NOVEL NEXT Chapter 147: The Heiress' Confession
The carriage moved through the forest, repaired as if it had never been destroyed. The steward sat up front, holding the reins firmly, guiding the horses that snorted with renewed vigor. Inside, Jax and the young maiden traveled in silence for a moment until he broke the quiet with a question.
"Tell me about your life," Jax said calmly, watching the way she traced the edge of her cloak with delicate fingers.
The young girl turned her face slightly toward him, though her white eyes remained fixed on nothing.
"There's not much to tell," she said softly. "I was always my father's only child, raised with care in the mansion. I had servants, tutors, even learned music and singing… though I never could fight like other nobles. My life was peaceful."
Jax narrowed his eyes, studying every word.
"Were you happy?" he pressed, as if he wanted to see beyond her surface answers.
The young girl smiled gently, her lips trembling as she remembered.
"Yes… my childhood was very comfortable despite my disability. I never lacked anything. My father loved me, and my mother… well, she died when I was very young. But I lived surrounded by care, though they never stopped treating me as fragile."
Jax tilted his head, intrigued by the nuance in her words.
"Was your blindness from birth?"
She shook her head slowly, a small gesture, but heavy with meaning.
"No. I could see." Her voice broke slightly, and she gripped her cloak tighter. "Until one day, without warning, my sight vanished. The doctors couldn't find a cure. That's when the priests came to say it was a punishment from the gods."
The carriage creaked softly as it moved, and the silence between them grew heavier.
"What kind of punishment?" Jax asked quietly, though his eyes glinted with a hint of anticipated disdain.
The young girl pressed her lips together before answering.
"They said it was because my father had amassed too much wealth. His ambition offended the gods, and I had to pay for his sins with my sight. The priest told him that if he donated all his riches to the church, maybe the gods would show mercy."
Jax frowned, watching her without interrupting.
"And did your father do it?"
She nodded, and her bitter smile revealed the weight of that memory.
"Yes. He gave away everything we had, even the last jewels and chests of gold. But I never regained my sight. In the end, the priest said it might be the divine will… that I must live as a constant reminder of the frugality the gods demanded."
Her fingers trembled slightly, and a resigned sigh escaped her lips.
"Since then I've learned to accept my blindness. Though…" she hesitated for a moment, then added softly, "sometimes I still wonder if it was really a punishment, or just fate."
Jax sighed, leaning back against the seat of the carriage.
"That was the work of evil priests, straying from true faith," he said, a trace of contained anger in his voice. "But don't worry, the God of Dreams will make everyone pay for their misdeeds."
The maiden bowed her head slightly toward him, a gesture full of respect.
"I thank you, divine envoy, for worrying about my misfortune…" she whispered softly.
The carriage moved smoothly, and gradually the conversation became more intimate. They talked about life in the port: the hunger, the poverty, the orphaned children growing up stealing to survive. She explained that after her father's death, her family fell into weakness.
"My father…" her voice cracked, "died in battle during the attack of the sea races. When those creatures rose from the waters five years ago, the nobles thought they could conquer the continent easily. But they were wrong."
The carriage jolted over a rock, and the silence thickened with tension. The maiden took a deep breath, as if the memory choked her.
"My father stayed behind, with his men, to hold back the beasts. He… saved us. But he died with all his loyal followers."
Her voice trembled. Jax, eyes narrowed, could see the images painted by her words. The open sea roaring, columns of dark water rising like walls, and from them emerged sea horrors: tritons armed with coral spears, scaly-skinned creatures with shining eyes, massive crabs with claws capable of splitting men in two.
The girl's father, clad in worn but sturdy armor, stood at the front, sword raised, surrounded by his captains.
"Stand firm! Let the families escape!" he roared before charging into the living wave.
"My brave soldiers… you have only one choice: endure these monsters or they'll reach your women and children to kill, devour, or enslave them… Make your deaths meaningful… May the heavens and the God of the Oceans have mercy on us and our souls."
The clash was brutal. Men fell one by one, devoured, torn apart, or dragged into the depths. The air was filled with salt, blood, and screams. Yet they fought bravely until their last breath.
The maiden pressed her hands to her legs.
"All of them died. Everyone loyal to him perished in that battle… and the only ones who returned alive were those loyal to my uncle. Since then… everything seems like a trap. Like they had prepared that sacrifice to take everything for themselves."
A heavy silence fell over the carriage. Outside, the steward adjusted himself in the driver's seat, pretending not to listen, though the tension made him grip the reins tightly.
Jax clicked his tongue with a bitter expression.
"A traitor always tries to hide their hand in the blood of the innocent…" he murmured, a shadowy gaze burning in the dim carriage light. "And your uncle is already marked."
"The God of Dreams will not allow such vile and ruthless behavior," he said, his voice deep. "I didn't know why He sent me to this place… but now I understand. I am here to punish evil, to protect the innocent."
He paused, letting his words sink into the young girl's heart.
"He is a loving and merciful god, but He is also justice. Anyone who abuses, betrays, or murders will face his punishment. And believe me… His judgment never fails."
The carriage continued moving through the trees, and the girl, still with tears in her eyes, felt a mix of relief and hope she hadn't experienced since her father's death. Outside, the steward adjusted the reins, aware that they now traveled under the protection of a divine power that would guide them to their destination.