident to him what the young ducal couple had been doing prior to his arrival.

From Herbie's point of view, Edward had just reunited with Angelica after a long time. Even though they had been in each other's presence, they were never 'together' as a married couple. Be it a deadly curse or even death, there was always an invisible force that separated them.

Now, after years of separation, the young ducal couple were finally in each other's embrace. In a way, they were still newlyweds. It was inevitable that they would be intimate with each other whatever the time may be.

'Holy holy holy...'

Herbie recited in his mind to rid of the unpleasant thoughts as he sprinted down the hallway. It was only after he ran into the wall that he noticed that he had reached the end of the hallway.

"I-I need to see a priest. I must confess my sins" He muttered under his breath, his hands shaking and face red till the tip of his ears.

Herbie had seen the forbidden once again.











Angelica turned her head right in time to find a petrified Herbie standing in front of a half-open door with a shocked expression on his face.

"My apologies!!"

But before she could react, Herbie had already run out of the room like his butt was on fire and closing the door with a thud.

'Why does it feel like this already happened before...'

Angelica stared at the door in confusion and then proceeded to take turns looking at Edward, herself, and at the door again. She felt a strange sense of deja vu that did not quite settle with her mind.

At this point, it was no use to go after Herbie. Even if she were to catch up to him and explain, it would not change anything that had already happened.

Not to mention, Herbie had simply stumbled into the room unaware of what was going on. It would be wrong to direct her anger at him or anyone else for that matter.

Because no matter how she looked at it, the source of all her problems was right in front of her.

"You!"

Angelica growled and turned back to Edward, who did not appear even a slight bit unhinged by the act he had pulled a moment ago.

Even after being caught in a compromising position, he had not released her hands from his hold which in turn led to a game of tug between the two as they bantered.

"You did that on purpose!"

"I did not"

"Then why did you tell him to come in!?"

"I said that by reflex"

"I don't believe you!"

Angered by Edward's laid-back responses, Angelica clicked her tongue. In her current state, she was no match for his brute strength. Thus, she stopped putting up a fight against Edward and lowered her hands in defeat.

"I give up"

Angelica sighed and signaled Edward to lean in closer.

"I'll tell you everything"

Edward gazed at Angelica's defeated face in doubt. If there was one thing he knew from experience, it was the look on Angelica's eyes when she was up to something. However, that did not stop him from going with the flow.

When Edward leaned in a bit closer, Angelica lessened the distance between them till her lips were right beside his ears.

"The truth is..."

She whispered in an alluring voice, letting her breath brush against his ears.

"I..."

As his muscles tensed, she gently shifted her body closer and rested her hands on his bare chest. The cold atmosphere between them had morphed into a sweet temptation as her fingers playfully grazed his chest.

Suddenly, Angelica's demeanor changed. The bewitching expression on her face had vanished and replaced with a fierce glare.

"Am not your toy!"

Angelica exclaimed before biting his neck and clawing her nails across his chest as deeply as she could.

When Edward stiffened in surprise and loosened his grip, Angelica shook off his hands and stormed out of the room without looking back.









Two hours later, after the traumatic incident in the bedroom, Angelica was going through the five stages of grief in one go when the priests from the Temple of Eir arrived.

Instead of Edward's chambers where the priest usually gathered, they were being welcomed into one of the many drawing rooms meant for visitors.

As people in long white robes flooded into the room, Angelica thought back to the cause of her current sour mood.

After scratching Edward, Angelica had merely put one foot out of the bedroom, when an army of maids had whisked her away to the bath.

Even though none of them uttered a word on the matter, Angelica could see from the subtle interactions and gestures between the maids that the news had spread about her latest scandal.

The silence in the bathroom was so loud that it made it obvious for her to guess what was going through their minds.

Following the bath, Edward and Angelica had an extremely awkward and quiet breakfast in the dining hall in the same seating arrangement as the previous night. During which she actively ignored both the bite marks on Edward's neck and the glowing halo of happiness behind Nathaniel's satisfied face.

Although Angelica wanted to spare herself from eating anything made in the Frost estate, hunger got the best of her. Having survived purely on holy power for weeks, she had to eat to regain her lost strength.

Fortunately, from the plates, bowls, spoons, and forks... all the silverware laid out for them had azreck crystals visibly embedded in it.

Since azreck crystals are well known for their ability to detect poisonous substances, if any of the dishes on the table were poisoned, they would be easily identified. It was a similar construct to her missing nose ring which was also made of silver. That put one of her worries at ease.

After breakfast, Angelica was brought into a drawing room overlooking a garden waiting for the Eir priests to be let in while Edward went out on his day.

With her cheek resting on her hand, Angelica gazed out the window to distract herself.

The sun was shining brightly and the weather was pleasant. From where she was slumped on an armchair, she could see birds of different colors circling a small fountain at a distance surrounded by flowers. The little birds flapped their wings vigorously while flying back and forth to the fountain as if they were dancing.

It was a peaceful and serene sight. Although she could not hear the voices of the birds, Angelica could imagine what they sounded like just from looking at them.

'What day is it today?' Angelica wondered, her eyes fixed on one of the birds with iridescent wings.

Right then, High Priest Thesser approached Angelica with a big smile on his face, running a hand through his long white beard.

"Good to see that you are well... hohoho"

"Santa Clause?" Angelica called out absentmindedly as she got to her feet. Then, realizing what she had just blurted out, shook her head to clear her mind.

