“Carl!”

When I called out loudly, he immediately recognized my voice and turned his head.

The sight of him approaching with his black fur-trimmed cloak fluttering looked exactly like a masterpiece.

Carl smiled slightly and greeted me with his eyes, then bowed politely to grandfather and uncle.

“You’ve arrived.”

“Please take care of things today, Duke.”

“I should be the one asking you to take care of things.”

Grandfather smiled warmly and patted Carl’s shoulder.

I’d felt this before, but grandfather and uncle seemed to quite like him. Dain also seemed to have built a friendship after training a few times. Though he and Deborah were somewhat distant, their relationship wasn’t bad.

‘It would be fine if we all became family like this, wouldn’t it?’

I unconsciously had such thoughts and blushed. In other words, I had imagined Carl and me getting married. There was no other way for us to become one family.

“Why is your face suddenly red by yourself? Are you sick somewhere?”

Carl sensitively noticed my change and pressed the back of his hand to my forehead, furrowing his brow.

“You don’t have a fever……”

“Ah, ah, it’s just because I’m cold.”

“Let me.”

Carl readily tried to take off his cloak and give it to me.

Since I was already dressed warmly, I didn’t want to become someone who stole other people’s clothes, so I desperately stopped him.

“No, it’s fine. You really don’t need to! The cold has passed now.”

“Still. What if you catch a cold.”

“You could catch a cold too. Don’t make me worry and take care of your health.”

After forcibly putting the cloak back around his shoulders, I tied the strings cutely in a ribbon shape.

Carl grabbed my hands doing this and let out a chuckle.

Are you showing off how handsome you are right now, or what…….

My lips couldn’t help but creep up slowly too, when Dain, who had been watching us with dead fish eyes, rubbed his arms and muttered.

“Ugh, my sides are colder than the cold.”

“Right, I never thought I’d feel this emotion watching you, sister.”

Deborah also shook her head as if she couldn’t stop it.

“Isn’t this when you’re at your best. It reminds me of when I was young.”

“I feel the same way, Father.”

When even grandfather and uncle said that, embarrassment washed over me.

It felt like we had become a cheesy couple shamelessly displaying affection in a public place.

“Ahem! Sh, shall we go in?”

I let out an awkward cough and moved inside with my family and Carl.

The grand prayer meeting was held in the temple’s inner courtyard where an outdoor altar was placed.

We found a suitable spot to stand and looked ahead. The empress and crown prince sat in the seats of honor prepared beside the altar.

The crown prince’s reddish-gold hair, which I hadn’t seen in a long time, glinted red in the sunlight.

He wore a white uniform neatly and stared expressionlessly into space, but when our eyes met, he faintly raised the corners of his mouth and nodded slightly.

I became a little grateful that he greeted me first instead of pretending not to know me and ignoring me. Actually, since I had confessed and been rejected, he could have avoided me out of embarrassment. The crown prince wasn’t such a cowardly person.

I also bowed my head in greeting while wearing a smile. Carl glanced at me sideways and whispered grumpily.

“You’re smiling too prettily at other men.”

“What are you saying, so cheesy. And if we’re being picky, aren’t you too handsome in front of other women too?”

“If you counter like that, I have nothing to say either. I’m naturally quite jealous.”

“I’ve felt that since your days as my bondservant.”

I originally didn’t like jealous men, but Carl was an exception. If it was because his jealous appearance was cute, then my infatuation must be quite severe, right?

As we exchanged such small talk, time passed without notice, and the start time of the grand prayer meeting approached.

Dong, dong, dong.

The bell announcing noon rang out. Soon after, the emperor appeared from inside the temple together with the high priestess.

Now they’re openly together.

While the empress, supposed to be by the emperor’s side, was below the altar with the crown prince, the emperor came down the stairs escorting the high priestess as if she were the empress.

Even among the high priests following behind them, Raviel was mixed in.

As someone who knew their true identities, it was truly detestable and disgusting.

