Chương 87: Book 2, Chapter 26: Disclosures

Clara steeled herself under the duke's gaze. She did want to tell the von Rhenias the truth, and now was as good a time as any, but having all four of them glaring at her was still nerve-wracking. And there was a small part of her that still believed in keeping her secret to herself, out of fear that she'd be judged, or branded a liar or a madwoman. But she'd learned not to listen to those instincts.

"Your Graces, Lord Conrad, the truth is that some months ago, shortly before the trial at the High Court, I began to experience memories of a past life." She chose her words carefully to avoid the memory magic.

"They came to me all at once, like a dream so long that I felt I'd lived a whole other life. That's where my suspicious knowledge comes from, where I learned how to be an advocate and how to speak the Sacred Tongue. Well, 'speak' may be a bit generous. I can understand some of it." Clara watched their reactions as the silence settled. Conrad furrowed his brows, the duchess narrowed her eyes, and the duke didn't move at all. It was Iris who broke the silence, clearly excited.

"Mama, you once told me memories of another life can be a sign of—""A Saintess," Adelheid finished.

"I do recall that conversation, dear. I also recall telling you that knowledge was not to be shared. Only the upper echelons of the Church are privy to details about the Saintesses." Iris pouted.

"I know, Mama. That's why I told Clara she had to tell you both as soon as I heard."

"You did well, Iris." Yet even as the duke talked to his daughter, he had not looked away from Clara.

"I want to add that I haven't performed anything close to a miracle," said Clara.

"My magic is very rudimentary, and I'm not claiming to be a Saintess or anything like that."

"Yes. Past memories, by themselves, aren't proof that you are a Saintess," Adelheid agreed.

"There are many who've claimed to have them and never shown any other signs of divine favor. But they are an indicator that shouldn't be taken lightly." The duke placed a hand under his chin.

"We must also consider Helena Rosewood. We've had no signs of Saintesses for two hundred years, and now there are potentially two? If that were true, it would certainly be an omen. Dame Casewell, if you notice any signs that you could be a Saintess, such as inexplicably powerful magic or revelations from the Goddess, you must let us know immediately."

"Actually, there may be something else that's relevant here." Clara turned to Iris, knowing the girl wouldn't be pleased about this part. How do I even explain this?

"There is a portion of my story that I can't tell you. Not because I don't want to, but because whenever I try to speak of it, whoever I'm speaking to goes blank. Their eyes lose focus, they stop hearing me, and when they come back to their senses, they've forgotten I said anything at all. This has happened with Lady Iris every time I tried to tell her, and with some Byzottoman guards, too. I was only able to speak about this once, when Leofric questioned me under the Blessing of Truth, right before I was rescued."

"Ah. So that is what happened at the warehouse," said Conrad.

"A hand well played, Dame Casewell."

"Wait." Iris frowned.

"You're telling me you have yet another secret, and you've told it to me several times, and I've simply forgotten?"

"Yes, my lady. It happened at the Westwick Plaza before Dame Rowena's trial, then it happened again aboard the Esperança. I think it's some kind of memory magic—I looked at you with magical sight while it was happening, and I saw gold specks flowing into you." Iris crossed her arms.

"Then tell me again now. If voicing it doesn't work, write it down and show it to us. There are multiple witnesses here—surely there is no memory magic capable of affecting an entire room at once, especially with Mama and Papa present." Huh, putting it in writing is a smart idea. I should've thought of that.

"No." Adelheid's denial was equal parts gentle and definitive.

"But Mama—""Iris, stop and consider what she has described. She said this memory wiping happened multiple times, some of them weeks apart, and in two different countries. I cannot even begin to think of how a spell like that might work, and I will not risk a Memory Void with needless experimentation."

"Then what should we do?" Iris's voice was high with frustration.

"We'll have to study this under controlled conditions. We'll summon Emmet once Dame Casewell has concluded her seclusion," said the duchess. Iris opened her mouth, caught the look in her mother's eyes, and hesitated." Fine," she eventually said.

"But I would like it recorded that I find this arrangement thoroughly unsatisfying." The duke glanced at the clock on the mantel, then back at Clara.

