“When did I ever abandon it? I came back, didn’t I? I’m working for the Alpha Empire as a saintess right now.”

Kim Hanna screamed in frustration, and from her appearance, she didn’t seem to feel any guilt about killing me in our previous life either. What kind of saintess was she? God must have had the same thought, which is why he transferred the holy power back to me.

“You don’t have to work for the Alpha Empire anymore.”

“What do you mean?”

“Because I became the real saintess.”

“Don’t talk nonsense.”

Diane seemed unaware that I had become the real saintess. Or maybe she knew but was pretending not to.

“Haven’t your holy powers been completely draining away lately? Mine have been filling back up.”

“…”

Since my words weren’t wrong, Diane said nothing at all. She hung her head, but it wasn’t in resignation. She was seething. She seemed furious that things weren’t going according to her plan.

Unable to contain her anger and breathing heavily, Diane suddenly picked up the sword that had fallen to the ground and charged at me.

“You just need to disappear.”

The sword aiming for my heart happened in an instant. I couldn’t stop her and had to take it. Terrified, I squeezed my eyes shut.

I thought it would be painful when my heart was pierced, but it wasn’t. Suddenly someone wrapped around me, and at the same time, a shallow groan came from Diane’s mouth.

What on earth had happened?

When I carefully opened my eyes, I opened them wide the moment I discovered someone I never expected. Theodore—he had embraced and protected me.

“Are you alright?”

“Ah, yes. I’m fine.”

I looked at Theodore with a puzzled expression. Why was he here? How did he know to come?

Reading my thoughts, Theodore spoke first before I could ask.

“I came to capture a criminal.”

“A criminal?”

Theodore’s gaze turned toward Diane. I belatedly realized that Diane and her subordinates had been subdued by the knights who came with Theodore.

“Weren’t you at war with the Beta Empire? Then why are the knights here…”

“The war ended anticlimactically. Monsters appeared all the way to the border regions, so we had to hastily call a ceasefire. We had to form an alliance to deal with the monsters together.”

According to Theodore, this is what happened.

While he was missing, the Alpha Empire and Beta Empire, which had been at war, called a ceasefire because they couldn’t withstand the indiscriminate attacks from monsters. And in the middle of that, the saintess’s role became important.

Originally, monsters only attacked the Alpha Empire, and other empires didn’t consider the existence of a saintess important because their lands were fertile and abundant. So when someone with holy power appeared, they would be taken to the Alpha Empire.

But now that even the Beta Empire was suffering damage from monsters, those who realized the importance of the saintess’s role tried to summon Diane.

However, in the meantime, she suddenly left, saying only that her destination was the Beta Empire. She used the excuse that she needed to purify her body to restore her holy power.

So some of the Alpha Empire’s knights received permission from the Beta Empire to search for the saintess, and it seems they met Theodore during that time.

After that, while searching for the saintess together, they followed witnesses who said they saw someone resembling her and discovered me and Diane. And after hearing our conversation, they realized I was the real saintess.

“Let’s go back. We need you. Please, I hope you’ll subdue the monsters.”

Theodore seemed to want me to resolve the current situation. It was right that I should handle it since it was God’s will, but I didn’t want to move according to his wishes.

“That’s…”

I was about to refuse when he spoke first.

“I’m sorry for all the actions I committed against you during this time. I’m deeply reflecting on them. I also apologize for not noticing that the money that should have been paid to you was embezzled along the way. Everything was my oversight.”

“I don’t understand what you’re saying.”

“The imperial family provided a large budget for the saintess. But the money that reached your hands was very little. I found out after you left. I’m sorry for not paying attention to you.”

“What do you mean… How much did you provide per year?”

“1,000 gold.”

“What?”

It was an amount I never expected, so I was so surprised my mouth fell open. It was money I had never seen during my stay at the imperial palace. Then where did all that money go?

“Who embezzled it?”

“According to our investigation, Diane—she intercepted it.”

“Then when you called her a criminal earlier…”

“Yes, she committed embezzlement. We caught the person who diverted the money and got a confession. We recovered almost all of the money too.”

“Th-that’s fortunate.”

I answered halfheartedly since it had nothing to do with me anymore. But my true feelings weren’t that.

I thought I had worked without compensation all this time, but that money went to Diane? How miserably did she plan to make me?

Not knowing this, I had demanded payment, so from Theodore’s perspective, it must have been outrageous. What kind of mess was this because of Diane?

“I’ll return that money to you in full.”

“You don’t need to. I’m not a person of the Alpha Empire anymore.”

It was a temptingly large sum, but I had no intention of accepting it. My desire not to be involved with the Alpha Empire anymore was stronger.

“You should receive compensation for your efforts.”

“I don’t want to be involved with the Alpha Empire anymore.”

“I suppose that’s understandable. What Diane did to you wasn’t just that one thing.”

“What else?”

She knew about the crimes she committed, but I pretended not to know and asked.

“You were kidnapped, weren’t you? Your blood was on the cliff.”

“Ah… that’s right.”

“We caught those guys and got confessions. They said Diane tried to kill you. We had a collaborator, so there was no difficulty finding them.”

“A collaborator?”

“A madam who worked at a brothel.”

I immediately knew which brothel Theodore was talking about. He also spoke in an indifferent tone, pretending not to know while knowing.

Had the madam handed over those guys for my sake?

I knew the madam had sold those guys who tried to sell me out instead. But to think she would set them up as witnesses.

At that moment, I remembered her words when we said our final goodbye. She told me to drop by comfortably anytime.

I felt something hot rising in my chest. Why did she approach me like this when I needed it, when she usually drew a certain line?

I thought it was a lonely life, but why… My heart felt warm and fuzzy. Tears welled up, but the moment I heard Theodore’s voice, the tears disappeared.

“I never thought Diane would commit attempted murder. And this time she actually tried to kill you… I was too indifferent. I’m sorry.”

I expected Theodore not to care whether I lived or died and naturally maintain an arrogant and haughty attitude. But he didn’t. He looked troubled, like he was wounded. It was an expression I had never seen before.

Since he only showed fake smiles or arrogant expressions looking down on others, such a him felt unfamiliar, but I could also sense his humanity.

Could it be that he was emotionally hurt because of me? That couldn’t be.

“I was afraid when I thought you might die.”

But the moment I heard his words, they felt sincere. Even though I knew they weren’t, my heart weakened.

“So I regretted it. I should have gotten closer to you. I should have looked at you properly, not just as a tool.”

Why did he keep saying things that shook me? I didn’t want to hear lies. I covered my ears with both hands, but his voice came through so clearly.

“All the conversations I had with you were real. I had to live with dignity as the crown prince, so I lived without any emotions. The reason I could be honest with my feelings was thanks to you.”

“Don’t lie. You knew my identity and deceived me—I’ll never believe your words!”

“I didn’t intend to deceive you from the beginning.”

“Then what? Did you come looking for me knowing I was staying at a brothel?”

“Half right, half wrong.”