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The novice, still unable to grasp the situation properly, asked with a bewildered expression.

“Did Duchess Blanchet invite you all?”

“Yes. The Holy Maiden herself is said to have created this event to make an official apology.”

“Since it’s a meeting of important figures in high society, I wanted to see the scene with my own eyes.”

The confused novice moved to deliver the news to the Holy Maiden. But they weren’t the only ones who arrived.

Soon after, a noble couple arrived and asked the novices.

“Is this the temple where the Holy Maiden said she would make an official apology? Could you please guide us?”

Seeing the endless procession of carriages arriving, the novices’ faces turned pale.

“Isn’t this the temple where only the Duchess Blanchet was invited?”

“What’s really going on?!”

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

In Stella’s private prayer room.

In a luxurious room that would befit a noble lady’s house, Stella was chatting happily with three close noble ladies.

“-The Duchess Blanchet is really too much.”

One noble lady said in an upset voice.

“Even though she knows it’s a misunderstanding that’s hard for the Holy Maiden to explain, she’s just letting it spread. Especially since the Holy Maiden has no one to defend her…”

Currently, in high society, more people supported the Holy Maiden.

Because Miryu, the root of all the problems, admitted her guilt and took her own life, and in her last will, she clearly stated that the Holy Maiden was innocent.

In the Empire, since many believers follow the Holy City, they didn’t want to see the Holy Maiden in a bad light.

Moreover, many people were reluctant to completely deny the existing bad reputation Estelle had.

Of course, some wondered how such a incapable Holy Maiden could have been deceived by Miryu.

Luigi, Stella’s fervent defender, also got angry at Estelle precisely because of this.

“Honestly, I don’t like that Duchess Blanchet kept refusing the Holy Maiden’s invitations, and only moved after the Emperor personally begged her. It’s like she’s openly ignoring the Holy Maiden!”

“Please don’t overreact. If the misunderstanding is deep, it’s understandable.”

“But, Holy Maiden, Duchess Blanchet is someone who owes her favors to the temple and the Holy Maiden! We should have known from the moment she called her her personal servant to treat her…”

Instead, Stella defended Estelle.

“‘Personal servant’ is a bit of an overstatement. I understand Luigi’s concern, but she just needed help because Duchess Blanchet was sick. As a Holy Maiden, helping the ill is natural.”

“And not only did she dismiss her guests immediately after treatment, but she even refused a friend’s proposal to become friends?”

Luigi was even more furious at Stella’s defense.

“So she called her again just because she wasn’t feeling well? And she didn’t even thank her, but instead shamelessly pointed out her flaws…”

“Duchess Blanchet said she was trying to teach me…”

“Oh, please! On what grounds does Duchess Blanchet have to teach the Holy Maiden? She just took advantage of her kindness, used her as her convenience, and tried to find fault without even thanking her! Isn’t that no different from treating her as a personal servant?”

Other noble ladies around nodded in agreement with Luigi’s words.

“That’s right. That’s not normal. It’s exploiting the Holy Maiden’s naivety about the Empire to torment her.”

“Just look at how she almost falsely accused her. She’s cunningly trying to manipulate the situation, but we in high society see right through her intentions.”

“Still, I want to believe in Duchess Blanchet. People aren’t capable of such evil acts, surely.”

Luigi sighed at Stella’s kind but stubborn reaction.

‘The Holy Maiden really worries me.’

Maybe because she’s lived only in the temple, Stella was overly innocent and naive about human malice.

‘I have no choice but to protect her.’

“If the Holy Maiden did something rude, then she’s still the benefactor who healed the Duchess Blanchet’s illness, isn’t she? Who in the world treats benefactors that way? Instead of trying to repay the kindness—”

At that moment, a novice burst open the door of the prayer room.

“Holy Maiden, a guest has arrived.”

“Oh, it looks like Duchess Blanchet has arrived.”

Stella nodded with a smile, but somehow she looked frightened and full of fear.

“Holy Maiden, shall I go with you? Even Duchess Blanchet, as the flower of high society, wouldn’t dare to act recklessly in front of me, Luigi, the noble lady.”

“Or shall we all go together? I want to see her face once and find out what she’s really thinking for acting like that toward the Holy Maiden.”

“It’s okay, everyone. If it’s too difficult, I’ll ask for your help. Luigi, you’ve got the bell so I can call on you if needed.”

Stella shook a small bell and smiled brightly. Luigi was captivated by Stella’s confident stance.

‘As expected, the Holy Maiden is different. She’s genuine.’

Stella spoke to the novice.

“Please guide me to where Duchess Blanchet is.”

“Actually, Holy Maiden, the guest isn’t Duchess Blanchet.”

“Pardon?”

Just then, another novice hurried into the prayer room.

“Your Grace! Nobles have arrived all at once. I don’t know what this means, but… the Holy Maiden said she would make an official apology to Duchess Blanchet…”

Stella’s face stiffened slightly.

“I-I don’t know anything about that.”

She hurried to the window of the temple.

Outside, many carriages lined up. Nobles elegantly disembarked.

‘Why are these nobles…?’

Just then, among the many carriages, the most luxurious and beautiful one entered the temple. It bore the crest of the Blanchet family proudly.

Estelle, bathed in sunlight, with her strikingly pinkish platinum hair, stepped out of the carriage.

And, as if she had been waiting, she greeted the other nobles who were happily waiting for her.

As if she were the main character.

‘…Estelle Libertan!’

Feeling Estelle’s gaze, Stella looked up in the direction of her. Smiling brightly, Estelle waved her hand toward Stella.

“Oh! It’s the Holy Maiden!”

“You’re here! Actually, this is the first time I’ve seen the Holy Maiden in person.”

Stella responded with a gentle smile to the nobles’ reactions. But internally, she was not at ease.

