[Lifespan Remaining: 30 days, 22 hours, 42 minutes.]
The first thing Noct did that would help with his plan was to visit the unused office at the side palace.
It had once belonged to Ophelia de Arcadia, Noct’s mother as well as the Duke’s second wife and colloquially referred to as “The Second Lady”.
Even the side palace itself had been constructed at her insistence.
While she was alive, Ophelia had spent most of her time here with her two children, away from the rest of the Arcadia family.
If his memories served to be correct, she had left more than memories behind here.
The reason nobody dared to enter the room was because it was enchanted with powerful magic, as well as being locked by a key that only Ophelia’s two children possessed.
Noct did feel somewhat guilty about taking advantage of a dead woman’s secrets.
However, guilt wasn’t going to keep him alive.
And before they left, Noelle had retrieved the key that Noct had kept hidden among his belongings.
She inserted it into the lock, and with a sharp click—
The door opened without much hassle, revealing the secrets hidden within that no one had dared to touch.
The entire room was filled with a softer blue motif, yet much of it had been covered in dust and webs.
At least Noct knew that no one had entered from the fact, because this amount of dust would’ve given away an intruder already.
‘Strange… Even Stella hasn’t entered?’
Then again, his sister spent most of her time in the capital, struggling to preserve what little remained of Ophelia’s political faction.
Slowly, Noelle pushed Noct inside and closed the door behind.
After confirming that there were no unruly spectators, he simply stood up and took a look at the room.
He didn’t know exactly what he was looking for, not really.
In Ending Fantasy, the side manor had barely been mentioned after Noct’s death.
From that point onward, House Arcadia’s storyline shifted toward its internal power struggle, as well as placing an emphasis on Amon de Arcadia’s strength instead.
Stella eventually inherited everything Ophelia left behind, but by then, the First Lady had already taken most of it for herself, eventually securing the position of “Duchess” that she so wanted.
Noct carefully made his way through the office, trying not to disturb the room any more than time already had.
Despite years of neglect, everything remained quite orderly.
Books were arranged by subject along the shelves, while stacks of documents sat nearly within wooden trays upon the desk.
“Young Master,” Noelle followed closely behind him.
“What exactly are you hoping to find in the Second Lady’s office?”
“Anything I can use as an excuse,” Noct answered simply.
“My plan is to stay healthy but not much of a threat in the others’ eyes just yet.”
“And to do that,” he answered, something amongst the shelves catching his eyes.
“I need some kind of plausible excuse. An absolute backing that the others can’t question.”
Noct reached up and pulled the thing half-hidden behind several aging books.
Dust scattered from its surface, forcing him to turn his head as he suppressed a cough.
Once the air cleared, he wiped the glass with his sleeve, only to find out that it was some kind of certificate.
Its parchment had yellowed around the edges, but the golden emblem stamped across the top remained unmistakable…
The official seal of the Holy Church of Aion.
Noct’s eyes moved toward the name written just under it—Ophelia de Arcadia, First Seat of the Second Order.
The game had mentioned once or twice that Ophelia used to be from the Holy Church, which was one of the contributing reasons that allowed Noct to inherit some of her overpowered [Traits].
‘But maybe…there was more going on?’
Noct thought as he looked behind the books to find even more frames.
One commemorated Ophelia’s contribution.
Another recognized her as the youngest cleric of her generation to be inducted into the Second Order.
Medals, commendations, research awards…each one bore the same silver seal.
“Why were these placed back here?” Noct asked.
Noelle examined the certificates over his shoulder.
“The First Lady ordered everything belonging to the Second Lady removed from display after her funeral.”
“Huh…” He muttered, pulling out the final frame.
Unlike the other formal certificates, this one looked much more personal.
It was actually a picture, depicting a younger Ophelia standing beside a woman who appeared to be in her forties.
She wore glasses and had long white hair tied into a neat ponytail.
One hand rested upon Ophelia’s shoulder while she held a silver trophy against her chest.
Noct recognized her.
Even more than two decades later, the woman’s appearance had hardly changed.
‘Johanne Licht, the current Pope…’
Along the bottom of the photograph, a short message had been written with meticulous care: “To Ophelia—the Church will always welcome its brightest cleric.”
Noct knew she was of esteemed upbringing, but never thought that she would have such a close connection.
He slowly smiled, realizing that this could be used to his full advantage.
More importantly, according to his memories, it was precisely Johanne who had diagnosed Noct’s curse, the very same Pope whose words were the law.
If she could be persuaded to reconsider, then no one in Arcadia would dare question his recovery.
But before he could consider it further, Noelle’s voice rang out from the other side of the room, next to the office table where she had been dusting.
“Young Master, I found something.”
“What is it?”
“I’m not certain…”
She held up a small brass key.
Unlike the other keys they had found inside the desk, this one was remarkably ornate.
A tiny golden lion had been engraved into its bow.
Noct had recognized that lion as well.
It belonged to another important noble house within the game…
House Rosenthal.
“Where did you find that?”
Noelle pointed under the desk.
“There was a hidden compartment behind the lowest drawer. I found it and pushed the button…”
“Is there anything here that it could open?” Noct took the key from her to examine it more closely.
“Maybe something in this room?”
His gaze moved across the room.
There were three cabinets against the wall, but their locks were far too large for such a delicate key.
The bookcases offered nothing obvious either.
Then he noticed the painting hanging directly behind Ophelia’s chair.
It depicted a garden beneath a pale-blue sky, with a single woman standing beside a bed of white roses.
There was nothing particularly unusual about it…except for the fact that it hung slightly crooked.
Noct approached it and lifted the frame, finding a small iron safe that he proceeded to open with the key.
Yet inside, there were no coins, jewels, or emergency funds at all.
Instead, a small basket lay inside, containing only a few documents and a small box.
And inside the small box was some kind of small amulet.
But from the engravings, he knew it had ties to the Holy Church somehow.
But the more Noct looked at the basket, the more he realized how the pieces clicked together.
He had forgotten this obscure piece of information because it was only mentioned once.
The key with a lion motif…the basket hidden within the iron safe.
They could be only one thing and one thing only:
A bride price.
‘That’s right…!’
Noct might’ve looked like he had nothing, but there was one thing that kept the others from haphazardly messing with him, a decision from his late mother.
That said, no one seemed to remember it after Ophelia passed.
It was an engagement to the only daughter of House Rosenthal, where its patriarch was the current leader of the Crusaders—
Aurora de Rosenthal.