TVIOWHFW 91

Cold silence.

When the shrine maidens couldn’t say a word, Erich, as if he had been waiting, suddenly became aggressive and pressed on fiercely.

“No matter how I think about it, I simply cannot understand this with my common sense.”

“Stop it, Erich.”

“Yes, my lady.”

As Erich, who had been rampaging like a wild dog, suddenly fell silent, the shrine maidens began to look at me with eyes filled with a mixture of awe and slight exaggeration.

“But Erich’s words also have some truth. Even if it was a mistake once, multiple times can no longer be considered mere mistakes. Especially if she is a saintess of a whole nation.”

Swallowing hard, Cardinal Simon cleared his throat.

“I also have my stance as the Duchess Blanchet, so I can’t just pass this off as mere misunderstanding.”

“Yes, I understand. If the Duchess desires any compensation…”

It was clear from Cardinal Simon’s words that he was speaking as the head. I widened my eyes in surprise and waved my hands dismissively.

‘Trying to settle this easily with compensation, huh?’

“I’m not talking about seeking compensation.”

You must not misunderstand; things are actually turning in my favor right now.

“It’s not that the shrine maidens did anything wrong. Moreover, I was able to wake up thanks to your healing, shrine maidens.”

Unexpected words made Cardinal Simon’s face brighten.

“So you’re saying you’ll overlook this incident…?”

“Yes. I can’t trouble the people who healed me.”

Strictly speaking, the saintess didn’t commit a major wrongdoing. Since there are no witnesses or evidence, it’s hard to even make an issue of it.

‘If this incident gets public, it’ll only be harmful to me.’

If I had to pinpoint the saintess’s sin, it would be that she only pretended to be close to John in front of me, her wife.

My vomiting blood could be easily misunderstood in terms of circumstance, but there’s no evidence. Later, the shrine maidens will try to protect Stella, the saintess.

‘Maybe I’m the only one who finds her strange and sensitive.’

Perhaps, just because I accidentally called my husband’s name, I might end up being the crazy woman who even vomits blood and causes a fuss. The saintess would probably wait eagerly to be forgiven and save her own image.

So, while I have the advantage right now, I must get everything I can.

“To peacefully resolve this matter within the temple and cover it up quietly… hmm…”

As I stare intensely and keep my eyes open, tears started to fall from one of my eyes. Cardinal Simon was horrified.

“Mi-Marquess?!”

“If you’re having a hard time now, I can get more treatment—”

I deliberately bowed my head as if I was sad. The shrine maidens looked at me with tense faces.

“I’m sorry. It seems I am still upset and haven’t fully recovered.”

“…”

“But my will remains unchanged. Let’s just consider that I was accidentally ill.”

I looked at each shrine maiden one by one with a pretty smile. Cardinal Simon asked in a voice that was hard to believe.

“Are you really okay with that? If the story gets misunderstood, the image of the Duchess could be damaged…”

“I’m fine. I’m used to people speaking ill of me. And all the shrine maidens are people who have been called by the gods to serve the empire.”

Suddenly, the shrine maidens, who were being praised, awkwardly smiled.

“I don’t want to cause more trouble for such people.”

“Oh, goddess Athena…”

A few shrine maidens, overwhelmed with emotion, quietly began to call out the name of the god as if in prayer.

Cardinal Simon asked in a surprised tone.

“But as shrine maidens who serve the goddess Athena, it would be improper not to apologize or offer compensation to the wounded Duchess.”

“Is that so?”

“Yes. So, if there’s anything small you want us to do, please tell us.”

“Very well, then.”

I had been waiting for those words!

“Please grant me just one request someday. That’s all I need.”

One request.

On the surface, it might seem insignificant, but it could also be a very big condition. However, the concerned Cardinal Simon, caught up in the atmosphere, asked with worried eyes.

“Will that be enough? As a cardinal, I can do little in my name.”

“That’s right, Duchess. No matter how much it’s for us, I think it would be better if you considered your own safety a bit more…”

Still, they are all priests, so they are worried about me.

‘Maybe this is why I was more swayed by Stella?’

But contrary to their thoughts, this was actually what I needed most right now.