Though she had set a trap to slander Estelle, if the situation changed like this, everything could go wrong.

‘What is she planning, a fake?’

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Stella’s expression remained only gentle.

‘I still don’t fully understand her intentions.’

But it doesn’t matter. I just need to do what I want.

‘Laying the groundwork to uncover the temple’s secret.’

As soon as she finished her greeting to Stella, the nearby novices approached and spoke to her.

“Greetings, Duchess Blanchet. Thank you for coming to the temple.”

Perhaps because she brought several unexpected guests, the novices’ expressions were somewhat stiff, not exactly welcoming. One of them spoke with a serious look.

“However, Duchess, even if the Holy Maiden officially invited you, bringing outside guests here is against the laws of the Holy City.”

“Really?”

“Your Grace, all these guests came at the invitation of Duchess Blanchet.”

I looked at the letter sent by the Holy Maiden, puzzled.

[It seems there was a minor misunderstanding between Duchess Blanchet and myself. It’s all my fault. Since we’ve exchanged some correspondence, could you please give me a chance to clear up this misunderstanding?

As a Holy Maiden, I am fine with such misunderstandings.

But I am worried that false rumors might spread throughout the Empire, causing other victims to suffer unnecessarily. If it’s difficult for Duchess Blanchet to come alone, she may bring trusted people with her.

I have arranged this meeting out of trust, and I am responsible for all risks in the temple, so I hope you will trust me more.

—With the grace of Goddess Atia.]

Stella’s letter subtly encouraged me to come alone, writing in a vague manner to prevent me from bringing others.

Most likely, anyone who received this letter came alone or with a few trustworthy escorts.

‘Of course, I’m not that kind of person.’

The vagueness of the letter was her responsibility.

“You said I could bring trusted people if I couldn’t come alone. I thought it would be best to gather as many as possible so we could have this meeting.”

The novice who checked the letter reacted sharply.

“Duchess Blanchet, if you follow this letter, c can we believe that you don’t trust this temple?”

“That’s a misunderstanding! Why would I not trust the Holy Maiden or the temple? I am a citizen living under the light of Goddess Atia myself.”

‘Why would I trust you?’

But I smiled brightly.

“You were worried about misunderstandings spreading, weren’t you? So, after considering it, I thought inviting many people and holding a gathering would be the fastest way to realize your good intentions.”

“…”

“The date was so tight that I didn’t have time to inform the temple, but I believe you will understand that it’s the best way to fulfill your good intentions.”

The shocked novice hesitated before speaking again.

“Hah, but I never saw the Holy Maiden officially apologize to the Duchess. I think everyone misunderstood and came here…”

“Really? The Holy Maiden said it was all her fault.”

[It’s all my fault.]

I pointed to the Holy Maiden’s words and smiled innocently.

“See? She said it herself.”

“That, that’s just a formal…”

“Then do you believe the Holy Maiden lied?”

The novice’s expression hardened.

“Th-that’s impossible.”

“So, what’s the problem? From my understanding, the Holy Maiden is compassionate and kind, so she wouldn’t dwell on a misunderstanding caused by her own letter.”

The novices hesitated and stepped back, while the surrounding nobles whispered.

“Seems the Holy Maiden was right to apologize formally here after all…”

“Exactly. Even if it was a mistake, her repeated errors show she’s not fit to be a Holy Maiden…”

Yes. I consider this my victory.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

A novice secretly called me into the temple garden.

“Duchess Blanchet, before the Holy Maiden makes her appearance, I have something important to tell you privately.”

I left the worship hall where everyone was gathered and headed to the garden where Stella was waiting, near a small pond behind the temple garden.

Stella, noticing me, clasped her hands.

“Oh, Duchess Blanchet. You’ve arrived.”

She gave a faint smile.

“I didn’t expect you to misunderstand my letter so much. It seems I was not used to noble etiquette and wrote it in a way that caused confusion.”

“Oh, was there another misunderstanding?”

“Yes. It was surprising that many nobles came because my intention was different.”

I smiled sweetly at Stella.

“Oh dear, I apologize for the misunderstanding.”

She pointed to a corner of the garden with a meaningful smile.

“May I briefly guide you through the temple garden?”

“Of course.”

Unlike the elegant garden of the Blanchet family that exudes noble refinement, this one was quaint—yet that made it seem even purer and innocent.

“This is the first garden I ever met John in. I’m so happy to finally introduce him to the Duchess.”

“Hmm?”

I was stunned, wondering what I just heard. Stella looked surprised as well, with wide eyes.

“Oh my! I accidentally mentioned John’s name…”

Ding—

“I’m truly sorry if I upset the Duchess…”

Suddenly, a strange bell sound came from near Stella’s sleeve.

At that moment, Stella tripped over a nearby stone and fell. Her delicate arms braced her on the ground, and her pure white dress became dust-stained.

“Oh, Holy Maiden!”

From behind, the sound of people rushing toward her was heard as if they’d been waiting.

“Duchess Blanchet, this is…”

—

Stella, in a pitiful pose, reached out her hand to me. As she grabbed my dress, I felt a nauseous sensation in my throat.

‘Why all of a sudden?’

When she held my hand last time, this hadn’t happened.

“Holy Maiden, I… cough!”

I vomited blood and fainted. I could hear the people rushing toward us, calling out in shock.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Inside the worship hall.

Lord Albert waited boredly for the Holy Maiden and Duchess Blanchet.

‘When will this apology or misunderstanding finally happen?’

Then, one of the nobles who had been following the hurried movement of the novices rushed into the hall.

“Everyone, this is serious. The Holy Maiden might have hurt Duchess Blanchet!”

“What?! What do you mean—”

“The Duchess was alone with the Holy Maiden and suddenly started bleeding!”

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

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!!