Volume III
Chapter 6. Cracks for Happiness (1)
“What? Such letters were sent?”
“Yes, that’s why I came.”
The Saintess placed the three letters she received on the table.
Seeing them, Adelia smiled brightly.
While it made sense for the Emperor and Lucian who knew the Saintess was fake, even the Prince sending such a rude letter was truly befitting of the imperial family.
The Saintess pressed her forehead with a headache whenever she saw them.
“I’ve been tense since morning because of these.”
“Why? Nothing bad will happen to my condition. Did you bring the letters yourself?”
“No, I had a servant bring them.”
“Then why?”
“They’re the imperial family.”
The Saintess spoke as if it were obvious.
The imperial family was naturally an object of fear. The transmigrator Saintess thought no differently.
Those she saw in the original work showed no mercy to anyone outside their family. Tyrants who considered human lives as trivial as flies’ and would behead people for small mistakes. Ruffians who would do anything for their beloved princess.
While they were wonderful father and brothers in the original work, in reality, they were fear itself.
The Saintess wrapped her arms around herself, shuddering.
“I’m not even a real saintess, and I can’t handle that power. One flick of their hand and I’ll bid farewell to this world.”
“Why are you treating the imperial family like monsters? They’re human too. They have at least some final human conscience.”
“Huh? I’m amazed you can say that after seeing the original work. Are you desensitized from seeing them daily? Aren’t you scared?”
The Saintess was genuinely curious. Though it had been a short time, the Adelia she saw was confident and unintimidated before them, not afraid to meet their eyes.
The Saintess, who trembled and dripped cold sweat whenever she stood before the imperial family, found it fascinating how Adelia could express opinions confidently without tension.
“Is there any reason to be scared?”
“Many. Everyone’s scared.”
“That’s because they’re all ordinary humans. I’m a white mage. White mages don’t die so easily.”
The source of Adelia’s confidence was white magic. Taking it to the extreme, she thought there was nothing she couldn’t do if she couldn’t die.
Of course, if the imperial family truly tried to kill Adelia, it would be very troublesome, but she was also confident that wouldn’t happen.
The Saintess, listening to Adelia’s words, frowned and tilted her head askew.
“Even if they can’t kill you, they could still point swords at you. Swinging swords and torturing until near death is what the imperial family does best. And being scared is different. Even if you can’t die, you can still feel fear.”
“Maybe it’s because I’m confident they won’t try to kill me or even attempt it. I’ve never been very scared. Though the imperial family is cruel, they’re people who calculate gains and losses. How great would their loss be if they killed me.”
“You…… are really bold. I’m scared even with my status as a saintess.”
The Saintess glanced sideways at Adelia as if looking at a different being.
Publicly, killing the Saintess would have greater backlash than killing the Crown Princess and the Master of the Eileen Merchant Guild. Though in detail, losing Adelia would be a greater loss.
She knew they couldn’t easily kill her because the stigma of killing a saintess could cause unexpectedly large repercussions. But knowing something intellectually and not being physically afraid were different things.
Adelia couldn’t understand.
“Speaking of which, aren’t you too comfortable with me?”
“Huh?”
“Honestly, while the imperial family would need time to draw their swords to kill you, I could kill you with just a flick of my finger. Though I had no intention to kill you, I even threatened you.”
“Well…… that’s true.”
Though the imperial family was famous for being tyrants, they had never actually clashed with the Saintess. Though they sent threatening letters and pressured her to examine Adelia’s condition, they had never threatened her life.
It was just that seeing them instinctively triggered warning signals.
But Adelia was different. Though she had been threatened, no wariness arose.
“Just…… though I don’t know you well, it’s a feeling? First, we have our contract so you won’t kill me, and maybe it’s because we’re both transmigrators. It’s strangely comfortable?”
“Well…… your feeling is accurate.”
Adelia readily admitted it. Even if the Saintess became an obstacle to her goal, it would take much consideration before killing her.
