Entwined With the Villainous Guardian
Chapter 265: Somber Moments

Chapter 265: Somber Moments

Leander took another look at the letter and the seal. The seal appeared to be the official seal of the Church. How a child came across that seal...

Oh, a rule-breaker, he presumed.

His wife has a small belligerent side to her. She usually is a scaredy cat. She must have gotten the belligerent side from this person.

Or was it her blood?

"Do you have any knowledge about the one who left her here?" Leander asked the priest.

He kept the letter in his back pocket.

"I tried to track the woman who left her here. I couldn’t gather more information about her other than that she worked for a family in the city. I don’t know which family though," Father Patrick said.

Leander sighed. "She does not want to know who her parents are..."

"She thinks her mother left her here because she was poor to take care of her," Father Patrick said.

Leander hummed. So, Father Patrick spared her the detail that she might be from a rich family to protect her.

Both Leander and Father Patrick looked at the door as they heard Viviana. She entered the room with the nun they met earlier. Leander sat by the side and watched as they set everything up.

Viviana sighed looking at Father Patrick. She didn’t have a good feeling about everything. But if Father Patrick asks her to sing a song, she will.

Father Patrick asked her to sing "Ave Maria". She was not surprised. It has been a while since she sang that song. But those lyrics were still fresh in her mind. Father Patrick loved it when she sang that song.

Kneeling beside Father Patrick, she held his hands. Closing her eyes as Sister Debora played the violin, she sang the song with the grace of an opera singer.

Leander couldn’t sit still on his seat. He’s heard her singing a lot of times. She has a soothing voice that could calm even the most disturbed.

But this time was different. She sounded heavenly—an angel.

Father Patrick was leaning on the bed holding his chest. His eyes were closed. A smile was lingering on his lips. He looked like he finally got what he had been waiting for a long time.

Sister Deborah was crying. Leander noticed the tears rolling down Viviana’s cheeks as she finished. He immediately got to her and rubbed her back.

Father Patrick smiled holding her hand. "Don’t cry, child. I thank God every day for you. You’ve made me happy. Go, live your life. Stay by your husband’s side. It’s fine if you don’t come to see me anymore."

Viviana could only sob hearing him say that. For some reason, she could see that he meant to say that he was going to be gone forever pretty soon and he wants her not to come to his funeral and stay with her husband.

"You cannot stop me from visiting you," she said with her face filled with tears.

Father Patrick smiled and kissed her hand. "Your husband will need you by his side more than I do," he whispered. He then looked at Leander and waved his hand.

Leander walked closer.

Father Patrick placed Viviana’s hand inside Leander’s hand. Holding them together, he bowed his head and mumbled a short prayer.

"They are no longer two, therefore, but one body. So then, what God has joined together, let not man separate," Father Patrick said out loud.

Viviana sobbed leaning on Father Patrick’s hand. She was filled with great relief as Father Patrick accepted her marriage. Her happiness was mixed with the sense of the gruesome future awaiting her; she will have to live without Father Patrick from now on.

But he officiated her wedding! Just like he wanted to.

She couldn’t help but feel happy as she was able to give Father Patrick what he wanted. He is one of the most precious people she respected.

Leander held her. He didn’t know if it was an extension of her feelings, but he felt like the knot of love between them got tightened; their marriage felt more valid.

Does a word of a priest mean that much? Leander pondered.

"Son..."

Father Patrick’s meek voice called for Leander and he turned his attention toward him.

"His blood breaks all curses. Bring your wife with you and live happily," Father Patrick said.

Leander nodded. He talked about the curse of his bloodline, and this is what the Priest says.

Is it really okay for him to have children?

-----

Viviana leaned on Leander’s shoulders as they walked back. "When are we leaving?" she asked.

She didn’t have the heart to leave Abenney now, but as Father Patrick said, she needs to be by her husband’s side.

"Tonight... if you are okay with a helicopter, we can reach the city within a couple of hours. If you prefer car travel~"

"Helicopter is fine," Viviana shrugged. She’d rather reach there earlier.

Leander held her hand. "Are you okay to walk?" he asked.

"You want to visit the memorial?" Viviana looked at him. "I can show you my name on the plaque. Let’s go!"

Leander’s heart almost burst as he held back the emotions. He didn’t know what to take of this. How many in this world can show their name on a memorial plaque with this much curiosity?

With a sigh, he followed her. He saw the resort owned by his family brimming with brightness. But all he could remember seeing that resplendence was the picture of caskets.

"Here... see..." Viviana showed him the plaque.

Leander observed that the names were arranged in the alphabetical order of the surnames. Her surname was Filia Dei but only her name was in the bottom of the plaque.

It was then he realized. Her name was next to Leona Viceroy’s name.

"I asked them to engrave my name next to Leona’s. I had to beg them. I wanted to be closer to Leona at least this way," Viviana said as she noted Leander staring at the plaque for some time.

"You are..." Leander gulped. No matter how he looks at it, the truth is obvious. He was jealous. But he cannot fight with the dead. "You were in love with that girl," he said. "Admit that."

"What?" Viviana took a step back. "No. She was a friend."

"Right," Leander sighed rolling his eyes.

He didn’t want to prod her further. What if she admitted the truth? What will he do then?

He reached for the letter he hid in his pocket. Till then, he was in a dilemma whether to give it to her without reading or not. He now decided to give to her only after reading the contents of the letter.

How annoying! Could this be a love letter?

Viviana saw Leander’s face getting stiff. She wanted to be careful around him about Leona since it hurts him and yet again, she failed. She’s an inconsiderate fool when it comes to this.

"Look here," Viviana pointed at the plaque mainly to distract him. "Victoria Viceroy, Leona’s mother. We all thought her name was "Doria", but her official name was Victoria. Many said she cannot be included with those who died in the fire, but~"

"Why?" Leander asked interjecting her.

"Well, some said that she did not die in the fire... the same fire, you know. There were some rumors that she was burned by some..." She stopped. "Wait... Victoria. Isn’t that also the name of your father’s..."

...first wife?

Viviana pressed her lips and swallowed the rest of her sentence. The last time she brought up that name, Leander almost squeezed her dead.

"I think she died in the fire. She must have come here looking for her daughter and somehow caught in the fire," Viviana said.

That’s what she truly thought.

She looked at Leander using her peripheral vision. She could see that Leander was in deep thought.

"Ah! My stomach!" she squatted on the floor holding her abdomen. She couldn’t find any other way to distract him.

Leander immediately attended to her. He carried her to the nearby bench and he even ran and bought her a warm cup of coffee from a nearby shop.

He was successfully distracted and Viviana was glad.