Chapter 74

She immediately headed to the Crown Prince’s office to report the ominous energy they had sensed during the procession. Orgon’s expression quickly darkened.

“You felt something suspicious during the carriage procession?”

“That’s what he said.”

“If even the Knight Commander noticed it, then it must be real. Terry, what about you? Did you sense anything?”

“No, I didn’t feel anything.”

“Then it might not be dark sorcery…?”

Eched and she had already pondered over this, but they still hadn’t reached a clear conclusion about the nature of the energy.

When it came to sensing dark sorcery, she was more adept than Eched. If he had detected something, it meant it wasn’t dark sorcery but something else entirely.

However, without certainty, they couldn’t completely rule out the possibility of dark sorcery.

She looked at Orgon’s worried face.

His complexion was pale, and he looked utterly exhausted, as if he hadn’t slept for three nights straight.

She hadn’t wanted to add to his worries…

“Orgon. Why don’t you take a break? I heard you’ve been living in your office for days.”

Before they entered the office, the Crown Prince’s aide had expressed concern for His Highness.

Orgon was someone who could work tirelessly for two weeks without rest, so she hadn’t thought much of it. But seeing him now, looking worse than expected, she began to worry.

She knew why Orgon was suddenly throwing himself into work like this. He was nursing a broken heart after being forced into a separation.

“I’m fine…”

No, you don’t look fine at all.

Still, shaking his head and turning his attention back to his documents, Orgon seemed unwilling to continue this conversation.

“We need to increase the number of guards for the Saintess. Terry, you and the Knight Commander should stay close to her. And also…”

“You…”

At that moment, blood trickled down from Orgon’s nose. As drops of blood fell onto the documents, Orgon hastily tilted his head back and pinched his nose.

She glanced around for something to stop the bleeding and remembered the handkerchief Eched always carried.

Quickly rummaging through Eched’s belongings, she retrieved the handkerchief and handed it to Orgon.

Though he accepted it reflexively, Orgon looked puzzled.

“Why is this coming from there…?”

“That’s not the issue right now.”

Of course, she had been surprised at first too, but…

“See? I told you to rest. Do you think you’re still young? Twenty-six is the age when you need to start taking care of your health.”

“Isn’t it too early to be worrying about health at this age?”

“That’s how you end up crashing.”

Clicking her tongue, she noticed Orgon’s faint smile.

She felt a twinge of guilt toward him. He and Anella had been in a stable relationship until the latter’s ascension as the Saintess began to drive a wedge between them.

The ripple effects of the altered original story had impacted not only their beginning but also the progression of their relationship.

In the original story, Anella would have remained an apprentice Saintess. But her becoming the true Saintess had become a major obstacle between them.

Anella, the Saintess and protector of the southern regions, and Orgon, the Crown Prince of the northern regions.

The distance was one thing, but as protectors bound to their respective roles, they had become a pair who could hardly meet.

While Orgon genuinely celebrated Anella’s ascension as the Saintess, he also felt despondent.

Who would have thought that graduating early from the academy would cause such a deviation in the original story?

If she had changed something monumental, she wouldn’t even feel this bitter about it.

“Was there anything else unusual?”

With his nosebleed mostly stopped, Orgon steered the conversation back to the original topic, prompting her to click her tongue. He really didn’t listen when told to rest.

“No, there wasn’t… Ah.”

She faltered mid-sentence as the memory of Masetike’s face from earlier suddenly surfaced.

While Masetike had looked gloomy, it didn’t seem suspicious enough to consider it a notable detail, leaving her uncertain.

Today was the day of the Saintess’s procession, an event held once in a hundred years. It was only natural that everyone in the Empire would be out on the streets to watch. Seeing someone she knew among the crowd wasn’t unusual at all.

“What is it?”

“No… It’s nothing.”

It was just that his dark expression lingered in her mind. But more than anything, she figured that if Masetike had been suspicious, they would have noticed it earlier.

Neither she nor Eched, who often interacted with Masetike at the Counseling Office, had ever sensed anything unusual about him.

For now, the priority was to focus on guarding the Saintess.

As they wrapped up the conversation and prepared to leave the office, Orgon’s voice stopped her.

“…Take care of her.”

Orgon’s quiet plea made her respond casually.

“You worry too much. I’ll keep my eyes wide open, so just rest. If you show up at the celebratory banquet looking like this, the Emperor will faint.”

‘And so will Anella.’

She didn’t say it aloud, but Orgon seemed to understand her implication, smiling faintly.

“Yeah. Thanks.”

What was he thanking her for? Feeling awkward, she averted her gaze and quickly left the office.

***

The banquet celebrating the Saintess’s ascension was held at the Imperial Palace. The grandeur of the event showed clear signs of careful planning, likely to honor the relationship with the Holy Temple.

And there she was, standing idly by one of the walls of the banquet hall. Once again, she had chosen to blend in with the decor, standing still like a wall ornament.