"Magical theory aside, I am concerned about one other thing. You said the magic did not affect Leofric?" Clara nodded.

"Yes. I'm sure it didn't. And he seemed to already know that there were people with… memories."

"Hmm. That is most interesting, Dame Casewell," he said.

"I may have to consult the Silvervines about this."

"Are you sure it's wise to involve the information guild?" asked Conrad.

"I don't trust them."

"Wisdom and necessity, unfortunately, do not always intersect. I shall have my sources make some discreet inquiries, revealing as little as possible," said the duke.

"Speaking of Leofric," Clara ventured, "if I may ask, what happened to the investigation into his conspiracy? Have you uncovered anything?" She wasn't sure how much the von Rhenias were willing to share with her, but it didn't hurt to ask. Duke von Rhenia leaned forward.

"Ah, yes. That is actually why I asked you to come here, Dame Casewell, and it's tied to your upcoming seclusion at Mont Sainte-Michelle." This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

"My seclusion?" Clara asked. Duke von Rhenia poured himself some tea before answering.

"Allow me to give you some context before we get to that, so that you understand the stakes involved. Since Leofric's death, I have been working with the Crown, the Pope, and the Grand Inquisitor to root out what remains of his conspiracy." Clara sat up straighter.

"We have had some measure of success, starting with several inquisitors who'd worked under him in the past. Through them, we mapped the network Leofric had built within the Church-run orphanages, and then, using the records of those orphanages, we identified the servants he had placed in key noble houses." Right. Stella hadn't been the only one—there were who knows how many orphans besides her who'd been groomed into the high inquisitor's plot.

"And what happened to those servants after you discovered them?"

"I am confident that this part of the conspiracy has been dismantled, root and branch." Clara's stomach tightened. It was not hard to imagine what such a 'dismantling' might look like, and she braced herself for the truth.

"But are they…" The duke eyed her curiously.

"Dame Casewell, there is no need to worry. I can assure you they no longer pose a threat." Duchess Adelheid put her hand over his.

"What I think she would like to know, dear, is if they are safe."

"Oh." A sheepish smile crossed Duke von Rhenia's face for a fraction of a second.

"They are unharmed. Most of them were as much victims as instruments, and did not even understand what they had been part of. We have quietly removed them from their posts and transferred them to new positions where they will not have access to sensitive information."

"Thank you, Your Grace. That's a relief to hear," said Clara.

"Do not thank me yet, as we are now getting into the unsatisfying part. Every inquisitor we suspected, we interrogated under the Blessing of Truth. And every one of them ultimately answered to Leofric and only Leofric. They never met any superior, never received instruction from any other highly placed Church official, never so much as suspected the plot extended beyond him."

"What about the other high inquisitors?" she asked.

"All five of them submitted to questioning voluntarily, which I will admit surprised me. And all five of them, put under the Blessing before the King and me, denied any involvement or knowledge of Leofric's activities." Clearly, Leofric hadn't been sloppy. If the conspiracy did extend beyond him, he had compartmentalized what information he shared to prevent leakage, and had even taken into account the Blessing of Truth. He really wasted his talents. I could've seen a bright future for him in corporate governance.

Conrad scoffed.

"Those five denying it doesn't mean anything. Leofric was hidden from the public, so who is to say there aren't other high inquisitors under the veil? There's only one person who really knows the inquisition inside and out."

"You mean Grand Inquisitor Valentia," said Clara, and Conrad nodded.

"I met her yesterday, while you were all speaking to the King. She came with the Pope to confirm the miracle. Has she been interrogated?"

"I interviewed Her Eminence the Grand Inquisitor myself," said Duke von Rhenia.

"She claimed to know nothing of Leofric's activities, and that he had deceived the whole of the inquisition."" Interviewed," Iris repeated.

"I suppose that means you didn't put her in front of a chalice."

"No. She declined it, stating that to submit herself would be to suggest that the Holy Inquisition operates at the nobility's pleasure, violating the Church's independence. Her Holiness supported the refusal."

"The Grand Inquisitor did seem to have some sway with the Pope," said Clara.

"Do you think she's hiding something?"

