ushernet Chapter 72: Doubts (4)
Chapter 72: Doubts (4)
Chapter 72: Doubts (4)
Chapter 72: Doubts (4)
The next day, Vienna stood behind Sister Helen with two other saints, awaiting their guest.
It was the day the Nisti family would visit for their regular sponsorship meeting.
They came to check on the welfare of the church or medical center and to hear about the current state of affairs.
After all, verifying how their donations were being used was crucial to building trust and continuing their support.
As always, Sister Helen sat calmly in her chair, her face serene.
Two cups of steaming tea sat on the table, their warmth filling the air.
This tranquil scene seemed to reflect just how transparently Helen had been managing the sponsorship funds.
Knock, knock.
Someone knocked at the door. The long-anticipated guest had arrived.
“Come in,” Helen called, granting permission.
The door creaked open.
Vienna swallowed discreetly.
Perhaps she wouldn’t find anything suspicious here, but something about the moment told her otherwise.
A middle-aged man entered first.
His white hair and beard gave him an air of wisdom, and despite his age, he looked impeccably well-kept.
It was Vienna’s first time seeing a noble up close.
She had seen them from a distance at occasional church events, but never had she been in the same room as one.
He truly radiated nobility.
Several maids and attendants followed him in, each exuding elegance.
The middle-aged man extended his hand toward Helen.
“How have you been?”
“Very well, thank you. And you, Hian?”
Helen mentioned his name as if signaling to Vienna.
As expected, Vienna realized this man was none other than Hian Nisti.
“I’ve been well. Please, have a seat,” Hian said, gesturing politely toward the chairs.
The two took their seats.
“Has everything been fine this month?” Hian asked.
“Yes, thanks to your support.”
At Helen’s signal, Vienna handed over a set of documents.
They detailed where the Nisti family’s funds had been used and how many people had been helped as a result.
“Thank you, Vienna,” Helen said gratefully.
The butler standing behind Hian turned to Vienna and asked, “A new face, I see?”
Though he was merely a butler, his tone carried the wariness of a bodyguard.
“Gwyn, it’s fine. These saints save lives. You don’t need to be so cautious,” Hian said, waving off his butler’s concern.
“My apologies. My butler tends to be overly vigilant,” Hian said, offering Vienna an apology.
Vienna nodded in acknowledgment and quietly returned to her place.
She let out a small, hidden breath.
Her heart had been pounding from the unexpected question as she observed the Nisti family.
After the brief interruption, Helen handed the documents to Hian, who passed them to Gwyn.
“Gwyn, could you review this?”
“Yes, sir.”
Gwyn accepted the documents respectfully and pulled out a pair of glasses from his pocket.
Flip, flip.
“...”
“...”
Conversation halted. Hian tapped the armrest with his fingers, his gaze wandering around the room.
It seemed he wasn’t inspecting his surroundings but rather searching for something to say.
Helen, for her part, made no effort to break the silence and simply waited patiently.
Clearing his throat, Hian lifted his teacup and asked Helen, “Is there anything you need? As I always say, I’m ready to fulfill any request you might have.”
“You’ve already done so much. I’m fine, really,” Helen replied with a gentle smile.
“Well... if you say so...”
Sip.
Hian tasted the tea before glancing at Gwyn, who was still engrossed in the documents and hadn’t even reviewed half of them.
“This tea is quite good,” Hian remarked, attempting to ease the awkwardness.
Instead, his comment only seemed to highlight the lingering tension in the room.
The conversation was limited to just a few exchanges.
The unexpectedly quiet atmosphere made Vienna uneasy.
She had known from the beginning that she might not learn anything today, but as the moments passed without progress, she couldn’t help but feel disappointed.
It almost felt like she had embarrassed herself by clinging to Helen and crying.
Hian, on the other hand, continued trying to ease the awkwardness.
Rather than simply waiting in silence for their business to conclude, he seemed determined to act more approachable.
Building rapport, after all, could never hurt.
Suddenly, Hian snapped his fingers as if struck by a thought.
“Ah! I heard that a young man I know was admitted to your medical center recently.”
