Chapter 62: Family (3)

“So, you’re saying that Madam will be staying in the suburbs for the time being?”

“Oh dear, I told you to call me Rachel.”

The beautiful woman with a mature impression smiled brightly and looked back at me.

This was the story of why she had come to this cathedral.

“Rachel Lumen, the chairman’s wife, has decided to announce publicly that she has passed away.”

It meant that to protect the secret of the miracle, they decided to hide the fact that her incurable disease was completely cured.

To do so, inevitably, she had to become someone who, for a short while, didn’t exist in the world.

Rachel continued her explanation.

“I plan to hide in the suburbs for a while until the funeral is over, and then later, I’ll return to his side with a new identity.”

“Will you be alright…?”

“I’ve been gifted a second life, so what regret could I have for a name I used to use?”

Her smiling face truly showed no lingering attachment.

Rachel spoke in a relieved voice.

“Still, since I can’t go back right away, I was looking for a place to stay when a good idea suddenly popped into my head, you see?”

The suburban district.

It was the perfect place to hide from public attention.

An area where the chairman’s power could reach in an emergency, yet one that even corporations paid no mind to.

Since it was a region with so many undocumented and unaffiliated individuals, a stranger blending in wouldn’t stand out.

“And Miss Eve is here too.”

“Since I’ve come all the way to the suburbs, I’m thinking of visiting the cathedral as well.”

“I’ve become curious about the Saintess who healed my body, and the God she serves.”

That was how it happened.

I had suddenly gained a chaebol family’s madam as a new neighbor and follower.

I was a bit flustered when I found her in the cathedral yard, but in any case, she had come this far to protect my secret.

Moreover, she was enduring a stay in the uncomfortable suburbs, separated from her husband as soon as she recovered from her illness.

It suddenly occurred to me that it would be rude to even consider such a person burdensome.

Therefore, I said.

“Welcome to our cathedral, Rachel.”

“If there’s anything you need from me during your stay, please feel free to ask.”

At that, Rachel smiled and replied.

“As it happens, there’s someone I’d like to introduce you to.”

At her gesture, a man with a sturdy impression appeared from somewhere and bowed his head before me.

The man, with closely cropped hair, a thick build, and a seemingly resolute face, greeted me concisely.

“I am Alex Sean.”

“Please take care of me.”

Rachel added her introduction.

“Mr. Alex is our head of security.”

“He will be staying with me in the suburbs from now on.”

He immediately asked me.

“Excuse me, but could I possibly meet the Church’s head of security for a moment?”

“I’d like to discuss security cooperation.”

“That would be….”

“You can speak to me about that.”

ST, who had approached us at some point, answered in my stead.

The two exchanged a brief handshake and immediately stepped aside to begin a professional conversation.

In the meantime, Rachel naturally linked her arm with mine and drew closer.

“Shall we take a short walk?”

The sudden touch of her soft body.

Awkward due to the unaccustomed affectionate skinship, the closeness too much, I froze stiffly, only to be gently led away by her.

We arrived at the cathedral yard.

Since it was during work hours, there was no one around.

In the quiet scene, she spoke softly.

“Once again, thank you so much.”

“I will never forget the grace of Miss Eve saving my life.”

Her voice was filled with sincerity.

I hesitated for a moment before replying.

“No, it wasn’t that difficult for me.”

That was the truth.

I hadn’t thrown myself into a collapsing building like a firefighter to save someone, nor had I performed a high-difficulty surgery for dozens of hours, risking medical malpractice lawsuits like a trauma surgeon.

All the effort I had put in was merely a brief prayer.

If I could save a person dying right before my eyes with just that, I would have had nightmares if I had ignored them.

So perhaps, it was something I did for myself.

At my response, Rachel stared at me blankly for a moment, then suddenly embraced me tightly.

Her body trembled slightly.

“Miss Eve, really…. won’t you be my daughter?”

“Yes…?”

“Actually…. I’ve always dreamed of having such a kind and gentle daughter, ever since I married him.”

She released the hug and stepped back slightly.

A somewhat sorrowful look clouded the woman’s face as we met eyes again.

Rachel spoke in a bitter voice.

“Did you know?”

“I have a body that cannot bear children.”

