HBWnovel Chapter 135: Born Innocent
Chapter 135: Born Innocent
Seeing that Samuel did not respond, Victoria thought for a moment and said:
"If Your Majesty has no questions, you can try to listen to the confessions of the believers yourself.
"Of course, if you want."
Samuel was frightened by her sincere eyes and nodded helplessly.
The process just now was not difficult, and it lasted less than five minutes. He did it fluently because of his sincere faith and love for Lord Barbatos.
What's more, he already has certain qualifications to represent Lord Barbatos.
"Then I will leave first. Your Majesty, please wait in the confessional for a while. A believer should come to confess soon."
As she spoke, Victoria pushed open the back door and walked out of the confessional, not forgetting to turn back and close the door again.
She walked over to where Gilliana was waiting, smiling.
"How are they? Are the actors I hired good?" Giuliana asked her with a smile when she saw her coming over.
"Not bad, but the emotions are too full." Victoria commented, and then asked, "Isn't it opera before?"
"You can guess this?" Giuliana was surprised.
"The words he said were so dramatic, it even sounded a bit embarrassing, especially at the end, he actually cried!" Victoria complained, "You are really something, you are not afraid of being exposed."
"That's not something I can do. The Windflower Festival is coming up in a few days, and you know it's the hardest to find help during these few days." Giuliana defended herself, "It's already good enough that I can invite two Fontaine Opera singers who happened to be visiting Mondstadt.
"...Okay, okay, I hope I don't leave your Majesty with the impression that 'the confessors are too exaggerated'..." Victoria waved her hands helplessly, "Your Majesty, I only have classes on Thursdays, but not every day someone will come to Saint Karina to confess, otherwise I wouldn't let you go to invite the performance-"
She paused before she finished speaking. Giuliana looked at her in confusion for a moment and asked:
"what happened?"
"…Are the actors you invited wearing the armor of the Knights of Favonius?" Victoria asked confusedly.
"No, it should be just ordinary Mondstadt clothing." Gilliana was also confused, "Why are you asking this?"
"A Knight of Favonius just entered the confessional!"
After hearing this, Giuliana repeated with some confusion:
"Oh... a Knight of Favonius has entered..."
She paused after she finished speaking, and suddenly realized something was wrong:
"…etc.
"——A what… went in?!!"
……
——At this time in the confessional, Samuel, who could not hear any sound from the outside world, naturally had no idea that the "believer" he was supposed to listen to had changed.
He only knew that someone had come in and it was time to imitate Victoria's tone and give counselling.
But after waiting for a long time, I didn't hear the man speak.
It seemed like she was waiting for him to speak first.
...What's the first sentence? It seems to be...
“…Child, please tell me your mistakes.” Samuel couldn’t lower his voice like Victoria did, so he simply used the power of wind element to change the sound of his voice.
This made his voice sound a little old, but also gave people a compassionate and gentle feeling.
The image of a kind, gentle, old, white-haired priest emerges in the minds of believers.
The believer next to him paused for a moment, then spoke softly:
"Father, I am guilty...
"I hid my feelings from my relatives and friends, and the moment I exposed them, I was disgusted and rejected by him..."
Samuel:?
Is this process not right... Victoria's didn't get specific at all!
Hiding emotions... and being hated and rejected the moment they are revealed...
He thinks that the thing he should confess is this "concealment", right?
Samuel thought for a moment and said softly:
"My child, people tend to move towards good things and avoid danger.
"Hiding something is something that requires careful consideration. Since you have made this decision, you must have your reasons.
"If this concealment does not cause harm to the other party, then it is not your fault."
“…No, Father, there is.” The believer next to him whispered, “I shouldn’t fall in love with him…It will only bring him trouble and distress.”
What does “shouldn’t fall in love with him” mean… Is it a melodramatic plot from a novel?
The Pope seemed gentle on the surface, but in fact, Samuel was still curious about the little slime. He suppressed his desire to eat melons and asked gently in his old voice:
"Why do you say that, kid?"
