The Ex-Wife

Irena’s brain couldn’t process it for a moment, and she stood there, stunned.

But Black, upon seeing the strange woman in the photo, had already understood.

He knew who this woman was.

Alvin’s ex-wife, and also the daughter of the former Pope Randolph, Louisa.

Thinking of this, Black’s mood became extremely complicated.

He subconsciously turned his head. Kristine’s expression, beside him, was normal, showing no change.

Some of the game’s background stories surfaced in his mind.

It could be said that all the tragedies hidden behind Kristine’s birth were inextricably linked to this woman.

This Louisa in the painting and Alvin were childhood sweethearts.

Their relationship was deep, their love true and profound.

Their union was a matter of course, and they were once recognized as the most well-matched, divine couple in the noble circles of the capital.

Unfortunately, the good times did not last. Not long after their marriage, Louisa passed away from an illness.

Alvin was in so much pain that he was on the verge of collapse.

He frantically searched for spells that could resurrect his beloved wife, combing through all the ancient books and traveling to most of the ruins in the empire.

Nothing, nothing, and still nothing.

He sought out Headmaster Troy.

But even this Emperor-Tier Sorcerer, the most knowledgeable person in the empire, told him clearly that there was no spell that could truly bring the dead back to life.

Just as Alvin was at his most desperate, his father-in-law, who was still the Pope at the time, Randolph, found him.

Randolph told him that human power could not resurrect Louisa.

But, the power of a Dragon King could.

The Dragon King of Madness possessed the authority to control souls and could reseal a lost soul back into a body.

As long as they could resurrect the Dragon King of Madness, they could do it.

At that time, they would only need to find a complete body and seal Louisa’s soul into it.

Alvin clung to it as if it were his last hope.

He firmly believed that his wife would not have wanted to be separated from him, and her death must have been accompanied by an obsession.

Her soul must still be wandering between heaven and earth.

And he had indeed seen rumors about the power of the Dragon King of Madness in some ancient ruins.

Besides, Randolph was Louisa’s father. He must also long to resurrect his daughter, right?

But, he still had no way to start.

A Dragon King, that was a terrifying existence close to a god. Could he really resurrect one?

At that point, Randolph told him a method to resurrect the Dragon King of Madness.

This method required two key things.

One was Alvin’s own magic-imbued constitution, combined with another woman of the same constitution.

Second, after the woman became pregnant, she needed to drink the pure blood of 100 children.

Only then could a vessel-child, most suitable for the descent of the Dragon King’s soul, be born.

This was the only way.

Alvin loved Louisa so much, so much that he was willing to pay any price for it, even if it meant falling into hell.

He spent a great deal of effort and finally, in a remote village.

Found Mona, who also had a magic-imbued constitution.

He threatened her with the lives of her entire village and forced her to marry him.

After their union, Kristine was born smoothly.

So, there was no emotional foundation between Alvin and Mona.

Alvin also had very little familial affection for his daughter, Kristine.

She was just a vessel born to achieve a goal.

And Mona held complex feelings for her daughter, Kristine.

A lot of it was disgust.

But Alvin forced her to play the part of a loving mother, just like at dinner.

Because, in the eyes of outsiders, the Saintess’s family had to be perfect and flawless.

But.

Mona, to some extent, was also a pitiful person.

She also had her own childhood sweetheart, her own lover, but was forced to be separated.

Forcibly taken by the noble, Alvin.

After marriage, she could never forget her past love. After Kristine was born, Alvin never touched her again.

Some time ago, she began to secretly meet with her former lover.

In other words, she was having an affair.

The incident at the Alchemic Rose tavern today.

Was actually Mona having a secret rendezvous with her true love.

The man hidden in the wardrobe at that time was, naturally, her childhood sweetheart.

Black knew that if he had let Kristine see that scene with her own eyes, all her beautiful impressions of her family would have been shattered.

That’s why he had taken the initiative to step in, use an excuse to help Mona, and cover up the truth.

In his opinion, sometimes, ignorance is a form of protection.

Kristine didn’t need to know anything.

She just needed to continue being that pure, kind Saintess who believed in the beauty of the world.

Kristine looked at the wedding photo and explained to Irena and Black.

“This is my father’s ex-wife, Miss Louisa.”

“I’ve heard stories about my father and her’s youthful romance from some of the old servants.”

Her tone was devoid of emotion.

“It’s so beautiful, it sounds like a fairy tale. Unfortunately, this Miss Louisa passed away very early.”

She paused.

“My father loved this Miss Louisa very much. So, he specially prepared this room for her, to preserve all her belongings as a memento.”

At this point, Irena came back to her senses from the shock.

She looked at the traces of another woman that were everywhere in the room, and thought of the gentle and proper Aunt Mona outside.

She asked cautiously.

“Senior, you and Aunt Mona… don’t you mind at all?”

She asked the question that almost any outsider would have upon seeing this scene.

Hearing Irena’s question, Kristine’s expression was calm.

She shook her head gently.

“Actually, some relatives and servants are also secretly gossiping about this.”

“Saying that Father has kept so many of his ex-wife’s things and even comes to clean them personally. Perhaps he doesn’t have much affection for his current wife.”

She raised her head, her gaze sweeping over every item in the room, finally landing back on the wedding photo as she said softly.

“I don’t know what my mother is thinking. But I don’t mind.”

“My father… once loved that lady very, very much. That was a very important part of his life.”

“If he were forced to throw away all his memories and erase all traces… it would be too cruel.”

As she said this, her words paused slightly. Her gaze fell on the side of Black’s face, and she thought to herself.

‘If it were me…’

‘I’m afraid I wouldn’t be able to easily let go of my feelings for a certain person either.’

Then, her tone became a little more firm.

“And, I believe my father’s love is open and honest. He also loves my mother, and he loves me.”

“Otherwise, he would have long since made this room a forbidden place, not allowing anyone to enter, not letting anyone know of its existence.”

She remembered something, and a warmth appeared on her face.

“But he didn’t. He doesn’t hide the existence of this room, and he also allows my mother and me to come in.”

She looked at Irena and tried her best to give a reassuring smile.

“At least my father now, he’s very good to me and to my mother, isn’t he?”