<Chapter 55>

Flash—!

The residents of the North offer tributes to God.

Northern faith rises. (+341)

Whoa, amazing!

“T-the offerings are all gone!”

“It must mean God accepted them!”

The clamor of people erupting in excitement filled the chapel.

I, too, felt the urge to laugh out loud at their reactions, but as the duchess, I held myself back, forcing a smile instead to maintain decorum.

“God has accepted your sincerity. With this, the grace of God shall— Eek!”

Before I could even finish speaking, people surged forward toward the divine statue. Tears streaming down their faces, they began to pray fervently.

“God really is watching over us!”

“Thank you, God! Thank you!”

“So the North hasn’t been abandoned after all. Please continue to watch over us from now on…”

The residents of the North pray in gratitude to God.

Northern faith rises. (+4)

 

The residents of the North praise God.

Northern faith rises. (+3)

 

The residents of the North seek mercy from God.

Northern faith rises. (+4)

 

The residents of the North……

I didn’t even need to do anything.

Each person simply bowed their heads and prayed from their seats, and as a result…

◆ Ultimate Objective: Save the World

◇ Current Objective: Raise Northern Faith to 5,000 | Confessions 9/10

 

*Northern Faith: 2,672

*Familiar: Flurry (Hamster)

*Key Items in Possession: 2 Divine Oracle Tokens

 

▼ Replay Divine Oracle

‘This is… If I heal a few more people and let them pray a little longer, reaching 5000 won’t take long at all.’

Is it really supposed to be this easy to raise faith?

It’s so simple I almost want to laugh…

▼ Replay Divine Oracle

Hah, the divine oracle…

BEST
LilyoftheValley

In fairy tales, a prince’s kiss wakes the sleeping princess. And in romance fantasy novels, the one who calms the rampaging male lead is… mmph

So, while I keep the chapel open to heal the sick, how am I supposed to deal with this upsetting ‘princess’ who keeps hiding himself, refusing to show even a strand of his hair?

*  *  *

This game of hide-and-seek that wasn’t really hide-and-seek began the moment Temenos took Ferry away right in front of me. From that point on, I hadn’t seen him.

The next morning, Ferry came back alone, ate all three meals by himself, and the large bed I slept in? It was always empty except for me.

At first, I tried to be understanding.

He already hated showing the scales on his body, and thanks to me, those scales had doubled in number.

He must have been really heartbroken. I bet he can’t even stand the sight of me anymore. Fine, I can accept that… or not—what nonsense!

As one day passed, then two, then three or even four, with no word at all from my husband, I started to get seriously angry too.

What kind of man leaves his wife—who, might I remind you, he was forced to marry under the Emperor’s orders—and doesn’t even bother to send a message?

I gave him plenty of space, didn’t I?  

So how much more time does he need to get over it?  

‘Nope. Not waiting anymore!’

I stormed into Temenos’s office unannounced.

But…

“What the—where is he?”

“I told you, Madam. His Grace has been away for a few days now.”

Tch. Obviously a lie.

If someone had been in this office recently, there would have been traces, but there weren’t any signs of life. Not a single one.

I glanced around the room before turning to David.

“If he’s gone for days, it’s clearly not some trivial matter. Why didn’t anyone tell me? Where is he?”

“That, I… I truly don’t know, Madam.”

David’s flustered expression and lowered head convinced me he wasn’t lying.

‘Even if he knew, he’d never tell me. This man is 100% on Temenos’ side.’

I scowled at David’s twitching mustache before tossing out one more question.  

“Does this happen often? My husband disappearing for days without notice?”

David’s eyes widened in shock.

“How… How did you know?”

“Because I’m not blind.”

Leaving the bewildered David behind, I returned to my room.

‘I should’ve grabbed him sooner…’

I thought he was avoiding me because of the increased scales. I gave him space out of guilt, but now it’s too late to backtrack.

‘Why didn’t I think of it earlier? I should’ve realized this was about the rampage.’

It had to be that. He must’ve sensed the signs of an impending rampage and fled.

I racked my brain, trying to recall if there were any hints from the novel.

‘There wasn’t much detail about where he went.’

In the novel, the male lead’s rampages were only hinted at twice.

Once, he stumbled away after saying he needed some space. When he came back days later, he was gaunt and irritable.

The second time, he returned after another disappearance, completely detached even as Beatrice got hurt.

‘This is the first time since I’ve been in the North. Maybe there’s still time to stop it?’

And thankfully, I had a way to confirm my theory.

“Come back here after the wedding, when the full moon rises.”

“All right. I’ll come back when the full moon rises.”

The first full moon after the wedding… That was tonight.

*  *  *

As the sun dipped below the horizon and the full moon rose in the sky, I made my way to the confessional booth.

‘If he has any conscience, he’ll keep his word.’

If he doesn’t… I’d mobilize every retired knight and servant in the castle to drag him back by force.

Staring at the lattice window, I braced myself.

Then…

Creak.

The sound of the confessional door opening echoed from the other side.

*  *  *

Contrary to Inosensia’s assumptions, Temenos didn’t harbor resentment about his increased scales.

That didn’t mean he was unaffected.

Though he didn’t show it, he had been feeling down. His already monstrous body had become even more grotesque.

He spent a couple of days holed up in his quarters but managed to sort through his thoughts.

‘At least the scales didn’t spread to my right side.’

If they had, that would’ve been a problem.

What reassured him most was Inosensia’s reaction. She looked guilty, not disgusted.

If she had screamed or recoiled in horror, Temenos would have been crushed.

But she didn’t.

‘If she were the type to be scared of scales, she wouldn’t have called this face handsome to begin with.’

That’s right. Despite everything, Inosensia likes me.  

Leaving her alone for too long would only hurt her.

Resolving to make up for lost time, Temenos decided to share a proper first night with her.

But…

“Ugh!”

‘That’ happened.

“Damn it…”

Late that night, just as he stood outside their bedroom door, Temenos felt his insides churn. He covered his mouth with his hand.

That queasy, twisting sensation wasn’t nausea. It was… something else.

He recognized it immediately. Panicking, he rushed back to his office.

‘Why now of all times?!’

In his office, he grabbed his journal.

The last time I experienced this ‘phenomenon’, which occurs every two to three years, was a year ago.

If my calculations were correct, it shouldn’t be happening now. It couldn’t.

So why was it starting all of a sudden?
 

<To be continued>

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