High Priest Thesser was followed by two priests on each side, wearing pale yellow stashs on their robes in contrast to his golden red stash.

Aside from the Eir priests and the Dark Wolf Knights in charge of escorting her, the rest of the servants had withdrawn from the drawing room including the maids who stuck to her side. The usually nosy butler Nathaniel was also missing from the scene.

"Santa Clause? Who might that be?" High Priest Thessar asked curiously, intrigued by the sound of the strange name.

"It's someone I know"

Angelica smiled awkwardly and tried to change the subject by greeting him. However, this only further amplified his curiosity.

"Really? The name sounds rather peculiar. What does he do?"

"He was a chimney cleaner in our village and... He also brings children toys to play with so he is kind of like a toymaker too?"

Angelica bit her lips, unconvinced by her own lackluster explanation.

Apart from the High Priest, the other Eir priests showed no signs of interest in their conversation. They seemed engrossed in their thoughts to have heard her speak.

"That is quite an interesting mix of professions" High Priest Thesser hummed and gestured for Angelica to sit down.

"Well then. Sit down"

"Alright..."

When Angelica followed High Priest Thesser's words and took a seat beside the window, he walked over to her side and stood in front of her. With a smile, he extended his hands over her head and told her to relax her mind.

"Huh?"

Puzzled by his actions, Angelica blinked her eyes.

Her confusion was answered soon after as High Priest Thesser's hands started to glow with a faint light.

'!'

All of a sudden, Angelica felt a small electric charge run through her body followed by a sense of contentment.

While she had seen the priests use holy power to bless Edward numerous times, this was her first time experiencing it when she was awake. Although she had been treated by them before, she was unconscious during that time and was not able to remember anything.

"You are recovering faster than I expected" High Priest Thesser stated, withdrawing his hands.

He took the empty seat opposite Angelica, closed his eyes, and fell into deep thought occasionally nodding to himself. The other priests followed suit and seated themselves beside the High Priest.

"I wonder if that is possible..." High Priest Thesser muttered, stroking his beard.

The High Priest Thesser whom Angelica knew was an unusually extroverted person who chatted non-stop about miscellaneous topics whenever he saw her. So seeing him appear lost after treating her with holy power made her nervous.

"How long will it take for me to get better?" Angelica asked earnestly.

"If you keep up the progress. A month or two may be"

"Months?"

Angelica's shoulder drooped down. While she had expected it would take at least a couple of weeks to fully recover, the very thought of it being extended for months made her shudder in horror.

She wanted to ask if there was any way in which she could be treated faster. But, that idea was quickly shot down by the High Priest Thesser's next words.

"If it were the Saintess maybe she could have cured you in a shorter duration. I wonder when she will come out of seclusion..."

"The Saintess huh?" Angelica scoffed dejectedly. If the Saintess had been in the picture, this entire mess could have been averted.

Having not noticed Angelica's reaction, High Priest Thesser continued,

"Mana outbreaks are not a common occurrence. As far as I know, there haven't been cases of anyone having a mana outbreak of such a magnitude in decades. Besides..." He smiled at Angelica and added,

"That was quite the show you put on. I have never seen the sky lit up in such a way. I hear it was even seen in some parts of Nasia"

"Nasia... as in the... continent across from us?" Angelica's voice stuttered as the severity of her situation settled in.

'Guess I'm in quarantine for a reason'

Back in Parthellam, as Angelica started to show signs of a mana outbreak she felt intense pain throughout her body before the world went dark. By the time she regained consciousness, everything was already over.

As a result of her knowledge of the novel, Angelica was somewhat familiar with the concepts of a mana outbreak. For a mana outbreak to occur, the person in question must have large quantities of pent-up mana which she lacked.

Since she was preoccupied with Edward, the topic had completely slipped her mind till High Priest Thesser brought it up. She had yet to solve the mystery behind her suddenly manifested mana.

'Perhaps I'm a late bloomer?' Angelica considered it for a bit, but it did not feel accurate. She decided to conduct her own research before reaching any absurd conclusions.

Then another question occupied her mind. If her mana outbreak was as dangerous as High Priest Thesser described. How did Edward manage to contain it without getting killed?

At that moment, as if he had read her mind, High Priest Thesser said,

"It was fortunate that you were in transit of an ancient relic during your travels. Or else the destruction could have been catastrophic"

"Relic?"

Immediately Angelica recalled the Orion relic the Nero mercenaries were hired to protect. The metal box which was sealed from all sides had exquisite inscriptions etched on it in gold enough to make it valuable just for its appearance.

Eugene and Angelica were the primary guards for the relic while Kalan tagged along with them on his horse under the pretense of doing the same.

At first, Angelica had presumed it to be just an expensive accessory since the entire mission was an elaborate ruse to con her. The Nero mercenaries had even placed bets on the contents inside the relic at one point.

The last time Angelica saw it, the relic was tossed to the side in Parthellam while wiping out a handful of the assains on its way.

Based on the actions of the masked assassins, the relic must have amounted to some value. But never in her wildest dreams she would have imagined it to be the one to save everyone at the end of the day and from her no less.

'So the box really did save the world after all' Angelica nodded to herself, recalling the ordeal they had to endure to save the Orion relic throughout their travel.

"Well then. Shall we begin?"

"Pardon?"

Angelica looked up at the sound of High Priest Thesser's voice.

"Shall we begin the blessing?"