Chapter – 21Â
Proof of Not Being a Saint
Trembling with emotion, I stared at the glass filled with a yellowish-green liquid.
“Amazing… this is amazing, Shiro! This is exactly what I’ve been searching for!”
I was in the private guest room prepared for me in the Crown Prince’s palace, now alone with Shiro. So, I hugged his pure white, massive body to my heart’s content, nuzzling into him. As I stroked under his chin and around his neck, Shiro snorted happily, Pisu pisu.
‘Ufufu. Aren’t I something?’
“Of course! You’re a cool guy… no, the ultimate cool divine beast!”
‘Ehehe. Praise me more~’
After playing around for a while, I took the glass and downed the liquid in one go.
“Mmm~! Fresh, smooth, and perfect…!”
What I drank was a ginger juice made from cabbage and apple, created with Shiro’s help.
True to his name of Divine Beast, it seems Shiro can wield the power of all spirits. Since spirits were created by the God of Creation, it might not be strange that Shiro, a messenger of the gods, can use all their abilities… but even so, he’s just too versatile.
When I wondered, feeling nervous, if that was really allowed, sure enough, he said, ‘Demiour-sama told me not to lend you more power than necessary~’, which disappointed me.
But however! I, the villainess Olivia, am not one to give up so easily.
“I was thinking of making you some detox food if you helped me out, though…”
When I negotiated like that, Shiro easily fell into my hands.
(Hmph. So easy.)
Even if he is a Divine Beast, he’s still like a newborn puppy. Saying, ‘Oh, alright then. Just a little, okay? It’s a secret!’, he used wind and water magic to instantly chop up the vegetables and fruits and turn them into juice. Yes, imagine a magical blender.
A smooth, thick juice with the fibers left in but the texture maximized. This detox juice uses the Vitamin U in cabbage to protect the stomach, the dietary fiber to improve digestion, and the ginger to boost metabolism.
When I let Shiro drink some too, he wagged his long tail bunbun, saying ‘So gooood!’. As expected, he seems to prefer detox food. What a strange puppy… no, divine beast.
“From now on, let’s add detox juice to Lord Noah’s meals as well.”
Since Shiro is supposed to be Fenrir, the water spirit, I’ll have to have him help me secretly when making the juice so the kitchen staff don’t find out.
‘Hey, Olivia. What are you doing after this? Playing outside? Playing fetch?’
“We can’t go outside, it’s too conspicuous. Besides… starting today, that begins, you know. The consort education.”
When I let out a sigh, Shiro tilted his head cutely.
‘Consort education? Is Olivia becoming a consort?’
“I am not! …That’s the plan, anyway.”
Even now, from the bottom of my heart, I truly desire a peaceful life in a rural territory, keeping my distance from the royal family.
But the current situation is the complete opposite of my hopes. While not officially announced, I’m practically the unofficial candidate for Crown Princess, and to make matters worse, the Queen, the root of all evil, has her eyes on me.
“A quiet annulment of the engagement would be… difficult, huh. Ah, but if I go to a remote island, maybe I could make some excuse and not return to the royal capital… there’s a chance…”
‘Olivia, you have so many things to think about, it seems tough.’
“If you think so, I’d really like you to actively help me out.”
‘That depends on the offerings~’
Annoyed, I grabbed the tail he was wagging bunbun, and the divine beast surrendered with a pathetic cry of ‘Not the tail~’.
â
“âAnd thus, saved and liberated from the curse of the demon race through the numerous acts of courage and devotion of the first king, the fire dragon, filled with gratitude and friendship for the first king, pledged to become the guardian dragon protecting the nation. The Oath of Guardianship, passed down through the direct male descendants inheriting the blood of the first king, shall continue eternally. From the founding myth of the Igburne Kingdom.”
When I finished reading the old book, applause echoed through the room.
The old man wearing a square-brimmed hat was clapping his hands, trembling with emotion.
“Marvelous…! Not only your knowledge of history, but your mastery of the ancient language as well. My, my, for one so young, I am truly impressed. As a scholar, I must ask, what kind of advanced education have you received until now?”
Lord Brennan, the head librarian of the royal palace and also Prince Noah’s tutor, had a face buried in long, flowing white eyebrows and a white beard, making his expression hard to read, but he seemed quite excited.
Even though it was at the Crown Prince’s request, the fact that he was giving lessons equivalent to those for royalty to a girl of unknown status wearing a uniform was amazing enough, but on top of that, he praised me so lavishly. Lord Brennan seemed to be a very broad-minded scholar.
“Brennan. You’ll quickly understand when you speak with her, but Vivian is also very knowledgeable about current international affairs.”
Noah, who was taking the lesson with me, said proudly.
Vivian is the alias for me in my maid disguise. Vivian, the plain maid with brown hair and glasses. No one looking at me now should recognize me as the Marquis’s daughter, Olivia. Perhaps not even my own father would notice if not told.
I was quite enjoying this disguise life, even applying makeup to look deliberately plain. However, every time I disguise myself, I remember and worry about my personal maid, Anne, whom I left behind at the Marquis’s residence.
(With me suddenly disappearing like that, she’s probably worried and cryingâno, she isn’t. Even if she’s crying, it’s just tears of despair over her cash cow disappearing.)
“That is not all, my lord. Lady Vivian’s manners are perfect, her comportment is overflowing with grace, and she is very beautiful.”
Even Marsha, the lady-in-waiting standing by, began saying such things.
Lord Brennan nodded repeatedly, stroking his long beard, looking thoroughly impressed.
“My, my. Your Highness has found a truly remarkable person, haven’t you?”
The discomfort became too much, and it was hard to keep smiling and brush it off.
The reason I possess such education now is because I received consort education in my first life.
In my first life, after Noah died and I became the fiancĂ©e of the current second prince, the Queen assigned me a strict tutor. It’s natural that I can do it. Failure resulted in whippings, reduced sleep, and less food.
The consort education at the palace wasn’t much different from the abuse I suffered from my stepmothers.
The result of studying desperately for my own sake, not for my fiancé or the country, is who I am now. I felt apologetic, and also guilty, as if I were cheating.
“That’s right. Vivian is the saintess whom the gods brought to me.”
“The saintess? You mean the divine oracle that came down the other day?”
“Yes. That was about Vivian.”
Startled by Noah’s assertion, I inadvertently raised my voice. “That’s wrong!”
“M-My Lord Noah. I am not the saintess.”
“What are you saying? There can’t be anyone else but you.”
But there is. The real saintess, the heroine of the otome game [The Saintess Who Saves the Nation].
Far from being the saintess, I am nothing but the villainess destined to be condemned.
(Ah, if only I could say that honestly, it would be such a relief!)
“According to the divine oracle, the saintess will appear three years from now, at the Royal Academy, correct?”
“That’s why it’s you, isn’t it? In three years, you’ll be the age to enter the academy.”
“While the age matches…”
“Furthermore, you’ve already formed a contract with a spirit even before entering. If you are not the saintess, then who else could possibly become her?”
“A contract with a spirit?!” Lord Brennan exclaimed in surprise. Another misunderstanding had spread.
The real saintess is someone else. The true saintess, at the academy, forms a contract with the legendary highest-ranking light spirit, the Goddess of Healing. She would never command a pseudo-spirit like a Divine Beast.
