Chapter 101

The letter from Miller, the proxy of the Arturito Marquisate, was quickly disseminated among the noble families.

The nobles, upon reading the contents of the letter, were thrown into an uproar.

Rather than being embarrassed about the mistaken marriage proposal, they were more curious about who the real owner of the rice cake shop was.

While all the nobles were lost in thought, someone spoke up.

“I actually saw the Duchess of Astrea at the rice cake shop on the day of the flood.”

“The Duchess of Astrea?”

Everyone tilted their heads at the sudden mention of an unexpected figure.

“Yes. She seemed to be doing something inside the shop… She appeared to be quite familiar with the pastry chef of the rice cake shop and Ser.”

“Familiar? That word doesn’t suit the image of Shaterian we know at all.”

“What was the Duchess doing there?”

“She seemed to be tasting something… But that’s not the important part. The relationship between her and the people there seemed to resemble that of a superior and subordinates.”

“Uh… Who was the superior?”

“Of course, the Duchess.”

“……”

The rice cake shop had a glass facade that made the interior entirely visible.

Thus, the likelihood of misinterpreting what was happening inside was slim.

“Then, could the owner of the rice cake shop be the Duchess of Astrea?”

“It’s not an impossible story. I heard that Ser has been frequenting the Imperial Palace ever since he started staying in the capital.”

This added weight to the speculation that Shaterian might indeed be the owner of the rice cake shop.

“Then, it seems the Duchess is truly the owner of the shop…”

Who would have thought the Duchess had such excellent business acumen?

Moreover, she cleverly used the shop’s name to make donations, raising the shop’s favorability to its peak within the Empire.

“It seems her personality has changed quite a bit.”

The nobles, unable to believe the reality, denied it, but the commoners’ reactions to the rumors were entirely different.

Even during the wedding of Eched and Shaterian, the commoners had shown a subtle fondness for the couple.

When it was recently revealed that Shaterian was the first to propose the establishment of the Welfare Department, they became fervent admirers. A noble who cared so much for the commoners!

Since then, Shaterian had been revered by the commoners as a Goddess-like figure.

Thus, the explosion in the plaza was enough to incite the commoners’ wrath.

The Imperial Family’s sluggish response only fueled the fire, and combined with the grief of losing their loved ones, the commoners, for the first time in their lives, rose up against the Imperial Family.

During the subsequent disaster, the relief supplies sent from the rice cake shop proved immensely helpful, further solidifying Shaterian’s standing.

Above all, the compensation provided by the Welfare Department played a significant role.

The amount of compensation was substantial, thanks to a large donation from the Astrea family.

The commoners, deeply grateful to Shaterian for her wholehearted assistance, sincerely prayed for the safe return of the Duke of Astrea to his wife’s arms.

***

The restoration work proceeded slowly due to the capricious weather.

Though the dark clouds dissipated within a few days, raising hopes that the rain would soon stop, a torrential downpour began in the morning, as if mocking such predictions.

Shaterian visited Orgon’s office to discuss the delayed flood recovery efforts.

The humid air weighed heavily on her lungs. Taking a deep breath, she barely managed to ask, 

“You can’t get in touch with him?”

Orgon nodded lightly. His deeply troubled expression indicated that the situation was unsettling for him as well.

But could he be as distressed as she was?

What Orgon had just conveyed was the news of Eched’s loss of contact.

Eched possessed a magical communication orb, so the fact that they couldn’t reach him meant something had gone wrong.

Whether it was a malfunction of the orb or an issue concerning Eched himself.

To make matters worse, he had been unreachable for five days now.

Shaterian had been too preoccupied with traveling around to address flood damage, only to find out that such a thing had happened in the meantime.

“Is there no way to contact him again?”

“He would have to reach out first, but as of now…”

Orgon shook his head, indicating there was no hope.

“We can only wait until he contacts us.”

“Ha. We don’t even know where he is, and we can’t get in touch with him.”

It was infuriating. Without a target for her anger, the frustration felt unbearable.

“Still, we have a rough idea of where he might be, so I’m considering dispatching the Imperial Knights.”

“Orgon, I have a really bad feeling about this.”

