Liam and Cordelia entered the sitting room with their guests in tow. The greying Marquis and still beautiful Marquess wasted no time acquainting themselves with the Del Montague siblings. Their scrutiny was mainly on Felicia, as they had already met Alex on a few occasions while he was still attending the Academy with their son.
Liam's mother, in particular, was determined to understand her son's infatuation with Lady Felicia Del Montague. Liam had never expressed interest in a woman before. So why her? Wasn't Lady Helena the more appealing one?
To Felicia's enormous relief and appreciation, it turned out that Liam's parents did not peddle in gossips and rumors. Though she was certain they were aware of the amount of stain on her name, they were very cordial towards her and clearly willing to give her a chance to prove herself before passing any kind of judgement.
The interaction was very amicable. She could see where Liam got his fair mind and kind heart from.
Felicia felt a sting of jealousy and longing in her heart as she watched the open affection Liam's parents had for him and Cordelia.
We had this once. Back when our mother was still alive. We were one big happy family. Thought it would last forever. Sadly, the devil had other plans.
Half an hour later, all three of them were seated in the Del Findel library. Liam had wanted to have this discussion in his bedchamber, but with Lady Felicia also being here, it would be indecent. She was lawfully an unwed maiden who was betrothed to the Crown Prince. The Marquess would have twisted his ear if she found out he took Felicia to his bedroom. Even if Alex were also there.
And it wasn't a good idea for his sanity either.
Imagining Felicia in his bedroom.
How difficult would it be to kick Alex out and lock the door? Would he summon the Holy Sword or would he just tell them to have fun? After all, Alex was protective of Felicia, not controlling.
Cordelia had tried to enter the library as well, but Liam informed her that it was a private discussion and she needed to leave. She had looked a bit upset, but cheered up significantly after Alex placed a kiss on her hand.
Even though it was still early morning and the bright sunlight was streaming in through the massive windows, the mood grew somber once they started their discussion.
After all, knowing more only meant more problems to deal with.
Alex summoned the Holy sword and placed on the table they were seated around. Yellowed manuscripts with illustrations of the statue of the Goddess were spread out. Liam had also found an old journal which belonged to his great uncle. When Felicia had inquired how a mere priest was able to access and remove sacred scrolls from the church, Liam had pointed to the entries in his great uncle's journal.
Turns out, Father Albert Norris Del Findel was very much aware of the corruption as he went on long winded rants in his writing. He was greatly angered by how far the brethren had fallen from their predecessors.
As such, he took to covertly removing the scriptures he deemed most valuable. Scroll by scroll, over the course of several years. He feared some heretic priest may become the future Pope and decided to either lock away all of this knowledge, or a scoundrel would set them on fire by instigating an accident.
Father Albert had tried to bring the church back to where its focus should have been, but he was met with dismissal from most of his brothers. Even the members of his faction had cautioned him against speaking out.
Something which he took to heart.
The man was a coward. Apart from stealing scripture, he wasn't willing to openly challenge the authority of the Pope or the first faction. He wished he could be brave, but was ultimately too scared. Consequently, this filled him with anger and frustration which he released by writing down his grievances in a secret journal he kept locked in his desk at the Del Findel manor.
Felicia shook her head. "This makes me wonder just how may chose to stay silent as opposed to those who were silenced; to the extent that we are where we are right now."
Liam offered her a bemused smile before glancing back at the text before him. "Back then, the central cathedral was only a fraction of the size it is now. The main prayer hall was not even built yet. It was an open courtyard which both the Emperor and Pope agreed to build a statue of the Goddess. Holy magic was strong back then. Not only the Cromwells' and the Pope, but many lower level priests, nuns, nobles and even a handful of commers were occasionally blessed by the Goddess. It appears Kartara was a lot more generous with her gifts back then."
Felicia rolled her eyes. "I'm certain all of those people had selfless hearts and strived for peace and health. The Goddess would never bless people at random. There is duty that comes with it."
"Something Helena sorely fails to understand. She keeps treating the title she bears like it's a fancy piece of jewelry for her to wear and show off." Felicia clicked her tongue. "How much more obvious could she make it that she does not have the mindset to be blessed? The Goddess would bless a horse before she blessed Helena!"
Liam reached out a hand and lightly stroked Felicia's closed fist. "Do not be so bitter, my lady. When the time comes, you will be able to take your rightful place as Saintess. We will do away with that pesky imposter."
She smiled back in appreciation.
Alex rubbed his chin as he examined the writing. "These illustrations are very rudimentary. It appears to be more symbolism than actual drawings of the architecture. But what do they mean? Most of the statue of the Goddess is made out of marble. It's only her head, or rather her eyes and her crown which holds significance."
"Well, didn't you say that when you encountered the Goddess's spirit in the so called mists, she only presented her eyes and voice? That is not separate from the fact that her statue always sheds tears when she is trying to communicate with her worshippers. Red tears, clear tears...it's all connected, is it not?" Liam hypothesized, looking between the siblings.
Felicia nodded, excited by his dissection. "And the red ruby on her crown! Liam you said that it was placed there by the Goddess herself after her statue was completed, right?
"Yes," he replied, picking up another open scroll. "A bolt of purple lightning came down and struck the head of the statue. Rather than breaking through the stone, a giant red ruby had formed and carved itself into the center of the golden crown. The people praised the event, seeing it as an appraisal from the Goddess." He stopped reading and looked back at Felicia.
She was lost in her thoughts for a moment before shooting to her feet. Both Alex and Liam were startled.
"My power. My magic. I had purple lightning! I used it before, remember?" Her eyes locked with Alex's, who instantly put it together.
"So that's how we get the ruby out of the Goddess's crown. You have to strike it with your lightning and it will come undone."