Just as the man was pushing back his brownish-gray hair and not hiding his sneer, someone who had been waiting outside suddenly entered the room and called the man’s name.

“James.”

“Ah! Sir Knox. Have you been waiting long?”

The man called James welcomed Knox warmly. Knox shook his head slightly and sat in the seat James offered.

“You must have wanted to rest after just returning, so I’m sorry for suddenly requesting a meeting. I had something I needed to ask.”

James sat across from Knox, pouring water into a cup as he spoke. Knox nodded, indicating his willingness to listen. James immediately asked.

“Is His Highness extremely interested in the princess of Sedas?”

“……You’ve already seen it. Though he didn’t say anything, he was concerned about her throughout the journey.”

“Oh my…… tsk.”

At Knox’s answer, James clicked his tongue and frowned. What his lord had done immediately upon returning greatly perplexed James, who had been by Roshan’s side for a long time.

‘Tell His Majesty. That the princess of Sedas is cursed.’

Roshan, who had a secret meeting with High Priest Sinax through James, abruptly threatened him. He ordered him to spread a false rumor of a curse about the princess who had been brought as a war trophy and was already destined to be pushed into the emperor’s bedroom. And to confine her in a tower within the imperial palace under the pretext of breaking the curse.

‘What? Your Highness. I am the high priest who conveys the words of the goddess. I cannot lie…… especially not to His Majesty the Emperor.’

‘High Priest. Do you remember what you did in Luken during your days as a candidate?’

Of course, the high priest initially refused. But Roshan already knew too many of the high priest’s weaknesses. Eventually, after presenting a few of these weaknesses, the high priest, though red-faced, rushed to the emperor. And as Roshan intended, he frightened the emperor by saying a curse had fallen on the princess.

“As soon as he returns, he gives such strange orders.”

“……”

“If he continues like this, it will be troublesome……”

James stroked his chin, thinking of the princess who would have been dragged to the tower by now. Seeing the cruelty glimpsed in the black pupils behind the glasses, Knox spoke.

“James. I highly value both your goals and your loyalty. But crossing the line is problematic.”

“……”

“His Highness allows you to do whatever you want because he doesn’t care about the outcome. But the princess’s matter is different from before. If you make a mistake, you could lose your life by His Highness’s hand.”

“Is it that serious?”

James pretended to be surprised. However, his exaggerated attitude was full of lightness, making Knox narrow his brow, thinking that James was not taking his words seriously.

“……After all, she’s just a woman, he’ll probably just bed her once and be done with it.”

After a brief silence hung between the two, James irritably muttered to himself, loud enough to be heard. Knox spoke in a serious voice to warn him once more.

“James. His Highness’s interest in the princess is not something to be taken lightly……”

“Thank you for the advice. I’ll engrave your words deeply in my mind, Sir.”

But James cut off Knox’s words abruptly and drained the water glass in front of him in one go. Then he pulled out a pocket watch he had kept in his pocket and said,

“Oh my. It’s already this late. You’ll have to return now. I’m busy with preparations for the victory celebration banquet.”

From James’s dismissal, Knox could tell that something in his words had properly touched a nerve. He was about to say more about the princess and his lord but stopped and asked about what he had just learned.

“……Wasn’t the banquet canceled due to the emperor’s illness?”

“We can’t cancel a banquet for a fake illness when His Highness has returned with news of victory. I pushed it through.”

“I see. That’s just like you.”

Knox nodded slowly and rose from his seat. James maintained his smile until Knox left the room. But as soon as the door closed and even the sound of Knox’s footsteps disappeared, James’s face cooled. He muttered while looking at the firmly closed door.

“I need to deal with this quickly. Otherwise, it will be quite troublesome later.”

* * *

How long had she been praying? Yerena fell asleep at some point while praying to the unresponsive gods of her homeland. A very brief, deep sleep. Though it was a short time, Yerena could momentarily set down her exhausted mind and body in the blessing of oblivion.

‘Who……?’

But that was only for a moment. As the footsteps of several people echoed nearby, Yerena immediately opened her eyes and moved. Just as she raised her upper body, the door opened with a creaking, chilling sound.

“Is this the cursed princess.”

The voice of a strange woman was as cold as that of the middle-aged woman who had told Yerena how the queen of Hiren had died. But unlike the middle-aged woman who had seemed emotionless, the new voice was filled with contempt.

“Lift her up.”

Before Yerena could ask who it was, the strange woman commanded. Then the women beside her, dressed in white clothes, all rushed at Yerena at once.