“It became that way due to the side effects of the medications used during my treatment.”

“If I had known it would be like this, I would have done something before my body got worse….”

Then she added wistfully.

She always felt sorry to her husband for not fulfilling her duties as a wife, and he, in turn, felt even more heartache seeing her guilt.

“The reason my husband proposed adopting Miss Eve was probably because of those feelings.”

The faded sorrow and bitterness etched on Rachel’s expression.

Watching her, I couldn’t help but feel sympathy and pity.

So, I decided to tell her one fact she didn’t yet know.

“Um…. Rachel.”

“The two of you, you’ll be able to have a child now.”

The woman’s eyes widened as if in disbelief.

“…..What?”

Hearing my words, she froze on the spot for a moment.

Then, a moment later, tears silently streamed down her face.

Flustered, I didn’t know what to do and asked.

“A-Are you alright?”

“Yes… I’m just so happy.”

“So very happy…. Yes.”

She whispered in a tear-choked voice.

“My child… I never once thought I could have one…. You gave me back my life, and now you’ve given me back hope….”

Her body swayed as if her strength had left her.

As I hurriedly caught her, Rachel buried her face in my shoulder and began to cry like a child.

Silently, I gently patted her fragile back.

After a long while, she finally stopped crying and, with reddened eyes, looked at me and said once more.

“…..Thank you, Miss Eve.”

Rachel took deep breaths for a while, composing her overflowing emotions.

Soon, with an incredibly warm gaze, she gently caressed her own stomach and spoke softly to me.

“Still, really….. if our baby, who will live in this harsh world, could have a truly kind older sister, it would be wonderful…..”

She finished her words and looked at me intently.

It was a look filled with a kind of expectation I had never received before in my life.

“……”

“………”

The earnest gaze was so burdensome that I inadvertently turned my head away.

“……”

Until ST and the head of security returned after finishing their business discussion quite some time later.

===========

And so, our cathedral gained a new neighbor.

A neighbor who was a little burdensome, but who liked me very much.

But at the same time, a certain worry also accompanied her.

‘If those people stay at the cathedral, they will inevitably come across information about the ‘miracle’.’

‘Even if the chairman and his wife are trustworthy… can I trust their security guards as well?’

What if they noticed the secret and leaked it to the outside?

“…..Hey, ST.”

“Can we trust Rachel’s security guards?”

At the concern I finally voiced, she replied simply.

“The security departments of large corporations only hire verified personnel.”

“The VIP protection team would be an elite unit, filtered once more from within that security department.”

“Moreover, if they are directly under the chairman’s office, their capabilities and loyalty are beyond doubt.”

Indeed, that doting husband of a chairman wouldn’t have assigned just anyone to his wife while sending her to the suburbs.

Yet, when I couldn’t completely shake off my worry, ST added an explanation.

“Employees of the top 100 corporations already receive the best treatment.”

“Even if someone promises them a reward for betrayal, they know their value comes from the corporation they belong to.”

“And they would also know that the moment they betray that corporation, the reason for anyone to pay them a reward disappears.”

“So, they don’t easily fall for temptation.”

“Even if they harbor other thoughts, corporate personnel are tied to the company in various ways, commensurate with their treatment.”

“Medical care, education, housing, communication, transportation, finance…. They use all this infrastructure at a reduced cost due to their company affiliation.”

“The benefits enjoyed within that fence are protection, but also a surveillance network.”

“Any rash move would immediately be caught by the audit team.”

“And besides these systems, there are also much more direct means of control.”

“The ‘kill switch’ that was implanted in my body in the past is such a case.”

“Even if it’s not such an extreme type, a corporation of Lumina Group’s stature will definitely have one or two ways to reliably control its employees’ actions.”

“So, you don’t need to worry too much.”

Her detailed explanation was persuasive.

Certainly, if other companies didn’t possess that level of internal control, this world would have already been monopolized by a few mega-corps.

“You’re right…. Definitely.”

Listening to ST’s story put my mind at ease somewhat.

But one other impression also followed.

The stories she had told so far… somehow didn’t seem like she was talking about someone else’s affairs.

‘ST, who knows so much about the internal affairs of such corporations… where on earth did she come from?’

It was a question I couldn’t bring myself to ask out loud right now.