Chapter 50……………………………………………………………………..
Sertina clenched her fists as she spoke.
“I want to remain in the Empire.”
But Jade showed no sign of changing his decision.
“Sertina, this is an imperial decree. You are to go to the Holy State and undergo priestly training.”
At those words, Sertina lowered her head.
Jade stared at the princess and thought.
If she were to share a bed with Cassius, Sertina would inevitably discover the curse of special powers embedded in his body.
Cunning as she was, Sertina would never let go of a card she could use—and she would surely try to exploit it.
For him to gather information on his own would require an enormous waste of manpower and money.
But if the Holy Empress took action, she could gather plenty of evidence at a bargain price.
I can’t explain everything to her, but she’ll figure it out well enough.
If he explained the entire plan to Sertina, information might leak to Cassius.
So it was best to tell her only this much: aim for the position of Holy Empress.
Meanwhile, Sertina suppressed the urge to burst into tears and left the imperial palace.
Why do I have to go to the Holy State?
She could roughly guess the reason.
She had heard that a healing priest and a holy knight had been injured in an accident a few days ago.
Since distinguished guests had been hurt, compensation was required—and her greedy father, instead of sending wealth or treasures, might be choosing the cheaper option of sending her.
She didn’t want to go to the Holy State.
Her mood was terrible.
Keeping her lips tightly pressed together, she was on her way back to the Princess’s Palace when she encountered Lancelot entering the palace near the main gate.
Recognizing the princess, Lancelot greeted her with proper courtesy.
“I greet the Empire’s Little Moon.”
“Lancelot. It’s been a while.”
Sertina’s expression remained stiff, her mind in turmoil.
Seeing Lancelot made her think of his sister, Sonia.
Because of being entangled with her, she had nearly met disaster at Cassius’s hands.
Water filling the Princess’s Palace.
Sertina fled to the highest floor to escape the water.
But that didn’t stop it from surging in.
The sloshing water rose to her chin—she had almost died.
A suffocating sense of discomfort crept up her throat.
At the same time, anger flared.
It wasn’t only because of Lancelot.
“This is an imperial decree. You are to undergo priestly training in the Holy State.”
It was also because of the absurd command issued by the Emperor.
Her father knew full well what she desired—yet he still sold his daughter off just to curry favor with the Holy State.
She wanted to vent the rage boiling inside her.
“I’ll be leaving for the Holy State.”
Lancelot’s eyes widened in shock.
“Your Highness… to the Holy State?”
“Yes. His Majesty has ordered me to receive priestly training.”
Normally, nobles often returned to secular life after becoming full-fledged priests.
Sertina intended to do the same, but she didn’t know how many years the training would take.
She continued.
“Given the circumstances, I won’t be able to naturally become your sword within the capital. Do you intend to become Brother Shane’s sword instead?”
“My decision remains unchanged.”
He was still declaring himself her candidate for sword.
It meant he was willing to wait until she completed her training and returned to secular life.
It was admirable.
“Your skills are excellent. It’s a shame—I want to give you an opportunity.”
“If you grant me that opportunity, it would be my honor.”
She knew she should respond graciously, but twisted thoughts surfaced in Sertina’s mind.
Because he still wanted her, she could hurt him.
“Have Lady Theodore expelled from the count’s household. She’s a priest anyway—she’s no longer a noble daughter of the family.”
By custom, once someone became a full priest, they were removed from the family registry.
But there were people like Count Theodore, who left their daughters listed, believing they would one day return.
For Sonia, who had no intention of returning to secular life, it would be better to leave the family.
It made promotion much easier, after all.
Sertina’s suggestion was reasonable.
And yet—
“I’m sorry, Your Highness.”
Lancelot frowned, clearly displeased.
One of Sertina’s maids cried out.
“Sir Lancelot, what is that look? How rude!”
“My apologies. But I would like to speak my mind.”
“Go on.”
“My sister is not someone who can be discarded at will. Even if she were to leave the family of her own accord, she would still be my sister.”
“……”
“No matter what happens, the fact that we share the same parents won’t change. Even if I were to come to hate her, she would still be my sister.”
In other words, even if Sonia were expelled from the family, she would still be family.
Sertina’s lips stiffened as her mood sank.
This wasn’t the answer she wanted.
She didn’t truly want Sonia thrown out.
She just wanted Lancelot to apologize.