“Tsk. Not even that filthy one’s wh*re, yet looking like this……”

A humiliating rebuke fell upon Yerena who had been forcibly lifted. More bewildered than angered by the sudden contempt, Yerena closed her mouth with an incredulous expression. The strange woman, however she saw Yerena, approached her closely with an even more confident face and shouted.

“You wicked thing! Not content with that fair face, you pretend to be blind to gain sympathy.”

It was completely incomprehensible. But from the faint scent coming from the woman and the words she used, Yerena could roughly guess her status.

‘A priestess……’

Unlike Sedas, which believed in various gods, the Empire worshipped only the Goddess of Light. Moreover, since the emperors had led religious life from ancient times, regardless of differences in devotion, the religious authority was quite strong. As a result, Yerena had learned that there were more clerics and priestesses in the empire compared to Sedas.

‘But this is the imperial palace, not a temple…… Like the high priest who appeared before the emperor, why is a priestess in the imperial palace?’

But there was one fact Yerena didn’t know: the pathological piety of the current emperor Kedrick. Kedrick was obsessed with the Goddess of Light to an irrational degree. Because of this, the small building within the imperial palace, which had existed for the imperial family’s prayers, had been rebuilt into an imposing temple, and the number of resident clerics and priestesses, which had been only three or four, had already approached a hundred.

“Just as the high priest said, the smell of the curse is terrible. Filthy. Filthy!”

While Yerena was wondering, the strange woman in front of her raised her voice more and more. After examining Yerena from various angles, she was soon shouting as if about to foam at the mouth. Yerena wanted to cover her ears from the woman’s piercing voice, but she couldn’t even do that with her arms held.

“Goddess……”

After ranting alone and insulting Yerena for quite some time, the woman finally calmed down. She called out to the goddess while breathing heavily, then suddenly turned around and shouted.

“Still, since the merciful goddess has given a chance…… What are you doing! Bring it here!”

As if they had been waiting, those outside brought in a jar with effort. Inside the jar, large enough to easily fit a child, greenish water was sloshing around.

Splash.

The woman standing in front of Yerena scooped up water from inside the jar with a wooden dipper and splashed it on Yerena’s face. As it touched her skin, Yerena was startled by the burning sensation and opened her mouth.

“What’s this all of a sudden……”

But Yerena couldn’t continue her words. The woman repeatedly splashed her with the unknown liquid. Not only did the stinging persist, but her head began to spin, and the strange scent made it difficult to breathe.

“As I thought. There’s a demon inside the body, inside these eyes! Keep pouring until I say stop!”

When Yerena bent her upper body while still being held and coughed, the woman, as if she had expected it, pointed and handed the dipper to someone beside her. Then, with her hands on her hips, she began to mock Yerena’s homeland, Sedas.

“Come to think of it, the entire Sedas Kingdom abandoned the Goddess of Light and worshipped things proven false as gods.”

“……”

“That’s why the goddess punished them! Goddess, do not forgive these wicked ones who don’t believe in you!”

Even as the woman called out to the goddess, unknown liquid continued to be poured over Yerena as ordered. As the floor became soaked and her entire body drenched, Yerena, finding it unbearable, raised her voice.

“What are you doing! Please stop!”

The woman’s eyes flashed at Yerena’s attitude. She extended her claw-like hand and grabbed Yerena’s face.

“To still move your mouth after receiving this much water imbued with light. The high priest said not to cause injuries, but at this point……”

“Wh-what are you trying to do……”

“……I must purify you. I must burn and destroy where the evil spirit dwells.”

Though she couldn’t see, the madness of the person in front of her was clearly felt. Yerena struggled and tried to break free, feeling chilled. The woman grinned with a long smile and commanded in a voice full of pleasure.

“Bring fire and a branding iron! I must gouge out these eyes where the wicked evil spirit dwells and purify them.”

When Yerena forgot even to breathe at words worse than expected, a calm voice cut through the atmosphere filled with madness.

“Sister Julia. That’s enough.”

Sister. The woman holding Yerena’s face was, as Yerena had guessed, a priestess. One known for having not just deep but excessive faith.

At the voice calling her, Julia released her hand from Yerena. Then she turned around, grinding her teeth, and called out to the other person.

“Alicia……”

The woman called Alicia was also a priestess. Like Julia, she wore white priestly garments, and as she stepped forward, those around Julia parted to make way. Alicia walked slowly and stood in front of Julia.

“The high priest would not have entrusted this task to you, Sister Julia.”