A procession of magnificent carriages passed through the busy afternoon castle town. The carriage in the center was particularly extravagant with four beautiful white horses trotting proudly in front. Standing to the side so as not to get hit by the carriages, the villagers watched the parade with eyes wide in awe.
“Those are some carriages! Are we receiving a guest from another country?” a town girl whispered to herself while imagining what it would be like to dress up and ride in such a fancy carriage.
“No, look at the crest at the back of the carriages! See, there? They belong to the single wealthiest noble family in Pharrell, the Clares. The Duchess is probably on her way to attend the Summer Solstice Festival,” said a young man peddling fruit to the town girl. During his explanation, he pointed to the back of one of the passing carriages.
Not only did the town girl and the nearby villagers preparing to open their stalls fly into an excited flurry, so too did the nobles watching from afar.
“That’s Duchess de Clare!”
“The brave Duchess said to have fought off a demon!”
“I wanted to see her face!”
“I’ve heard she’s most charming. Isn’t it amazing? Not only is she beautiful, she also had the strength and knowledge to break that curse.”
“God has blessed her with everything.”
✦ ✦ ✦
PHARRELL was abuzz with news that “the current Duchess de Clare has broken the curse that plagued their line for many a year.” Word of the incident spread like wildfire among the kingdom’s peasantry and its nobility.
“The current Duchess is not only wise and courageous but also young and beautiful,” the people claimed. These past two months, Sonia was the talk of the kingdom.
✦ ✦ ✦
ACCOMPANIED by carriages directly in front and behind it, the most luxurious carriage in the center of the procession split off from the parade bound for the palace. Following its lead, three carriages changed directions, pulling to a stop in front of the Royal Abbey adjacent to the Central Church.
The young footman hopped down from the platform behind the carriage to open the door. He respectfully took the white hand held out to him and made sure the noble lady’s footing was sound as he helped her to the ground.
She wore a pale green dress fitting for early summer. A lace veil draped over her slightly wavy golden-blond hair. Her large, pale blue eyes were as invigorated as the clear blue sky. Orange lipstick brilliantly outlined her dainty lips, which formed a cheerful smile.
Waiting at the abbey door to greet her were the Abbess and Pamela, who called out in a jovial voice, “Sonia!”
“Pamela!” Sonia called the name of her friend in a voice equally joyous.
They were like magnets drawn together in an embrace.
“How do you feel? Are you okay?” Sonia asked.
“I’m all better! I plan on going all out taking care of you from here on out,” Pamela answered.
Nearly two months had passed since Pamela was exorcized of Ferns and the demon Baphomet, who had continued to control the fallen priest even in death. Since she had been possessed by a demon as well as by Ferns, she was transported to the abbey because she had grown horribly weak. She had been in recovery ever since.
“...Pamela, are you serious? About serving me, I mean... If this is about paying me back, I’ve already discussed the matter with your uncle, and we’ve set up a payment plan. You don’t have to do this, okay?” Sonia insisted.
Due to his failing enterprise, Pamela’s uncle had burned through the inheritance her parents left for her. But still unable to make ends meet, he was going to add to the ever-growing mountain of debt by marrying Pamela off to an unscrupulous moneylender.
In exchange for lending Pamela’s uncle the money to pay the debt entirely at zero interest with no collateral, Sonia had Pamela’s marriage called off and took over the enterprise. Placing Pamela’s uncle under the supervision of someone trustworthy, she allowed him to continue running the business for her while he relearned business administration. She had received reports that he was applying himself to his studies while working hard at the business, so the supervisor dispatched by the King must have done the trick.
Pamela threw a smile at Sonia, who looked at her with brows pulled down in concern. “No,” Pamela said as she shook her head. “I want to do this. You’ve helped me personally a great deal. This is meant to serve as both a form of penance and repentance for questioning your friendship.”
“...But...” Sonia protested, nonetheless reluctant.
“I won’t stop being your friend just because I’m your maid. Will it change how you feel about me?”
Sonia quickly shook her head. “We’ll still be friends! You’re my very best friend!”
“See what I mean?”
The two giggled and pressed their foreheads together with hands interlocked, just as they had always done.
“Besides, I’m extremely happy about this setup. Now I can be with you all the time,” Pamela added.
“I’m happy, too.”
“But I’m going to treat you like my mistress in public, so be ready to bounce between how you treat me in public and private, okay, Duchess Sonia?” Pamela said and quickly stuck out a sliver of her tongue.
Sonia laughed at her teasing and replied, “It is a pleasure to have you, Pamela,” with a curtsy worthy of a proper lady.
“Well, we shouldn’t stand around out here forever. Let’s go inside. I am personally eager to hear of Sonia’s great battle,” the Abbess said, urging them into the Royal Abbey.
The last time they had met, Sonia’s heart was filled with suspicion toward the Abbess. But now she felt at peace speaking with her, almost as if the feeling had flown off into the distance. Sonia felt refreshed, like she had finally overcome a long illness. It was as if the demon took everything with it when he vanished.
The Abbess had been one of the first to come running to Sonia when she heard the curse had been broken. Without bothering to wipe her flood of tears, she had cried, “Thank God!” as she rejoiced for the young Duchess’ safety. It was hard to believe Sonia had ever doubted her love.
I had plenty of weakness for the demon to exploit to his advantage, Sonia thought to herself as she smiled at the Abbess, before taking a sip of the tea the older woman had served. The expression on her face as she gazed upon Sonia was filled with compassion like always.
“So, you haven’t had any interactions with the demon Baphomet since then?” the Abbess asked Sonia worriedly.
“Right. Apparently, demons generally don’t obsess over a single person. I know his true identity and hurt him, so he probably won’t try to reach out to me again. According to Sir Chris and the Pope, demons tend to be really cautious.”
“...I suppose that means Father Ferns was the one who was obsessed with your family all these years. Only a human is capable of such dogged devotion,” the Abbess said with a disappointed sigh.
The Abbess likely couldn’t bear to imagine how a fellow servant of the Lord had been consumed by greed and ultimately went to Hell with a demon, but after Sonia and Chris had swung the sword, the face that vanished amidst the ear-shattering screams belonged to Ferns. Baphomet must have recognized the threat and quickly escaped.
The Abbess made the sign of the cross before her chest. “Damned soul or not, he was once a colleague. I can’t help but pray he realizes the errors of his ways soon so he may find redemption...” she concluded.