‘I might not know what will happen with Stella in the future, so I need allies inside the temple.’

I smiled with an innocent and naive face, free of greed.

“How can I pursue my own greed against the shrine maidens? That’s enough for me.”

A few shrine maidens were moved to tears.

“Lady Saintess, how did you end up with such a misunderstanding about someone like that…?”

“The Duchess Blanchet, who is said to be just a rumor, is actually someone of such noble character?”

After a moment of silence, Cardinal Simon nodded while looking at me.

“Understood. I promise in the name of Goddess Athena.”

The other shrine maidens also nodded as if it was only natural. They probably think that, because of how I look right now, I won’t request anything too unreasonable.

‘No way!’

I will make good use of this opportunity to figure out the true identity of the saintess.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Carlos woke up late and sat up.

“Wait…!”

He had just awakened, dripping with cold sweat, and only his loyal servant Ben was beside him.

“Your Majesty, are you feeling better?”

“Where am I right now?”

“You’re in the Emperor’s Palace. You collapsed at the ‘place,’ so we brought you straight here. I didn’t call any other servants, just in case.”

Carlos’s eyes caught a scar on his cheek.

“So it really wasn’t a dream.”

The scar, used as a mark for the ritual, cannot be removed no matter what. It’s a sign of the success of the sacrifice.

If it disappears, the cost is gone as well. But since it was used for the ritual, there’s no pain left once it’s over.

“Ben, was there anyone else who entered the ‘place’ besides me?”

“Yes. No one else.”

“I see.”

Honestly, Carlos wanted to deny that he saw Estelle in the royal cave. Just looking at her face made him want to beg and cling to her, which he hated.

‘She finally ignored me.’

Even though I told her I needed her, I don’t want to believe I was rejected.

‘But she is definitely Estelle.’

The feeling was completely different from the Estelle I had seen in my dreams. She should have offered some conditions or proposals that would make her tempting.

But the moment they met, all she did was cling like an idiot.

‘I can’t even make her cling with Lebertan as a condition…’

Right now, Estelle would never hold his hand. Carlos gritted his teeth in frustration, recalling how the situation had completely changed from the past.

‘Unlike me, that woman no longer needs me.’

If so, I just have to make her need me again—like back when I sent that heartfelt letter, with no other options left.

“Divide the two of them.”

“Huh?”

“Ben, investigate all of Blanchet’s weaknesses.”

The servant Ben answered awkwardly.

“Your Majesty, I have given similar orders before, but unlike you, there’s nothing particularly problematic about Duke Blanchet.”

“That’s nonsense!”

Carlos slammed his fist into the wall.

“Anyone who’s human must have some fatal flaw! There must have been some trivial girl problem before marriage!”

“Duke Blanchet has neatly sorted everything out, unlike Your Majesty. There’s nothing problematic about him.”

“…He’s a man who rose from the bottom. Logically, he must have done some shady things along the way, right?”

Of course, John is from the noble Blanchet family lineage. Ironically, he was also known as a man who had committed a rebellion and then made a name for himself.

“Is there even the slightest suspicion about the Blanchet family or any political schemes?”

“Based on my investigation, he’s completely clean.”

Carlos’s face twisted in anger.

“That arrogant personality?”

Carlos, who was proud and confident, was definitely not inferior in arrogance, but the man he had met, John, was even worse than him.

“Can I honestly say anything? I’m your servant, after all. Can I even speak freely?”

“Go ahead, say it.”

“Duke Blanchet is indeed arrogant, but he’s different from other nobles. He doesn’t flaunt his arrogance in his actions.”

“…”

“Even the Crown Prince has a noble bearing, but Duke Blanchet has an innate sense of superiority that feels different when you see him. That’s why, even when he doesn’t lower himself, he naturally commands respect…”

Ben kept glancing nervously at Carlos. Although Carlos clenched his jaw as if he was about to throw something, he didn’t actually throw or get angry.

“Damn it, is there no way?”

It was then that—

“Your Majesty, there is a visitor outside looking for you.”

“Who is it?”

“It’s someone from the temple. They showed a symbol of the temple and said they would recognize and greet you as soon as they saw you. Did you have an appointment with the temple?”

