At the reception hall, a silence filled with shock erupted. Everyone merely watched each other, unable to speak easily. However, no one failed to understand the words of the saintess.
âLady Miryu Jutti is pregnant?â
âIs this a fact even the Royem Kingdom knew? Then, what about the engagement…?â
The sudden appearance of the saintess and her equally shocking revelation.
Hesen was the first to speak.
âYour Holiness. Is that true? Is it really Miryu…?â
Stella nodded as if puzzled by Hesenâs question. Hesen, still visibly stunned, looked back at Miryu.
âMiryu, did you know about this too?â
Miryu lowered her gaze, clutching the saintessâs hand, looking upset.
â…I’m sorry, Hesen.â
âWhy didnât you tell me?â
âBecause I didnât want to trouble you just because Iâm your daughter.â
Hesenâs orange eyes flickered. Clenching his fists, Hesen mumbled as if overwhelmed by shock.
âI made it impossible for you to confide in me, didnât I?â
Hesen wrapped his arm around Miryuâs shoulders and looked at Queen Isabella.
Queen Isabella was quite flustered by the saintessâs words, but outwardly, she maintained a very composed appearance.
âHesen, be cautious. This is a matter in front of everyone.â
âI apologize, Mother.â
Hesen spoke firmly.
âI will marry Miryu. I cannot abandon someone who has even borne my child.â
âEven if you have to step down from the crown prince position?â
âYes. If Mother opposes, I will give up the crown prince position and marry Miryu. I apologize.â
âAre you really going to abandon your mother who has waited for you all this time?â
Queen Isabellaâs question pierced Hesenâs heart. Even though the crown prince had come of age, the reason Queen Isabella hadnât yet passed the throne was because Hesen was not yet fully prepared.
ââŚIâm sorry.â
âBig brother! How could you do that to Mother!â
âDiana, Iâm sorry. It seems I was never truly meant to be a duke.â
Diana bit her lip at Hesenâs calm apology. Miryu, holding back tears, tried to stop Hesen.
âDonât do that, Hesen. I canât let you lose everything because of me.â
âItâs okay. If I can only gain something by betraying you, then I wasnât truly yours in the first place.â
âBut youâre family…â
Miryuâs tears flowed freely.
âYour Holiness, I really should have listened to you and not spoken as you said.â
âNo, itâs okay, Miryu. Queen Isabella, please reconsider Miryu once again.â
âIâm sorry, but this is an internal matter of the Royem Kingdom.â
âI understand your concern, Queen Isabella, but this will only lead to tragedy for both sides. Please heed my voice, which is guided by the voice of the gods.â
The saintess looked at Queen Isabella with earnest longing. Nobles around them whispered loudly.
âThe voice of the gods…â
âBy the way, Your Holiness said that the Royem Kingdom is blessed by the gods, right? Could there be something behind that?â
Even Queen Isabella, who was as unyielding as a fortress, was vulnerable to the mention of âGod.â She looked once more at Hesen, who was firmly holding Miryu.
Perhaps because she had almost parted ways before, Hesen seemed more confident than ever.
âIs this also the will of the gods?â
Queen Isabella nodded with a sigh.
âUnderstood.â
âReally, Mother?â
âYes. Can I really abandon an heir who has Royem blood?â
Queen Isabella glanced at Stella and spoke.
âI donât know what the will of the gods is, but Hesen, losing Miryu doesnât seem to make him happy. Given the circumstances, I will proceed with the marriage as you advised.â
âThank you. Queen Isabella, you will never regret this decision. You will gain happiness with this lovely new family and your son.â
Stella smiled brightly like a flower.
âSince itâs a love that was hard to come by, I want to bless their future.â
Miryu smiled shyly and looked up at Hesen. Hesen nodded happily at her. Miryu, feeling embarrassed, declined the saintessâs blessing.
âNo, itâs too much to say that Iâve received so much help already.â
âYou donât need to refuse. This happiness is something youâve earned through your own efforts, Miryu.â
A sacred light blossomed around Saint Stella. As she clasped her hands in prayer and murmured something softly, the light enveloped Hesen and Miryu.
Miryu blinked and fumbled her neck, undoing the ribbon.
âMy neck feels strange…â
There were no scars on her neck.
Seeing her pure, smooth neck, the surrounding people cheered, and Miryu, teary-eyed, whispered, âThank you, thank you, saintess,â before collapsing into Hesenâs arms, overcome with emotion.
In a happy, fairy-tale ending atmosphere, Stella smiled kindly.
~¡~¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡~¡~
Saint Stella.
Because Queen Isabella had summoned many people for the engagement, rumors quickly spread throughout the empire.
âHave you heard about Saint Stella?â
âApparently, she was serving the empire from the lowest place until now. It seems she couldnât bear the pain of Lady Juttiâs situation this time.â
Everyone in the empire welcomed the appearance of the noble saintess Stella. Especially, they were captivated by the perfect love story she created from the moment she appeared.
