Even though the festival hadn’t officially started yet, the streets were already bustling with people who had come from all over the empire to celebrate.

I had a reason for coming to the festival grounds before it officially began.

There were still a few days left until the festival started, but I had something to take care of in advance.

In the original story, there was an incident where the Saintess and Ekette almost crossed paths. In the end, they didn’t meet.

It happened on the first day of the festival, during the opening ceremony. The event was attended by the Emperor and several high-ranking nobles, including the Saintess, who represented the temple.

The Duke and Duchess were also supposed to attend, but Kyron, as usual, was busy with his work, leaving Ekette to attend alone.

During this process, someone deliberately sabotaged Ekette.

She was given the wrong start time for the event, and as a result, she missed it entirely. People began asking why the Duchess wasn’t present, and the event was delayed as a result.

The ceremony eventually began without Ekette, and she never made it.

Missing such an important event and causing a delay in its proceedings naturally resulted in heavy criticism.

Not only from some high-ranking nobles but even from the Emperor himself. Even the kind Emperor I had seen at the previous banquet reprimanded her.

So my countermeasure was simple: strike first.

That’s why I came to the festival grounds early, before the festivities began, to prepare in advance.

“The festival’s operations headquarters is over there,” a knight who had been briefed beforehand reported.

“Alright, let’s head there.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

The main street where the festival was taking place cut straight through the center of the capital and was the widest road in the city.

The street stretched in a straight line from the massive statue in the center of the capital to the distant Imperial Palace.

For the festival, carriages were restricted from using the road.

We were currently standing near the statue, while the operations headquarters was closer to the Imperial Palace.

“Would you like to take a carriage for convenience, ma’am?”

“No, it’s fine. Since I’ve come all the way here, I’d like to walk and take a look around.”

“Understood.”

The street resembled a marketplace, with tents set up in some areas and small stages erected in others.

As I strolled leisurely, taking in the sights of the bustling preparations, I noticed some performers rehearsing for an upcoming show. I paused for a moment to watch, clapping along with the music.

It wasn’t until a little later that I caught a snippet of a conversation I had initially missed due to the lively music.

“The priests are here!”

“The priests? Why are they here?”

“No idea!”

It was a conversation between the people standing next to me, who were also watching the performers rehearse.

The priests are here…?

This was bad news.

I frowned, recalling the news Lia had shared with me about Pierce. Priests had been dispatched there because someone moved the priest’s stone.

Could it be the same situation here?

I turned my head toward the direction of the commotion. Sure enough, a group of priests, about five in total, were striding down the street, taking up the entire width of the road.

I discreetly called the knight over using ventriloquism.

“I need to hide myself quickly.”

“What do you mean, ma’am?”

“I mean, I need to avoid running into those priests.”

I quickly scanned the area from where I stood. My eyes landed on the nearest tent, which had its entrance barely visible and its sides completely covered, concealing the interior.

“I need to get inside that tent.”

I had no idea what the tent was for, but I figured I could hide first and ask for permission later.

What if the priests were here looking for me?

Feigning nonchalance, I walked upright and slipped into the tent.

The interior of the tent was dim, likely because no light was filtering through. Despite it being broad daylight, it was dark inside. There was also an additional partition, making it difficult to discern what the tent was being used for.

I instructed the knights to stand guard outside.

Inside the dark tent, I pulled out a disguise mask I had prepared just in case.

I briefly put the mask on, then removed it again. Hopefully, my face had changed.

I thought about asking the owner of the tent for permission to stay, but before I could act, I heard the voices of the priests outside.

Permission would have to wait. I pressed myself against the tent wall and strained to listen.

“How about this stage? It’s perfect. It’s high enough.”

“Indeed. Hey, move aside!”

The only stage nearby was the one where the performers had been rehearsing earlier.

Were they planning to kick the performers out?

The priests must have cleared the area, as the street grew noticeably quieter than before.

“This spot is ideal. It’s right in the middle of the street, so it’ll draw a big crowd. It’s closer to the main stage at the headquarters, so the citizens of the empire will be even more enthusiastic.”

A stage? Enthusiasm?

“Isn’t it too close? Won’t people dislike it if they get pushed around?”

Another priest’s voice chimed in, interrupting the conversation between the first two.

“Afraid they’ll get hurt? Ha, don’t be ridiculous. Do you realize how many people’s livelihoods depend on this event? And you’re worried about comfort? Donations have been declining year after year, and you’re concerned about that?”

“The closer people are to the divine power, the more they’ll be moved. That’s how we increase donations. If we set up here, the citizens of the empire will go wild.”

The two priests advocating for the plan dismissed the opposing opinion by emphasizing donations.

Listening to their conversation, I quickly pieced together the situation.

The priests were scheming to exploit the Saintess even more during the festival to squeeze out as many donations as possible.

Ugh, just as I’d heard, they were a corrupt organization.

“Make sure no commoners use this stage. It’s absurd for ordinary people without divine power to share a stage with the Saintess.”

“We should also set up a small booth nearby to collect donations. These foolish citizens get excited about the Saintess but forget to donate after an hour.”

The priests’ pathetic conversation continued.

“We should give high donors a chance to shake hands with the Saintess.”

“Of course. We need to secure at least six months’ worth of donations from this event.”

They continued brainstorming ways to maximize their profits before leaving a little while later.

As people began to return, the street gradually grew lively again.

It seemed safe for me to leave now. Judging by their conversation, the priests were more focused on donations than on finding me, which was a relief.

Just as I was about to pull out the disguise mask to revert to my original face, a voice called out.

“Where do you think you’re going without permission?”

It was only then that I realized the tent wasn’t empty.

A raspy voice came from behind the partition.

It seemed I needed to go in and apologize properly. Carefully, I pushed aside the partition and stepped inside.

“I’m sorry for intruding.”

The interior of the tent contained nothing but a single desk. Sitting in front of it was an old woman.

The old woman scowled at me with displeasure. I decided to apologize once more.

Since I was wearing a disguise, she wouldn’t recognize my face anyway.

“I had to hide for a moment, so I sought refuge here. I didn’t realize someone was inside. I apologize.”

Despite my apology, the old woman continued to glare at me, her eyes sharp enough to pierce through me.