I. The Return of the Empire’s Saintess

How long does it take to fall in love?

It usually takes a surprisingly long time to discover one person among many and develop deepening feelings, but for Estelle, it took only 1 second.

She swears to God it might have been even shorter than that. The moment he walked in is still vivid before her eyes.

His brilliant hair, infused with sunlight, blurred her vision, and the smile on the man’s lips was so sweet that Estelle’s limbs tingled with excitement.

On the day she first visited the imperial palace with her father, Count Merlin, she fell in love at first sight with the man she met by chance. She collected every newspaper article featuring him and attended every party he might attend—she lived most of her life obsessed with him.

Whenever his fiery eyes turned toward her, Estelle felt her entire body captured, as if her very soul was bound to him.

Lexion de Herais. As someone wielding holy power, he was one of the Empire’s guardians and Estelle’s first love.

‘Ah, Goddess Verdisi! If loving him is my destiny, I’ll gladly accept it……!’

Estelle grew up as the only daughter of the Arcis family, educated in noble etiquette. Even when their fortunes declined and they were scorned by other nobles, she maintained her straight posture and cultivated demeanor, determined not to abandon the noble lady’s principles she had learned in childhood.

Estelle, the lady of ladies. Estelle, whose innate elegance emanated not only in her attitude but also in her appearance. Amethyst eyes and silver hair with opal radiance. Estelle, who maintained noble dignity despite not receiving a broad education.

Yet her pride collapsed miserably before Lexion. She became as ugly as the size of her love for him was great.

‘What is love, really……’

Estelle smiled with self-mockery as she watched from afar the man she once loved so deeply.

“Ah… His Highness the Crown Prince…!”

Someone gasped in admiration. The already bustling square became even more clamorous with Lexion’s appearance.

People’s eyes sparkled as they watched the man riding at the front with dozens of attendants. Like a fairy tale protagonist, he received affection from women and admiration from men.

He still radiated a whiteness brighter than the white horse he rode. His spotless white uniform, gold epaulettes, and the lion emblem symbolizing the imperial family made him appear even more dignified.

As if under a powerful spell from Lexion’s gaze, women who received his glance invariably uttered brief exclamations and lost their composure. Watching this, Estelle’s purple eyes sank deeply.

‘I was no different from them.’

Anyone whose gaze intertwined with his couldn’t help but love him. She too had certainly loved him. That was unchangeable, but her expression, recalling the past etched in her mind, was utterly cold.

‘After chasing after him with our meager resources, we were on the verge of bankruptcy……’

The Arcis family was a house with only honor remaining. In the past, when they were vassals to a duke, they had enjoyed a prosperous life, but now they were surviving on the salary from the imperial palace for their family of three, and with all their relatives in similar situations, they had nowhere to turn for support.

The current head of the Arcis family, Count Merlin, had poured all his money into the magic stone industry as a last attempt to revive the family.

After his businesses failed spectacularly one after another, Count Merlin, who could barely afford even bread crumbs, abandoned hope and now lived a modest life, grateful for small blessings.

Looking closely, one could see how much Count Merlin cherished Estelle. The fact that he supported her childish love affair despite her not being the firstborn son to inherit the family name showed a father’s love.

“Miss……!”

Laura, the maid beside Estelle, let out a groan-like exclamation as if she had just noticed Lexion. However, Estelle’s purple eyes were directed not at Lexion but at Laura’s profile.

Laura was a person she was grateful for, as she remained with the family despite receiving a low salary. She was also a pitiful person who single-handedly took on all the roles in the Arcis household—butler, housekeeper, cook, tutor, and more. Since the prestige of the family was also the prestige of its servants, Estelle felt grateful to Laura for staying by their side until the end instead of going elsewhere.

“It’s His Highness the Crown Prince!”

Making a fuss and whispering, Laura’s face was more flushed than the person concerned. Estelle’s gaze turned back to Lexion, who was riding his horse in the distance.

“So it is.”

Was it imprinted on her? Seeing his bright smile, her heart raced as if it had malfunctioned.

‘Damn it, Estelle Arcis! Get a grip! Even after going through all that……’

Estelle sighed deeply and pressed firmly on her heart that seemed to have gone mad.

“My goodness, he’s so handsome……”

Whether influenced by her mistress or not, Laura was busy following Lexion’s profile with enchanted eyes. However, Estelle observed the changes he caused as he passed by.

