Chapter : 40
I’ll Change the Male Lead This Time
Something about her words sounded oddly meaningful, so I asked lightly,
“Miss, you’re from the same Duke Lutas family as the High Priest, but you don’t seem to like the temple rituals.”
“Of course not. The High Priest is rotten to the core.”
“Pff—!”
I almost spat out the black tea I was holding. What is she even—?
“He pushed my aunt into the imperial palace and turned her into a puppet empress, and that wasn’t enough—he tried to do the same to me.”
“……”
“I have no intention of sacrificing my life for the family like my aunt did.”
Her blunt words reached me through the cheers of the crowd.
“It’s all thanks to those of you who understood my sincerity. Thank you.”
Phoebe’s voice rang clearly through the banquet hall.
“What’s the use of wearing such a pure white dress when the inside is completely rotten?”
“That’s… pretty honest of you.”
“Only with people I think I can talk to.”
Mei smiled at me, raising her eyebrows playfully.
“Oh my, the Swip that delivers the will of the gods is protecting our Saintess.”
“It’s like a painting.”
At last, the highlight of the ceremony.
“Piiiii!”
The Swip that had been held in Phoebe’s arms spread its wings again and began circling around her.
“Woooah….”
Phoebe’s sunlit hair fluttered softly, and stardust sparkled over her pure white dress.
“Peace to Ignis.”
“Peace!”
Entranced by the sight, people raised their glasses in a toast.
I stared at the scene in a daze.
‘That blue light….’
Just as the faint blue glow—symbolizing divine power—spread as if it would cover the sky—
—Why did you appear? You should have stayed hidden forever like you were dead. Why did you come back and take my place…!
“Ah!”
“Sister, what’s wrong? Are you okay?”
Suddenly, a lightning-like pain shot through my head.
Gripping the edge of the table reflexively, I struggled to steady my breathing.
What was that? Whose memory was that?
“Kyaaah!”
“Oh my, support the Saintess!”
Screams rang in my ears.
‘What on earth…?’
When I looked up, the blue light surrounding Phoebe was distorting and bursting wildly.
“Piiik—!”
“What are the knights doing?! Catch Swip immediately!”
“Swip is a sacred beast that protects the temple! We cannot let it escape!”
“Damn it, how was it managed like this?!”
“I’m sorry! I checked until the very end—how did it get loose…!”
The holy knights ran after the bird, but Swip’s frantic wingbeats grew stronger, as if it were trying to escape.
“Wait—where is it flying to?”
Swip had already flown too high to reach and glided leisurely above the crowd.
“Piiik! Piiik!”
But why… is it coming toward me?
I instinctively reached out, and Swip landed on my finger.
“Piiik, piiik!”
“…What?”
Swip flapped weakly but couldn’t fly any farther.
“It’s a sacred beast of the temple! You must not let it go!”
“It won’t be able to fly far! Grab it now!”
“Miss, hold onto it so it can’t escape!”
The holy knights shouted as they ran toward me.
‘Wait—what is this…?’
I suddenly looked at Swip’s leg.
Around its thin ankle—barely the size of my fingernail—was a pitch-black restraint.
The half-loosened shackle tightened more and more around its ankle whenever it tried to move.
They tied something like this on it…?
“Oh my. That must have hurt.”
“Piiik!”
Snap—I broke the shackle, and Swip flapped its wings, crying out.
“Miss! Ah—!”
“Go. Hurry, before you get caught.”
“Pii!”
I gently nudged it with my fingertip.
The unsteady Swip beat its wings and took off, circling above my head once as if to say goodbye, before flying away at full speed.
“It’s gone too far!”
“Damn it—what do we do now?”
The knights who arrived too late stared blankly at the disappearing Swip.
“Miss! How could you let the temple’s sacred beast escape?!”
“Oh, my finger slipped.”
I replied casually.
“Why that expression? If it’s a sacred beast of the temple, it’ll come back soon, won’t it?”
Then I leaned slightly toward the Saintess.
“Isn’t that right, Saintess?”
“Ha….”
The Saintess, standing with the knights supporting her, looked pale.
As the once-beautiful ceremony turned into chaos, people whispered while glancing at her.
“How could the sacred beast leave the Saintess and fly away?”
“Exactly. It looked like it was escaping.”
