The family finished their meal amidst warm concerns and consolation.

Richard brought a maid to help clear the table and brought out a teapot and teacups.

“Richard, thank you.”

“Don’t mention it. Please have a good time.”

Clang-!

The door closed, leaving only members of the Clark family in the dining room.

“Are you uncomfortable anywhere?”

“Is your head hurting or anything like that?”

Everyone seemed incredulous that she had woken up without any aftereffects.

‘Of course, I don’t know what happened either.’

Ever since she was trapped in the world of the novel, she had survived by all means necessary. However, relatively recently, she had lost her mana, causing her will to waver.

But after facing death, which she feared the most, perhaps the mental strength she had barely held onto crumbled, causing her to unconsciously flee.

‘Come to think of it, I haven’t had any conversation with Leopold about that.’

Yes, he was out of sorts. She made her feelings known and was so immersed in that moist feeling that she didn’t even think about hearing what had happened.

Their gestures and lips, as they quickly confirmed each other’s hearts. suddenly came to mind. Heat surged in her face all of a sudden.

“Your Majesty, your complexion doesn’t look good all of a sudden.”

Rodney, who was sitting beside her, leaned in.

“Excuse me for a moment.”

Since he hadn’t brought a thermometer, he placed his hand on her forehead. Fortunately, he didn’t feel anything resembling a fever.

“It’s, it’s okay, brother. But how is Diaton?”

“Yeah. We also want to hear that story.”

Ariel looked at Evan sitting across from her, awkwardly smiling. Marquis Louis and Marchioness Rose were also not well-informed about what happened at the hunt.

The fact that their daughter almost lost her life and fell into a coma was so cruel to them that they deliberately avoided hearing the details as it seemed difficult to cope with it soberly.

“You didn’t hear from His Majesty?”

“No. I didn’t even think to ask.”

“When I arrived, you were already hanging on the dais. The fire below was gradually getting bigger.”

“Oh my goodness!”

Marchioness Rose exclaimed in surprise, covering her mouth with her hand.

It was a situation more dangerous than she had imagined.

If Ariel had fallen when the dais caught fire. She might have suffered at least full-body burns, or even faced death without knowing it.

“On His Majesty’s orders, Hyle saved you. Duke Noah and I fought against demonic beasts, and His Majesty battled Diaton. It turns out that the legendary Swordmaster was Your Majesty’s mentor. I learned about it from Hyle.”

Evan smiled bitterly.

He thought he knew his little sister well. But that was entirely his misconception. How come she had never mentioned it even once?

He realized that Ariel had to endure all of it alone, reaching the level of Swordmaster and wandering after losing mana.

A surge of emotions overwhelmed him as he softened his voice.

“I couldn’t say…”

“Y-yes, I understand. You must have had circumstances that you couldn’t even tell your family about. I’m not blaming you for that.”

Evan faintly smiled, looking at Ariel’s bewildered face.

“When the battle with those beings reached its peak, a radiant light emanated from Liese Willington. Later I heard that the light was a holy power bestowed by Lumiere. Under that light, demonic beasts melted away and Diaton lost his life.”

So seeing a beam of light in the dark space wasn’t simply in her dream but something real.

Ariel’s eyes shook.

But the question remained.

“How did Liese Willington get there?”

“I heard later that she considered what you did to her in Norca as a debt. To repay that debt, she returned to the palace and then went back to the forest.”

“Liese Willington did something great.”

Marquis Louis, who had been silent until now, nodded his head.

“A saint. Liese is revered as a saint?”

“She hasn’t had her canonization yet. Due to the tremendous holy power bestowed upon Liese Willington, her healing and prayer response abilities are said to be unprecedented. Therefore, the Holy See has decided to canonize her as a saint. Your Majesty has recognized her contributions and has already approved it.”

Walter replied to Ariel’s question.

It was just a natural act of someone who’s repaying a debt.

As expected, it was very much like Liese Willington.