As always, a market vendor selling fruit was busy picking up peaches that fell as the crowd pushed against him. A gentleman nearby dropped his hat, and a noblewoman in front covered her reddened face with a fan.

It was a scene so identical it was boring, and so exasperating it reminded her of her reality.

“Oh my… He looked over here! He must have seen you, Miss!”

Laura tugged at Estelle’s sleeve, not knowing what to do, as Lexion’s gaze seemed to turn in their direction. It was truly rude, but since they were no longer a family with enough noble pride to point out etiquette, Estelle did not reproach Laura’s actions.

Her principle that one should maintain dignified composure and the hierarchy of servants even when living in poverty had long been thrown into the dreadful underground dungeon.

“Ah! I’m sorry, Miss! I got too excited in my urgency……”

Laura, who had been collecting Lexion’s discarded trash, apologized for her mistake, thinking that this chance encounter was a blessing from God, without considering her proud mistress’s mood.

“He wasn’t looking at me.”

Estelle corrected Laura’s misunderstanding in an indifferent voice.

“It’s just a meaningless coincidence.”

The days of attributing meaning to his every little action were long gone, and Estelle had awakened from her dream long ago. There was no meaning in Lexion’s gaze. He was a man who couldn’t even properly remember her name until their wedding day.

With indignation, Estelle bit her lower lip. Her trampled and tattered self-esteem was rekindled.

‘Bastard……’

Lexion had merely glanced at the people cheering for him as one might look at a pebble on the road, and there was no intention in it. Even now, he was probably just looking at the fountain next to her. The fountain modeled after the Goddess Verdisi was the most famous and eye-catching sculpture in the square.

He might even be thinking about dipping his feet in the refreshing streams of water, throwing aside his dignity. Estelle turned and called Laura.

“Aren’t you coming? We’ll be late.”

“Pardon……?”

Since it was the first time Estelle had left before Lexion, Laura looked puzzled.

“His Highness… is staring intently at you!”

“No, he’s not! Let’s go, my legs hurt.”

Since her family couldn’t afford to hire a carriage for trivial matters, Estelle urged Laura while bouncing one foot. Seeming reluctant, Laura hesitated, repeatedly glancing toward Lexion before moving toward Estelle.

“Miss… Are you feeling unwell somewhere?”

Laura, suspicious of her mistress’s strange state since morning, asked with a worried look. Her mistress had not only ordered to throw away the Crown Prince’s collectibles she had cherished all this time but had also been furrowing her brow all day as if there was an unpleasant smell under her nose. Laura’s expression became serious as she noticed that Estelle’s furrowed brow hadn’t relaxed even after seeing the Crown Prince she had so adored.

‘She should be humming with happiness, shouldn’t she…?’

When Estelle didn’t answer, Laura suddenly recalled the headlines of the newspapers she had seen that morning.

「Who is she who monopolizes the Empire’s love?」

「Exclusive coverage of the Guardian’s secret woman!」

Most articles were like this.

Articles exposing the Crown Prince’s hidden lover were reported daily without confirming their truth. Thinking it was Estelle’s usual tantrum whenever a scandal broke, Laura had preciously kept his collectibles that she had difficulty gathering, in case Estelle would look for them again.

“Don’t worry too much! Newspapers always like to make up stories. Tomorrow there will be another article saying it was false reporting. Why, even Miss Maria’s incident turned out to be a staged act last time.”

“……”

Upon hearing the name ‘Maria,’ Estelle’s face darkened. The image of Lexion rolling around n*ked with her came to mind. Followed by her own action of grabbing Maria’s hair.

“How about visiting the hospital? If you take a sedative, your head might hurt less……”

“No… I’m fine.”

Estelle shook her head as if it was dreadful and hastened her steps. After passing through the wide boulevard where carriages traveled, they entered a narrow alley and arrived in front of a shabby dress shop.

“I’ll follow your wishes, Miss, but why here of all places when there are better places next door……”

The dress shop alley where they stood was a place frequented by high-class prostitutes. Laura muttered, bewildered by Estelle’s insistence on dressing like a courtesan for the important founding ceremony ball.

“It’s cheap.”

Estelle opened the door, unconcerned. This dress shop would gain fame after the Emperor’s mistress wore one of their dresses, and it was a bargain to use it at such a low price.

Clothes are not something that completely transform a person but are merely wings. Since it’s the wearer who determines whether something becomes a luxury item or not, Estelle thought it better than purchasing expensive clothes that didn’t match her means.

