Chapter 46 …
Was Theodore perhaps too startled because of me?!
Did I tease him too much…?
I felt a little guilty.
Next time, I should stop teasing him.
“Th-then… shall we go?”
I opened my mouth to break the heavy silence that had settled between us.
“…Ah.”
At the same time, Theodore let out a short groan.
“Huh? Are you hurt anywhere?”
“…No, I’m not.”
“But still, you caught a falling person! There’s no way you could be fine, right?!”
Now that I thought about it, there was no way someone could catch a falling person and come out unscathed.
I hurriedly scanned his body, my gaze darting everywhere.
“…I’m not injured anywhere, so you don’t need to worry.”
As I did that, Theodore averted his gaze and firmly grabbed my body, holding me in place so I couldn’t move.
He looked tired, as if my excessive fussing—so unlike him—was exhausting.
His face was completely stiff. There was no mistaking it.
Well, if he’s not hurt…
I dropped my concern just as easily.
“Your Majesty, then… this hand, please…”
I hesitantly made the request.
I wanted to get up already, instead of staying face-to-face like this.
“Hm?”
“I want to get up now…”
“Ah.”
As if he had only just noticed the hand he was holding too tightly, he flinched and quickly withdrew his arm.
Thanks to that, it became much easier to get up.
“…I—sorry.”
And then, out of nowhere, Theodore apologized again.
Was he always this good at apologizing…?
I was sure he was the type of person who avoided saying “thank you” or “sorry” for the sake of imperial authority.
“Huh? For what?”
“Placing my hands on a woman’s body without restraint goes against chivalry.”
“No, goodness. Your Majesty, someone might misunderstand if they heard that! You just saved me, that’s all.”
At my words, Theodore made a strange expression and then nodded. He was a man whose emotions were hard to read.
“…That’s true.”
The moment his reply came, I sprang to my feet.
I twisted and stretched my body, checking myself all over. There wasn’t a single place that hurt. My clothes were a bit dirty, but that was nothing a shake couldn’t fix.
“I really didn’t get hurt at all. Thank you, Your Majesty.”
“That’s a relief.”
“Are you sure you’re not uncomfortable anywhere?”
“I’m fine.”
Theodore, who had likewise been rolling his shoulders to check, shook his head.
“Your Majesty, you must be a master of falling techniques.”
“That’s because you’re very light.”
“No matter how light someone is, catching a person—”
“That’s enough. I’m good at anything that involves using my body, so stop worrying.”
Theodore replied calmly and started walking ahead.
“Now let’s really go. We can’t be any later.”
He had been humble just moments ago, but he quickly returned to his usual self.
He was easier to deal with earlier…
Swallowing my regret, I quietly followed behind him.
We boarded the carriage Theodore had prepared.
From the outside, it looked like an ordinary hired carriage, but the interior was spacious—completely different from its appearance.
We sat at opposite corners, as far apart as our emotional distance.
“We’re departing, Your Majesty.”
After Isaac’s report, the carriage began to move.
“Come to think of it, what brings you here anyway?”
Only after things settled did my head clear. I hadn’t even asked why Theodore was here.
“…I didn’t trust you, so I came to pick you up myself.”
He really didn’t trust me at all.
“You even asked me to stage an attack incident—there’s no way I’d stand you up.”
“Stand me up?”
He shot me a sideways glance. Startled by my poor choice of words, I smiled awkwardly.
“Ah—well, something like that. Haha.”
Without saying anything more, Theodore propped his chin on his hand and looked out the window.
Since it was still early night, the streets lined with shops were lively. Bright lights decorated the road, making it a beautiful sight.
“It’s pretty—the night streets.”
The words slipped out unconsciously.
“…Pretty?”
His gaze turned to me. I nodded.
“Yes. I’ve been so busy thinking about the future that I’ve never really had the leisure to look at things like this.”
It was true. Whether in the capital or elsewhere, I had been fiercely focused only on what I needed to do next.
“That’s… the same as me.”
Theodore murmured. And once again, the conversation fell silent.
After traveling for some time, we reached the vicinity of the count’s estate.
Theodore got off first. He said he would watch from afar and direct the fake attack once I came out.
“How should I hand over the ledger once I get it?”
“When I see you come out, I’ll return with this carriage.”
“Yes!”
“Good. And…”
Standing outside the carriage, Theodore looked steadily at me as I leaned out the window.
Even though I had pulled up my hood and covered my nose and mouth with a mask so no one would recognize me, his handsomeness still seemed to pierce right through it.
“If it’s dangerous, leave the ledger and just come out. There will be another chance.”
It was concern uncharacteristic of him.
But instead of asking, Why are you like this? I simply nodded.
Today, Theodore seemed much gentler toward me than usual. I didn’t want to stir up trouble unnecessarily.
“Ah, yes. As you know, I value my life above all else, so I’ll be fine.”