Helen responded with a warm smile, welcoming the conversation.
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Would you happen to remember a young man with injuries on his arm and chest?”
Vienna, who had been staring at the floor with her ears open, subtly glanced up at Hian.
Injuries on the arm and chest.
She knew those wounds too well.
It felt as if she had been stabbed herself.
The scars on her chest, remnants of that ordeal, still tormented her.
And how far had this noblewoman gone to try to win him over?
“...But what does her liking Starchis have to do with you knowing him?” Vienna pressed, struggling to keep her voice steady.
“Just listen, I’ll explain,” Hian replied. “They met once at a dining hall. My daughter became interested in him and invited him to dinner.”
“And Starchis... accepted the invitation?”
Vienna found herself taking control of the conversation, her questions spilling out before she could stop them.
“He did. It was during that dinner that they got to know each other.”
“Why... didn’t he say a word about this to us?”
Had he accepted the invitation right away?
Why had he gone there?
Could it be that Starchis had taken an interest in Hian’s daughter as well?
But no, Starchis wasn’t the type to cheat, not with Elza in the picture.
While she wrestled with her thoughts, Hian clarified why Starchis had agreed to the meeting.
“The truth is, we owed him a debt.”
“A debt?” Vienna repeated, looking up sharply.
“Yes, you see, the vampire blood that saved Starchis’s life... it was borrowed from our family.”
“...What?”
Vienna froze, her mind spinning as she tried to process the revelation.
So, to summarize:
First, Hian’s daughter—Rose Nisti—developed an interest in Starchis.
Second, amidst this, Starchis collapsed and required the borrowed vampire blood to survive.
Third, that debt led to the dinner invitation.
Vienna’s thoughts were becoming tangled, the facts muddling together in her head.
What was most baffling, however, was the complete absence of Elza’s name in all of this.
She had come to uncover the connection between Starchis and Hian, and by extension, between Hian and Elza.
But no one had even mentioned Elza.
Still trying to untangle her thoughts, Vienna suddenly stood up.
“Ah! Thank you...!” she blurted out.
“Thank me? For what exactly?” Hian asked, tilting his head.
“For the vampire blood... for lending it,” Vienna replied.
After all, the nobleman standing before her had effectively saved Starchis’s life.
In a way, that made him her savior as well.
“Haha, I simply did what needed to be done,” Hian said with a modest chuckle.
Having expressed her gratitude, Vienna returned to the knot of unanswered questions in her mind.
Where did Elza fit into all of this?
Tap, tap.
Lost in thought and staring blankly downward, Vienna was snapped out of her reverie by Sister Helen.
Helen’s eyes conveyed a silent message:
If you have questions, ask them.
Vienna blinked, then steeled herself.
This was, after all, why she was here.
Even if it might be impolite, she had to ask.
“...May I ask a question?”
Hian nodded warmly. “Of course.”
“...Do you know Elza?”
“Elza?”
Hian stroked his beard thoughtfully.
“I’m not sure if the Elza I know is the same as the one you’re referring to.”
“That’s fine. Do you know anyone by that name?”
“Well, yes. She’s right here. Elza?”
Hian turned around and called out a name.
Vienna froze, her mind thrown into chaos.
Wait, Elza is here?
She glanced around frantically, expecting to spot the distinctive pink hair she knew all too well.
But no such color was anywhere to be seen.
There was no way she could have missed her.
There was no way she wouldn’t have noticed Starchis’s girlfriend.
To her complete shock, and contradicting all her expectations, a maid with no trace of pink in her hair stepped forward.
“You called for me?”
Vienna slowly, very slowly, stood from her seat.
“...You don’t... know any other Elza...?”
She couldn’t make sense of the situation before her.
“This is the only Elza I know,” Hian confirmed with a small shrug.
Something was deeply wrong—so wrong it bordered on absurd.
Vienna whispered, almost to herself:
“...You’re Elza...?”
There couldn’t possibly be two people with the same name.
But the Elza standing before her now was not the pink-haired woman she remembered.
So then, who was the pink-haired woman fluttering around Starchis, acting so familiar with him?
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