Selvia stood up and left the prophecy room.

After carefully closing the door, she felt a presence as she turned around.

“Did you find what you were looking for?”

At the clear and pure voice echoing through the air, Selvia’s head instinctively lifted.

A man with brown hair and green eyes stared at her intently.

The holy power rippling around his body spoke of who he was.

“High Priest?”

“It seems you know me.”

“I had a feeling it was you. Am I right?”

“Yes, you are.”

“Somehow your eyes suggest you know who I am.”

“That is correct as well.”

Continuously hearing the High Priest’s pure voice made her feel strange.

Selvia smiled awkwardly but didn’t avoid his gaze.

“But why would you be here? The queen of another country, no less.”

To the High Priest’s words, Selvia answered nonchalantly.

“I came in by chance. You might not believe me, but I got lost and went in to avoid misunderstandings.”

Though it clearly looked like she had sneaked in and out, Selvia didn’t bat an eye.

“I don’t know this place well, you see. You understand, right?”

“I see. Next time, I shall guide you.”

“Thank you.”

After a brief moment of awkward atmosphere, the High Priest introduced himself again to Selvia.

“I am Amon, the High Priest managing the temple of the Karina Empire.”

“I am Selvia.”

Amon’s eyebrows raised at her not referring to herself as Queen.

“As of today, I am no longer the Queen of the Kingdom of Delpheron.”

Having left her family, she was no longer Selvia Grace Flandre either.

Though leaving the family register didn’t erase her surname, she no longer wanted to use it.

Thus, only her name remained.

To her smiling words, Amon replied dryly.

“Is that so?”

“You don’t seem surprised. Did you know?”

“If that’s how you introduced yourself, you must have your reasons.”

Though Selvia didn’t explain the situation separately, she felt he knew everything. However, it wasn’t the right timing to question everything.

“You seem quite curious about the temple. Enough to wander around alone.”

“Yes, I was curious. The Kingdom of Delpheron doesn’t preserve temples like this.”

Amon stared at Selvia with an unreadable gaze.

His green eyes, containing verdant hues, somehow made her conscience prick.

She even felt as if he could see right through her mind.

“Your body is quite damaged. Do you need my help?”

Amon must have imbued holy power in his voice as well, as her body trembled slightly.

It was clearly a rejection response to holy power.

‘Should I ask for help?’

She had heard that in the Empire, the relationship between the temple and the imperial family was quite friendly.

Information about her physical condition might go straight to Ratius.

Perhaps because of this thought, she couldn’t readily ask for help. The two stared at each other for a long while with neither making the first move to speak.

Then suddenly, Amon reached out and lightly touched Selvia’s chest area, causing blood to gush out.

“Cough.”

Selvia hurriedly covered her mouth with her hand, but red blood had already fallen to the floor.

Moreover, the priest’s robe she had borrowed from Belrocan was now ruined.

“I should go back. I’m not feeling well.”

Selvia wiped the blood from her mouth with the back of her hand, pulled her cloak over herself, and turned around.

“If you leave like that, things will become more difficult.”

If not for Amon’s words, she would have walked to where Belrocan was.

‘This person already knows.’

Perhaps trying to deceive the High Priest was the wrong choice from the start.

Selvia closed her eyes tightly before composing her expression.

“Do you know about my condition?”

“I am one who interprets prophecies and hears the voice of god. There is nothing I don’t know.”

Amon smiled gently and removed his robe.

He placed the white cloth over Selvia’s ruined priest’s robe.

“This way, it won’t look strange.”

“I think this itself looks strange though.”

“It doesn’t matter. I am the highest authority here after all.”

Selvia finally took his outstretched hand.

The place Amon led her to was the High Priest’s office.

“Please sit for a moment.”

“I don’t have much time.”

Selvia glanced at the clock and removed Amon’s robe from her shoulders, placing it on the sofa.

“It won’t take long. However, you may need to come often. It would be good to build up resistance to holy power.”

“It’s difficult to frequent the temple. Though His Majesty has given permission, I can’t come and go often due to others’ gazes.”