But people who knew nothing were just pleased, saying the emperor and high priestess seemed to have a close relationship.

“As expected, His Majesty has deep faith toward Lord Solaris.”

“I really feel like I can’t even follow the footsteps of their devotion.”

No, you’re wrong. Rather, those two people can’t even follow the tip of your devotion.

I forcibly suppressed the words rising to my throat. It wasn’t time yet.

The emperor, arriving in front of the altar alongside the high priestess, slowly opened his mouth.

“Today we have gathered as one under God’s blessing. The peace and prosperity of Hersen have all been achieved within God’s grace.”

Though he was a heretic following demons, the emperor shamelessly spoke of God.

At this level, why is he being emperor? He seems more suited to being an actor.

“Under the sun god’s protection, our Hersen Empire will prosper even more, and our descendants will remember our greatness forever.”

It was during the emperor’s boring speech that continued. Uncle gave me and Carl a small signal with his eyes.

It was a signal to go out and look for the holy sword.

We immediately looked around and quietly made our way through the people.

We had obtained a map of the temple’s interior in advance and identified places where the holy sword might be.

The temple’s western garden, eastern chapel, and southern underground.

“Where should we start looking?”

“Let’s go underground. Usually they hide a lot of things in places like that.”

I nodded in agreement.

Didn’t we find my mother’s belongings in the underground of the county temple too?

We carefully moved south. Perhaps because all the priests were attending the prayer meeting, there were hardly any people walking around.

We easily entered the southern underground and searched frantically for the holy sword.

“There’s nothing here. Shailyn, how about over there?”

“Same here. I don’t see a single blade, let alone a sword.”

Despite efficiently searching by dividing areas, we couldn’t find even a speck of the holy sword.

“Should we try somewhere else?”

“Good.”

We left the southern underground and moved to the western garden.

I had hoped we would find it right away in the first place. It was disappointing that the underground wasn’t the answer.

‘If we can’t find the holy sword and something bad happens……’

As nothing came out even after rummaging through the garden bushes and digging up the ground, I suddenly became worried.

Of course, unless they were crazy, they wouldn’t summon a demon in front of people, but you never know.

‘They’re crazy people who follow demons in a country that believes in one god.’

It wouldn’t be strange no matter what they did.

Eventually, having gained nothing but dirt from the western garden, we headed to the last location, the eastern chapel.

***

Meanwhile, the emperor’s greeting that had been echoing in the square was approaching its end.

“Now everyone bow your heads and seek gratitude for God’s mercy and grace.”

It was when he turned toward the altar as the prayer meeting entered its main part.

Bartholomew had been gauging when to expose the emperor and high priestess, and didn’t miss the gap that appeared in that moment.

“Please wait a moment.”

A voice as dignified as the emperor’s rang out loudly.

At the sudden appearance of an intruder, the emperor didn’t hide his displeasure and frowned.

His eyes looked down coldly at Bartholomew. The Diart family stood out particularly in the crowd and was truly irritating.

“Lord Diart, what are you doing in this sacred place?”

“I oppose Your Majesty and the high priestess leading this prayer meeting.”

“……Are you insane right now?”

At what was essentially a declaration of rebellion against him, the emperor let out a hollow laugh.

Those watching also began to murmur, and the atmosphere fluctuated rapidly.

Bartholomew walked forward with determination. Benjamin, Dain, and Deborah followed behind him.

The emperor twisted his lips as he glared at Bartholomew stopping at a close distance from the altar.

“Why, you used to argue so much that you weren’t a traitor. Do you want to commit treason now?”

“I am not a traitor. But this only applies when Your Majesty is a Solien.”

“What does that—”

“Emperor Gregory, High Priestess Morphina. I accuse you both of heresy here and now.”

At the words spoken with firm strength, not only the emperor but even Morphina standing behind the altar with furrowed brows, froze.

Different kinds of shock appeared on their faces and those of the attendees.

It was the moment when the tranquility of the grand prayer meeting was completely shattered.