How could you do such a thing. Her family didn’t specify her sin in detail. But Yerena knew the sin they were pointing out. To harbor feelings for a knight of the Vistius Empire, which had invaded her homeland and clearly participated in the war. Her family, even in death, shuddered at that fact and rebuked her.

‘No. I……!’

Yerena tried to cry out, denying her family’s words. But as if something blocked her throat, no voice came out.

‘I’m sorry.’

A voice that only emerged when saying sorry. Looking at herself and her family who shed tears of blood, Yerena fully realized it. That she, like the man, had harbored feelings for him.

‘I’m sorry. I was wrong.’

And once that happened, there was only one thing for her to do. To apologize and erase her feelings for the man even now. To repent and drive him out of her heart. That was the only path left for Yerena.

‘Yerena. How could you do this to us.’

Though not asleep, her family’s voices echoed in her ears. Yerena realized she had unconsciously thought of the man who would be in the corridor outside the door and pressed her face into the pillow hard enough to suffocate.

The more she denied him, the fainter her family’s voices became. Yerena forced a smile, thinking this was right, and continued to block her own airway.

“It won’t happen again. Really. Really….. I’m really sorry.”

The princess imprisoned in the tower as a captive repeated the same words for a long time to her damp, moss-like pillow, repenting her sin. But like her heavily suppressed voice escaping between the pillow and her face, her true inner feelings couldn’t be completely hidden.

* * *

Laughter leaked through the gap of the open door. Roshan stood still in the corridor, listening to the sound before peering inside through the crack.

Unlike the dark corridor inside the tower, the room was bright due to sunlight pouring in through the window. Thanks to this, the blonde hair of the woman sitting on the couch with her back to the door appeared almost silver.

Roshan held his breath, unable to take his eyes off that sparkling light. After observing for several days, he had found that the woman’s strange vision was very unstable. Of course, it couldn’t be compared to not seeing at all, but she clearly couldn’t see details precisely.

Therefore, Roshan could watch Yerena through the slightly open door. Of course, he did so while k*lling even his footsteps and breathing, just as on the battlefield, concerned about being discovered.

“Jane. It’s my turn now.”

What was so amusing? Roshan found Yerena’s behavior displeasing. While he couldn’t even enter because of her command and lingered like an abandoned dog, Yerena grew brighter by the day.

“Just give me one more chance.”

“No way. That’s not fair.”

His stomach churned at the sight of her playing games with her maid using her partially restored vision. He glared at the five cubic stones that went up and down over Yerena’s shoulder as she sat across from Jane. It felt like those small stones were rattling inside his heart.

“Wow! You caught them all again!”

Jane clapped for Yerena, who had caught all five stones. Yerena slightly shrugged her shoulders and threw the stones again, catching them as they fell. In sync with this, Roshan’s mood also drew a large curve. He felt good seeing her enjoying herself, but then anger surged when he saw that she wasn’t looking for him at all.

“Let’s rest a bit. I want to look outside.”

After some time, perhaps growing tired of the game, Yerena stood up. Jane also rose and habitually tried to support her. When Yerena smiled and said she was fine, Jane lowered her arm with an awkward expression and smiled back.

As Yerena turned her body in his direction, Roshan quickly moved to the side. Then, when she went to the window and turned around again, he returned to his original position.

Yerena went to the window and chattered to Jane while looking outside. She occasionally held Jane’s hand, showing a closeness that resembled sisters who had grown up together.

‘Why……?’

A childish emotion grew in size. Roshan narrowed his eyes at Yerena shining in the sunlight, then moved his gaze to the one beside her.

‘She’s just a maid. And one who stays only for money.’

He remembered how irritated he had been by the maid who had stuck close to Yerena on the journey from the Sedas Kingdom to the empire. He envied a commoner woman he wouldn’t have even looked at in other circumstances. Both then and now.

‘……She’s annoying.’

Highly sensitive due to an emotion he was experiencing for the first time in his life, Roshan quietly fingered his sword. Already twisted by nature, he twisted even further with jealousy.

‘I can’t be hated.’

What stopped him, who looked ready to fling open the door and cut down the maid at any moment, was that single thought. He couldn’t be hated. Roshan muttered these words to himself and took one step back from the door.