Her pounding heart seemed to be driven by more than just anger.

Placing a hand over her chest, she felt the rapid pulse beneath her palm.

“Don’t worry too much. The Knight Commander always returns safe and sound.”

Yes, she knew. But still…

She bit her lip, overwhelmed by a vague sense of unease and foreboding.

“Shaterian.”

“Huh?”

When she looked up, her gaze met Orgon’s.

A faint light flickered in his golden eyes.

“If you’re that worried, would you like to join the search for Eched?”

Her eyes widened at the suggestion.

It was an unprecedented proposal from Orgon, who was usually overly concerned about her safety.

This wasn’t like him at all…

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“Are you feeling unwell?”

Reaching out, she placed a hand on his forehead. It felt warm but not feverish.

Removing her hand, she looked down at Orgon, who wore a peculiar smile.

“Do you even know where he is?”

“I have an easy way to find out.”

“What is it?”

“Remember the hidden underground area where we found the raccoon?”

“Yes.”

“The markings on the floor there. They’re not just drawings; they’re teleportation arrays.”

“Teleportation arrays? You mean the kind that allows instant travel to another location with a matching array?”

“Yes. They’re also called gates.”

She recalled the patterns she had seen underground.

They resembled the symbols engraved on the temple pillars within the Astrea Empire’s territory.

“But didn’t the Mage Tower and the Temple find nothing unusual during their investigation?”

“Yes. Ancient teleportation arrays can only be detected with extraordinary divine power.”

“Then…”

“Only the Saintess and I can use that teleportation array.”

“Tch.”

She had suspected she wouldn’t be among those who could use it.

“By the way, why do you call Anella the ‘Saintess’?”

“Huh?”

Orgon visibly flinched at her question.

What’s with him?

“Why are you so startled? You used to call her Anella, but now you’re suddenly calling her the Saintess. It’s strange. Don’t tell me you broke up?”

Judging by his awkward smile and evasive gaze, it seemed they had indeed broken up.

“How petty.”

She clicked her tongue in disapproval.

“So, are you really coming with me?”

“Yes.”

“I’d love to leave right now, but there’s a lot to prepare. How about we depart tomorrow?”

“Let’s leave tomorrow, then. But don’t pack too much.”

“Alright.”

Reassuring him, she left the office.

***

“That should do it.”

She nodded in satisfaction at the modestly packed bag.

Avoiding Kirin, who would undoubtedly try to stop her upon seeing her packing, had been quite the challenge.

Feeling accomplished, she grabbed her bag and headed to the agreed meeting spot.

But Orgon was nowhere to be found.

The appointed time had already passed.

“Could he have been lying?”

That scoundrel!

Just as she was about to storm toward the Crown Prince’s office, she spotted Orgon leisurely approaching from afar.

“Orgon!”

She called out to him.

“Do you know what time it is?!”

Though he was only about five minutes late, she treated him as if he had committed a grave sin.

Orgon looked puzzled.

“Did we agree to meet here today?”

He glanced around the empty hall.

“Why here, of all places?”

His confusion left her speechless.

After all, he had been the one to suggest searching for Eched, and now he was backtracking…

She glared at him with narrowed eyes.

“Terry, you’re not planning something dangerous again, are you?”

“Dangerous? Not at all. That’s why you and I were supposed to…”

She stopped mid-sentence as a thought occurred to her.

Yesterday, Orgon had referred to Anella as the Saintess.

He had also called her Shaterian, rather than the familiar nickname Terry.

Now, Orgon seemed to have no memory of yesterday’s events…

“Terry? What’s wrong?”

His innocent expression drained her of energy, and she let out a deep sigh.

As expected, it hadn’t been Orgon who suggested going to such a place.

The Orgon from yesterday hadn’t been Orgon.

It must have been a Goddess borrowing his body.

There was only one Goddess who would do such a thing.

The Goddess of Compassion, who often appeared in her dreams.

The Goddess had revealed the underground teleportation array to her yesterday.

It was essentially an invitation to use it.

What could possibly be in that place to make the Goddess so intent on drawing me there?

Shaterian pondered the Goddess’s intentions, trying to piece it all together.