Extra Side Story 1–5
Roxana couldn’t believe her situation.
She thought her sentence might be reduced thanks to the Saint’s ridiculous popularity—but instead, she had fallen all the way down to becoming a lowly temple clerk?
Roxana had only ever been in positions where she stamped approval seals. She was never someone who listened to petty complaints from commoners!
I’ll mess things up on purpose and make it hard for her.
Roxana ground her teeth.
Then Layla Lowell would get just as angry.
But damn it—Layla was always smiling brightly.
“Oh dear, this document is completely wrong! Do it again, okaaaay?”
“You should at least tell me what’s wrong so I can fix it… shouldn’t you?”
Roxana asked in the most sarcastic tone she could manage.
But Layla only widened her eyes and looked at her with pity.
“Oh my, didn’t it occur to you to read all the handover documents first before asking? Our Roxana really struggles to think things through without her daddy helping her, huh?”
“……”
“Now, look carefully, Roxana.”
Like a private tutor, Layla picked up a red pen.
Then, smoothly and effortlessly, she marked only the incorrect parts one by one.
“First, you brought the old version of the form. And you also masked the complainant’s personal information incorrectly. Oh my—were you hoping to get sued for leaking personal data? If you wanted to go back to prison, that would’ve been a great way.”
“Ughhh.”
“And the spelling throughout the form is wrong in so many places. I can still read it, but this is going to the Imperial Palace under your precious name. Is that really okay?”
“……”
“You do know that the writer’s name stays permanently on record, right?”
“……”
“Should we ask Henry to check your mistakes for you? You know, the little brother of mine you almost killed?”
Roxana stared at her, completely dumbfounded.
By now, the document had turned into a field of red markings.
“Oh wow, such a pretty red color. Don’t you think so, Roxana? Let’s put this on display.”
“D-Display?!”
“I’ll display it in the corridor where worshippers come to pray. The title will be ‘The Red Unpaid Labor.’”
“What kind of—!”
“By the way, we can make it a series. If you keep producing this kind of waste paper.”
Roxana felt her face heat up.
She knew every humiliation tactic used in high society, but she had never seen anything like this.
Only then did she realize it.
Layla Lowell wasn’t someone you could anger by thinking, ‘I’ll do bad work to annoy her!’
She was the type who would beat the bones out of you if necessary to make sure you worked properly.
Just then, Layla blinked her lifeless pink eyes.
“Oh, displaying it might be a bit too inhumane. Not as bad as dark magic, but still. Then, Roxana, let’s apologize to that.”
“……?”
Roxana looked where Layla was pointing.
There was nothing there but a window.
“What are we supposed to look at—”
“The treeeeee!”
Layla flung the window wide open.
“I’m sorry for wasting you! You could’ve bloomed apple flowers and borne apples, but you ended up as trash paper!”
“Ughhh…!”
“You could’ve been the pride of farmers everywhere! Layla is so sorry for sending you off like this!”
The priests passing by shook their heads.
“Our poor Saint… praying for forgiveness on behalf of a sinner.”
“A precious apple tree reduced to waste paper.”
“Oh dear, first she polluted the sea with dark magic, and now even apple trees…”
Roxana clenched her teeth.
How can you be sure this paper was ever an apple tree?!
She had never been humiliated like this in her entire life.
And she had never met a woman this insane.
In the end, Roxana had to apologize to a tree that had once existed somewhere in the world.
A few days later, she clutched her head in despair.
I can’t take this.
She was the Crown Princess. This treatment was unjust.
This was all her damned father’s fault.
If he was going to do this, he shouldn’t have come to visit her in prison saying, ‘I’ll do something about it.’
I’ll escape!
Roxana wasn’t allowed to leave the temple freely.
She had no magical power anyway, so she couldn’t even launch a small attack—pathetic, really.
Still, after working here for a few days, I can guess where the barrier is weakest.
Magic wasn’t invincible. It couldn’t defend every place equally.
Usually, you start by checking the areas farthest from the center.
Honestly, she had no idea what she would do even if she escaped.
Once she started working, there was barely time to think about anything else.
But Roxana was that desperate.
If she could just avoid seeing that crazy pink-eyed woman for nine hours a day!
But before she could even finish turning a dark corner—
“……Kyaaaah!”
“Oooh, Roxana.”
Layla Lowell was staring straight at her, half her body sticking out vertically from the wall.
In the darkness, her pink eyes glowed ominously.
“What are you doooing…? Don’t tell me you’re leaving work…?”
Her torso stayed still, but only her left pink eye moved.
“There’s still… five minutes left… of our time together.”
“G-Guh…!”
“Are you leaving Layla behind…? Is that it?”
Roxana was so shocked that she collapsed on the spot.
Those lifeless pink eyes were terrifying enough, but with the backlight casting shadows, it was even worse.
And behind her, holy power had formed multiple chains, making it all the more horrifying.
“You promised, Roxana.”
“Uuuugh…!”
“I said I’d stay by your side and teach you, didn’t I?”
A chain made of holy power wrapped around Roxana’s wrist.
“Come here, Roxana. Be good, okay?”
“L-Let go! A-Aaah!”
Soon, screams and laughter echoed together through the temple corridor.
While Layla was busy “training” Roxana—
“Welcome, new Grand Duke.”
“It’s been a while, Prime Minister.”
Carlyle was meeting Prime Minister Luella.
After exchanging brief greetings, they quickly got to the point.
“So, what is the reason you asked to meet today?”
“It’s about the Northern dragon organ direct-distribution project.”
“……!”
The Prime Minister’s eyes widened.
Direct distribution of dragon organs!
Isn’t hunting them difficult enough that it’s a resource limited to the North?
Northern people treated it casually, but this was an enormous business opportunity.
Why was Carlyle bringing this up?
“You keep requesting the Saint’s return.”
“……! Ahem.”
“If the central government and the Northern territory start this project together as a national policy, it will be difficult to even consider that request.”
“…….”
“Unless the Saint herself wishes it.”
Prime Minister Luella pursed her lips.
She had hinted at it during the Saint’s inauguration.
And anytime you wish to return—
But she had noticed that Saint Layla didn’t welcome the idea.
So this was a subtle message—
No, not subtle at all. It’s outright pressure.
The Grand Duke was offering a lucrative project in exchange for not pressuring someone he disliked.
Luella let out a weary laugh.
He’s clearly going to become completely besotted.
Still, men from Rupesk were famous for losing their minds when it came to the women they loved.
She accepted it for what it was and reluctantly backed down.
After the meeting, Carlyle rubbed his dry face.
It’s been too long since I’ve seen Layla because she’s busy adjusting to the temple.
The person he loved was far too busy.
If he’d known it would be like this, he regretted every day not proposing back in the Northern territory.
That’s why I should clear away every last nuisance.
But on his way back—
“Finley.”
“……Good day.”
He ended up running into his former junior.
After their last confrontation, it was awkward to even look at him.
Unfortunately, there was only one exit, so they had to walk together.
Such was the sorrow of office life.
Breaking the silence, Carlyle spoke first.
“Finley.”
“……Yes.”
“There’s something I’m curious about.”
His junior, still unable to let go, was irritating—but there was no one else he could ask something like this.
“If someone has strong magical power, does that increase the chance of their soul being reborn?”
“……?”
