TVIOWHFW 83

The empire had many devout nobles.

The saintess, who had just finished her private audience with the emperor, prepared a purification ritual and cultivated close ties with the devout nobles. Of course, these meetings were conducted in secret.

“Oh, my goodness! You healed my skin condition! Saintess, you are my benefactor. It’s incredible that someone of your stature would be questioned about your qualifications as a saintess.”

“It’s alright. As a saintess, this is something I must endure.”

Especially, the saintess used her immense divine power to treat the nobles, creating very enthusiastic followers.

“Aren’t you also creating foundations for orphans and making donations? As a saintess, just caring for people must be quite exhausting.”

The saintess smiled gently at the nobles’ praise.

‘As expected of the saintess. She doesn’t seek anything in return for her actions.’

And so, another follower was gained.

Cardinal Simon saw off the nobles who became followers of the saintess and returned to the prayer room. But unlike usual, when he would have gone back to his room, the saintess was still in the prayer room.

“Saintess, why are you still here in the prayer room?”

“I have a personal request for Lord Simon.”

“To me?”

“Yes. I’ve set aside a specific person to meet next, but when I call that person, I need your help, Lord Simon.”

The saintess frowned slightly, showing a troubled expression. Her slightly lowered eyes looked delicate as if she might cry soon.

“I hope I won’t trouble you with my request…”

“My role is to fulfill the saintess’s wishes. Just tell me what you need.”

“In that case, I would like to invite Duchess Blanchet to the temple next time.”

“Yes, Duchess Blanchet… what?”

Simon looked startled and somewhat uncomfortable at the unexpected mention.

‘Why Duchess Blanchet of all people?’

“Saintess, Duchess Blanchet might not want to come to the temple. She’s preparing for a purification ritual, so perhaps it would be better to invite someone else.”

The saintess’s blue eyes clouded with sadness.

“It’s because I want to prevent any unnecessary misunderstandings between Duchess Blanchet and myself regarding the Miryu Juti incident.”

She sighed softly.

“I want to make sure Duchess Blanchet doesn’t misinterpret things about the temple.”

“But, saintess, she might refuse the invitation…”

“That’s why I need your help. If we send her a letter with the seal of Her Majesty, Duchess Blanchet might find it hard to refuse.”

Suddenly, Simon’s mind flashed to the face of Cardinal Berto, who, despite being completely unrelated to the saintess, had been exiled.

‘Cardinal Berto was exiled for matters unrelated to the saintess…’

Simon looked worried and asked.

“Saintess, Duchess Blanchet is a formidable person. Given the past incidents, you must be very cautious when calling on her. Even if you do, if you accidentally offend her, it could be disastrous.”

“Why would I offend her?”

Saint Stella smiled brightly.

“I’m not narrow-minded enough to misunderstand someone who isn’t even worth my attention. Just as a lady doesn’t mind her maidservants’ trivial matters.”

“Saintess…”

“Simon. Did I say something wrong?”

Stella’s face fell like a child’s, startled by Simon’s embarrassed reaction.

“In the temple, I was told that I am the most honorable person because I am the saintess…”

In fact, according to the scriptures, the highest person was the saintess chosen by the gods, who could hear the voice of the divine.

‘But that’s just an expression from the scriptures.’

Stella, who was treated as a princess-like figure in the temple, often made rare faux pas. This was probably another similar incident.

“No, that’s not entirely wrong. But when you’re in front of Duchess Blanchet, you need to be a bit more careful. Understood?”

“I will do my best to fulfill my duties as a saintess.”

‘Simon really worries too much,’ Stella nodded and took out a small mirror to check her beautiful face.

‘Anyway, he already saw the real me.’

Although things got complicated because of Miryu, Stella had already succeeded in catching his eye by wiping his shoes.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

The tumultuous honeymoon had come to an end.

‘It felt so short, like I just woke up from a dream.’

