He naturally placed Adelia’s hand back on his arm. While Adelia stared at his face with a bewildered expression, he bent slightly and whispered in her ear.

“I’m worried about letting you go alone.”

“What are you worried about? Do I look like someone who would lose?”

“That’s not it…… You might find use for me if you take me along.”

Lucian looked at her with pitiful eyes. It was a gaze like an abandoned cat begging not to be left behind.

For a grown man to plead like that…

‘I like it too much.’

Lucian’s face was impossible to resist no matter what. Adelia nodded. As soon as he received permission, Lucian straightened his back.

The slightly raised corners of his mouth dropped cold again when he looked at the Saintess.

“Follow me.”

It wasn’t the gentle voice he used when whispering to Adelia. It was the stiff and cold voice of the Crown Prince everyone knew well.

The atmosphere became so cold that one of the High Priests standing behind gasped in surprise and hiccupped. It was pitiful to see him covering his mouth to swallow the sound.

Lucian and Adelia descended the platform arm in arm, leading the way like an affectionate couple. The Saintess watched them with a sour expression as they bickered like a real married couple.

As soon as the Saintess stepped down from the platform, her feet seemed frozen in place as she only turned her gaze around.

“Shall we go, Saintess?”

“Ah, yes… we should……”

The Saintess couldn’t hide her disgruntled expression. Though Adelia explained things on the way to the prepared quarters, nothing registered. Her gaze remained fixed on Adelia and Lucian’s intimate proximity.

* * *

“Is this place to your liking?”

“It’s more than excellent. I can feel the sincerity put into it.”

“The reception room is this way. Please receive guests here.”

Throughout the palace tour, Adelia and the Saintess maintained natural conversation while laughing together. The two walking down the long corridor with clicking heels appeared peaceful without any major or minor issues.

However, Adelia remained on edge with every word spoken. She forced her lips into a smile and curved her eyes until they cramped, feigning kindness.

Adelia led the delegation to the reception room. Six members of the delegation entered, excluding the Holy Knights who went to patrol for security and the elderly High Priests who had lost their strength.

As soon as the Saintess entered the reception room, she looked around with wide eyes.

Though the reception room appeared similar to those in the Holy Kingdom at first glance, closer inspection revealed complete differences. Unlike the Holy Kingdom’s handcrafted items with their rustic feel, everything here from the center table to the rugs on the floor was of the highest quality.

“What a pretty place.”

“Isn’t it? Let’s sit over here.”

When Adelia sat down first, Lucian took the seat beside her.

As Lucian pulled his chair closer to Adelia’s side, the distance of two finger-widths between them shortened to less than one.

Seeing this, the Saintess’s eyelashes trembled slightly. She smiled and sat across from them.

“Please, sit here.”

“No, Saintess. How could we share a table with you?”

“Indeed. It’s honor enough just to stand behind the Saintess.”

When the Saintess offered seats to the High Priests standing behind her, they declined while waving both hands. Instead, they shot sharp glares at Adelia and Lucian sitting with the Saintess. More precisely, they only glared at Adelia, too afraid of Lucian.

Adelia didn’t avoid their gazes and smiled back deliberately. Beside her, Lucian crossed his arms and legs, leaning back on the sofa in an arrogant pose as if threatening them.

More angry wrinkles appeared on the High Priests’ faces.

“Bring us tea. Do you have any preferences?”

“Anything is fine as long as it’s not too strongly scented. Strong scents tend to cloud one’s mind.”

“That’s such a Saintess-like answer.”

Adelia called over a maid standing in the corner with a bright smile. When she ordered the prepared refreshments to be brought out, the maid bowed quickly and moved swiftly.

Food suitable for Holy Kingdom etiquette had already been prepared.

While the maid brought tea, formal conversations were exchanged in the room.

“Was your journey comfortable?”

“It was quite far. A bit uncomfortable, but not too difficult.”

“I’m glad you’ll be able to attend the evening banquet.”

“It’s still lunchtime. There’s plenty of time to rest from the journey.”

The Saintess and Adelia exchanged conversation with faint smiles. Their dialogue using fake smiles could hardly look comfortable.

