Chapter 10: CH 10

Daisy’s transfer will be discussed with Reihausd later.

Having just finished dressing up, I left the temple building to get on a carriage.

The temple was magnificent and there were countless buildings as if I were looking at a few ancient castle structures.

I saw white horses pulling a white carriage with an Elium pattern on it. As the coachman stopped the horses, a man in silver armor approached and opened the carriage door.

The strong-bodied man then looked at me and bowed his head.

“I’m Dwayne, the 2nd Holy Knights’ Commander. Today, I will escort the Saintess.” He had brown hair and looked to be in his thirties.

“Nice to meet you. Dwayne.” After lightly greeting him, I got into the carriage.

The inside of the carriage was more comfortable than expected, although it wasn’t as good as the interior of the van.

Sitting on the velvet soft seat, I leaned back.

Today, I went to the Crown Prince’s twentieth birthday banquet as the representative of the temple. This means that I’m different from ordinary ladies who need an escort from a male partner.

The sound of horses’ hooves could be heard from the back of the carriage. The 2nd Holy Knights, including Dwayne, started marching and escorting.

The speed of the carriage wasn’t fast, and I looked outside, looking at the route until I left the huge temple.

I had never been out of the temple until now, so I was just guessing, but the temple was probably much bigger than I thought.

The horse didn’t run, but anyway, it took more than 10 minutes to get out of the temple even at the speed of the carriage.

‘I’ll probably need a horse when I get out of here.’

I quietly added a horse to the plan.

There is a stable in the main building and not far from where I live, so I think I should visit it often to learn.

As I was thinking that if I had a notebook, I would write down my plan, I stared at the road leading from the end of the temple.

As the temple wasn’t located in a remote place, it wasn’t long before a street that looked like a bustling street appeared.

People were pouring flowers on both sides of the road, and some of them were praying while watching the carriage I rode.

Saintess.

A place where everyone is respected and welcomed.

God’s representative.

And…

[The God of Love, Odyssey, is showing off.]

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, coughs in vain.]

[The God of Art, Mond, paints this landscape.]

I thought about it before, but no matter how much I think about it, they are Gods close to attention seekers.

“Are they really Gods?”

It was an awkward sentence structure without a subject, but I couldn’t find more appropriate words.

As if the Gods heard my words, the chat window flashed again.

[The God of Knowledge, Hessed, reveals his uneasy feelings.]

“Well, I’m a fake saintess, so who knows if they’re fake gods?”

It was a word that I threw on purpose as if I was provoking them.

But at that moment, there was a roar of thunder with a flash of lightning flashing from the sky. There was no rain, but it was a dry thunderbolt.

After a while, I opened my mouth.

“…Well, that’s enough.”

No further answers appeared in the dialog.

Somehow, I remembered the faces of two children who were sulking.

“Pfft.”

I burst out laughing. I felt a little lighter.

‘Whatever.’

I decided to accept their existence.

Even if they were Gods, they never reacted to what I was thinking, so they couldn’t hear my thoughts.

But when I moved or spoke, they reacted.

[The God of Love, Odyssey, wonders what your laughter means.]

‘I must say that I’m fortunate that they don’t interfere with my thoughts.’

As I was immersed in complicated thoughts, the carriage entered the Imperial Palace.

A number of magnificently sized buildings similar to or slightly larger than the temple had a reddish-brown exterior that was different from the gray walls of the temple.

Crossing the arched bridge, the carriage entered the palace. And passing through countless landscapes, I stopped in front of a magnificent building like the Seoul Arts Center.

‘So you mean there’s a second male lead over there, right?’

I thought, a little bit disheartened.

The banquet hall was an exterior that anyone could see was built for performances or banquets.

It was getting dark outside, and the banquet was gradually filling up with people.

When I got off the carriage, the Paladins lined up and bowed to me. Holding on to the hem of the dress, I walked proudly along the blue carpet.

A lot of the eyes of the knights and various nobles were focused on me, but I wasn’t nervous.

In my previous life, when I entered my father’s house, the countless contemptuous gazes and harsh words poured out towards me.

Compared to the war-like day-to-day, these curious glances rather belonged to the pleasant axis.

