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Chapter 49

"I have something to ask you. What did you see that day… who are you?"

The man, who had fired off his question urgently, belatedly checked Vinet's face and frowned.

She tried to twist her wrist free from his strong grip, but the man tightened his hold and pulled her closer to confirm her identity.

"Kyaa!"

"Where is the Princess of Rohambriga?"

"I… I…."

Vinet thought she had gotten much better, but the rude noble's sudden appearance made her tremble.

As a physiological fear caused her eyes to moisten, the man tilted his head in confusion.

"Answer me."

Under his commanding tone, Vinet foolishly couldn't say a word.

She knew she should answer, but she was too scared to speak.

"My lady! I brought the strawberry Mont Bl… hmm, Your Highness."

Rebecca's ever-smiling expression turned cold at the sight of Damian.

"Long time no see, Sir Rebecca. I'll ask you—where is the Princess of Rohambriga?"

Ignoring Marquis Selfios's advice that the main characters should appear late, Damian had arrived at the party as early as possible.

'The interruption was long.'

He'd come, but his time had been wasted by that snake-like man.

Having endured for quite a while, Damian was impatient.

What had she seen that day?

Had she seen the same thing?

Wasn't it just a hallucination only he could see?

He had so many questions.

Yet the woman before him, instead of answering, was on the verge of tears—how frustrating.

"The person whose wrist you're holding is the princess of the Rohambriga family."

"What? This is the princess?"

As Damian's grip loosened in surprise, Rebecca quickly moved to protect Vinet behind her.

"What are you talking about? Wasn't the Princess of Rohambriga a redhead?"

Damian had only heard that Vinet was beautiful, not her detailed appearance.

Moreover, the former Duchess had beautiful crimson hair like a sunset, so it was natural he'd mistaken Lexi for Vinet.

'Crimson hair?'

'If it's crimson hair….'

Rebecca and Vinet's eyes met.

Crimson hair was common, but there was only one special crimson-haired person they both knew.

"Well…."

Just as Rebecca was about to speak, Vinet stepped forward.

"You must have mistaken me for someone else. I am Vinet Rohambriga, the princess of the Rohambriga family."

Her trembling subsided.

When it came to others—especially Lexi—Vinet could become stronger than anyone.

"Ha, then is she the Duke of Rohambriga's lover? Princess, have you seen her?"

"I'm… sorry. I…."

Vinet stammered, feigning ignorance even as she tensed at Damian's question.

"Tch, so that's why you were beating around the bush."

Perhaps she was a hidden lover.

After all, the one who had kept Damian waiting was Rahan himself.

"Crown Prince Heald di Leveridon! Lady Marr Elr! Sir Rikael!"

A booming voice announced the final main characters.

"Nothing's going my way. Excuse me."

Damian ran his hand through his hair roughly and retreated without a word of apology.

At the same time, Vinet, her tension released, staggered. Rebecca caught her just before she fell.

"It must be Lexi!"

The only person who had recently gone to the imperial palace was Lexi.

"What should we do?"

As participants, Vinet and Rebecca couldn't leave.

With the Crown Prince and the Saintess present, they couldn't step away for a while.

It was an unspoken rule.

Few were free to move about, and unfortunately, the prince, Damian, was one of them.

If Damian moved outside, he might find Lexi.

"Indeed. What should we…."

Even without knowing why he was looking for her, the way he had barged in and acted rudely meant Lexi could be in danger.

Biting her lip anxiously, Vinet's eyes suddenly sparkled as she spotted Marr Elr in the distance.

There was someone here who was free from such constraints.

---

"This way."

Jarten led me to a sunless corner of the garden.

"It's nice and cozy."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I really don't need treatment."

"I know."

"Thank goodness you… wha, what…?"

I smiled at Jarten, who tilted his head as if he'd misheard.

"I saw what you're hiding around your neck."

Oops! Startled, Jarten checked if his collar had come undone.

"It was just a glimpse when you fell, so no one else would have seen it. Everyone was too busy watching those men."

The more I think about it, the more it annoys me.

I'll have to find a way to get back at them soon.

"…Keep it a secret."

I'd never seen it myself, but according to the original description, Jarten's necklace was a symbol of priests who served Kahal, the god of fire.

"What's the problem? I used to be from Detarsia. People there believe in Lord Levinerth."

Though I was an exception.

"Well…."

"It's not like believing in Lord Kahal would get you ostracized, is it? Lord Sehem isn't that petty, and the priests here aren't that rigid."

Though most believed in Sehem, they weren't so restrictive as to openly ostracize others.

"That's not it. What I'm worried about are those who believe in Lord Kahal."

"……."

I couldn't say a word.

Most believers of Kahal were overly closed-minded.

And that closed-mindedness would later harm Leveridon.

'All that future Sehem showed me was their doing.'

After all, no one had expected them to attack a weakened Leveridon to drive out Sehem.