However, compared to the expressionless High Priests standing and Lucian sitting crookedly, their conversation appeared relatively at ease.

‘I need to be alone with the Saintess to confirm she’s a transmigrator and talk to her.’

While conversing, Adelia pondered how to dismiss the High Priests.

To threaten the Saintess, she needed to send away not only the High Priests but also Lucian. She considered using magic to deceive their eyes for conversation but gave up since she couldn’t drag it out long and there were too many people nearby.

While she was lost in thought, the Saintess watched Lucian and Adelia with a strange expression. Sitting shoulder to shoulder, they looked exactly like newlyweds.

Not just their appearance, but the way they looked at each other was unusual. Their blue and red eyes gazed as if they’re looking at something precious and valuable.

Soon, the maids brought tea and a parade of elaborate desserts entered. From colorful macarons to cake slices, chocolate muffins, and fruit tarts. All of Eileen Patisserie’s signature items were present.

“Everything looks so delicious.”

“Please try some. They taste as good as they look.”

The Saintess’s eyes widened at the food. It was her first genuine expression since arriving.

Though the Eileen Merchant Guild had spread throughout the continent, its influence hadn’t reached the Holy Kingdom. The Saintess secretly swallowed her saliva at the sight of foods she’d never seen before in this world.

Just as the Saintess picked up a fork and was about to pierce the most appetizing-looking fruit tart,

Suddenly, a large hand thrust between the Saintess and the table.

“Saintess. How could you eat food that hasn’t been tested for poison? As I’ve said many times, you must be careful about everything you wear and eat when outside.”

It was the High Priest standing right behind the Saintess.

With a sturdy build more like a Holy Knight than a priest, he was the Head Priest of the temple where the Saintess received her revelation, and became a High Priest when she appeared.

Perhaps because of this, his loyalty to the Saintess was extraordinary.

As the Saintess put down her fork, the High Priest withdrew his hand with a satisfied expression.

“Is the High Priest suggesting that the imperial palace would tamper with the Saintess’s food?”

A rigid voice filled the room. It was Adelia, not Lucian, who took issue with the High Priest’s words.

Her upturned lips that had been curved into a smile until now stretched into a horizontal line. When her smile disappeared, Adelia’s atmosphere changed completely as if she were a different person.

The High Priest visibly panicked at her pointed words.

“What? No, it’s just that poison testing is a basic procedure when outside……”

“To mention poison testing in the imperial palace of all places. The High Priest seems to take the imperial palace lightly.”

“Your Highness!”

“You know well who I am. Are you suggesting we wouldn’t conduct such basic tests on food eaten by the Empire’s Crown Prince and Crown Princess? I see now how lightly the Holy Kingdom has regarded our Empire.”

When Adelia lowered her voice, the High Priest flinched. He could only move his lips without properly speaking.

No matter how much she lowered her voice and maintained a solemn expression, she didn’t look intimidating. Rather, Lucian sitting silently with his mouth closed looked more menacing.

However, the dignity and nobility emanating from Adelia made it difficult to get angry at will.

The High Priest could do nothing but bow his head deeply.

“I apologize.”

“I accept your apology. Be more careful in the future.”

Adelia accepted the apology while picking up her tea. As if she had never been angry in the first place.

The tense atmosphere dissipated and formal conversations resumed. Whether or not the food was to their taste, how the decorations were, what they planned to do, if they needed anything.

Though the Saintess’s voice trembled in fear occasionally, Adelia didn’t particularly react.

‘I’d be scared too if there was a tiger sitting across from me.’

Leaning arrogantly on the sofa with his legs crossed, Lucian gave off a dangerous aura like a massive tiger sitting there. Who wouldn’t be afraid of such a sight? Moreover, that tiger’s gaze was fixed on the Saintess.

The Saintess flinched every time his red gaze fell on her.

“Are you uncomfortable somewhere?”

“Ah, no. It’s just a bit cold.”

“My, how strange when there isn’t even cooling magic here. Perhaps you’re tired from the long journey?”

Adelia placed a hand on her cheek and tilted her head slightly.

She created a worried expression by furrowing her brows to narrow the space between them and lowering the corners of her eye.

It was time to end the meaningless conversation and get to the main point.