"I cannot say for sure. Valentia has been Grand Inquisitor for over a decade. She is every bit as capable as her title suggests, and fiercely protective of the inquisition. It is entirely possible that she is stonewalling us out of principle, acting on an earnest desire to guard her institution from meddling dukes—which, I will add, is not an unreasonable thing for someone in her position to do.

Some would argue she has been remarkably cooperative in allowing us to interrogate the high inquisitors in the first place, as she could have refused and insisted on dealing with the matter internally." With every word, the duke's finger struck the table in a dull rhythm.

"The second explanation, of course, is that there are things she isn't telling us. Either because she is part of the conspiracy herself, or simply because she wishes to shield her subordinates. What I can say is that, despite her claims of thorough internal investigations, there have been no public arrests or defrockings aside from the inquisitors we identified."

"And what does that have to do with my seclusion at Mont Sainte-Michelle?"

"I do appreciate someone who can get to the point." There was a tug at the corners of his lips.

"Mont Sainte-Michelle is the bastion from which the Church is governed. Every priest, every orphanage, every inquisitor reports to it. The Sacred Ministry's scribes receive reports from every branch of the Church and keep meticulous records of every age since the Cataclysm. Somewhere within those walls, there must be files with information on Leofric's activities, plus the results of whatever internal investigation the Church has conducted."

"So you want me to do… what, exactly? Sneak into their archives?" Clara wasn't one for subterfuge.

"No. I only want you to keep your eyes open," the duke corrected.

"Nothing more. I have spent a long time attempting to place someone inside Mont Sainte-Michelle, and I have been foiled at every turn. And now, through no scheme of mine, someone I trust is about to spend three weeks inside. It is not an opportunity that can be wasted."

"Papa," said Iris, with unusual wariness.

"We cannot ask Clara to spy on the Sacred Ministry." He frowned.

"I am not asking her to spy. All I want is for her to take note of what she sees and hears. If an archive door happens to be open, or if a careless sister says something she shouldn't have, remember it, Dame Casewell."

"Still, we shouldn't drag her into House von Rhenia's business." Clara appreciated Iris's attempt to help her, but she could already guess what Duke von Rhenia was going to say next.

"It is her business now, Iris. If the conspiracy survived Leofric, then somewhere within the Church are people who watched her actions destroy decades of their work in a single spring. Acting on this is a shared necessity—whatever grudge they hold against House von Rhenia, it must be many times stronger against Clara Casewell." Clara gulped. Did you really have to put it that way?

"I understand," she managed.

"Good."

"Your Grace, there is one more thing I'd like to discuss." She'd done hundreds of presentations to all kinds of executives, but the moment itself was always daunting. She drank some lemonade to wet her throat before continuing, and the cold washed down her doubts.

"I've drafted a bill of law." The duke nodded, giving her permission to continue.

"A proposal for Parliament, for a small-scale judicial experiment in Westwick. It will be a new, evidence-led type of court. Duchess de Bragança has agreed to sponsor it in the Chamber of Lords."

"Duchess de Bragança?" Adelheid asked.

"Not us?"

"That was a deliberate choice, Your Grace. If it bore the von Rhenia seal, everyone would read it as the start of a coup against the Church." Which it is, in a way. But let's keep that part quiet for now, shall we?

"Hm." He considered it.

"You have thought further ahead than most who come to me with such proposals. You can explain it to me properly on your return—that is not the sort of thing to be settled in one morning."

"There is no need to wait that long, Papa," said Iris.

"I helped draft it, and I'm perfectly capable of presenting it to you in Clara's stead."

"My lady—""Hush, Clara. I know you like to take charge of things, but surely you do not intend to waste three weeks of valuable time. By the time you return, I shall have already settled the matter of the eastern lords. Oh ho ho!" Duke von Rhenia faced Iris with an expression Clara had never seen on him. He'd always been softer with his daughter than with anyone else, but this time there was pride in his eyes.

"Then let us discuss it in my study this evening, Iris." Then the duke turned to his son.

"Conrad, you will accompany Dame Casewell when the Church comes. We will send a carriage after you for your return."

"Yes, Father," said Conrad.

"And Dame Casewell." His amethyst eyes drifted back to Clara.

"Be careful."