‘If I forcibly separate them, she’ll miss her the whole time.’

However, he didn’t want to leave that maid as she was either. If that maid weren’t there. With that thought, he recalled when the maid had left for vacation a few months ago. It had been a time when he had grown close to Yerena particularly quickly.

A smile spread across Roshan’s lips. He watched the two women laughing inside and moved his body slightly to the side. This caused Jane to be completely hidden by the door, with only Yerena visible through the narrow gap.

The deceiver placed himself beside the side profile of the smiling princess. Imagining the woman smiling brightly only for him filled him with ecstasy.

‘I should indeed remove her.’

Roshan drew an invisible sword. He thought the time had come to cut down one of the few supports, thereby becoming the only support himself.

* * *

“Can’t do this. Can’t do that. Priestess Alicia. Are you defying me now? Are you acting this way because you believe in the many people who seek you out?”

“That’s not it, High Priest. It’s just that in serving the Crown Prince’s command…… I can’t use holy power right now.”

“This never happened before!”

A loud voice erupted from the temple within the imperial palace. High Priest Sinax placed Alicia before him, his face flushed red. Juul and Jael, standing a short distance away, glanced worriedly at Alicia.

“You’ve always managed well until now. But to make such excuses now…… tsk!”

Alicia had rejected all recent requests that came to her. Because of this, the high priest, who had been scolded by the nobles he was connected with, was very angry.

“Count Nabon left saying he would cut off his donations! Do you know how much devotion he has shown us all this time……”

Alicia inwardly sighed. It was a personal request to use holy power on his grandson who had caught a cold. She had long known that the high priest Sinax received enormous amounts of money and benefits for having her do such things, but seeing him actually angry about it felt absurd.

“O-Of course, the Crown Prince’s command is certainly important too. Yes, of course.”

Had her thoughts been obvious? The high priest looked somewhat guilty and stammered. Then he straightened his posture and suddenly spoke in a stern voice,

“But remember this. We are those who serve only the Goddess. Not those who chase after worldly wealth and power.”

These weren’t words that should come from someone dressed in expensive clothes in a luxurious interior. But Alicia silently bowed her head.

“Be careful from now on. If you continue to behave this way…… That position of yours will be in danger!”

Seeing Alicia’s submissive posture, the high priest cleared his throat and gestured for her to leave. Alicia bowed and turned around. Juul and Jael followed behind her.

“Ah……”

As soon as they got outside, Alicia staggered. It was because she had concentrated holy power in her eyes with a body that hadn’t recovered.

“My holy power isn’t returning at all.”

Juul spoke in a concerned voice as she caught her. Jael gave Juul a signal when she saw Alicia suddenly stiffen at Juul’s words.

“……What will you two do if I step down from this position?”

Alicia, who had walked a few steps, asked Juul and Jael. The position of high priestess that Alicia held was only granted to those with exceptional holy power.

The faces of Juul and Jael turned pale as they understood her meaning. It happened occasionally—those who used holy power excessively and ultimately depleted it.

Such people not only fell from being revered as high priestesses to ordinary priestesses in an instant but were also pointed at within the temple. For the ridiculous reason that a priestess losing her holy power meant the Goddess had withdrawn her mercy because she had sinned against Her.

“If I become an ordinary priestess like you two, Juul and Jael, will you leave me?”

Alicia asked in a bitter voice. Juul and Jael shook their heads and raised their voices.

“No. That could never happen. Lady Alicia, you’re our sisters’ benefactor.”

“Juul is right. Whether you lose all your holy power or whatever position you hold, we will follow you regardless.”

“……Thank you both.”

Alicia smiled. Come to think of it, her connection with these two had already lasted over ten years. She leaned on them more as she walked, thinking,

‘High Priestess Lube would probably take care of these two.’

* * *

Late spring was passing, and summer approached. Outside the tower, the air was filled with the fragrance of flowers blooming one by one, not satisfied with just being green.

‘Expelled from the capital…… I hope everyone is doing well.’

Looking out the window, Yerena sighed softly. Though she tried to keep her mind as comfortable as possible by setting aside her anxiety, it wasn’t easy. She worried greatly, especially after hearing news of her former maids from the Sedas envoy.