But every time that thought crossed my mind, I looked at the ring on my finger—an entirely new ring, matched to John’s eye color.

“I love you, Estelle.”

Immediately after returning from the honeymoon, John confessed his love to me every morning.

‘The original story has truly changed.’

The change in the story had already begun before the confession, so it felt all the more fascinating.

I gazed blankly outside the carriage, feeling the wind wrapping around me.

‘We’ll arrive soon at the Royem residence.’

Originally, Lady Isabella, the acting regent of the kingdom, had invited me right after the wedding, but I had gone on a sudden honeymoon and arrived quite late.

‘Now that I think about it, Miryu’s incident seems like ages ago.’

As soon as we arrived at the Royem estate, Diana came out to greet me.

“Estelle! I missed you!”

“I missed you too.”

It was as if she had been waiting for me. The moment I arrived, Diana tightly embraced me, her eyes shining brightly like a puppy’s.

“Mother is waiting for us in the reception room.”

Diana, as if she had been waiting, shared all the stories she had kept bottled up during the journey. But I could see the fatigue etched on her face.

“Are you overdoing it?”

I heard that Miryu’s suicide made the situation in the Royem kingdom even more difficult. Diana gave a bitter smile.

“…It’s not just mother or Hesen oppa. What do I have to be so stressed about?”

“You could still be under a lot of stress.”

“Really? But when I see mother and Hesen oppa, I don’t feel stressed. I thought everyone was getting better, but maybe the shock was too much for them.”

For the Royem kingdom, which had spent so much time together as a family, Miryu’s death must have been a shock.

“Mother works all day, and Hesen oppa just stays alone. He refuses to talk to anyone. I’m worried that our family might fall apart forever like this.”

Diana, near the reception room, seemed to be choking up. I took her hand and spoke.

“It will get better.”

“Really?”

“Yes. Because Lady Isabella and Crown Prince Hesen are here, Diana.”

Diana’s eyes widened.

“Is that so? I don’t have many things I can do anyway.”

“Sometimes, just having someone by your side gives strength.”

“That’s natural for family, after all.”

Diana shyly smiled. Suddenly, I felt envious of her natural ‘family’ story.

“Having a family that thinks like that makes everything okay, right?”

I had always wanted a family myself.

‘Is John now my family?’

But there was something awkward about the thought. If he’s my husband, then yes, he’s family.

‘Does that mean I’ve already fulfilled my wish long ago?’

“Long time no see, Duchess Blanchet.”

Lady Isabella, the acting regent of Royem, looked much more exhausted than the last time I saw her.

“I apologize sincerely for the delay. The situation in Royem has become so chaotic that I couldn’t contact you earlier.”

She bowed her head deeply again.

“Although it wasn’t intentional on Royem’s part, I regret that I was unaware of Miryu Juti’s true nature and cared for her. I am truly sorry for any trouble caused to Duchess Blanchet.”

From Royem’s perspective, there were many ways to avoid responsibility. But Lady Isabella did not do so.

“Royem will compensate Duchess Blanchet as much as possible. If there’s anything you need, please tell me.”

Her refusal to avoid accountability, even for matters she caused, exuded the dignity befitting royalty.

“I’m fine. And above all, Lady Isabella has always tried to respond appropriately whenever problems arose.”

“But still, it’s a fact that I proceeded with the wedding without considering Duchess Blanchet’s feelings.”

“I accept the apology from Royem’s acting regent.”

Since the compensation from Royem was already prepared, there was no need to press further.

“I feel ashamed of my past self because of Duchess Blanchet’s kind attitude.”

A trace of guilt appeared in Lady Isabella’s eyes as she looked at me intently. She slowly placed something on the desk in the sitting room.

“This is a gift for you, Duchess Blanchet, separate from Royem’s official compensation. I hope this will be helpful to you.”

“Wh-what is this…?”

“It’s a bank account from the United Federation.”

I looked at the bankbook in awe.