As if aware of the murmurs, one knight whispered to her,
“Saintess, a sacred beast leaving the temple is an ominous sign. You should inform the High Priest at once—”
“It’s fine. It will return soon. The temple is where Swip belongs.”
“The Saintess is truly merciful!”
At that moment, a bearded commander guarding the Saintess stepped forward and blocked me.
“Miss, do you think we don’t know you released the sacred beast on purpose? This is a crime.”
“A crime?”
I let out a soft laugh.
“Then isn’t putting restraints on a sacred beast a crime?”
“H-how did you…?”
The commander was momentarily speechless.
“N-no. Restraints? What nonsense is that?”
But soon he raised his voice even louder.
“It was merely a temporary measure to ensure the ceremony proceeded smoothly!”
“Oh my, isn’t that not a smooth ceremony, but a staged one?”
Mei sneered beside me.
“Ahem.”
Knowing Mei was the precious daughter of Duke Lutas, the commander couldn’t say anything to her.
“Regardless, didn’t this miss damage the temple’s sacred beast? How will you compensate for this?”
He snapped irritably at me instead.
“Huh—my daughter! Are you hurt?!”
At that moment, a familiar voice rang out from afar.
“Oh my, Sir Enoch and Sir Raphael—what brings you here?”
“What a surprise! You never attend the temple festival!”
The hall instantly filled with excited murmurs, and when I turned my head, I couldn’t believe my eyes.
“D-Duke Veritas… what brings you here? And both young masters as well…”
The bearded commander’s eyes went wide in shock.
“You’re greeting us while you’ve got my sister pinned down like a criminal?”
“What? S-sister?”
Crack—Raphael’s scowling face shut the commander up instantly.
“Then that woman is a daughter of the Veritas family? D-don’t tell me… the one who will soon become the Crown Princess—?!”
The knights behind him looked equally stunned.
They must have only heard rumors about me—never imagining the woman before them was that quiet Kaella Veritas.
“Commander, is this how the temple treats honored guests?”
“I-I apologize, Sir Enoch Veritas. We were ignorant—please forgive us.”
“You should apologize to the lady directly, not to me.”
As Enoch turned back, he asked me,
“Kaella, are you all right?”
Of course, I was fine. I really was—but still…
“Maybe I was startled…”
I muttered, pressing a hand to my forehead.
“I think my head hurts.”
With all that yelling, my ears were about to burst—letting it slide would be unfair.
“What? Your head hurts?”
“I will demand compensation from the temple, Father.”
“There’s no need for that. I’ll go to the temple myself and meet the High Priest.”
“P-please don’t! Duke! Duke!”
Seeing me act spoiled in a way they’d never seen before, my father and brothers’ expressions hardened.
“M-Miss, please forgive us.”
The commander, who had tried to follow my father toward the temple, quickly changed targets and clung to me.
“Hm… I’m so shaken I might need a sedative.”
“W-what are you doing?! Bring sedatives and headache medicine immediately!”
The commander snapped at the knights, chewing his lips in panic.
“Forget it! I’ll get them myself! You idiots! Please wait just a moment, Miss.”
He bowed deeply and ran off at full speed.
‘That’s enough.’
With the festival already ruined, they were bound to be punished one way or another.
“Wait—by the way, you…”
As I watched his pitiful retreating figure, I felt Enoch’s gaze suddenly fix on me.
His blue eyes were a complicated mix of surprise, confusion, discomfort, and something else entirely.
“What on earth is that… outfit?”
He finally spoke after a long pause.
‘Can’t blame him.’
Only then did I look down at myself.
It was absurdly beautiful.
More beautiful than ever—but my exposed shoulders, emphasized waistline… it was a style I’d never even tried while living in the duchy.
“Were you short on fabric or something?”
Raphael grumbled as he scolded the remaining knights.
“Who the hell dressed you like that?”
“Where… is Emma right now?”
They looked visibly flustered, searching for Emma.
“No need to call Emma. I wore this because I wanted to.”
I replied calmly, scanning my surroundings.
Mei Lutas smiled brightly when our eyes met; young ladies blushed while sneaking glances at Enoch and Raphael; and then—
“……”
Phoebe came into view, staring at me and my family.
For some reason, her expression reminded me of myself in my previous life.
