#83. Arkansas’s Confession
I flinched in surprise when I felt a vibration through the tips of my toes.
Outwardly, I furrowed my brows with calm dignity.
“Please don’t do this, Cardinal.”
“To you, Saint, I am not a Cardinal—merely your servant. Please, deliver a fitting punishment.”
His expression was resolute, as though he wouldn’t rise until he received one.
I let out a long sigh and crossed my arms.
“What kind of servant doesn’t listen to a word?”
“My apologies.”
“This kind of behavior makes me uncomfortable. Get up, Cardinal.”
“Please lower your tone with me.”
“All right, fine—get up, Arkansas.”
I answered with another sigh.
Arkansas’s face bloomed with a radiant smile, his cheeks flushed like peaches.
Though he usually carried a cold, austere expression, there was no denying—he was a man of ascetic, almost divine beauty.
“He just smiled, and yet he looks so holy. I bet there are tons of goddesses who come to the temple just to see him.”
“I will obey your command, Saint!”
“Do you really like being called by name that much?”
“For the Saint to call me by name, and to serve you in this way—this is the greatest honor of my life.”
“Then how about letting me meet the Grand Priest instead?”
Arkansas led me to the place where the thirteenth Grand Priest was confined.
As we walked down a corridor lined with arched windows, I asked,
“They say I’m the first Saint to appear in two hundred years. But isn’t it a bit early to be so sure, considering there’s no proof?”
“Are you worried for me, Saint? That makes me happy.”
“You really are the perfect mark for a con artist.”
“If it’s your wish, you may deceive me as much as you please. I will accept it gratefully.”
“What did you just say?”
“Oh—if you ever need an accomplice, just say the word. I will serve with all my heart.”
Arkansas bowed deeply, his face utterly sincere, without even a hint of deceit.
I pressed my fingers against my throbbing temple.
“Can you stop with the nonsense already?”
“In truth, the Church rarely acknowledges the reincarnation of a Saint. False Saints appear quite often.”
“And what happens to people who impersonate Saints?”
“They are burned at the stake according to Church law.”
“…Like witches?”
“As expected of you, Saint—you know well.”
Arkansas praised me, completely unaware that my heart had frozen over.
‘What if they brand me a witch for trying to use the Morasincia Church? Am I digging my own grave here?’
Surely, there must have been innocent people falsely accused before.
And as for me—well, I do possess abilities that could easily make people call me one.
“Why do you believe I’m the real Saint?”
“It wasn’t my decision alone. The Archbishop and the entire clergy share that belief. I was simply assigned to serve you.”
“Because of the oracle?”
“The first reason is the oracle. The second—the appearance of the holy relics.”
I recalled the oracle Arkansas had recited in the underground chamber.
‘When two heavens collide, a woman shall return. The red wolf shall bite the black, and drive away the misfortune.
Three relics shall illuminate the righteous dead’s path.
My servant, go and save the heavens with the Saint.’
It sounded vague and poetic to me, but to the priests, it was the word of God—something to live and die by.
“The woman from heaven, the red wolf, the righteous dead, and the Saint—they might not even be the same person, you know?”
I voiced my doubt.
Arkansas replied in a steady, unshakable tone,
“I have no doubt that the Saint before me is the true one.”
“Is there another reason?”
“In all my life serving God, I’ve never seen a soul so radiant and pure as yours…”
He said it as if confessing something.
“You can see souls?”
“Yes. I lost my eyesight, but was granted the Holy Eye in return. It allows me to perceive certain things.”
“How exactly does that work?”
“May I have your permission to demonstrate?”
He asked politely.
When I nodded, his fingertips brushed against my forehead.
It wasn’t a touch of desire—just cautious contact.
A faint, trembling sensation raced from my forehead all the way down to my toes.
“What are you doing?”
Startled, I jerked my shoulders.
Arkansas quickly withdrew his hand, trying to reassure me.
“Forgive me, Saint. This allows me to see your soul clearly.”
“I asked how you see it, not for you to look at mine!”
“Your soul is so bright, like the sun—it was visible even before. But now I can confirm it without doubt.”
For a brief moment, an expression both complex and certain passed over his face.
“Just as you purified the body once possessed by an evil soul, you will illuminate the Empire’s future.”
***
The Marquis of Pipe was half-reclined in a massive armchair covered in sheepskin.
His face was flushed red, and empty bottles lay scattered at his side.
Count Blackfold, arriving late to the salon, clicked his tongue.
“Get a hold of yourself, Marquis Pipe. We need to plan for what’s to come.”
The marquis sat up sluggishly, grimacing.
“Plan for what? Brendan’s about to confess everything. We’re all as good as dead.”
“Brendan has no evidence.”
“But he knows we planted false evidence! Do you think he’ll die alone? Even if not for the kidnapping, he knows every one of our secrets! You overlooked that.”
When they kidnapped Elizabeth, Marquis Pipe had secretly kept a torn piece of her dress—just in case Count Blackfold ever betrayed him.