“A bank account with no name attached…”

It was a secret account, but the amount was extraordinary.

‘How many zeros are there?’

Even as someone who became a noblewoman, I could tell the sum was high.

“It’s not comparable to your personal funds, but sometimes you might need some assets you can use freely. You can use this amount without any restrictions whenever you need.”

“Even the official compensation must have been quite a loss…”

“You helped prevent a disaster where someone could have brought ruin to the kingdom. You are a great benefactor to Royem.”

‘I’d like to have it!’

It was perfect for use while moving around incognito.

‘Honestly, I feel like I should run away now.’

But keeping that money might become a weapon I could use someday.

“Of course, I will thoroughly recover the damages caused by this incident and seek retribution from those responsible.”

Lady Isabella’s eyes shone fiercely, like a beast.

“Especially since the Holy Kingdom lied in the official Royem Kingdom event, they must face the consequences.”

“Please let me know if you need any help. Royem might have a hard time handling the Holy Kingdom on its own.”

“How could I refuse such kindness from Royem?”

“It’s not just kindness. As I prepare for my debut match, I will also ask Royem for assistance. Right?”

No matter how great Royem is, it doesn’t compare to the Holy Kingdom.

‘I need to check on Saint Stella, the saintess, even more.’

And also, whether she’s wandering around disguised as a face-swapped saintess.

“Estelle, thank you.”

Diana, with tears in her eyes, held my hand.

“No matter how much I was fooled, we all contributed to making things difficult for you. I can’t believe we did such a terrible thing to someone like you…”

“Exactly,” I agreed, nodding as Isabella also nodded in agreement. I turned my face away, feeling burdened by her bright, shining eyes.

Then, my gaze fell on the tapestry hanging near the sitting room. It depicted Athena, the goddess of the one true god, eradicating the evil ‘Chaos’ from the world.

‘This scene appears in the scriptures and ancient texts often.’

When Chaos attempted to destroy the world, Athena eliminated Chaos and entered a deep sleep. She left behind angels to protect the world.

‘Following the will of the angels, leading the world—that’s what the current Holy Kingdom is.’

Thump—

It was a familiar story, yet my heart beat strangely. Isabella asked me.

“Would you like to hear the myth of this tapestry?”

“Oh, yes. It’s about ancient mythology. Do you like ancient myths, Regent Lady?”

“I used to be interested in that field. That’s why I kept a few rare pieces.”

Smiling faintly, Isabella spoke as if amazed.

“Now that I think about it, it’s quite a strange coincidence.”

“What do you mean?”

“It’s a bit odd, but this tapestry was a gift from the previous Duchess Blanchet. She was very interested in ancient studies.”

The previous Duchess Blanchet—John’s mother, who passed away unjustly.

“Mother, I think Estelle likes this tapestry.”

Diana suddenly spoke quietly.

“I’ll take care of this tapestry for you.”

“Oh, I’m fine—”

“I was worried I had nothing more to give, but if you like it, I’ll give it all to you.”

Just as I was about to wave my hand to refuse, Diana’s eyes sparkled and she raised her voice.

“I’ll also send all the other ancient relics in the mansion along with this tapestry, Mother.”

“Oh, Diana…”

Isabella called her sternly.

“Is that really a gift worth that much? Who would give such a gift that could fill a carriage?”

What?

“A gift should be something that fills about three carriages,” she said.

“As expected, Mother. You are truly generous.”

“To lead a kingdom, you need that kind of generosity. I’ll contact the kingdom to fill up three or four carriages with relics and gifts stored in my personal warehouse and send them over.”

Hold on, everyone.

“Then, Mother, let’s contact other allied kingdoms now and gather relics. Maybe we’ll find something even better!”

“Exactly. I’ll start negotiating with other kingdoms right away.”

“I’ll take the Royem Knights and go threaten them with unrecovered debts from the United Federation!”

I was genuinely worried about the future of the Royem kingdom.

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

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!!