Chapter 13
The murderous glare coming from the well-dressed, broad-shouldered man was terrifying.
Perhaps instinctively realizing this was a conflict they wanted no part in, the people who had just been chatting with me gradually slipped away.
In an instant, the area around us was empty.
“You certainly hesitate for a long time. Is that part of your religious practice as well?”
Apparently exasperated that I still hadn’t removed my hood, Theodore mocked me.
“I-I’ll take it off.”
It’s fine.
It’s okay.
I took a small, steadying breath.
After all, Theodore didn’t know me.
Everything would be fine.
As I pulled back my hood, the long, light wheat-colored hair that I’d crammed inside spilled down around my shoulders.
“I-I’m… terribly sorry…!”
Keeping my head lowered as deeply as possible, I tried to look both respectful and pitiful.
“Raise your face.”
Slowly, I lifted my head.
The moment I did—
Gasp.
He’s unbelievably handsome.
Including everyone I’d seen in my previous life, I’d never encountered anyone this attractive.
Forcing myself to regain my composure, I studied Theodore’s face.
He seemed completely accustomed to reactions like mine.
Without paying it any attention, he simply stared at me with a grave expression before abruptly asking,
“You’re the Saint?”
“W-What?!”
“The swindler Saint from Demont. The one who took over the gambling house.”
How did he figure it out?
Someone born carrying that absurd blessing apparently possessed incredible instincts as well.
While I stood there speechless in shock, Theodore took another step closer.
“It’s you, isn’t it?”
The slight twist at the corner of his lips carried overwhelming killing intent.
How is someone like this supposed to be a wise emperor? He’s a tyrant…!
He was much taller and larger than I was.
The pressure he exerted was overwhelming.
Earlier, I’d felt intimidated simply by the High Priestess walking toward me.
Compared to Theodore, however…
She suddenly seemed tiny and adorable.
“W-What… are… you talking about?”
Trying not to stammer under the weight of his presence only made my words come out in broken pieces.
And in the end…
I stammered anyway.
To anyone watching, I must have looked incredibly suspicious.
I’m finished.
“So I was right.”
Theodore smiled.
It was the smile of the Grim Reaper himself.
Your instincts are absolutely insane.
I miss Agatha…
Every plan I’d carried out until now had relied on my cheat code—Agatha’s ability to read people’s thoughts.
Without knowing what my opponent was thinking, it felt like fighting blindfolded.
No.
Pull yourself together.
I clenched my fists.
No matter when I eventually confronted Theodore, I wouldn’t always have divine assistance.
His overwhelming aura would continue disrupting my connection with Agatha.
I had to manage on my own.
Otherwise, I’d never stand a chance in the future.
Besides…
No matter how powerful Theodore was, he couldn’t simply drag me away by force inside the Grand Temple in broad daylight.
That was the entire reason I’d sought refuge here.
At least for now…
I was safe.
“Saint. Are you always this quiet?”
Theodore’s smiling face looked strangely amused.
He’s testing me.
He can’t actually be certain.
My mind raced.
Theodore was merely pointing out someone he found suspicious.
Hadn’t he been questioning countless other people as well?
He couldn’t possibly know for sure that I was the Saint.
Right.
It’s impossible.
So for now…
I had to deny everything.
There was no opportunity to speak with him privately and tell him,
“If I become the Saint, I’ll help you.”
Even if I somehow managed to arrange a private meeting…
I still wasn’t useful to him.
If I wanted him to see me as an asset worth keeping alive instead of eliminating, I first needed to become the Saint and establish my influence.
At this point…
No matter what I said, he’d simply decide killing me was the easiest solution.
If I wanted to survive…
There was only one option.
Resolving myself, I opened my mouth.
“The Saint? Oh my! Does ‘Maria’ mean holy and beautiful? Eeeek! To receive such a compliment from someone as handsome as you…!”
Without hesitation, I began twisting my body shyly.
“Maria is… sooo happy.”
Even referring to myself in the third person, I cupped my cheeks with both hands.
“Oh my… You’re staring at Maria so intensely… I’m so embarrassed… I just can’t!”
My face burned with humiliation.
Luckily, that only made my act seem more convincing.
Grinding my teeth internally, I made a silent vow.
Once all of this is over, I’m disappearing somewhere neither the temple nor the Emperor will ever find me.
“Has she… lost her mind?”
Theodore muttered in utter disbelief.
The reason I’d chosen this strategy was because I vaguely remembered a passage from the novel.
Theodore felt sick whenever nobles dressed their daughters up like dolls, presented them before him like merchandise at a market, and asked whether he liked them.
He felt the same disgust toward women whose eyes gleamed with ambition, desperate not to miss the chance to gain status and a handsome husband.
Theodore was obsessed with reforming the Empire.
Everything else barely interested him.
In the novel’s timeline, he’d already ruled as Emperor for years.
