I have a long-lived pawn shop.

"Count Monti has left, Your Majesty." Archbishop Demoli came to the Pope's private lounge.

Tod Rod changed into a white suit, covered with a woolen shawl of the same color, and wore the Pope's white round hat on his head, looking out the rain-soaked window.

"That guy's way of raising his daughter is indeed better than mine." Todd Rhodes said suddenly, "Rosalina could barely even enter the square, let alone stay behind the iron gate for such a long time."

"Abigail de Monti, she has grown into a monster now. The guys in the military know her name. They call her 'The Emperor's Hidden Blade' instead of 'The Rose of Londym'."

Archbishop Demoly thought for a moment and said, "After all, she is a countess, not a princess."

The biggest difference between a baroness and a princess is that barons often truly hold the power of the family, while princesses are just aristocratic women who live a life of luxury.

"What do you think of her? Demoli."

The middle-aged man in the red robe was stunned for a moment. Of course, he later privately investigated Abigail de Monti's past.

Perhaps some people think that Abigail was able to become a countess of the territory just because she was lucky and had no brothers or other male relatives.

But a young girl who had never entered a social situation could gradually consolidate power and govern her fiefdom in an orderly manner in just a few years when people's hearts were unstable. In any way, she would not be a fool.

In fact, distant relatives of the Monti family once came to the house hoping to get some benefits. In their eyes, a weak orphan girl needed the help of adults to manage the property. However, the day after they revealed their greedy intentions, the countess's revenge began.

She annexed their property, cut off their financial resources, reported their illegal activities to the central court, and even threatened their lives with assassins.

All the storms ended within a few months. After peace returned, the relatives returned to their homes honestly, acknowledged Abigail's identity, and lost most of their family property.

"Miss Abigail is a smart person. She is ambitious, but she appears gentle and polite, and it's hard to dislike her." Demoli commented carefully.

Ever since Count Monti returned to Yalais, Demoli had heard about the beauty of this girl, but it was not until just now when she calmly stepped into the place called hell in the Vatican and walked out with a happy expression that he felt that the girl was so beautiful that it was fascinating.

On the dome of the cathedral in Galt, the holy land of the Silver Moon Church, Bist, a famous painter of the Century of Gods, spent three years to complete a divine revelation painting.

In the mural, many saints gathered together to resist the endless monsters on earth and follow God to save the world. Among them, Saint Elvia wore a silver and white dress, and her beauty was not like that of the human world.

Demoli still remembered the exquisite treasure clearly, but at a certain moment, the figure of the girl in the wind and rain overlapped with the saint in the silver dress.

"Yes, she will be an extraordinary saint, another new master of the Holy See. The fact that you have a good impression of her shows that she is capable of winning the hearts of the people in the Holy See."

Todd Rhodes rubbed his brows and said, "Rosalinna is not as good as her, and Philip is too impetuous. Everyone says that children will learn what they are best at from their parents, so obviously I am not a qualified father."

The fickleness of fate always makes us wonder if it is playing a trick on the world.

When Todd Rod's children returned to him it was too late. Their personalities had already been formed: one was too cowardly and naive, the other too unruly.

In contrast, Abigail's thirst for knowledge and ambition for status are the qualities that Todd Rhodes most wants to cultivate in the next generation.

And he didn't know what she had been through in the past half month. The Pope originally thought that the sharpness in the Countess's temperament had faded a lot, but now he realized that the sharpness was just well hidden, mixed with a sense of danger that her life was hanging by a thread.

Just now, he cast a glance from a high place, and Abigail was keenly aware of it. She turned around to take a look. With just that one glance, the sudden sense of crisis almost made Todd Rod feel like he was cut by a knife.

The Pope sighed and asked, "How is Philip?"

"He's fine. Count Monti has not restricted his personal freedom. Except for not being able to leave the Monti mansion alone, Philip can do whatever he wants under the protection of the Royal Guards."

"Royal Guards..." The Pope hesitated for a moment and said, "Write to Count Monti and ask him to send him back to Lentium. Don't let him be a target in Yalai."

Don't hold Monti back. This is the second half of the sentence the Pope did not say.

Becoming the Saint of the Silver Moon Church was only the first step for Abigail. She still had a lot to do. So much that it was overwhelming and exhausting to watch.

…and she had a face like that.

The girl who looked too much like Innes was wearing a long blue dress, with jet-black hair. The roses on her dress were blooming in the wind and rain, with light and shadow interweaving, like a prosperous dream in his youth. There was no moment that made him feel so dazed and vaguely familiar as this moment.

The Pope reached into his pocket, a habit he had when he was young, to feel for a cigarette, but he had just changed his clothes and Mass was not a place to smoke. He did not find anything, his pocket was empty.

Demoli had followed him for a long time and understood the meaning of his little actions. The Pope, who always behaved elegantly and indifferently, was not without emotional fluctuations. When he was upset, he would want to smoke - but that was ten years ago. It was hard to imagine how upset he would be before he would return to his old habits.

Maybe it's because Abigail is more like that woman than her daughter and son, Demoli thought.

"Shall I send you some tobacco, Your Majesty?"

"No." Todrode paused. "Send the letter as soon as possible. What kind of deterrent effect does a mansion have when its owner is not here? Philip's safety must be put first."

