The Debt Of Fate
Chapter 115: The replacement

Chapter 115: The replacement

The next evening, the Queen wanted to go with the King to the temple of the Old gods to see how he would be cured. But he refused and told her to wait for the good news. He was still too weak to walk and had to be carried in a sedan, his breath shallow, his body light as he had lost much of his strength.

Although curious the Queen did not insist as long as the king would be better, she felt her presence was not necessary.

When King George arrived, the temple felt different. The air was thick and heavy with the smell of burning oil and unknown herbs. Oil lamps flickered along the walls, their small flames casting long, twisting shadows. The carvings on the stone seemed to shift under the unsteady light, their shapes strange and unclear.

At the center of the temple, the seer stood before the altar, dressed in a black robe. He met the King’s gaze only once before turning away. Then, he began to chant, his deep voice steady and slow. The sound did not echo but sank into the stones, as if something unseen was listening.

The King had seen similar rituals before, but tonight, the air itself felt different. It pressed against his skin, and in the silence between the chants, it felt like something was whispering. Although he had always trusted the seer’s ability, he had some doubts. Especially since the seer claimed the ritual was difficult to perform.

The two young men who always assisted the seer were not there. This also made it seem strange. After all, when he performed rituals in the past, he always had assistants present.

After chanting and performing some gestures for half an hour, the seer turned and looked at him. "Your Majesty, are you ready?" he asked, his eyes deep and unreadable.

"Great one, I am ready," King George said, though he felt unsettled. He was not willing to die.

The seer nodded, then walked over to the King. "You will have to use your blood this time." Saying this, he took a small dagger and cut the King’s finger. The King had been suffering from pain for the past few days, so he did not even flinch when he was injured. After collecting a few drops of blood, the seer went back to the altar. This time, he knelt and placed down the clay bowl that contained the King’s blood. He started chanting again.

This time, he chanted for only a few minutes. "Bring the replacement," the seer instructed after he was done chanting.

The seer’s assistant carried a woman into the hall and laid her on the stone altar beside the clay bowl that contained the King’s blood.

The woman was dressed in a white robe. She was unconscious, and only the rising and falling of her chest made it clear that she was still alive.

The seer started to chant after the woman was placed on the stone altar. He chanted for another few minutes before he got up.

He then looked at the woman on the altar. It was a bit dark, so he could not see clearly.

He sighed and then began to walk around the altar, chanting loudly as he circled it.

The woman, who had been unconscious, suddenly opened her eyes. She was terrified and wanted to get up, but suddenly, she felt something enter her body. She lay back and watched with a blank expression.

"The King is a noble man. The lady is willing to change fate, cleanse the land, and serve the people with her blood," the seer said, looking at the lady on the stone altar.

The lady frowned, finding the words strange, but her mouth opened, and she began to repeat the seer’s words. "The King is of noble birth. I am willing to change fate, cleanse the land, and serve the people with my blood." The lady felt scared, but she heard herself chanting these words over and over again.

The seer stopped moving and listened to her. After she had repeated these words five times, the seer picked up a dagger and stabbed her hand. He then placed the clay bowl that held the King’s blood under her bleeding hand. He chanted a few unknown words as he did this.

"The lady is willing to lose her life to save the King," the seer said.

"I am willing to lose my life to save the King," the lady repeated.

"The lady is willing to use her blood to pay the debt of the King," the seer said.

"I am willing to use my blood to pay the King’s debt," the lady said.

"The lady gives her fortune to her husband in life or death," the seer said.

"I give my fortune to my husband in life or death," the lady said. She had a blank expression as she repeated these lines.

The seer continued to chant after this exchange. The King watched with a calm gaze. The more he listened, the more pleased he felt. The seer had said that Anastasia’s fortune could overturn the wrath of heaven on his family. He believed that the royal family would prosper after this ritual. Since Anastasia was of such great value, he decided that her body would be buried in the Ancestral Crypt of the royal family.

He felt that this was enough compensation for her life. If not for the fact that the worship of the Old Gods was no longer popular, he would not have to play this game of secrecy. If he accused her of a crime, he would have to execute her publicly. The only way was to do it secretly and place the blame on Gube.

The seer finished another chant. The bowl collecting her blood was already half full.

He stopped and signalled assistant, who stepped forward, picked up the bowl and walked over to the King.

When King George saw the blood in front of him, he frowned.

"Dip your injured finger into the bowl," the seer instructed.

The King did as he was told. The wound on his hand still had blood on the surface.

The seer breathed a sigh of relief when the King could place his hand into the bowl without being rejected.

He then picked up the same dagger and placed it at the lady’s throat.

"What is the lady’s name?" the seer asked.

"The lady is called Elfrida Ashcombe," she answered.

"Tell me, what..." The seer suddenly realized he had heard the wrong name just as he was about to give the next instructions. The person should be "Anastasia Thompson." Where did "Elfrida Ashcombe" come from?

"This... This..." The seer was unsure of what was happening. He was forced to look at the lady’s face. Even the King tensed.