Chapter 10.

The day of the long-awaited royal wedding.

The Grand Hall of the imperial palace, massive as its name suggested, was bustling with the largest crowd since the Emperor’s coronation. Most attendees were present, including nobles, notable domestic figures, and foreign guests.

Receiving so many gazes, Aristie walked on the endless red carpet. Her hand holding the bouquet trembled terribly.

She was nervous because it was a moment under everyone’s attention, but that wasn’t all. She lacked the courage to carry out her mad plan in front of all these people.

‘……But I must do it. Today is the only chance to bring down Estelle in front of everyone!’

Aristie encouraged herself and moved forward. Roselina’s voice lingered in her ears like an auditory hallucination.

—You should become a villainess too.

—Who cares if it’s childish. Bite like a rabid dog.

—I’ll support you till the end.

—Think only of yourself, Alice. Don’t think about anyone else, just yourself.

‘Yes. Only myself.’

The trembling gradually subsided, and her gaze deepened. By the time she reached the platform, she had become so composed that even Khalid standing beside her couldn’t notice.

Her dress, billowing white like an aurora, captivated the guests’ attention. A wedding dress as dazzling as angel wings. Tiny diamonds embedded on it sparkled with a pale blue-white glow.

“My goodness! She’s truly a goddess!”

“I’d heard rumors, but I never knew she would be this beautiful.”

“Not only her appearance, but her character is so virtuous and wise.”

“She’s perfect as the Empress of the great Empire in every way, hohoho.”

The guests, who had been unable to contain their admiration for the Emperor in his splendid attire, once again poured out praise upon seeing the Empress. There might be many jealous individuals, but none were tactless enough to speak ill at a wedding.

Eventually, the hall quieted down, and the ceremony proceeded in a sacred atmosphere. Everything was going smoothly.

Until the moment the bride and groom were to make their vows.

“Before making the vows, there’s something I’d like to ask.”

At the clear voice of the bride, all eyes turned to Aristie.

“What is it, my lady?”

The high priest asked with a disgruntled face.

“I’ve looked at past wedding examples and couldn’t find any precedent for this.”

“Precedent for what?”

“Is there no problem with a marriage if the spouse has a different s*xual preference?”

Different…… s*xual preference?

What’s that?

Whispers began from the front rows of the audience. The murmuring of the guests gradually spread to the back, precariously shaking the Grand Hall. The high priest couldn’t help but be flustered by this unexpected turn of events.

“What on earth are you saying?”

“I mean, His Majesty the Emperor prefers those of his own gender.”

“Good heavens! Do you even know what you’re saying……”

“He’s a homosexual!”

“……!”

It felt like a bomb had exploded. The reaction of the audience to Aristie’s statement was so absurd that it took time to comprehend.

Exclamations like ‘Good Lord! Oh my God!’ erupted from everywhere. Some showed anger, saying, ‘How blasphemous! How dare she say such things!’

“My lady, are you in your right mind?”

The high priest, who took the direct hit right in front, was understandably furious. But Aristie’s revelation was just beginning.

“It’s undoubtedly true. His partner is Sir Zephyros over there.”

‘Here it comes.’

At her indication, Zephyros tightly closed his eyes.

Unlike him, who appeared resigned, his twin brother Rhion looked horrified, as if he had seen a ghost.

“Brother…… Is it true?”

“Sir Zephyros, is this true?”

Zephyros trembled at the shoulders and then lowered his head. Despite the interrogation around him, he maintained only silence.

He neither confirmed nor denied, but such an attitude was perceived as confirmation by anyone watching. Everyone who witnessed this was shocked, including even Aristie herself.

‘He could have denied it, but why……’

Zephyros had said he wouldn’t cooperate. She had involved him with the intention of creating a debate about the truth, taking that into account. She needed to create grounds, even if fictional, to bring down Estelle’s reputation.

Whether it was true or not, Zephyros was in a position where he had no choice but to deny it. Even if he denied it, people wouldn’t easily dismiss the suspicion. So it would have been fine even if he didn’t play along, but what change of heart had occurred in the meantime……

“How disrespectful! How dare you in front of His Majesty the Emperor!”

Marquis Vascus, who had been displeased with the royal wedding, seized the opportunity to shout. His subordinate nobles raised their voices to add strength to his position.

The marquis’s appearance reminded Aristie of the true purpose of this performance.

