<Chapter 49>

“Wh-what? Is that true?”

“……”

A disdainful gaze fell upon Kei, as if silently asking, ‘Do you really think it is?’ Kei let out an awkward laugh.

“I-I apologize…….” Spica, intrigued by Kei’s nonchalant response to Temenos’ piercing stare, turned to Temenos and asked, “Then, how do you plan to handle the aftermath of those rumors?”

“That’s up to the one spreading them to deal with.”

These words came straight from the Bishop’s mouth.

Whatever was seen or heard here, the nobles would report directly to the Emperor, prioritizing the Bishop’s words. They’d likely say, ‘The Duchess is not the Saintess. The real Saintess resides in the capital.’

‘If the Pope were to declare in front of the Emperor that Inosensia is not the Saintess… the Emperor would surely question the Pope’s true motives.’

If the two of them ended up clashing head-on, that would be ideal.

In any case, from Temenos’ perspective, it was a win as long as the nobles from the capital reported to the Emperor that ‘The real Saintess is in the capital.’

“Once the rumors have spread enough, lock him up again. We need to confirm whether the Emperor or the Pope will come to retrieve her.”

“Understood, Your Excellency.”

Living long enough, I’ve even reached the day where I get to toy with the mind of a bishop.

Staying here is definitely the right choice.

Humming softly, Spica reached out and placed her hand atop Bishop Roam’s head.

*  *  *

Meanwhile, at that very moment…

Even though a long time had passed since the Emperor’s departure, the Pope remained lost in thought, his chin resting against the armrest of his chair. His lethargic posture mirrored that of someone in the grips of deep depression.

‘I thought he came all the way here to make a fuss about losing the blessing… But then again, knowing his nature, there’s no way he’d ever bring it up himself.’

Still, this was rather unexpected.

‘Inosensia… became the Saintess?’

His half-closed eyes drifted to the scattered documents on the floor.

The regeneration and restoration of lost flesh—this was undoubtedly something only the Pope could achieve. There was a clear reason why the Saintesses of history had never managed it.

Because he had ensured they couldn’t.

‘For Inosensia, it’s even more impossible. She was forsaken by God Himself.’

But if what is written in these documents is not a fabrication, if she has truly accomplished such a miracle…

‘It’s not entirely out of the question.’

A sudden realization crept up his spine.

The Pope’s eyes gleamed beneath his veil.

‘A relic!’

Yes, that must be it. The North held such a relic.

The final relic he had never managed to locate. The one he had eventually given up on finding—it had been in the North all along!

He had sent people to comb through the region numerous times, but there was just one place they hadn’t thoroughly searched due to its heavy fortifications.

The Winstein Duchy.

And now, Inosensia had become the duchess. If she had discovered the relic within the estate and was using it to masquerade as the Saintess…

‘If I could secure that relic for myself…’

It felt like spotting a lighthouse amidst a pitch-black sea.

A longing he had nearly abandoned as impossible now flickered faintly to life again, like embers stirring from ashes.

Leaning back against the chair’s armrest, the Pope flicked his thumb and middle finger of his left hand.

Moments later, a figure appeared before him. It was a man with long hair.

Without uttering a word, the man knelt in silent submission.

The Pope issued his command: “Head to the North immediately. Approach Inosensia, now the Duchess, and confirm whether she possesses the relic.”

The Pope stared intently into the man’s eyes. Once he was sure the man’s gaze was placid and unyielding, he continued: “If she has the relic, retrieve it… and—”

A sudden thought crossed the Pope’s mind.

‘The ignorant Northerners wouldn’t know how to wield the relic even if they found it… but Inosensia? She certainly could.’

The Pope’s eyes glinted with a chilling light.

“Whether she has the relic or not… kill her.”

The man bowed his head in silent acknowledgment.

When he raised his head again, his eyes were devoid of will, like an empty void. Yet the shade of his irises was an enchanting hue, reminiscent of blooming wisteria.  

Part 5

Morning had come.

‘Duchess, please lift your head and glance at the spot next to you…’

When I slowly opened my eyes and looked at the spot beside me, it was empty.

Neither the left nor the right side of this vast bed showed any sign of someone having lain there and left.

I had a faint hope, but of course, it turned out to be as expected.

My husband hadn’t returned to the bedroom, and I ended up sleeping alone on our wedding night.

‘He wouldn’t have gone off somewhere to cry by himself… right?’