Of course, Ariel was also worried. She sometimes felt sorry for messing up Liese’s path by interfering with the awakening of her holy power. But fortunately, through this incident, she awakened.

“That’s good news.”

Ariel raised her teacup to her lips and took a sip of tea.

“There’s another good news.”

What news could it be? With anticipation, she gulped down her tea and gestured urgently towards Evan,urging him to speak quickly.

Walter, Rodney, and Marchioness Rose also seemed expectant in their eyes.

But only one person, Marquis Louis, sat calmly with a smile on his face as if he already knew.

“What news?”

“I didn’t tell everyone because Your Majesty hadn’t regained consciousness, but I’m planning to get married.”

It was a bombshell declaration.

“I-I-! You didn’t come home not because you were on duty but because you were dating someone?”

“Mother, Father. Your Majesty, excuse me for a moment. Brother! Hey! Isn’t this too much! When did you start doing such shameless things?”

Walter and Rodney reached out towards Evan and scolded him.

Surprised by the unexpected announcement, Ariel was also flustered.

‘Who is it? Everyone knows that he goes out with Leopold every night without fail. When did he start dating someone?’

Ariel watched their squabble, smiling with her mother sitting next to her. Her gaze lingered on Evan’s face.

He wore an awkward expression that didn’t suit him. It was the face of a man truly in love.

“You said you’d live alone until you died, but that was a big lie!”

“Was it just a dream? Have you chosen your partner? Who are you marrying? You’re not doing it alone, are you?”

Rodney approached Evan from behind and even hugged him by the neck.

Then Marquis Louis spoke up.

“The person who will become your sister-in-law is—.”

“Father, I’m sorry but I want to tell them myself.”

With a smile on his lips, as if saying he could do as he pleased, Louis nodded his head gently.

“Liese Willington.”

The moment she heard the name, Ariel’s eyes widened. Walter and Rodney also looked at Evan with disbelief as if they couldn’t believe it.

‘Could it be? Did the two see eye to eye after meeting in Norca?’

Was she someone that touched your heart so deeply to the point that you decided to marry when you met at that time?

She was so surprised that she couldn’t close her mouth.

“Ariel. Is that who you were talking about just now, is he saying that he’s going to marry that Liese Wellington?”

Marchioness Rose whispered softly in Ariel’s ear.

“Yes, Mom. It seems so.”

Our mother is cute like a little girl.

She must have been more surprised than me. Since she thought Evan would live as a bachelor.

Ariel replied with a smile.

But Walter still seemed incredulous as he questioned Evan.

“The person who will become a saint is going to give a congratulatory speech at the wedding?”

“No. Liese Wellington. I promised to marry her.”

Walter turned back to his chair, sliding into it like a wobbly mess.

“How did you manage to date amidst despite being so busy? It’s amazing.”

“You’ll understand when you’re in love.”

Evan replied to Walter with a disappointed expression.

“Congratulations, my eldest son.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you in advance. Since the Empress has awakened as well, I will soon go home to pay my respects.”

Evan approached Marchioness Rose and wrapped his arms around her shoulders.

***

At that moment, Liese Wellington was healing children in the slums.

Starting from the Pope, everyone in the Holy See tried to dissuade her, but she carried out what she had in mind.

“Where does it hurt?”

“Maybe I caught a cold, I have a fever and a sore throat.”

Liese brought her hand to the child’s throat. As she focused on the child’s pain, love and compassion for him welled up in her heart. The white light emanating from her hand seeped into the child’s throat.

“Oh, it doesn’t hurt anymore. Thank you, priest.”

Liese smiled as she looked into the child’s shining eyes.

“Thank goodness. You should stay healthy.”

“Yes!”

As she watched the child’s back trotting home, Liese’s brow suddenly furrowed.

‘But why does my ear feel ticklish? Who is talking about me somewhere?’

Furrowing her lips, Liese fidgeted with her ear.