âSeeing those two overcome adversity and marryâso moving and beautiful.â
âBecause the saintess prayed to the gods, itâs said that the gods answered her prayer by instantly removing the large scar from Lady Juttiâs neck…â
~¡~¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡~¡~
I set out in a carriage, receiving news about Miryu.
âJust the appearance of the saintess has increased new followers and donations so much?â
Betty nodded beside me.
âYes. The number of temples is growing so rapidly, itâs almost frightening. It seems the miracle really touched the hearts of the believers.â
Betty, delivering the news, shook her head with a hint of dissatisfaction.
âBut, Lady, isnât it strange? The situation is just too coincidental.â
âSometimes, in reality, lies keep happening,â I replied.
âExactly.â
Of course, I didnât believe everything was entirely true either.
âBut that doesnât mean only bad things.â
Actually, I was quite pleased with this situation.
âCould Miryuâs backing have been the saintess all along?â
Until now, I didnât think Miryu alone had spread rumors about me. I had been speculating about various behind-the-scenes figures, but then the saintess appeared.
âBut why would the saintess do that?â
My mind was tangled.
âDid I get adopted by Libertan?â
But that didnât seem quite right anymore. Even after adopting me, Lord Libertan continued to long for Stella, and Stella could always return to the Libertan estate.
âThey didnât appear even before the Libertan couple was executed.â
Logically, if it involved the Libertan estate, Stella should have revealed herself long ago.
âI donât know, but thereâs definitely something.â
Lost in thought, I arrived at the information guild. It was different from the last time, which was disguised as a flower shop.
It was now a shabby private house.
âBetty, is this the place?â
âYes. They moved us to another location for confidentiality. If anything happens, Iâll protect you.â
The disguise was dark and dull inside.
As I entered, the guild master inside politely bowed.
âWelcome, client.â
âRegarding the request?â
âItâs been completed perfectly. Here is the investigation on Miryu Jutti, as you ordered, along with the new ID. Please take a look.â
As Betty recommended, this information guild was excellent.
âIndeed, when Miryu was born, Lady Jutti wasnât pregnant.â
The information about the courtesan who secretly frequented the Jutti estate was also perfect. I returned the investigation documents to the guild master.
âKeep this information safe, and when the person I mentioned arrives, relay it as if investigated by the guild.â
âYes, understood.â
My preparations for Miryuâs wedding were coming together. I was also quite looking forward to her wedding.
âThen, Iâll consider the request completed here. If I need anything else, Iâll come again.â
As I stood up, the guild master cautiously stopped me.
âExcuse me, but may I ask one thing?â
âWhat is it?â
âMay I ask why you prepared a new ID?â
I tilted my head.
âDo I have to answer that?â
âYou donât have to, but Iâm just curious. You seem to be doing very well in the dukeâs family.â
âIs that what the guildâs investigation suggests?â
Certainly, the guildâs investigation made it clear that I had no reason to suddenly prepare a new identity.
Since I was preparing to debut in high society, I wouldnât look like someone planning to leave anywhere.
âIf you answer this question, our guild will help you settle into your new identity. Whatever your wifeâs purpose, our assistance wonât be meaningless.â
âWell, itâs nothing special anyway.â
I had no intention of being honest from the start. Why trust the guild?
âJust… because there might come a moment when I canât be like this anymore.â
~¡~¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡~¡~
Across the room from where Estelle was, John sat with a cold expression.
The magic tool before him displayed a scene of Estelle and the guild masterâs conversation. His fist clenched tightly.
âShe said she loved me.â
In truth, John had been unstable ever since he heard that Estelle was procuring a fake ID. He wanted to confront her immediately, asking what her real intentions were.
âWhy try to run away?â
It was obvious her request was to escape. Estelle was trying to run from him.
John exercised patience, choosing not to destroy the information guild she had requested, instead letting her come naturally to uncover her true intentions.
âAnyway… itâs nothing much,â Estelle faintly smiled when questioned by the guild master.
âJust… because there might come a moment when I canât be like this anymore.â
At that moment, John realized why she was preparing a new ID, as if struck by lightning.
Everything was perfect.
But if she had a reason to leave, it was only one.
âIncurable disease, Sleeping Princess.â
He didnât know why, but the Sleeping Princessâs condition was worsening, and she seemed to be gradually trying to prepare her surroundings for departure.
âStill, no, Estelle. You have to stay by my side.â
Estelle had no time left.
In the end, John realized he had to use the last resort he had been saving. His crimson, bloodshot eyes, tinged with darkness, gleamed ominously.
~¡~¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡ . ¡*¡~¡~
On the day of the wedding.
The new bride, Miryu, happily began her day.
~¡~¡*¡ . ¡**##^^##**¡ . ¡*¡~¡~
Hey there, Itâs Green Rose đ
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!