“What nonsense. Show them the door.”

But Carlos’s body suddenly stiffened as if struck.

“Wait, you said you’d find out who they are?”

“Yes, I definitely said that.”

“What the… Are they a woman?”

“Y-yes… she is a woman.”

“Bring her in first.”

“Huh?”

Ben looked back at Carlos in surprise.

“I don’t know if she’s pretty or not. But still?”

“Who cares what anyone says?”

“I remember everyone I’ve met before… but she’s someone I met secretly, so maybe that’s why?”

“I told you, it’s not like that!”

When Carlos growled, Ben hurriedly brought the visitor. The visitor was wearing a shabby hood pulled over her head.

“Thank you for welcoming me to the palace without any appointment.”

Her voice was clear and pure, like a rolling pearl, but Carlos felt a strange disappointment.

‘It’s not Estelle. I had foolishly expected something pointless.’

Frowning, Carlos asked irritably.

“Are you saying I could recognize you at first glance?”

“I couldn’t reveal my identity in the palace, so I had no choice. But since I’ve met the Crown Prince, I thought I should show proper courtesy.”

Her thick blond hair, hidden under the shabby hood, poured out like a waterfall.

She had blond hair shining like a halo, but her aura was pure and elegant, reminiscent of a lily.

“Nice to meet you, Your Majesty. I am Stella, the saintess of the Holy Kingdom.”

“A saintess… I’ve heard of her before.”

The saintess smiled brightly at Carlos’s scrutinizing gaze.

“I’m honored that you know me, Your Majesty.”

“So, what’s the reason a such a renowned saintess came to see me?”

“Well…”

Stella lowered her long eyelashes and wore a mournful smile.

“I saw you suffering from an unforeseen sin, and I wanted to help.”

“Preposterous nonsense,” Carlos scoffed.

But Stella, like a true saintess, did not lose her composure. She elegantly sipped the tea served by her attendant and softly said:

“I understand that this may sound unbelievable. Perhaps my own shortcomings prevent me from conveying the divine message properly. But in my eyes…”

Her gaze shifted to Carlos’s arm.

“I see your pain, Your Majesty.”

Suddenly, Carlos felt uncomfortable, as if her words had revealed his scar. His brow furrowed as he asked her.

“So what are you going to do about it?”

“Please let me pray for you.”

“What?”

“I can bestow a great blessing upon you. To help you forget your pain.”

Stella’s blue eyes shimmered with an enigmatic light.

‘I was mistaken. She was so shameless she forgot her own things.’

But as a saintess, she decided to give her another chance.

To truly see who the real owner of this place is.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

I was afraid John might ask me about things I didn’t know.

“Did you have a good trip?”

But John didn’t ask anything specific about my visit to the temple. He just talked about other things, like a painting or a gift, saying he bought it because I would like it.

‘Isn’t John curious?’

But because of that, I also found it hard to ask him more about what happened then.

‘Could there be a reason why John isn’t asking anything?’

Watching John happily playing with the spirit baby, I was lost in thought. He was shaking a newly bought rattle for the spirit baby.

“Is this fun?”

The spirit baby giggled, flailing its short arms.

“Daddy, A-View-View!”

The spirit baby didn’t shy away from me or John. Maybe it thought of us as its parents, because it liked being with us.

John, who was shaking the rattle, asked:

“Estelle, do you have any worries?”

“Oh, no. I want to try shaking it too.”

But the spirit baby seemed eager to hold it on its own, so I handed it the handle.

“Uh, uh… Uiu!”

Clink, it rolled.

But with its small hands, it couldn’t hold on well. The rattle kept falling.

“Oh, it’s probably hard to hold.”

Finally, I took over and played with the adorable rattle myself.

“Is it because she’s a spirit?”

Playing with the spirit baby made all my complicated thoughts disappear, and I just smiled. We played happily with John until just before putting the baby to sleep.

Then, a visitor arrived at the palace.

“An envoy sent by His Majesty the Emperor to Duke Blanchet.”

[This summer festival will feature a hunting dance at the Pescalos Forest.]

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

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!!