Chapter 63
“Did you know there’s a rumor going around these days about a ghost in the Imperial Palace?”
“Another made-up story? Still, let’s not talk about things like that on a night like this. It’s too scary.”
“This time it’s not made up. I heard it directly from a guard.”
Late at night.
I could hear the conversation of maids who seemed to be heading back to their quarters from the main palace.
“They say when you hear footsteps in the middle of the night and turn around, there’s no one there. But that’s not the end of it. They say along with the footsteps, you can hear a strange sound too.”
“Isn’t it just an animal crying?”
“They say it’s more like the sound a child makes while playing around. They even heard it imitating something—”
“Pyu!”
“Huh? That’s right. How did you know?”
“……I didn’t say anything.”
“Uh……?”
The two maids turned pale, screamed, and ran off like arrows.
I waited until their backs disappeared, then stepped out from the bushes.
“I guess they were talking about us.”
“Pyu?”
Pyu wriggled on top of my hand.
But I couldn’t see Pyu like that.
Because of the cloak I borrowed from Chobi that hides one’s appearance.
“It’d be perfect if only my feet didn’t show.”
When I lowered my head, I could see my shoes and the hem of my coat.
And above that—nothing.
Thanks to that, it created the bizarre sight of severed feet walking around.
Let’s make sure no one ever finds out about this. Anyone who sees it might drop dead from shock…….
“Why are the feet visible, you ask? I accidentally cut the fabric too short when I was tailoring it.”
“Then couldn’t you just make the fabric again?”
“It’s not that I can’t remake it, but I don’t have the materials. Hahaha.”
An invisibility cloak.
Chobi might be a genius.
I wish she’d invent a camera next.
Then……! I wouldn’t get chased out because of mirrors anymore……!!
Four days ago,
at His Majesty’s sudden embrace, I completely lost my senses.
That feeling of being trapped against that broad, solid chest was too much to endure while fully conscious…….
I came to my senses that evening.
I was lying in bed, and I heard that a healing priest had come by.
Naturally, aside from a slight fever, there were no abnormal symptoms, so they only took measures to lower the fever a bit.
The problem was what Dune said afterward.
“His Majesty the Emperor is worried about the Saintess’s health and said it would be best if you rested from your lessons for a few days.”
Crash—boom.
It felt like a massive thunderclap pierced through my brain.
This is…….
How is that any different from saying His Majesty can no longer hold dawn lessons with me……!
I thought he was going easy on me because he felt sorry for rejecting me, but it seems I crossed the line with the mirror.
Sob. It’s sad, but I did somewhat expect it……. I’ll just have to clear my mind and accept it.
‘Right, you can’t just push your sales tactics recklessly.’
Sowing seeds like this and slowly letting them seep in wasn’t a bad strategy either.
Maybe someday His Majesty will get bias-wrecked by His Majesty himself……!
And then maybe we can fangirl together!
[Your Majesty, I’ll make an acrostic poem with “noona,” so please give me the first syllable.]
[Very well. No.]
[Do you know who is the most handsome in the world?]
[Na.]
Hehe.
Hehehe.
“Hehehehe.”
“Pyu?”
“Ah.”
Just imagining it made me grin without realizing it.
I’m still outside.
I stroked Pyu once, then picked up a stone from the ground.
“I didn’t know such a ghost story was going around. I should just grab this and go.”
Then I put the stone into my bag.
It was a stone for training holy power.
It’s not something I can just ask someone to get for me.
Sneaking out at night to pick up stones must have made me the protagonist of the ghost story.
There’s no need to create a horror atmosphere in the Imperial Palace for no reason, so I’ll have to be careful from now on.
“Let’s go.”
“Pyu, pyu.”
After returning to my room through the balcony,
I sat at my desk instead of the bed and opened the introductory manual.
Among the training methods in the manual, I had already completed all the ones that required borrowing the underground laboratory.
The remaining ones could be done quietly, so for the past few days I had been training alone in my room.
“Are you going to watch again today?”
“Pyu.”
Pyu bounced up and down on the cushion placed on the desk.
Since it seemed to enjoy watching me train and kept staying by my side, I just made a spot for it.
Master sometimes comes over and sits there with Pyu to watch before leaving.
And every time, they’re so cute I feel like my heart’s going to stop.
Anyway.
Using the holy stone in my ring, I cast protective barriers over both hands.
Then I held a fist-sized stone in my left hand and a small knife in my right.
The knife was one from the kitchen that had gone dull.
When I wrapped attack-type holy power around the knife and pressed it against the stone, it sliced through cleanly, like cutting tofu.
Khh. This cutting power. I’m not even jealous of a knife engraved with a rose.
“It’s really inconvenient that I have to use holy power through a ring…… Wait. Was that arrogant just now?”
Startled by my own words, I shook my head.
Considering I used to be a Saintess with no holy power at all, this much progress is already something.
Think about when you were a tadpole. You little frog.
As if agreeing, Pyu made a fuss on the cushion, hopping up and down.
“Pyuu! Pyu!”