“Then I shall come to you from now on.”

“Why?”

Selvia watched Amon while maintaining her guard.

Before coming to the temple, Selvia had planned to probe about those who wielded the power of god by meeting the High Priest.

However, seeing him actively offering to treat her made this whole series of events seem somewhat suspicious.

“There’s no need to be wary. I know who you are.”

“The child of prophecy. You said you know everything, High Priest.”

Selvia smiled slightly while carefully observing his every movement.

Amon took out a glass bottle containing liquid from a drawer and approached her.

“Take one drop daily with your tea.”

“What is this?”

“It’s something only found in the temple. Everyone calls it God’s tears. If you drink it, your rejection response to holy power will lessen.”

God’s tears?

It was a treatment she had never heard of before.

“To put it in commonly known terms, it’s holy water.”

“So holy water does exist.”

“It has been secretly preserved only in the Empire. We were told that its owner would appear even before the prophecy came down.”

Then it was essentially medicine made for her from the beginning.

Selvia put the bottle containing the transparent liquid inside her clothes.

Though she wasn’t sure if she should drink it, the priest didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.

“Why are you helping me?”

“You are the child of prophecy, aren’t you? And you were also born with darkness.”

Until now, Ratius had been the only one besides herself who believed in the existence of the ‘child of prophecy.’

But Amon truly knew about her as well. While Selvia was marveling, Amon smiled gently and asked.

“Didn’t you come to the temple looking for this?”

“No. But I did plan to ask for help regarding my body.”

However, if there wasn’t someone who could channel the power of god, even holy water would be just a temporary measure.

“Thank you.”

“There’s no need to thank me. I’m just following what God tells me to do.”

Amon continued to speak with his kind smile.

“Try to handle the power well. There’s still some time left before the prophecy is fulfilled, so you must endure.”

“I’m trying.”

For her to drive away the darkness as planned when the day of prophecy came, her body’s condition was important.

It would be nice if someone appeared who could keep her from dying before then, but Selvia tried not to have high expectations.

“I should go now as it’s time. If I’m late, it might raise strange suspicions.”

Amon nodded slightly.

“Still, it would be better if you changed into different clothes than those.”

He provided her with spare priest’s robes.

Selvia immediately removed the blood-stained clothes and changed into the new ones.

“I’ll take care of these, so don’t worry and go.”

“……Thank you. Then I’ll be going.”

Selvia immediately left his room while pulling her cloak over herself.

‘Though unexpected, it wasn’t without gain.’

She now knew the location of the prophecy room, and having met the High Priest, she thought she could get more of what she wanted next time as she walked away.

* * *

Fortunately, she wasn’t late for her appointed time with Belrocan.

She arrived at the palace without incident, riding in the carriage with him.

“Thank you. I look forward to your help next time as well.”

Selvia removed the priest’s robe and handed it to Belrocan.

“Just let me know anytime.”

Belrocan received the robe and immediately walked away.

“Lady Selvia, I will guide you to your room.”

As soon as Belrocan disappeared, a maid immediately greeted Selvia and helped guide her to her room.

Selvia finished bathing in the warm water prepared by the maid and was left alone in her room.

She took out the glass bottle from inside her clothes.

‘I wonder if it’s really safe to drink?’

The existence of holy water she had directly encountered felt unreal.

Because it was in a small bottle, it wasn’t enough to take for a long time.

Seeing that she was told to take one drop daily, it seemed the holy power was concentrated.

After contemplating the treatment placed on the table for a while, she pulled the bell rope.

“Did you call?”

“Please bring some warm tea.”

Mellin immediately bowed her head and left the room.

Knock knock knock.

“Come in.”

Selvia stared intently at the bottle without looking at whoever was entering through the door.

Though taking one drop wasn’t difficult, she had been contemplating for so long that her throat felt dry.

“I heard you ordered tea.”

“Your Majesty?”

Surprised by Ratius’s sudden appearance, Selvia quickly hid the glass bottle in her clothes and raised her head.