Chapter 801 Strange
The monk hesitated for a moment, but seeing Josie’s confident expression, he turned around and went in to deliver the message.
After a moment, he stepped out. “Please, follow me.”
Josie followed promptly. The monk guided her through a meandering corridor and into a tower. They climbed the stairs and pushed open a door. Inside, a slender woman knelt on a cushion, her back facing them. In front of her stood a sculpture of the Virgin Mary.
Josie gave a nod of acknowledgment to the monk, after which the latter promptly departed.
She stepped forward, kneeling beside Claudia. “I’m here in Rivodia on business today. I heard about the churches here, so I came to pray here. I hope you don’t mind, Aunt Claudia.”
Claudia kept her eyes closed, her hands perpetually clasped together.
“God created all living things. He’ll only disfavor those who are not sincere.”
Josie lit up three candles. “I heard that before Liana returned home, you had been here. So, you’ll come back every quarter to pray.”
Claudia continued to close her eyes, twirling the rosary beads in her hand.
“What I seek, I seek with a sincere heart.”
Josie clasped her hands together sincerely. She hadn’t believed in Christianism before and had learned this during her time at Sousturham. It was Claudia who taught her.
“My father has disappeared,” she began. “You would think that whether he was kidnapped or simply lost, there should be some trace of him. But he just vanished into thin air, and despite the efforts of multiple parties, no one has been able to locate him. I had no choice but to come here and pray.”
Josie knelt beside Claudia, her eyes clear and bright.
After a while, Claudia ceased twirling her prayer beads and opened her eyes. “This is a tragedy. Seeking a*sistance from someone else is futile, and even beseeching the heavens may not offer a solution.”
“So, what should I do?” Josie responded quickly, turning to look at her. “Didn’t Liana find her way back after you came here? I want to try my luck.”
Claudia was also looking at her. “Before this, I devoted myself to religion for over a decade, but to no
avail.”
Josie paused slightly, finding it rather peculiar. Claudia seemed to have a strong faith, yet it appeared her belief wasn’t quite steadfast.
She spoke word by word. “Indeed, you suddenly found her after being devoted to religion. Isn’t that strange?”
Claudia looked at her for a while with a calm expression. Then she stood up, found a bible scripture, and knelt down again. “I always believe that people have their own blessings.”
“Blessings,” Josie mused, thinking about the actions of the Olsen family, and let out a light chuckle. “Maybe so, but in this world, there are far too many orphans without any status. I’m simply one of them”
1/2
Claudia’s movement of flipping through the scriptures halted. “Aren’t you…”
“I was adopted.” Josie understood what she wanted to ask.
She stood up. “I mean no disrespect, Aunt Claudia. We’ve had brief moments together, moments that I’ve always held dear in my heart. I feel I should remind you that sometimes what our eyes perceive may not. necessarily be the truth. What if it was a trap?”
After Josie finished speaking, she put her hands together in prayer toward the Virgin Mary sculpture and
then turned around.
“What kind of design is this?” A crisp voice suddenly came from outside the door. Someone pushed the door open and came face to face with Josic.
The latter was stiff all over. She hadn’t expected to see Heather here, who actually came with Claudia.
Heather was slender in build. At this moment, she was wearing a light pink flowy dress that perfectly matched the atmosphere of the church.
She held two cups of tea in her hands. Seeing Josic, she smiled slightly. “Ms. Warren, are you here to see my mother?”
A chill ran down Josie’s back, as if a venomous snake was slowly slithering along.
“Hello, Ms. Olsen.”