“Are you imitating a frog? Was I really that arro— huh?”
I felt something trickle down from my nose.
If it’s snot, that’d be embarrassing.
Hesitantly wiping beneath my nose, I caught a faint metallic scent and saw blood on my fingers.
“Ah, thank goodness. It’s a nosebleed.”
I couldn’t feel entirely relieved just because it wasn’t snot.
Drip. Drip. It started falling onto the desk, so I hurriedly grabbed a handkerchief and plugged my nose.
“A nosebleed…… I didn’t even get one during my senior year of high school.”
A grin slipped out.
Hehe. That just shows how hard I’ve been working lately!
Too bad I can’t brag about this to anyone.
“Should I appeal to His Majesty a little? That I’m working this hard?”
“Pyu?”
“I’m joking.”
I still couldn’t tell His Majesty that I have holy power.
I couldn’t yet gauge how helpful my small and precious holy power could be.
His Majesty must have plans laid out all the way to the war.
If my uncertain holy power became known, it might introduce a variable into those plans.
So I decided I would tell him when the time came that I was certain I could be of help.
For now, my goals in preparation for war were twofold.
Protect my own life.
And if possible, protect His Majesty’s life too.
But wasn’t it said that no one knows what lies just one inch ahead in life?
I should have prepared for my current situation before preparing for war.
‘I messed up.’
Aaaargh.
I clutched my hair.
I really didn’t expect things to turn out like this.
‘Does saying I didn’t know make it all okay, you idiot……!’
Once again, my mouth did me in.
No, this time my brain shared the responsibility.
The beginning of it was this morning.
At the weekend tea party.
“If a war does break out, it will probably be around early summer.”
That’s what Hazel said.
It’s January now.
If war were to break out, that meant about half a year remained.
The Imperial Palace was peaceful, and Deriache was said to be in seclusion due to poor health.—I don’t know why someone that sick would plot treason.—
All I could do was train my holy power and study basic knowledge.
On weekends without chapel duty or lessons, I generally had some free time.
“A new dessert from Antoine Confectionery?”
“Yeah. Helli is close with the owner there, and I think they want to hear people’s opinions. They’re asking if anyone who has time this weekend could help with a tasting.”
“I-I want to do it!”
“Me too!”
“Me as well……!”
They recruited a tasting group at Prodintha Palace to gauge reactions to the new menu, and everyone’s eyes sparkled as they volunteered.
It was an unexpected full turnout.
It seemed like it would be chaotic for about twenty people to crowd into the kitchen, so
we decided to hold a tea party at Prodintha Palace instead.
Maybe everyone was excited, because preparations began early in the morning.
We lined up four long tables in the garden and covered them with clean cloth.
We prepared desserts and tea, but that felt a bit lacking, so we brought out food and wine as well.
It felt more like a home party than a noble tea gathering, but who cares!
Since everyone who worked at Prodintha Palace was gathered, I wanted to lay out a proper spread.
When serving food, it’s always better to have leftovers than not enough.
“Let’s all have fun today!”
Except for me, who was seated at the head, everyone sat around the tables regardless of rank.
At first, people awkwardly held their teacups, but soon they began eating, drinking, and chatting comfortably.
Watching them like that made my heart swell for no reason.
Our palace really does have such a good atmosphere!
“Saintess, you look happy.”
“Yeah. I’m happy because everyone’s enjoying it. It’s fun listening to their conversations too.”
I smiled and chatted with Siana, who was sitting beside me.
I think I understand why His Majesty doesn’t like talking about war.
Maybe it’s because he doesn’t want to shatter this peaceful happiness.
‘Peace is the best…….’
While I was thinking that in high spirits, I overheard a conversation between nearby maids.
“What? You had a birthday last month? I didn’t know……. When was it?”
“Um……. The second day of the third week.”
“Huh? That’s just one day apart from mine.”
The moment those words slipped out of my mouth, the atmosphere instantly turned cold.
I glanced around, wondering if I had said something wrong, when Siana called me with a frightening smile.
“Saintess……. Your birth…… was last month……?”
“Y-yeah……. My birthday was then…….”
It was the first time I had seen Siana look as if she were holding back anger.
The strange thing was, it wasn’t just Siana.
Everyone’s voices suddenly grew sparse, and they began leaving their seats as if playing a silent game of reading the room.
“Ah, I forgot I was supposed to help Hans today!”
“I-I also have something to take care of, so I’ll be going…….”
“Me too…….”
The scene that had moved me just moments ago felt like a dream.
With everyone gone, the empty table was unbearably silent.
The Siana I trusted disappeared first.
“I’ll be back in a moment.”
Where, and why……?
Feeling lonely, I fiddled with the decorative flowers.
Weren’t the people of our palace just in a great mood and so happy……!
Still…….
“I’m glad Sir Kadiyan is here.”
“Ah, yes.”
What the—.
Startled by Kadiyan’s utterly unenthusiastic reply, I turned around.
Kadiyan was fidgeting, glancing around restlessly.
Then our eyes met, and he made a tearful face as if he’d been wronged.
Why, what is it?