She had nearly died because of Sonia—and now she was being sent away to the Holy State.
She just wanted an apology from someone.
Even if the way she sought it was twisted.
For a moment, she was overwhelmed by the splendor and grandeur of the detached palace. But after bathing in warm water and changing into nightclothes, weariness set in.
How long has it been since I last rested like this…?
For days, Schwarz had appeared in her dreams, preventing her from sleeping properly.
Perhaps because of that—and the fine bedding—sleep came crashing over her.
Shaking off the terror of hallucinations, she fell into a deep, peaceful sleep for the first time in a long while.
Until she heard whispering by her bedside.
Soft murmurs.
Hearing something strange, she woke up.
At first, she thought maybe a mouse had gotten in and was squeaking.
But perhaps the intruders thought she was asleep—their voices gradually grew louder, eagerly spilling words she didn’t want to hear.
—It’s been a while since we’ve met a living person. I don’t know what to do.
—If she sees us like this, she’ll probably be startled.
Her eyes nearly flew open.
By “living person”… does that mean those whispering beside me are the dead?
She was already frightened—if she actually saw them, she might scream.
Exorcising ghosts was the job of fire- or water-aligned priests with purification powers—not her specialty. She’d never faced such a thing before.
She squeezed her eyes shut and pretended to sleep, hoping the uninvited guests would grow tired and leave.
They continued whispering among themselves.
—She’ll be startled because we’re transparent.
—No matter how much I try, I can’t control it…
—You two overlap. That makes us look more solid.
Imagining ghosts overlapping somehow struck her as funny even in this situation, and the corner of her mouth twitched.
—Oh my, look at her. I think she’s awake?
It seemed ghosts had good night vision.
—Looks like she’s pretending to sleep. Sonia, wake up.
How did they know her name?
She almost screamed, but clenched her mouth shut and desperately tried not to respond.
According to what she’d learned in the Holy State, most ghosts lingering in the mortal world were evil spirits.
They had grudges or obsessions that prevented them from returning to the side of the Lord God.
Getting involved would only bring trouble—it was best to ignore them.
So she ignored them.
I can’t hear anything. There’s nothing here.
She repeated the mantra to herself.
—Looks like she’s trying to ignore us.
Yes, exactly—so please leave!
—I have some information you might find tempting. If you wake up willingly, I’ll tell you.
It was a man’s voice, calm and low.
She was a little curious who the owner of that pleasant baritone might be—but she had no intention of opening her eyes.
—She’s holding out even after hearing that.
This time it was a woman’s voice.
She laughed cheerfully, as if amused.
It was terrifying for the one listening!
After laughing for a while, the woman spoke in a chilling tone.
—If you don’t get up, I’ll enter your body and possess you. Actually… that might be better. It’d be faster for me to take what I want myself than to ask.
—That sounds good. Who’s going in?
—Me! I’ve always wanted to try entering someone else’s body!
There were stories of frail people having their bodies taken over by ghosts. She had just expended a great deal of holy power—she might really lose control.
“I-I-I’m up! I’m awake!”
At those words, she cautiously opened her eyes—and just as expected, transparent figures floated before her, nearly making her scream.
She clamped both hands over her mouth.
—You’re awake.
—Yes, but it’s too late now. Let’s not tell her the information.
—We don’t have time to play around.
There were three transparent figures in total.
After whispering among themselves, the ghosts turned their attention to her.
One of them—a male ghost whose eyes met hers—smiled with his eyes.
He had long hair tied loosely to one side and wore the vestments of a Holy Emperor’s priest, complete with a ceremonial stole.
Presumably a Holy Emperor from long ago, the ghost spoke.
—You’re called Sonia, right?
“Yes.”
—Don’t you want to know how to awaken the power of healing?
At those words, her dull gaze snapped into focus.
Awaken the power of healing?
There had been no proper prayer texts in the sanctuary. She’d fainted at the star-marked entrance and never learned how awakening worked.
But these ghosts seemed to know the method.
“I want to know. How do I awaken it?”
The Holy Emperor ghost spoke.
—Before I tell you, grant us a favor.
“What kind of favor?”
—I’ll explain!
The female ghost who had been hanging back jumped in. Judging by her voice, she was the one who’d been laughing earlier.
She, too, wore priestly robes—judging by her appearance, likely of cardinal rank.
Priest ghosts…
The absurdity of the situation made her head spin.