Though they weren’t emotionally attached and hadn’t known each other long, just being fellow transmigrators was enough to feel a sense of kinship.
She was the only one who could share the confusion and pain of being a transmigrator. This was something no one else could replace. Not even the beloved princess could fill this void.
“The day I kill you would probably be…… if you suddenly turn evil and walk the opposite path from me. Unless it’s that serious, even I couldn’t easily kill you.”
“Since that won’t happen, I’ll live a long life.”
“Let’s hope so.”
Adelia and the Saintess smiled simultaneously with a chuckle.
At that moment, they both felt it. Though their first meeting had been sharp and misaligned, they could develop quite a good relationship.
Like friends, for instance.
Then suddenly the Saintess stopped moving. Her face showed she had remembered something forgotten.
“Why? Did you forget something?”
“Though I came here because of the threats, I actually brought refreshments because I had something to say.”
“What is it? Tell me.”
Adelia casually nodded her chin as if saying to say anything.
The Saintess closed her mouth tightly and raised her head resolutely.
Her eyes, like crushed grapes, stared at Adelia.
“Do you really want to keep the original work?”
“What are you saying? I told you. I want the happy ending of the original work. That’s my life’s goal.”
When the Saintess showed a serious expression, Adelia also spoke only truth.
She looked at the Saintess with unwavering, determined eyes.
She could be seen biting her lower lip, contemplating her next words.
“Just say it.”
“Alright…… don’t misunderstand. From what I’ve seen, they’re already caught.”
“What?”
“The Emperor, the Crown Prince, and the Prince. I think they’re already caught by you.”
At the Saintess’s words, Adelia wrinkled her face. Caught? Though she understood the meaning of those words, she denied it once.
“Let’s say that’s true for the Emperor and Prince. There’s nothing wrong with being close to them. But not the Crown Prince. Even after divorce, he’ll be an ex-husband. Though the Western Continent is open enough that people openly keep mistresses, don’t you think it’s unusual to be close with an ex-husband?”
“What are you talking about?”
“If you’ve read the original work, you must have read many other novels too. It’s such a common cliché. Contract marriage becoming a real marriage. How many works like that are there?”
Adelia flinched at the Saintess’s words.
Having encountered many novels before discovering the original work, she had read many romance novels. And contract marriage was a trending topic before she died. Stories where contract marriages became real were especially everywhere.
Adelia shook her head.
“The situation is different. Usually, people marry for their ultimate goal, but for me it’s just one step in the process. For my ultimate goal, I need to leave this place.”
“That’s not all. The way they treat you! How is that a contract and acting? And is the Crown Prince the type to ask for acting help in the first place? He probably pointed his sword first, telling you not to talk nonsense.”
“He’s helping because there’s a cooperation clause in the contract. I’m properly giving compensation too.”
Adelia couldn’t agree with any of the Saintess’s opinions.
If they were really caught by her. If Lucian had really fallen in love with her…
That was the worst scenario Adelia could think of.
“And the most decisive thing. The way the Crown Prince looks at you.”
“What about it?”
“Honey drips from it. My ten years of romance novel experience tells me. He likes you but hasn’t realized it yet. I’m certain.”
The Saintess crossed her arms and nodded slowly.
It was an intuition carried over from her previous life as a romance novel enthusiast. Even though she was living and breathing here, the fact that this was still a novel world made her feel her intuition wouldn’t be wrong.
Though Adelia’s point about the situation being different had merit, clichés didn’t exist for no reason. Wouldn’t something become a cliché because it happens often?
The Saintess also had anxiety about the future that would change as the original work deviated.
Adelia quietly clenched both fists resting on her knees. She calmly refuted point by point.
“That’s impossible. A Crown Prince in love? You know too. The Crown Prince had no one he loved until the end.”
“That was the story when you weren’t there. You never know. No, I see the possibility.”
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Usurpadora
Santa inteligente KKKKKKKKK achei que as rachaduras para a felicidade seria a crítica do povo sobre ela não poder ter filhos, mas era sobre a paixão do príncipe por ela.