"I am a man, but the one I fall in love with is also a man." The believer on the opposite side seemed to be a little depressed.
The white-haired young man wearing a crown behind the curtain blinked in confusion when he heard this.
its not right…
Samuel has not investigated other countries and is not very clear about them, so they may be more conservative.
But this is Mondstadt, and the person on the other side spoke with a Mondstadt accent.
The Mond people shouldn't care about this...
Why does this sound a bit like discrimination?
And... I always feel that this plot is a bit familiar.
Samuel thought about it, chose his words carefully, and comforted her:
"…My child, love is not gender-specific. Moreover, Mondstadt is a free city-state, so love is naturally free as well. You don't need to feel guilty about this."
“…I know, Father, I know.” The believer over there seemed to have expected his answer, and his depressed mood did not fluctuate. “Lord Barbatos is compassionate. He loves everyone who yearns for freedom regardless of their nationality.”
"But Father, my sin..." He paused, as if thinking about how to describe it.
After a moment, he continued:
"My sin...is inherent."
Samuel frowned when he heard this.
How could anyone think that they are inherently sinful?
What is this, mental exhaustion?
Thinking of this, his gentle tone was slightly dissatisfied:
"No one is born sinful, my child, you must recognize this."
The believer on the other side paused for a moment, then asked him:
"Father…do you know 'Lawrence'?"
Samuel, who had just dealt with "Schubert Lawrence" last night, certainly knew.
And now, when he suddenly heard the last name "Lawrence", his first reaction was naturally Schubert.
“…I know. What’s wrong?”
Samuel couldn't control his emotions for a moment, and even though his tone was still gentle, it was slightly repulsive and indifferent compared to before, and sounded more distant.
Obviously, this slight change was captured by the believer.
He chuckled softly, as if he was mocking himself.
Then he asked Samuel, who was invisible behind the curtain:
"What if I told you my name was 'Lawrence'?"
Samuel was startled.
Before he could react, the believer opposite him began to tell his own life story:
"Since I was born, I have had a close relationship with the old nobles of Mondstadt. My father named me 'Lawrence', and the reason was just a ridiculous bet.
“This name has always been with me, including the shadow it brings.
"When I was little, the kids in the neighborhood would throw stones at me, trip me up, and imitate the adults by saying 'the Lawrence family should die.'
"Of course I felt wronged and cried, because I am not a member of the so-called Lawrence family at all.
"But what's the use of crying? Stones will still fall on my head, and people will still curse at me and tell me to get lost.
“So, I dreamed and longed to become a titled knight.
"I want to prove myself that I have a heart that wants to protect the people, and that I am not the damned old aristocracy that exploits the people.
“So, I joined the Knights’ conscription.
"I trained hard, thinking about improving myself every day, and finally after three years I took up my post and became a formal Knight of Favonius.
“I thought everything was going in a good direction, but the good times didn’t last long and fate dealt me another blow.
"I was involved in a scandal involving the old nobility.
"From then on, when people heard my name, they would involuntarily ignore my last name, as if they had only heard my first name, and then their eyes would reveal disgust and rejection."
"When the old aristocracy was living a life of luxury, they ignored me, but when they deserved to be despised and abused, they pointed at me.
"I also wrote letters to protest to my bastard father who was away doing business, protesting his ridiculous bet and his decision made in a joking manner.
“But the day after I sent my letter of protest, I received a letter from my father’s caravan.
"The caravan was attacked by monsters while trying to retrieve my letter, and my father... has returned to the arms of Lord Barbatos..."
The more Samuel listened, the more familiar it sounded, and he suddenly remembered a name.
Lawrence Parfield, the Knight of Favonius who had fought with Rentel before!
The believer on the other side became more and more excited, crying as he spoke, as if he wanted to tell out all the grievances he had suffered over the past twenty years.
And Samuel now understood that what Parfield said at this time was not a confession.
He was just, too tired.
I want to find a place to cry for a while.