It wasn’t just a lack of sociability—it was borderline social ineptitude.

Not that she had any intention of moving to the center of the hall.

From a distance, she saw her sister approaching. Her cheeks were flushed pink, as rosy as her hair.

How long had the banquet been going on for her to already look tipsy?

Clicking her tongue, Shaterian muttered under her breath.

“Drunkard…”

Her sister snorted and retorted with a smirk.

“Look who’s talking.”

She couldn’t deny it. After all, the reason she wasn’t drinking tonight was because of her past drunken antics.

Regardless, that was that. She glanced toward the table her sister had just left.

The Emperor, the Chancellor who had been roped in while passing by, the Commander of the 2nd Knight Order, and the head of the Mon Pellinier Ducal Family.

Not to mention the Emperor’s two nephews-in-law: Lord Leheln Melis and Duke Eched Astrea.

The other nobles were eager to join that table, but she found the sight embarrassing and averted her gaze.

At first glance, it looked like a gathering of the Empire’s most powerful figures. But upon closer inspection, it exuded the familiar air of a family holiday gathering.

The atmosphere had been normal earlier, but at some point, it had turned into this.

Although the glasses were cleared as soon as they were emptied, giving the impression of a dignified gathering, it was closer to a drinking party masquerading as a social event.

Of course, Eched hadn’t voluntarily joined that table.

He had been talking with His Majesty and had naturally ended up there.

For some reason, His Majesty seemed to be in an exceptionally good mood, laughing heartily and offering Eched drinks.

Normally, Eched wouldn’t even glance at alcohol. But today, he accepted and drank without hesitation.

Seeing Eched accept and down one drink after another, His Majesty laughed even more heartily.

It wasn’t as though he couldn’t refuse because it was from an elder. And it didn’t seem like he was forcing himself to drink, either.

In fact, he was smiling, looking as if he was genuinely enjoying himself.

‘Did he hear some good news earlier?’

She narrowed her eyes, scrutinizing Eched with suspicion. Unable to guess, she decided to ask him later what His Majesty had said.

But he was drinking too recklessly. Watching Eched down drinks offered not only by His Majesty but also by others, she clicked her tongue.

“He’s going to get drunk…”

“Look at you. Are you actually worried about your husband?”

“What?”

She turned to her sister with a startled expression.

But the scolding she was about to unleash didn’t come out. Embarrassingly, she really was worried that Eched might get drunk.

When she suddenly fell silent, her sister smirked knowingly.

The way she let out a meaningful “Ahh” was infuriating.

“Then why don’t you go over there?”

Her sister suggested that if she was so worried, she should sit next to him and keep an eye on him.

“No. If I go, I’ll have to drink too. I quit drinking.”

“You?”

Her sister burst into laughter. She seemed to think her declaration of sobriety was the funniest joke of the year.

“Well, suit yourself if you don’t want to go.”

Surprisingly, her sister backed off easily. But she always had an ulterior motive when she acted like this.

Feeling uneasy, she briefly considered calling her sister back.

“Lady Shaterian. Or rather, the Duchess now.”

While watching her sister walk away, she suddenly turned her head at the sound of someone calling out to her. It was Anella, the star of today’s banquet.

Anella had her water-colored hair neatly pinned back, letting it flow naturally, and she was dressed in the white ceremonial attire of a Saintess.

Just standing there quietly, she exuded an aura so sacred it made one feel like offering a prayer.

It was as if praying to her would connect directly to the Goddess herself.

And surprisingly, there was someone who genuinely acted on that impulse.

A passing noble stopped abruptly upon seeing Anella, clasped their hands together with a look of reverence, and began to pray.

The noble offered a brief prayer, expressed their gratitude to Anella, and then disappeared.

“….”

Anella let out an awkward laugh and tried to blend into the background by sticking as close as possible to the curtain next to a pillar.

“Lately, whenever people see me, they suddenly start praying….”

Did she truly not realize? That she had effectively turned into a wishing fountain where people metaphorically tossed their coins?

Unable to bring herself to tell the harsh truth, she opted for a roundabout response.

“Well… You are the first Saintess to appear in a hundred years….”

“To think that would be me—it’s still quite surprising.”

Acknowledging the peculiarity of the situation, Anella seemed to have decided to accept it with a generous heart.

“Regardless, congratulations on your ascension, Saintess Anella.”

“Please don’t…!”

Upon receiving a formal bow of respect for the new Saintess, Anella flusteredly waved her hands to stop her.

“It feels a bit… sad, as if we’re growing distant.”

There was a hint of melancholy in the small sigh Anella let out.

Her gaze swept across the hall as if searching for someone. She was likely looking for Orgon, who had disappeared after entering with the Saintess and the Pope.

Recalling Orgon’s equally despondent demeanor, she too let out a deep sigh.