The puppet show was as dull as expected.
Kyron had to make a concerted effort to find any interest in the uninspiring story.

The plot revolved around a husband leaving for war and the wife waiting for his return.
Most of the audience seated near Kyron and the Emperor were children. Being stuck among them and watching this made him question his own situation.

What was even more surprising was the intensity with which the Emperor watched the story, his gaze so focused it seemed his eyes might fall out.

When exactly was that “touching” moment supposed to come?

Kyron stared dryly at the puppet show the entire time.

That was until the Emperor’s aide and Kyron’s aide simultaneously burst into the audience area.

The Emperor’s aide whispered something to him, and Kyron’s aide did the same.
“Your Grace, the Madam has collapsed.”
“…What?”
Kyron couldn’t believe his ears.

“It seems there was some commotion at the Imperial Palace annex… Your Grace, you must go at once.”

Kyron immediately left the puppet show audience area.
The Emperor did the same.

“Duke, I hear the Duchess has collapsed, and the Saintess is injured as well.”
“I must go at once.”
“It seems urgent. You should use teleportation magic. You should hurry as much as possible.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“Save your thanks for later. Go now.”

The Emperor activated the teleportation device handed to him by his aide.

A flash of light enveloped the two, and seconds later, Kyron found himself standing in the Imperial Palace.

Ekette, who had collapsed in the annex, had reportedly been moved to an empty room in the main palace.

“What is Ekette’s condition?”
“She doesn’t appear to have any major injuries. However, she hasn’t regained consciousness since collapsing earlier.”
“Have you determined why she collapsed?”
“…There seems to have been a minor altercation with the Saintess in the annex.”
“An altercation?”

His wife? With the Saintess?

As Kyron entered the room, he saw Ekette lying on the bed. Only after seeing her with his own eyes could he feel somewhat relieved.

Kyron approached Ekette. She lay motionless, her pale complexion stark against the bedding.
For a moment, a terrifying thought crossed his mind—that her body might be cold.

He pulled back the blanket and took her hand. Her body temperature was the same as before.
Only then did he exhale.

“Your Grace.”
His aide approached.
“You should go see the Saintess.”
“The Saintess?”
“It seems the matter won’t be resolved unless you go yourself.”
“What matter?”
“You should hear what the Saintess has to say, Your Grace.”

What on earth had happened between his wife and the Saintess?

Kyron headed to the room where the Saintess was reportedly resting. Inside, the Saintess was accompanied by several priests.

“What exactly happened here?”
“First, show your respect to the Saintess.”

One of the priests blocked Kyron’s path.

Pretending to protect her so fervently, when in reality, they were nothing more than parasites exploiting her for donations.

Kyron gave a slight bow and straightened his posture again.

“The Saintess has been deeply shocked and hurt by this incident.”
“What kind of harm did she suffer?”

Kyron’s eyes scanned the Saintess. There didn’t seem to be any visible injuries. Compared to the Saintess, Ekette’s condition appeared far worse.

“The Duchess’s rudeness has left the Saintess in shock.”
Ekette’s rudeness?

“Tell me exactly what happened.”
Kyron looked directly at the Saintess, demanding an explanation.

“I merely wished to have a brief conversation with the Duchess.”
“And yet you’re saying my wife was rude to you?”
“Yes. She pushed me away.”

The Saintess spoke calmly, and the priests exaggeratedly gasped at her words.

“How dare she lay hands on the sacred body of the Saintess! This is not something that can be overlooked!”

Kyron quietly observed the priests, who were feigning righteous indignation.
He could already see through their intentions. No one in the Empire understood the priests better than he did.

They were likely scheming to use this incident as leverage to extort money from the Duke’s household.

“Did my wife clearly push you, physically?”
Ignoring the priests, Kyron directed his question to the Saintess.

“Yes. She pushed me.”
“Pushed you, meaning you were very close to my wife. Is that correct?”
“…Yes, that’s correct.”
“Did you approach her first?”
“I wouldn’t say I approached her… We were talking, and it just happened. I don’t even know how it came to that.”

Kyron had a gut feeling that the Saintess was dodging the truth.
This meant he wouldn’t be able to get a clear account of the incident from her.

“What kind of conversation took place between the two of you?”
“I recognized the Duchess and approached her warmly. I simply asked if we could have tea and talk for a while, but the Duchess strongly refused and pushed me away.”
“I see.”

Kyron decided that he had heard enough from the Saintess.

“I will go to my wife now.”
“You must compensate for the distress the Saintess has suffered!”

A priest shouted at Kyron, who was about to leave.

“I’ll listen to my wife’s account once she wakes up.”

Kyron dismissed the priest’s demand and strode toward the room where Ekette was.

“Has she not woken up yet?”

As Kyron approached the room, his aide noticed him and hurried over.

“She hasn’t shown any signs of improvement yet.”
“What about the physician?”
“They checked on her earlier but said there’s nothing more they can do.”

Physicians always seemed to offer nothing but excuses for their incompetence.

Kyron entered the room. Ekette lay in the same position as before.

“Was everything resolved with the Saintess?”
“The Saintess claims Ekette pushed her.”
“…Is that true?”

The aide asked, visibly shocked.

“That’s what the Saintess says.”
“The Saintess wouldn’t lie, would she?”
“Of course not. She’s the Saintess.”

The Saintess wasn’t supposed to lie. She was the Saintess, after all.

But… could the current Saintess truly be such a noble figure? Could a Saintess like that emerge from a temple that was already in ruins? Kyron didn’t think so.

Of course, expressing his thoughts about the Saintess within the Imperial Palace would be dangerous.

At that moment, Kyron sensed movement and turned his gaze toward Ekette, who was lying down. Finally.

“Ekette?”

She was awake.

“The Saintess wouldn’t lie, would she?”
“Of course not. She’s the Saintess.”

I clearly heard the conversation between Kyron and his aide. I had woken up a little before they arrived.

From what I overheard, it seemed the Saintess was claiming that I had pushed her. That was only a fragment of what had actually happened.

What truly occurred was that she attempted to take divine power from me, and in the process, I pushed her away.

But… the only thing Kyron had heard was the Saintess’s version of events. And he believed her.

It was only natural to believe her. She was the Saintess, after all. Who in the Empire would dare think her words were false?

“Ekette?”

Kyron finally noticed me and approached.

“How are you feeling?”

Before I knew it, he had naturally taken a seat in the chair beside me, just as he always did back at the Duke’s estate.