“I’ve heard that several times. It’s a very good attitude.”
It seemed like Theodore smiled faintly.
“…Right. Well then, see you later.”
“Alright.”
He sent me off with an unusually mild voice.
A smiling, cold-blooded handsome man.
That was truly dangerous.
It must be my imagination.
Thinking that I was really imagining all sorts of things, I let out a small sigh.
“Welcome, Saintess.”
The moment I entered, I saw Charlotte greeting me with a bow so deep her head nearly touched the ground.
“Please don’t do that, Countess. You’re making me embarrassed.”
I gently stopped her with a benevolent expression.
It had only been a day, but Charlotte’s complexion looked even more ashen.
[It looks… dangerous, doesn’t it?]
[Probably. It is Charlotte’s fault, but still… that is…]
Agatha spoke in a pitiful voice.
I didn’t subscribe to the extreme belief that death must be repaid with death.
So I concluded that I needed to stop the evil spirit.
[‘Damn it. Just because a few lowly commoners died, the estate ended up like this. It’s so unfair.’]
However, after peering into her inner thoughts, I decided that I would have to take care of the evil spirit’s revenge myself.
[Ugh. This person is really something… her soul is filthy. Still, being tormented by an evil spirit isn’t right.]
Agatha seemed merciful, but that wasn’t why I intended to stop the spirit.
I’ll make her think the afterlife is better than this world.
While harboring dark thoughts about how to ruin Charlotte, I kept a solemn expression on the outside.
After being guided into the drawing room—
“…This estate is being ruled by evil spirits.”
I spoke quietly, shaking the tools I had prepared in my hands.
Jingle, jingle.
The sound of bells echoed eerily through the room.
This really makes it easy to set the mood.
A strange chill hung over the estate, making it perfect for staging.
“There’s more than one.”
Just as the gods had seen beforehand, there were quite a few ghosts in this estate.
Among them were several weak evil spirits as well.
It seemed many people had died here, or many had died in connection with the Russell Trading Company.
“You must have had a lot of bad things happen recently.”
“What? Ah—what do you mean…?”
“Didn’t a large number of your servants suddenly quit?”
“Gasp. Y-yes! They all quit at once, and my husband suffered terribly trying to find replacements. Just thinking about that time still makes me exhausted and tightens my chest.”
The servants had quit because of unfair contracts, but I deliberately made it sound like the evil spirit’s doing.
An evil spirit with pitch-black eyes and whites completely gone seemed to glare at me, but I ignored it.
Its human form is gradually disappearing.
Agatha had told me that if an evil spirit’s grudge was too deep, its power would continue to grow.
Eventually, it would no longer retain a human form, becoming a jet-black soul capable of harming humans.
Not just making noises or staring to unsettle them like now…
It can directly cause harm.
Of course, it wouldn’t outright kill them—just make them waste away more than they already were.
I needed to handle this quickly.
“And recently, your husband has been losing weight at an unnatural rate.”
“G-gasp, yes…!”
“And the Count has been suffering from chronic headaches. For about… five years now.”
“The Saintess truly knows everything…”
She was moved all on her own.
This was probably because nobles she had met at worship gatherings told her that following my instructions had made them feel better.
She must have very high expectations of me.
“Saintess! Please save me. Should I donate more offerings—more sacred funds?”
It would be much better if you returned that money to your servants.
I’d be sure to add that later, when the opportunity arose.
“First, let’s walk through the estate and perform a purification.”
I naturally guided the count along. As we went, I entrusted every evil spirit we encountered to the gods.
I waved bells and flags around, acting as if I were performing some grand ritual.
Thanks to that, some of the evil spirits disappeared, and the air grew a little fresher.
“Saintess, are you… exorcising them? Strangely, my head feels clearer.”
That wasn’t just a feeling—it really was.
Living under the weight of so many souls, it was only natural she had headaches.
“Yes. It seems I’ll need to enter every room and perform the ritual once.”
“I understand!”
I continued walking through the entire estate with the count. Then, in one particular room—
“This room… is dangerous. Please step out.”
I spoke in a serious tone, creating an atmosphere as if things had become perilous.
“Pardon?”
And then I subtly asked Agatha for help.
[Agatha, a little staging, please…]
[Ah, yes!]
At the same time, the lights in the room went out.
“Kyaaah!”
A startled scream only heightened the eerie atmosphere.
In the darkness, candles smoked as they burned low, and beyond them, a moonlit window began to shake.
Divine power… truly the best.
It was almost like a scene straight out of a horror film.
The count and the attendants who had been following me closely all turned pale.
Soon, creak, creak—even the sound of wooden shelves and drawers shifting slightly could be heard.
This is… kind of terrifying.
The gloomy atmosphere of a grand estate—
Even knowing Agatha was deliberately creating the horror, it sent a chill down my spine.