‘Keep your head straight and look straight ahead. Walk with your back straight and your eyes clear.’

I had learned to arm myself in order not to look shabby and weak.

I walked slowly into the banquet hall without turning my eyes to the ladies and nobles who were shouting at me.

The orchestra was playing to lighten the atmosphere of the banquet, and servants carrying trays were walking around, handing out glasses of wine to the nobles.

I continued walking along the carpet.

And stared at the two thrones at the end of the long carpet.

There was the Emperor in his mid-fifties with pale red hair wearing a heavy-looking crown, and the young Empress with blonde hair in her twenties.

That man is the Emperor Lauchen Jansen Illide.

‘And that woman…’

I heard that the Empress Rose Elyde, who came three years ago, was the daughter of Count Michael.

I saw a man standing next to the throne, dressed in a fine robe and wielding a long sword. He is probably the Crown Prince, the protagonist of this banquet.

Even compared to Reihausd, his height, broad shoulders, and solid physique make him indistinguishable.

Blood-red hair and deep red eyes like burning flames in sharp eyes.

A man who will become the emperor of the empire, a man who is smarter and more sober than anyone else, but he lost his cold heart to the female lead, Camilla.

‘Kyle Alexis Illide.’

Numerous medals on his indigo blue uniform proved his merits.

“…”

I stood in front of the Emperor, his wife, and the Crown Prince. Then, holding the hem of the dress, I placed one hand on my chest and bowed politely to them.

“On the occasion of the Crown Prince’s twentieth birthday, we send the blessing of Elium to the Imperial Family.”

“Thank you, Saintess. Raise your head.”

I slowly lifted my head when I heard the calm voice of the Emperor.

“With the protection of the Nine Gods, we deliver congratulations from Elium and all the temples.”

I glanced at Kyle’s face.

Dark and cold eyes, and even the slightly narrowed forehead for some reason as if he was seeing something uncomfortable.

Ariel may not have met him once or twice, but I could sense that their relationship wasn’t a good one.

“In the beginning…”

I could see his eyebrows wriggle, but I continued.

Everyone was looking at me because the blessing of the temple was a very important procedure.

“When the Lord created our world and His power was divided into nine branches, the splendid power of charity inhabited the Empire, and the Empire of Illide prospered. And the God of Justice chose the Emperor, and the Empire came to power.”

Looking into his eyes, I spoke seriously.

“The Crown Prince was born in Ciel’s blessed month. He is wiser than anyone else to assist in government affairs and doesn’t neglect theocracy, so virtue and blessings will bring more splendor to the Empire. We, Elium, are the servants and companions of His Imperial Majesty the Emperor…”

His cold eyes were still profane, but I didn’t care and continued talking.

“Congratulations on the birthday of His Highness the Crown Prince, who is the only heir. May the blessing of Ciel, the God of Destruction, and the blessings of the other eight Gods rest upon you.”

After I finished speaking, I sighed in relief.

Fortunately, there didn’t seem to be a single blemish in the congratulatory speech I wrote.

“Then, now… ”

Of course, I didn’t like his openly cold expression, but I still had to do what I had to do.

I bowed my head, turned over my hands, and reached out to ask for his hand.

“…”

He placed one of my hands on mine after a very long time, and the weight of it was transmitted through my palms.

His hand was visible in sight. Big, manly hands, long fingers, that rested on my hand.

I wasn’t used to being in contact with a man I had just met for the first time. However, since this scene was included in the traditional temple salutation ceremony, it could not be omitted.

I leaned my head forward and my lips kissed the back of his hand.

To be precise, the moment my lips touched, I pushed my lips inward a little so that only the philtrum came in contact. In my ears, I heard the applause of the nobles celebrating the blessing of the temple.

Oh, how humiliating it is to have to kiss the back of someone’s hand in the presence of so many people.

‘Why did Ariel want to do this so badly?’

After a while, I looked up, and his eyebrows were stiffer.

‘Excuse me. I feel even worse.’

For a moment, his red lips were dangling.

“You…”

And it was then.

Suddenly my vision flashed. I heard a bang and something exploded. Soon, it was filled with people screaming.