The Duchess and the Devil - Chapter 88.1

The next day.

Judith woke up early for the first time. In recent days, she slept a lot at night and got out of bed when the sun was already setting. But not today. The Duchess’s actions were so unexpected that the maid, entering the bedroom to wake Judith, widened her eyes in surprise.

After her morning toilet, she sat down in front of the table and looked in the mirror. Perhaps the Duchess behaved this way because of new hope. It seemed that now Judith would be able to find the key to solving the existence of demons. Thin cheeks were visible in the mirror. The Duchess had never seen herself so tired and exhausted. And only now Judith realized why everyone around was looking at her with concern.

“Your hair has grown a lot, Lady.”

She did not know the maid’s name, but now it was extremely unusual to hear the usual address to herself. Judith spent many years as “Madame”, and now she has returned to “Lady” again. The divorce completely and irrevocably changed her position in society. But deep down she felt some relief.

If Judith still lived in the Duke’s house, she would definitely go crazy or die. Everything around reminded me of Derrick. Because of the influx of feelings, she spent every day in tears.

– Ready.

Due to her merciless weight loss, all the dresses looked like bags on Judith. And it took a long time to tie the laces tightly.

When the Duchess came out of the main gate, she saw the carriage that Vincent had prepared. The escort knights stood next to her. Judith, going down the stairs, was close to falling, but one of the men supported her, leading her to the carriage. Without hesitation, the Duchess thanked him and smiled, causing the knight to blush and turn away.

Although Judith was emaciated, her beauty, which shook the social world, did not disappear.

– Lady, are we going?

Sitting in the carriage, the Duchess nodded, and the carriage slowly moved off. Judith clenched her fists at the thought of finally visiting the temple. The heart could not calm down.

***

The temple, which Judith had not seen for some time, remained unchanged. An atmosphere of holiness and nobility reigned around. The Duchess and the knights slowly walked up the stairs. Due to the fact that she practically did not leave the room, her health noticeably deteriorated. Every step was not easy.

Noticing this, the knight offered to help, but Judith adamantly refused. Even though it was hard, she wanted to go on her own. The place where the Duke now stood overlooked the open-air baptistery where every aristocrat of the empire had previously been consecrated. Looking back on the memories of that day, it seemed like it was all just a long dream.

There were few people in the temple. This made Judith feel freer. There were dozens of chapels around, and the largest of them remained a favorite place for offering prayers.

– Is it okay if I go in alone?

The knight became confused when Judith looked at the small tower. As expected, there was no one inside. The Duchess pointed to the chapel, assuring the man that there was nothing dangerous in it, but his expression did not change. Judith soon realized what he was worried about.

“If I wanted to die, I wouldn’t have gone so far, ” hearing such a piercing answer, the knight held his breath for a moment.

He hesitated, wondering if she could read it in his eyes.

– I’ll wait outside. But if you’re not out in fifteen minutes, I’ll open the door. The lord ordered us not to leave you.

Realizing that this was the best solution to the problem, Judith nodded and entered the small chapel. Different colors came through the stained glass windows. The light fully filled the room with the unique and mysterious atmosphere of the chapel. Everyone who entered here had sin in their hearts. The sacred silence washed away everything.

Judith folded her hands and raised her head. On the ceiling, like in her room, there was a picture of God, but this one was drawn more carefully and accurately. It was clear that Derrick had disappeared from this world. However, in despair, Judith tried to deny this fact, because this did not mean his complete death.

The Duchess, who wanted to ask at least some question, now sat silently, unable to utter a word. Her head went blank for a moment. Looking at the picture, Judith felt the passing of the precious minutes provided by the knight. She seemed to be wasting it senselessly. Then the Duchess concentrated on her thoughts, saying the name of God in her head.

Whatever it was, she just wanted to hear an answer to her call. The face of God in the image was merciful. But Judith understood perfectly well that he did not exist in this world, and this was just a disguise for an evil demon.

Not hearing any answer to her prayers, she despaired, realizing that it was time to stop.

Judith just wanted to ask if Derrick was alive and what was wrong with him now. It was nothing more than a love awakened in her heart that she had never experienced while living with an unwanted man. And the devil sacrificed himself for her. And Judith couldn’t even protect the child. These thoughts repeated in her head over and over again, as if she had gone straight to hell.

Still, Judith couldn’t forget the last scene with Derrick. A terrible and painful sight appeared before my eyes.

– You are alive? – she asked again, trying to erase the memories of the difficult day.

The Duchess wanted to hear any answer, see any reaction to her question. She wanted to hear that Derrick was still alive and did not sacrifice his life for such an ordinary person. Judith closed her lips tightly, feeling something hot boiling in her throat. She couldn’t bear it, she no longer had the strength to be sad and cry.