Chapter 05
Damn this terrible sense of direction.
Leonard had proven himself capable in every field after both major and minor incidents, yet as if the gods were being fair, he could never escape one fatal flaw—he was hopelessly directionless.
Of course, the princess, who knew nothing, was not at fault.
—No matter how poor your sense of direction is…
Though her words were spoken with a bright smile, every one of them felt like a dagger. Had she known just how hopeless Leonard truly was, she would never have said such things.
—Not that way, th-this way.
By the time his expression twisted as he followed the attendant, the poor servant was practically trembling as he guided the way.
With a sigh, Leonard removed his coat and draped it over the chair.
Sensing the roughness in his movements, William spoke up, half curious and half concerned.
“Did something happen? Come to think of it, you were gone quite a while.”
“…I met the princess. She was heading to the Altar of Sacred Blood with the Saintess.”
“The Altar of Sacred Blood?”
At the mention of something that could not be overlooked, William straightened in his seat.
“So the excuse about changing her dress was just that—an excuse to go to the altar. As expected, it seems the princess is closely connected to the sacred relics, just as we suspected.”
William continued seriously, but no response came.
When he turned his gaze, Leonard was sprawled out across the sofa.
Seeing the prince lying there without even changing his clothes, William slowly realized what must have happened.
“…William. Am I really that hopelessly bad with directions?”
“….”
“Isn’t it just that I’m slightly worse than others? Just a little?”
So that was it.
Feigning ignorance, William picked up a letter from the table.
“Your Highness, it seems the First Prince has sent a marriage proposal to Princess Charlotte.”
“Are you changing the subject right now?”
“I believe this is the more urgent matter.”
Leonard frowned at that, but it was undeniably true.
“So he intends to marry the princess and forge an alliance with Synchester.”
“More likely, it’s simply an expression of interest. Unless he’s insane, Synchester would never agree to a marriage with Blake.”
“….”
“Perhaps Your Highness should try using your looks to your advantage as well? I hear you’re considered far superior to the First Prince in Blake.”
At William’s remark, Leonard, who had been rubbing his face, slowly lowered his hands.
His eyes, once blazing like fire under the sun, were now soaked in exhaustion.
“I’d rather practice finding my way.”
In Seongseongsum, there existed five continents and six oceans.
Each continent had one Holy Kingdom, and historically, none of them had ever allowed foreign invasion.
This was thanks to the three Sacred Relics of the Royal Palace bestowed by the gods.
For that reason, the Altar of Sacred Blood was constructed with multiple layers of barriers, where the relics were stored and protected for generations.
Aside from the Pope, only I—the caretaker of the relics—the Saintess Aurora, and two high priests were permitted to enter the altar.
After parting with the prince, the two of us stepped into the barrier surrounding the Altar of Sacred Blood.
Inside, it was filled with Erdan’s unique holy power, making it feel as warm and gentle as a greenhouse.
“His Majesty’s barrier is as impressive as ever.”
“It’s ten layers thick. No matter how skilled a priest or mage is, they won’t be able to break through.”
The altar was solemn and silent.
Feeling a subtle pressure, we quietly walked along the pure white stone path until we reached the dais.
On the altar, laid over golden fleece, were three sacred relics placed neatly side by side.
A crown made of laurel leaves.
A massive horn carved from ivory.
And a mirror made entirely of pure gold.
At first glance, they appeared ordinary, but they were divine artifacts gifted by Elysia, the supreme deity of the Elysium continent.
Aurora carefully examined each one, murmuring to herself.
“There’s nothing wrong. With so many foreigners entering the palace, I thought there might be a risk of intrusion, but it seems we don’t need to worry.”
“Right. If anything had gone wrong, the relics would have warned us first.”
If anyone had harbored ill intent, one of these three would have sounded the alarm, and Cedric would have led the powerful Holy Knight Order to eliminate them before they could even set foot in the capital.
That was how Synchester’s history of invincibility had been built.
“I’m telling you, that prince must have just gotten lost. This is a kingdom that hasn’t been defeated for five thousand years.”
I patted Aurora’s shoulder as she let out a relieved sigh.
“Our kingdom has always been strong—and it will remain so in the future.”
“You think so?”
“Of course. Trust me.”
Aurora smiled faintly and linked arms with me again.
“I don’t trust you. I trust the relics.”
“….”
Seriously—just how low was my credibility with Aurora?
Sure, I may have swindled a few people here and there, but I swore it was all for the greater good—changing the original story.
I may have caused a few minor incidents, but nothing major.
As I briefly reflected on my past and started to feel uneasy, I forced a bright smile.
“Well, whatever! Shall we head back now?”
After leaving the altar with Aurora, I headed straight to the princess’s palace study.
On one side of the desk sat an expensive box, inside of which lay a bracelet adorned with a blue orb.
A magical communication device.
Since I lacked holy power, I couldn’t use sacred artifacts that required it. I had no choice but to rely on magical items.
Fortunately, among such items were “mana stones,” already infused with magic, allowing even ordinary people to use them.
Honestly, how is a powerless villainess supposed to survive in this world?
Authors really should give supporting characters some special abilities too.
That way, they could create harsher trials for the heroine and strengthen her romance with the male lead, wouldn’t they?
Grumbling to myself, I put on the bracelet, placed my hand over the crystal orb, and spoke a spell along with the name of a white owl.
“Sir Aaron, I have a favor to ask. I’ll be waiting in the study.”
White Owls.
That was the name given to the shadow knights of the Synchester royal family.
Though they were called knights, their duties involved gathering information, communication, infiltration—work carried out in the shadows. That was likely why the author had named them “owls.”
Not long after I contacted him, a man slipped silently through the window.
“Your Highness, you called for me.”
As I stood from my desk, Aaron immediately dropped to one knee before me.
Despite being a knight who operated in the shadows, the brunet man had a sturdy and dependable build.
“Sir Aaron, I’d like you to investigate the Sixth Prince of Blake who attended this banquet.”
“You mean Leonard Blake?”
“That’s right.”
“What exactly would you like me to look into?”
“The same as before with Knox Glaston. Gather as much information as possible—down to the color of the pen nib he uses.”
Knox Glaston was the bastard who, in the original Seongseongsum, pushed our Synchester to the brink of destruction.
I had the White Owls investigate everything about him—even that he hated fried eggplant.
And then, I killed him.
Not with fried eggplant, of course.
“Yes. I will gather all available information as quickly as possible.”
With a firm nod, Aaron disappeared through the window as swiftly as he had arrived.
“He really is efficient.”
I stared at the wide-open window for a moment before sighing at the sight of the documents scattered across my desk.
They were lists of distinguished guests attending tomorrow’s ball, along with detailed notes about each of them.
In particular, the twenty men I would be dancing with had descriptions spanning three full pages—front and back—thanks to Abigail’s enthusiasm.
“Marriage, huh…”
In truth, I planned to leave the kingdom after the banquet and travel across the continent.
I’d worked like a dog to change the original story. Now it was time to live in comfort.
If I married, I could become a noble lady—or worse, a queen or empress.
In a novel, that might mean a life of luxury without lifting a finger, but this was reality.
It was already exhausting memorizing Synchester’s royal lineage—did I really want to live a second life memorizing another family’s genealogy?
Goodbye, main and supporting characters of Seongseongsum.
I’m casting off all the restraints and fate of the original story and setting off to find my own happiness.