Blackfold, aware of it, had calmly suggested hiding that piece in Marquis Brendan’s mansion instead of getting angry.
“We shouldn’t have abandoned Brendan. If he talks, we’re done for! And you wanted to pin everything on him and erase him?!”
Marquis Pipe glared bitterly at Count Blackfold.
“Are you blaming me, after agreeing to it yourself?”
“I just can’t stand watching the Brendan family fall—it feels like I’m next!”
“Weren’t you the one who suggested kidnapping that woman to ‘teach her a lesson’?”
“As I recall, it was your idea, Blackfold.”
“Care to repeat that?!”
Count Blackfold exploded in anger.
The Duke of Riemann, who had been listening quietly, cut in with a dark tone.
“Calm yourselves. Division is exactly what our enemy wants.”
Until now, the Four Great Houses had always been united.
Together, they crushed their political rivals and solidified their privileges and power.
But now?
The Brendan house was on the verge of collapse, and the remaining three were trembling under the watch of the newly appointed Commander of the Imperial Knights.
Marquis Pipe blamed Blackfold; Blackfold distrusted Pipe.
The only thing they agreed on was how much they despised the ever-composed Duke of Riemann, who hid his true thoughts behind politeness.
“She’s just a young knight. Do you really think that Imperial Commander could harm us?”
Blackfold twirled his black mustache irritably.
Duke Riemann lifted a crystal glass to his lips.
“You underestimate Dame Claudia. She’s supported by countless young knights.”
“Hah! A bunch of lowborn fools waving swords—nothing more than penniless upstarts!”
“They may lack our titles and fortune, but they have youth—and fire.”
“And that’s supposed to make us fear them?”
Blackfold’s voice turned rough.
Riemann’s face grew paler.
“I mean we must stop the current before it becomes a flood.”
“A current?”
“The tide of change. The tide of reform—those who wish to destroy old power and claim new strength.”
Unable to contain his temper, Marquis Pipe hurled an empty bottle.
Crash! The shattering glass rang sharply through the air.
“Who dares covet what’s mine?! You think I’ll let them take even a patch of my land?!”
“Calm down, Marquis.”
“Traitors! When my daughter becomes Empress, I’ll have all their heads!”
He fumed.
Count Blackfold scoffed.
“You think the demure Lady Emma could achieve that? You’d need someone like Empress Shinsia for that kind of feat.”
“Are you insulting my daughter?”
“I’m telling you to watch your mouth. There are other concubines—my daughter, and the Duke’s daughter too. No one knows who’ll become Empress.”
Blackfold’s words hung in the air.
Duke Riemann narrowed his brow, gazing out the window.
“Perhaps His Majesty has been waiting for this moment.”
“What do you mean by that, Duke?”
“Right after the coronation, he acted as though he was pressured to take a wife, so he named our daughters his consorts.”
“He couldn’t ignore the Four Great Houses’ influence!”
“So we thought. But what if, instead, he baited us with the prize of Hartmann’s Heart to lure us in?”
Riemann turned to the other two men.
Their mouths were sealed tight.
“What if he only pretended to be blinded by women, waiting for our alliance to crumble?”
“You’re saying he delayed naming an Empress not to indulge in women—but for that?”
“We must meet the consorts and judge His Majesty’s true intent for ourselves.”
Riemann rose from his seat.
Marquis Pipe and Count Blackfold followed close behind.
The shadow looming over the imperial harem was growing darker.
He really figured out that I’m possessing Elizabeth?! If this man becomes my enemy, my entire identity will be exposed!
I felt as though I’d been caught off guard, my weakness laid bare.
Sensing my tension, Arkansas spoke softly to soothe me.
“Do not worry. I, Arkansas, have never told anyone this truth.”
“How can I be sure you’re on my side?”
“You doubt me, Saint?”
“Well, you and I both know—we’re not exactly ordinary humans.”
I used to hate being ordinary—powerless, poor.
That’s why I wanted to become the heroine of a novel—to go on adventures, share bonds, and live freely with my favorite character.
But…
If I had possessed Claudia, I probably would’ve killed Nikolai by now. I’m lucky I became Elizabeth instead. Even if he’s just using me…
A cold wind swirled deep in my chest.
Nikolai wasn’t enchanted by me.
He had simply seen through my heart.
“The game ended long ago. Your eyes were never good at lying.”
“If you wish to continue playing, I’ll oblige.”
Victory was far out of reach—but the game of temptation still hadn’t ended.
And in that moment, what I felt wasn’t defeat—it was relief.
Because I could still stay by Nikolai’s side.
Because the game gave me an excuse to be near him.
We weren’t lovers, nor husband and wife—but we could still claim some part of each other.
It was enough.
“This is where the thirteenth Grand Priest is held,” Arkansas said, stopping unexpectedly.
“They locked the Grand Priest here?”
I couldn’t hide the bitter smile that rose to my lips.