Judging by his reaction yesterday, it seemed he had been utterly shocked.

If only I’d left things alone, none of this would have happened. But no, I just had to go on about how God would forgive him, didn’t I? And look where that got us.  

‘Then again, is this entirely my fault?’

Excuse me, God? If You have a voice, would You care to explain?

You said this was divine punishment. If You weren’t planning to forgive him, then why bother sticking my soul into this body in the first place?

‘This isn’t some Trojan Horse plot, is it?’

You wait until my naive husband’s suspicions are fully gone, and then seize that moment to strike me?

‘If that’s the plan, count me out. Forget saving the world—I’m a duchess now!’

There’s also a window for divine messages, so why can’t I speak?!

No matter how much I banged on the divine message window in protest, there was no response.

“Haah…”

‘Well, maybe a new divine oracle will clear things up.’

Already drained before the day had even begun, I stretched my arm out from where I lay and pulled the bell cord.

Moments later, Monica entered alongside Alice.

“Did you call for me, Madam?”

Oh, look at that—the “Prospective Duchess” title is gone now.

While Alice drew back the curtains to let sunlight flood the room, Monica approached with a trolley, speaking politely: “I was informed that the Duke was called away on urgent business. How would you like your breakfast prepared?”

“Oh… so he gave a heads-up after all.”

Right. It’s not like our lack of a wedding night is going to stay a secret. Anyone who needed to know already knows, and the rumors will spread soon enough.

In that case, it’s probably better for Temenos to spin it as, ‘He had urgent matters to attend to.’

…Not that anyone is likely to buy such a flimsy excuse.

“Breakfast… I don’t feel like going all the way to the dining room. Just bring something light here.”

“Understood, Madam.”

“And there’s no pressing business for me this morning, right? I’d like to head to the chapel after I finish eating.”

“No, Madam. There’s nothing requiring your immediate attention.”

Is it just me, or did she put extra emphasis on “immediate”? Let’s hope that’s just my imagination…

“Kyaaaah!”

“What—what’s wrong? What happened?”

The sudden scream came from Alice.

Startled, I bolted upright. My gaze followed hers to the window, where someone was hanging upside down, waving cheerfully.

The dangling figure wasn’t an assassin—it was Ferry.

“Why… why is he out there like that…?”

Thankfully, it was broad daylight. If I had seen him at night, I might’ve thought I’d stumbled into a horror movie.

While I stood there in disbelief, barely suppressing a laugh, Alice’s scream had summoned Kei and Cesare, who burst into the room moments later.

“What happened?”

“Is it an intruder?”

“Well, um…”

Before I could reassure them, Alice pointed frantically.

“Out there! Someone’s hanging outside the window!”

“Eek! Oh no, he’s coming in!”

Monica quickly stepped in front of me protectively, pointing toward Ferry. Alice, meanwhile, scurried behind Kei and Cesare in a panic.

“Who are you? Who sent you?” Kei and Cesare reached for their swords, glaring at Ferry, who looked completely oblivious to the commotion.

Fearing a bloodbath, I hurriedly stepped forward.

“Wait, wait! I think there’s been a misunderstanding. He’s the bodyguard my husband assigned to me.”

“A… bodyguard?” Kei blinked in confusion.

“We weren’t informed of this… bodyguard arrangement…” Cesare trailed off, his eyes narrowing in suspicion.

Wait, had Temenos not told them yet? Did Ferry vanish before he had the chance to explain?

“It’s a secret bodyguard arrangement. That’s why he was outside the window.”

“Really? Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to cause such a commotion…!” Alice turned beet red, bowing repeatedly in apology.

But Cesare wasn’t convinced. He scrutinized Ferry from head to toe.

“I’ve never seen his face around Winstein before. Madam, are you sure this man was appointed by His Grace?”

“Yes, absolutely. Trust me. Oh! Ferry, didn’t my husband give you some sort of identification token? Could you show it to them?”

Looking puzzled but willing, Ferry nodded cheerfully and began rummaging through his pockets.

As I watched, I let out a sigh of relief. At least he seemed capable of understanding basic requests.

“Huh? What’s this box? Did you put the token inside it?”

What Ferry pulled from his pocket was a small box, barely larger than his palm.

I took the box from him and opened the lid.

“Uh…”

Inside the box… there was no identification token.
 

<To be continued>

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