"I know. The family postman will deliver the letter tonight. But do you want to tell Philip a few words? After all, we haven't seen each other for such a long time."

Family postmen are a special department of the post office. Those respectable people in green uniforms will not be stopped from entering any luxurious residence because they carry messages passed between the highest level people in the empire. Therefore, they can deliver a message to the Pope's son.

Todd Rhodes was silent for a long time and said, "No need. He has grown up and it is time for him to decide what to do next."

People always say that the trend of the times is surging, and smart people should learn to go with the flow.

But in real life, there are many people who are immersed in the world of luxury. These people will never know their stupidity unless they are severely beaten and bleed in a new environment.

Demoli looked up and saw the reflection of the Pope in the window glass.

There was a certain emptiness in his eyes, and his face was illuminated by a frightening thin light under the rain, like a statue shrouded in a holy veil, silently watching people sinking in the mud in the high sky.

……

When Lady Serra saw the Countess returning all damp and wet, she was extremely worried.

While she quickly helped Wei Xi change her rain-soaked dress, she quietly pleaded with her, "Please don't stay in the rain for too long. Is there anything that can't be done in the room on a sunny day?"

"I'll be careful." Wei Xi didn't want Sera to worry, so he answered in a light tone, "I won't do that again, Sera."

She knew that her changes made the head maid a little nervous, and she was trying to erase those influences.

It is true that the girl's life was not easy at first after being kicked out of the center of power and her father died, but there were also bright things left in those difficult days.

In Lendim, differences of status were diminished, and Sera and Alan Furston truly became her family - and of course, they still are.

"By the way, where is Philip?" Wei Xi took the cotton towel and carefully wiped the raindrops on his hair.

She had lived a hard life for half a month, and even received no letters. Naturally, she would not think that there was a team of royal guards and a pope's illegitimate child in her family. She believed from the bottom of her heart that Sera would handle everything well.

Sera brought hot cocoa from the kitchen and handed it to Wei Xi. She also put the cotton towel that Wei Xi had used on her arm and replied, "Mr. Philip took the guards and Richard to Sable University. I heard that they are holding the last summer garden party of the year, but now it may have become an indoor dance party specifically for alumni and outstanding young people. With his status, it will be easy for him to get an invitation."

After Wei Xi left, the team of royal guards did not leave. It was not known whether the emperor had forgotten or had other intentions. Sera did her best to arrange their food and lodging, but at the same time she also made full use of them to keep an eye on the restless Philip Salohil.

"Ball?" The countess smiled, a rare cheerful smile. People like her rarely smile sincerely nowadays, and her eyebrows and eyes are curved.

Seeing that she seemed interested, Sera asked for the attendance list for the ball. A good head maid could always fulfill any wish of her master.

Seeing a name on the list, Wei Xi's eyes moved slightly, and she smiled and said, "I haven't attended Yalai's dance yet. Sera, can I go and see it?"

Noble girls in Yalai usually have to participate in the "introduction ceremony" of the court at the age of sixteen. Under the guidance of their families, they officially enter the social occasions of Yalai. From then on, they show that they can pursue and be pursued. Their right to speak also begins to increase, and they are no longer treated as ignorant children.

Abigail was an exile, she never appeared and was unknown.

Mrs. Sera looked at Wei Xi tenderly, taking her words as a rare act of willfulness.

"Of course, Miss, but it's too late today. The garden party will last for three days. You can go tomorrow." Sera put on a slightly thicker robe for Wei Xi, took the bone china cup and said, "Everything upstairs has been sorted out. You can go up and take a look. Choose a place you like to rest."

Wei Xi did not comment, but pulled his robe together and followed the maid to the second-floor terrace.

The open-air balcony has a half-birdcage-like curved fence, with a glass-inlaid sliding door built outside the fence to keep the rain out - this is a style that has only become popular recently and costs a lot of money.

The maid brought her tea and dessert.

Amid the sound of heavy rain, she raised her face, revealing a well-hidden murderous intent.

The building where the Countess was located gradually sank in the night, as if it was submerged by a black tide. Several dark shadows pounced on Wei Xi, with strange lights flashing between their fingers.

The silhouettes of plants stretched out in the darkness. The day was still, but now it was revived. After a slight confusion, everything was over.

Wei Xi stroked the gold-inlaid hunting knife, the black blade resting quietly in her palm. It was a very beautiful knife, the blade was like a black mirror, flowing with the unique brilliance of the alloy.

However, a knife without blood grooves on both sides has no lethality. It will not draw blood when stabbed into the enemy's body, and it cannot even be pulled out. The enemy will only feel pain but will not lose their attack power. It can only be used to cut the throat.

Wei Xi stroked the carvings on the scabbard. Her fingers were long, her joints were delicate, and her skin seemed translucent, so beautiful that it made people's hearts beat fast. However, it did not feel as smooth as jade. Her entire palm was covered with thin calluses, and it was actually very rough to the touch.

There was a little blood on her fingers. The sound of rain came in from the wrought iron window frame at the end, and enveloped the countess who was wiping her hands. After a few seconds, she put away the handkerchief as if nothing had happened, and looked at the killer twitching on the ground.

From the moment the maid brought her tea, she killed four people in total: a disguised maid, one behind the door, and two in the shadows. Then, with an expressionless face, she broke the legs of the last man and slit the killer's throat with a precise move.