Starting with this ball, dresses that revealed the shoulders and followed the body’s lines were becoming fashionable, rather than those that choked the neck.

“Welcome!”

At the tinkling bell sound, the dress shop owner, who appeared to be in her early forties, offered a formal greeting but then widened her eyes upon seeing Estelle. She was a customer different from her usual clientele here. The customer wearing a simple everyday dress embroidered with wildflowers was clearly a refined young lady whose very walk overflowed with dignity.

“Is there something you’re looking for……?”

Since the main customers were prostitutes, the dress shop owner wore an embarrassed expression even as she spoke.

“I was thinking of getting a dress for Miss to wear to the founding ceremony ball……”

“This one will do with some alterations.”

After briefly scanning the display, Estel cut off Laura’s words and pulled out a white dress.

“I’ll take this one.”

Laura was startled by Estel’s perfunctory action that showed no sincerity and tried to dissuade her.

“Miss! It’s the founding ceremony!”

Rumors were rampant that the Emperor would choose the Crown Prince’s bride at this founding ceremony. It was a grand ball where potential Crown Princess candidates for ‘him,’ Lexion de Herais, would be scouted, and since it was more talked about than any marriage market, all unmarried women were eagerly preparing with fire in their eyes.

When even careful consideration wouldn’t be enough, Estel’s face showed she just wanted to finish quickly and go home to rest.

“Look, it suits me well.”

From Laura’s perspective, it seemed like Estel had rushed through the selection like picking a snack at the market, but in truth, Estel had already experienced wearing all the dresses here.

Estel’s long, flowing silver hair fluttered along with the dress she was holding. The dress, which might have looked plain, gave off a bright impression, perhaps thanks to Estel’s outstanding appearance. As if feeling that it wouldn’t be bad as she said, Laura couldn’t argue and just opened and closed her mouth.

“My goodness! Your skin is so fair that the color suits you perfectly!”

The dress shop owner let out an admiring sigh. The moment it touched Estel, the monotonous dress completely transformed in atmosphere.

The dress Estel chose was an evening dress closer to a chemise with a straight silhouette rather than a crinoline design that puffed out the skirt, but perhaps because of that, there was something about it that focused attention on the face.

“Do you have separate accessories?”

Remembering that she had sold her sapphire necklace, which she had kept as her last emergency fund, to attend a tea party, Estel shook her head.

It was a party hosted by a noblewoman who had been the Crown Prince’s nanny, and to get an invitation, most of Count Merlin’s monthly salary had been invested, forcing the family to subsist on thin soup with only mushrooms for a while.

The event, which she attended wearing borrowed high-end attire beyond her means, was like sitting on a bed of thorns. Despite receiving contempt and ridicule from nobles who looked down on the daughter of a count’s family that was no different from fallen nobility, Estel steadfastly remained, but Lexion never showed up.

Shocked by that day, Estel suffered a wound to her heart and spent four days locked in her room, shedding tears. She had endured the vitriol with a composed face throughout the tea party, but for an eighteen-year-old girl who had awkwardly entered society without a chaperone, the noblewomen’s barbed tongues were enough to leave scratches on her tender heart.

“Then, how about adding beads around the neckline? It would eliminate the plainness and make your appearance shine even more.”

“Please do that.”

“And if we add chiffon to the hem of the skirt, it would give an elegant feeling……”

The dress shop owner seemed to be overflowing with inspiration and asked for opinions on various other things, to which Estel just nodded indifferently.

Her creation would catch more eyes than any dress at the founding ceremony, but its style wouldn’t lead the fashion. Regardless of its excellent design, she didn’t have enough influence to move society. Later, it would be the Emperor’s mistress who would lead the fashion.

“I’ll send it to the Count’s residence on that day. I’ll do my best to make it, so you can look forward to it! With your beauty, Miss, you’d be the star in any outfit. Hoho!”

The dress shop owner, pleased to have found a dignified clothes hanger, even halved the price of shoes that matched the dress.

“We should look at two more places before deciding……”

Having left the dress shop, Laura spoke in a gloomy voice, seemingly disappointed by Estel’s hasty decision.

“The dress doesn’t matter that day anyway.”

Estel bit her lip habitually with a confident look in her eyes. Soon, an event that would turn the Empire upside down would occur, and if she didn’t succeed, she would have to turn back time again……

Anxiety seemed to be gnawing at her soul.

* * *