"I'm a man without proper status. I can't cause trouble for Count Reno, who hired me."

'So that's why Count Reno's treatment was delayed?'

Count Reno had participated in a war long ago, and his left leg, which hadn't received proper treatment, had deteriorated to the point where amputation was considered.

The fact that a man who couldn't even walk had begun to walk somewhat freely with a staff was entirely thanks to the priests of Sehem.

Because of that, Count Reno was one of Sehem's most devout followers.

A former priest of Kahal working under the devout Count Reno—he was full of things they would dislike.

"Don't worry. I can keep my mouth shut."

Of course.

"I'll trust you."

"But you know, it's a bit of a shame."

"What do you mean?"

Jarten, who had been healing himself, asked.

"I heard priests who believe in Lord Kahal have exceptional healing abilities."

Sehem's divine power and potions weren't all-powerful.

They were effective for minor wounds and internal injuries, but for severe wounds, rest was essential to prevent reopening.

Also, the older a wound, the more divine power was consumed.

The saintess hadn't spent a year gathering power for no reason.

On the other hand, Kahal's divine power had less immediate effect but resulted in faster healing and had excellent effects on old wounds.

"I only help enhance recovery. Unlike the priests here."

That recovery ability had laid the foundation to treat Count Reno's old wounds.

Of course, that alone wasn't enough to cure Count Reno.

"That's why it's a shame. If Jarten enhanced Count Reno's recovery, the priests here could heal him quickly, right? Sehem's divine power has high immediate effects."

In the original, Kahal's and Sehem's divine powers had an extremely high synergy.

One day, when Count Reno collapsed in severe pain, a worried Jarten used his divine power to treat him.

Afterward, regular treatments from the temple fully healed Count Reno's leg.

While pouring divine power into an already improving body would be like pouring water into a bottomless pit, different divine powers didn't pose any problem.

It was something no one had known because receiving different divine powers in a short period was extremely rare.

'Of course, the effect took quite a long time due to the weak divine power.'

Just enough for the aching pain to lessen slightly—that was all.

"…That couldn't possibly work."

The problem was that all this was a future event—two years away—and for now, it was nothing more than wishful thinking.

"There's no harm in trying. A mercenary who once passed through my village told me a story. He was poisoned by a monster and quickly drank a potion. It was Sehem's potion, but since it was cheap, it wasn't very effective."

I whispered as if sharing a secret.

"Priests who serve Levinerth specialize in breaking poisons and curses, right? He went straight to them and got it fixed, and the effect was great. He even praised Levinerth over Sehem."

"If he'd witnessed a miracle himself, that makes sense."

"Oh, it's more than that. My point is this: is it really that effective because it's so excellent? If you receive too much divine power, it leaks out. So does it make sense that it's particularly effective?"

I weaved a plausible story out of thin air.

Suddenly, a conversation with Yoo Hyun-sung came to mind.

'I think your calling is over there.'

Yoo Hyun-sung had muttered while watching police officers busy on the news.

'I'm pretty good, aren't I?'

'Yeah, so good you'll end up locked up over there.'

Thinking of my brother made me uncomfortable.

This is all for the future.

It was a pure, white lie.

"My divine power will surely create a good synergy effect, right?"

"Yes, it might not, but there's no downside. It's worth a try, isn't it?"

"Hmm… you make a good point."

A great response.

"Right?"

"I'm not sure if the opportunity will come, but if it does, I'll try. The Count receives treatment at the temple every week, after all."

How often would a servant like Jarten have a chance to speak alone with his master?

Keeping it in mind was a big gain, but I was in a hurry.

I needed to fix Yan's insolence and make him create a potion to thwart Marquis Selfios.

That way, I could return to my home as soon as possible.

'I think that opportunity will come very soon?'

"Lady Lexi! I'm here!"

A bright voice called out.

The opportunity I'd summoned seemed to have arrived.

I waved at Rikael's voice, which was especially welcome today.

He'd said he could find me anywhere as long as it wasn't inside the temple—its performance was reliable.

"Sir Rikael! This way… huh?"

Behind Rikael, approaching lightly, was someone who shouldn't be here.

"Sir… Sir Rahan? What brings you here…?"

My voice trembled like a child caught doing something wrong.

That was because the unexpected appearance had turned my mind completely white.

'I'm going crazy.'

He was someone who'd seize on even the smallest detail, so a bad excuse would spell trouble.

No matter how much he liked me now, people's feelings could change at any time.

And Rahan was someone who most feared unknown, dangerous presences that could harm his family.

'What did Rikael tell him as an excuse to meet me?'

Did he tell the truth?

Did he lie?

He's someone who shows everything on his face—did he manage to cover it up?

My head spun.

I hadn't cared at all when facing Seitron and Engcloman, but ironically, Rahan, who showed me endless affection, was more frightening.

Gulp. I swallowed.

I was trying to look composed, but cold sweat was running down my back.

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