The beginning of this chapter is surprisingly unpredictable good news for Cardinal Richelieu. Cardinal Brutus (1) got into a terrible fight and then he tripped, fell, and got injured. Whether it is the truth or not, we don’t really know. But after this, Richelieu will be the only candidate left for the pope position.
There is a flash of two pictures. In my guess, the raw meaning of it is that there is some kind of conspiracy going on against MC’s family.
At that moment, MC came to greet the cardinal to have the conclusion talk with him. “A sin that I haven’t committed” (2) is the start of the war and also a hint to him that she figured out what he wanted to say. They proceeded to the confession chamber and started their discussion.
At first, MC was pis*** at how the Cardinal still kept on going round the bush to test her (3). As the result, she decided to be blunt with him. MC said that she understood his intention on telling her to investigate an old royal history to know that some people in the future will frame her of this sin, which will lead her to her doom just like in that story.
The second thing that MC wanted to tell Richelieu is the answer to his question whether she has lived a second life or not. She said that when he asked her that, she felt like there was no reason to answer his question because they never met eye to eye, and they are not that close to be talking about something so personal. MC gave him a bunch of sarcasm that Richelieu is a selfish person who only thinks of himself (4). The Neuschwanstein family has never been a believer of g** and she started to get used to it. She tells it straight to his face that she will not answer his questions if he wouldn’t put anything on the other end for her. Richelieu gave her advice that the best route is to face the holy trial head on, but MC got frustrated and accused him that it was his idea to spread the rumor as she believed he is the only person in the church to have a grudge against her. He explained to her why he believed that is the best route (5). While listening through it, MC got even more frustrated because she can never have a decent conversation with Richelieu as he didn’t act like a human at all (6). Devastating as she is, he gave a fair trade so she gave him her end. She told him that yes she “once escaped from death” (7) and thought that she wouldn’t be cooperating with anyone in the church, even Richelieu. At the end of the discussion, MC told him that it is high time he should take down the pope and rise to the top while helping her instead of sitting in his comfort zone to wither away as the pope influence is spreading further. MC came home to talk with Jeremy about it the next morning, but she was too late. The church had come to her first and the drama began.
(1) As I mentioned in chapter 10? (sorry I don’t remember it clearly), Cardinal Richelieu is trying to climb up to the pope position with whatever plans he can pursue without stooping so low as the other two candidate
Meissner - who opened the casino to gain connection with the young degraded nobel. While doing so, they can also gain information of the young masters family to black mail their parents if needed
Brutus - who aims for the noble lady and mistress by sweet talking into them and indulging in many unspeakable activities with them as a group or in private. That is why he was beaten up by one of those girls husband when he had been caught adultery.
(2) “A sin that I haven’t committed” means that MC denied the rumour going around about how she and Jeremy is a couple that is incest (on paper) because she is legally his mother and she stick with that fact. As the law abides, if they want to get married then Jeremy can become the head as MC steps down to be a stranger to them and then they can marry. But as the moral rule (shi*** things that the church uses as the excuse), the love should only happen after they have gotten rid of their mother and son relationship.
(3) MC and the cardinal was talking about how he once said that they didn’t have any private space to talk so she decided to use this confession chamber to talk with him. Since Richelieu is a righteous clergy who earnestly believes in G**, he would always be at the church if she came to meet him. When he said that MC came at the “most appropriate time”, MC didn’t understand it and she had no time to ask so she started going straight to the conversation. I believe that Richelieu said appropriate time means that either he is planning his next scheme so MC came to give him some information and support that he needed, or he was just in a good mood after such good news.
(4) Richelieu wished for knowledge and information from the MC but he traded it with an unfair price. If he wants MC to tell him something that is high-level in her privacy space, he has to do something more. He only gave her a hint to her future doomed and then she had to research for it, crack her brain out, dealing with a bunch of drama (the casino incident and the prince necklace), thinking of a way to go and talk to him, be pushed into a corner to beg the Cardinal for his help. It is ridiculous that he think that she had gone through so much so she would be devastated to the point that she will come and try to be his support to gain the love of g**. ** My family has been following Christian for generations and I understood his belief. Whenever something bad or good happens, my family always tells me to praise the lord, thank him, ask for his mercy, love him,... It is like their whole life is surrounded by the deity. They have no hope for themselves so they hope for someone else to save them and give them a miracle.
(5) Richelieu stated to MC that he got no reason to mess with her family and she should understand that from now on. There is a force of power targeting the most noble household of the empire, and the citizens as well as the nobel will be laughing at her name just to have the fun of spreading the rumor. If MC face the trial head on, there will be two results. When MC wins, the church will take full responsibility to atone for the defamation and to be a good stepping stone for her as they owe her a great sin. On the other hand, if MC loses, at most it can cost her only her financial situation. The “weight of the scandal” that he meant is that the church will demand a higher price of donation from MC house periodically and she will have to attend the church/monastery to do charity work to “redeem” her sin and become a better person.
(6) MC is a compassionate person and she works on emotion but more logical thinking. But Richelieu is a man of belief and arrogant facts. He thought he was some kind of messenger of g** who came and paved the way for the people to a better future. He always thought so highly of himself as such so he never listened to anybody in the first place. Even when something bad happens to someone else, it is still what the lord wishes for, and he will not feel like any of the fault is a weight on his shoulder.
(7) MC quoted this from the Richelieu background story that almost everyone in this empire knew. Flashback to Richelieu past chapters, he fell into a river, through many dangerous obstacles and was found alive unharmed. He also “escaped” death but he is living his one life. He said it was his second life because he started to be a new person and he became someone else who is worth living more than the past him. MC understood his mindset so she purposely talked about how her second life is escaping death rather than already death and went back to the past. She led him on the rollercoaster that her past, present and future might be the same as him (someone you should think highly of instead of treating me like a normal children of lord), but at the same time maybe not too similar to him (I know your story but you know nothing of mine, how do you know which one of us is on the better path, how can you be so arrogant)
This chapter is so amazing that I have to write and re-read my summarize for like 3 hours straight... I was afraid I would have missed something in it.
The drama after this chapter is gonna be really intense. My mind is on fire.