Yet the position of Empress remained vacant.
Simply because…
He didn’t care.
Since the seat beside the Emperor remained empty, noble families constantly schemed to place their daughters there.
None of them ever gave up.
Honestly… Theodore deserves credit for enduring all of that.
Without an heir, even the imperial faction would naturally become uneasy.
For the sake of stabilizing the throne, most emperors would’ve at least taken a few concubines.
Theodore refused.
It was too difficult to distinguish noble families that hadn’t secretly allied themselves with the temple.
He intended to destroy not merely the temple—
but the Maelta faith itself.
Taking a spouse connected to the temple would only complicate matters.
Yet he couldn’t simply marry a commoner or someone from an insignificant family either.
And besides…
On a personal level…
Theodore had suffered through so many romantic advances from women that he’d grown to despise them.
In short—
Women who flirted and acted cute around him were exactly the type he hated.
Perfect.
“M-Maria… might have gone a little crazy. It’s because you’re just so handsome…! Ahhh! I actually said it! What should I do?”
I poured every ounce of fake sweetness into my voice.
Even as I spoke, I wondered…
Is this actually how people act cute?
Since I had no idea, I simply swayed my head from side to side.
At this point I probably looked genuinely insane.
Please.
Just think I’m crazy.
Embarrassment was temporary.
Sure, someday I might be punished for deceiving the Emperor.
But by then…
I’d already be the Saint.
I’d figure something out.
“Y-You… Who sent you?”
As Theodore silently stared at me with furrowed brows, the aide standing behind him finally stepped forward.
“Viscount Hummery? Or Baron Aquivere? No… I’ve already checked every female relative in those families, even distant cousins. There wasn’t anyone like you. Then who are you? How did you know His Majesty’s visit to the Grand Temple, which was only decided moments ago?!”
“Huh?”
I blinked innocently.
The aide continued shouting.
“Could it have been Count Chusitsky?! That rat! Did he pull strings again?”
Those names are… certainly unique.
Still…
I was relieved.
They’d misunderstood on their own.
Whether I was actually a noble lady no longer mattered.
The entire conversation had shifted in that direction.
The word Saint had disappeared completely.
Smiling inwardly, I continued my performance.
“N-No! Maria doesn’t know anything! I was simply training here at the Grand Temple… B-but if such a wonderful gentleman chose Maria… she’d abandon her training! Lady Agatha would surely understand my love…!”
The aide looked horrified.
Excellent.
To anyone watching, I probably looked like a lovestruck lunatic who’d lost her mind over a handsome man.
“Your Majesty, let’s leave. She’s clearly deranged. There’s no telling what she might do.”
“…Isaac.”
“Yes! Shall I prepare the carriage outsi—”
“Be quiet.”
Theodore spoke quietly.
Isaac immediately fell silent.
“You.”
Taking another step forward, Theodore looked directly into my eyes.
He was far too close.
Thankfully…
He was much taller than I was.
If he’d been even slightly shorter, his lips would’ve practically brushed my forehead—or perhaps my ear.
Pretending to be shy, I subtly looked away.
This is way too close…
Despite my attempt to avoid his gaze…
Theodore slowly bent down.
He came so near that I could feel his breath against my cheek.
His deep blue eyes examined every inch of my face.
Every hair on my body stood on end.
“What exactly are you trying to pull?”
So…
The flirting strategy hadn’t completely worked.
I was still only one step away from being exposed as the Saint.
His voice alone sent chills through me.
It reminded me of a passage from the novel.
The protagonist had once described seeing the Emperor return after personally executing enemy spies, his entire body drenched in blood.
Though he was my friend… he looked like a demon.
“W-What trick…? I… I was simply happy that such a handsome gentleman noticed me… Maria only…”
Having no other options, I threw everything into my acting.
Even my fingertips trembled.
Then Theodore spoke again.
And I could finally breathe.
“Are you truly one of Count Chusitsky’s people? Or perhaps Viscount Hummery’s?”
No…
It worked…!
His suspicion had shifted.
Instead of thinking I was the Saint…
He now suspected I was another annoying woman sent by ambitious nobles hoping to become his wife.
I had to make him believe I was completely insane.
My heart pounded violently.
Cold sweat trickled down my back.
“I-I… I don’t know… Maria’s just a commoner… I’m so sorry…”
“If you’re lying, death won’t be your only punishment.”
At Theodore’s single sentence, the knight standing behind him tightened his grip on his sword.
…Well.
I’d gone from being mistaken for the Saint…
to being mistaken for a noble family’s pawn.
This was beyond what a little flirting could fix.
Time to change tactics.
“I-I’m sorry!”
Without another word, I threw myself flat onto the floor.
Did I have any pride left?
Absolutely not.
Pride…
Would never save my life.
“…What?”
Looking down at me sprawled on the ground, Theodore let out a genuinely bewildered voice.
