Book Eight: Chapter 167

The room had no light inside, so Sulyvahn and Sofia grabbed a few books. The two of them carried the books back into the main room and started perusing them. The first book Sofia opened looked to be a diary. She skimmed through it for a while, occasionally glancing up to see Sulyvahn deep in thought, his sister standing nearby.

The diary was from Gerard’s youth and detailed how he met Vincentius in the first place. First described as an older man of means, Vincentius entered the picture as a father-figure for Gerard, whose own parents were busy hobnobbing it up in high society. It was perfectly clear to Sofia that Gerard was being groomed by the man, but she couldn’t figure out why. Their relationship solidified when Vincentius offered to help Gerard’s sister, providing temporary relief for her ailments.

After scanning her book to the end, she sighed and closed it. “This one was about how Gerard ended up here,” she said. “Mostly personal recollections and some musings ab