‘I’ll make you regret it. For aiming your arrows at me by colluding with a villainess.’

Aristie took a deep breath and shouted loudly so that her voice would resound throughout the hall.

“And His Majesty is having a fake romance with the Saintess to hide all this!”

What Aristie revealed in her loudest voice was none other than the news of the fake romance between the Emperor and the Saintess. The guests who heard this were all dumbfounded.

To hide his s*xual orientation by having a fake romance with the Saintess—everyone was too stunned by these successive revelations about the Emperor to gather their thoughts.

“My lady, mind your words! What nonsensical absurdity is this!”

The shock and anger of Marquis Vascus were beyond description. He stood up abruptly and shouted with veins bulging.

However, it was far from enough to intimidate Aristie.

“His Majesty the Emperor, having formed a private relationship with Sir Zephyros, was concerned about rumors spreading. So he sought a woman to quell this, and consequently made a deal with the Saintess. He promised to bring her into the palace later if she pretended to be his lover.”

“W-what?”

“Of course, the Saintess accepted the deal. For her, who had already become a noble and then a Saintess, to be given the opportunity to become a member of the imperial family—she wouldn’t refuse such a ladder to social advancement.”

Aristie faced Marquis Vascus’s intimidating presence, who looked ready to throw a punch, with a clear voice. For a claim so outlandish, her explanation was remarkably logical.

“That’s the background of the recent rumors about His Majesty having a woman! Thanks to this, he could always be accompanied by Sir Zephyros without suspicion. Thanks to meeting the Saintess.”

“Preposterous lies! If he intended to have an affair with his guard knight, the imperial palace would be sufficient. Why would he need to go outside……”

“You clearly know nothing about the imperial palace.”

Aristie’s voice cut through the marquis’s furious rebuttal like a knife.

“The imperial palace has more watching eyes and listening ears than you might think. I learned this fact within the palace itself. Would His Majesty be unaware of such dangers?”

Aristie spoke as if the Emperor wasn’t standing right beside her.

The irony was that the Emperor himself remained silent, listening as if he didn’t exist.

“If you still can’t believe me, ask the Saintess directly. She won’t be able to deny that she is the woman His Majesty has been meeting.”

After saying this, Aristie suddenly shouted loudly. Her voice clearly targeted one person.

“Isn’t that right, Saintess!”

Her dignified cry echoed throughout the Grand Hall.

* * *

“……!”

At Aristie’s call, the guests’ gazes wandered around searching for the Saintess. Finally, they fixed on Estelle.

Estelle, suddenly thrust into the center of the situation, hiccupped in surprise. The unexpected situation left her mind blank.

‘What on earth is happening!?’

She and the Emperor had agreed to reveal their relationship at an appropriate time in the future. She never dreamed the Empress would step forward and expose it herself.

Wasn’t the Empress the very person who most detested her connection with the Emperor!

‘And what? Homosexual? Fake romance? What is all this about……!’

With this, the situation took a dramatic turn. By defining Estelle as the Emperor’s fake lover, Aristie had destroyed public trust in her.

His relationship with the Empress was obviously a political marriage. It wouldn’t help hide the Emperor’s s*xual orientation. But if it became known that he had a real lover, no one would suspect him.

‘In exchange for pretending to be his lover, the Saintess gets to enter the imperial palace…… So they cooperate for mutual benefit?’

That was exactly what the public understood.

If the Saintess truly became a member of the imperial family in the future, it would prove the Empress’s revelation was true.

“Learning of their relationship, I couldn’t help but feel distressed. Setting aside His Majesty, isn’t the Saintess in a position that demands morality? Yet she made an improper deal for her own selfish gain!”

Aristie cried out passionately. It was only natural that distrust of the Saintess sprouted in the guests’ hearts.

Amid the murmuring, Systea, who attended as an invited guest, mockingly said loud enough for everyone to hear.

“I really don’t understand. Is someone who serves God allowed to deceive the people for personal advancement? I don’t think God gave her abilities for that purpose.”

Then, as if talking to herself, but in a voice too loud to be a soliloquy, she muttered.

“I wonder if she’s truly qualified to be a saintess.”

Systea’s words ignited fire in some guests’ hearts. Several couldn’t hold back and stood up to press Estelle.

“Please tell us, Saintess! Are you really the person rumored to be His Majesty’s lover?”

“Did you meet His Majesty the Emperor with impure intentions?”