CHAPTER 60…………
“Saintess Angelus Korta. You shall marry my only nephew, Kyle Sou Bartman. At the same time as the marriage, Grand Duke Kyle shall oversee the temple together with the Saintess, as its new master. As the High Priest, make sure you and the Saintess glorify the temple and make it shine ever more sacred.”
Imitating the Emperor’s tone, Angelus muttered to herself, then burst into such loud laughter that she seemed about to choke.
A maid entering the room stopped in her tracks at the sight of her.
Angelus waved irritably at the maid.
“What are you doing just standing there? I’m hungry, hurry up and bring it. Ah, if I laugh like this, I’ll get wrinkles by my eyes.”
She pulled at the corner of her eyes with her fingers and sat upright.
The maid carefully set a small table down on the blanket.
“Hugo?”
“Lord Hugo left early this morning, saying he had business.”
“I see. Today I’ll be visiting the temple for a consultation, so prepare.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Angelus began humming the tune she had stopped earlier.
“If the Emperor declares the temple mine and Kyle’s, then High Priest Fenayo won’t just sit still. Hmph, but he’s a man crazed for money—if he’s given enough to satisfy him, he’ll accept without fuss.”
She no longer had to wait around idly for Kyle to seek out the temple.
Thinking that the temple would soon fall into her hands, she didn’t even crave the wine she usually drank from morning.
Angelus walked down the temple corridor dressed more elegantly than usual.
As always, the priests stared at her with their mouths half open.
As expected, she was satisfied.
Men ought to look at her with such expressions, as if they’d willingly offer up their very souls.
That was when the indifferent eyes of Yankeller came to mind.
“They say no one is as skilled in managing the temple as Yankeller. And since he’s Kyle’s closest friend, he won’t be able to refuse if I ask…. Just you wait, Yankeller. I’ll keep you chained to this temple for life and use you however I please.”
Having even figured out how to take revenge for his rudeness, she felt light and giddy with delight.
“You’ve arrived, Saintess.”
The nobles who usually showered her with admiration were nowhere to be seen.
“Have the nobles not arrived yet? Why is it so quiet?”
At her question, the apprentice priests cleaning the temple fidgeted awkwardly.
“And where is my attendant priest? It seems the time has long passed.”
Her voice grew increasingly sharp at their hesitant behavior.
One of the nervous apprentice priests hurried to fetch her attendant priest.
“Saintess, you came out earlier than expected. I was going to escort you when the time came….”
His voice carried a faint hint of dissatisfaction.
“Seems I came out a little early today. But then why are you only just showing up? Isn’t it your duty to wait on me?”
Instead of answering, he only scratched his head with an annoyed expression.
His impudence unsettled Angelus.
How dare he act like that toward me, the Saintess, the future master of this temple?
Angelus smiled faintly and stepped closer to him.
Smack!
A sharp crack rang out, enough to make one’s shoulders flinch, and the attendant priest’s head snapped to the side.
In the blink of an eye, her hand had struck him across the face.
“You think this punishment isn’t fitting for your insolent behavior?”
Angelus’s voice dripped with venom.
Only then did the pain register, and the priest’s mouth fell open.
“M-my apologies, Saintess. If I offended you, please forgive me. It was my failure not to appear sooner.”
The Saintess snorted and sat down.
Standing by her with hands folded meekly, the priest’s cheek began to swell.
“Now tell me. Why are there no nobles here?”
“Well…”
When he hesitated, Angelus glared at him with eyes brimming with venom.
“Recently… no nobles have been making donations.”
“You mean… there’s no one who wishes to see me?”
“T-that’s… correct.”
The priest gave a reluctant nod.
Becoming the Saintess had only ever been about meeting Kyle by fate—whether nobles came or not never mattered.
Recently, she’d even enjoyed the excuse of leaving the temple by saying she had to meet the Emperor.
But now things were different.
To prepare for her marriage with Kyle, she needed to win the nobles’ favor, and she needed donations to bribe the High Priest into silence.
She had noticed the number of visitors slowly dwindling, but never imagined there would be none at all.
“Since when?”
“It became noticeable after your meeting with Lady Gronji.”
“Everett… Gronji? That insolent girl?”
If he didn’t explain properly, he might be punished again.
Already slapped, the priest didn’t bother hiding anything anymore.
“Yes, it seems what happened that day spread as gossip. And there are even rumors that your prophecies are nothing but curses.”
He spoke candidly about how the outside world judged her prophecies.
Angelus looked stunned.
Until now, the world had revolved around her.
Everyone loved her, and of course Kyle would fall in love the moment he saw her—she had no doubts.
Being the Saintess was just roleplay, a façade until that moment arrived.
She had never intended to take it seriously, nor considered what impact her prophecies had.
She was the incarnation of the goddess Anishu.
That alone made people bow at her feet, and they eagerly accepted even her half-hearted prophecies.
Everything had always gone her way.
At least, until she met Everett Gronji.
“So in the end… this all happened because of Gronji.”
Her gaze grew cold as she thought of Everett.
The dazzlingly beautiful Saintess Angelus, whom one could hardly look at directly.
But to the priest beside her, she now looked no different from a white-haired witch.
“So all this time, you’ve only been telling me what I wanted to hear, haven’t you?”
She had reverted to a formal tone.
Worried another slap might come out of nowhere, the priest stepped back nervously.
“If you’d told me this from the start, I would have shaped my prophecies with the nobles’ hearts in mind.”
“M-my apologies. How could I dare presume to guide the Saintess’s prophecies…”
Angelus smiled again, the same alluring smile as before.
“Since you seem to know well about matters outside the temple, let me ask you one more thing.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
“These nobles—who used to pay large donations despite bad prophecies—they wouldn’t stop visiting me just because of some gossip. That must mean there’s someone else taking my place. Isn’t that right?”
“Ah…”
The priest’s eyes trembled.
“Your reaction tells me I’m right. Who is it? Who has stolen my place?”
After hesitating, he finally spoke.
“A fortune-teller who was famous even before. A tarot card master, called Naz.”
At the name Naz, Angelus cursed under her breath.
“Hugo? Is he here?”
Back in her room, Angelus urgently asked for Hugo.
“Lord Hugo has not yet returned.”
Angelus had left for the temple in good spirits.
But now her face was flushed red with fury, and her lips, bitten until they seemed ready to bleed, looked the same.
Sensing danger, the maid quickly bowed.
“Shall I go and bring Lord Hugo right away, my lady?”
“You haven’t gone yet?”
The maid moved closer to help her out of her dress.
“I’ll just help you change before I go.”
“No need. That’s not what matters right now. Go find Hugo at once.”
Angelus yanked at her thin dress sleeve in frustration.
Tiny beads sewn into it scattered onto the floor.
The maid hurried out of the room before her mistress’s rage could turn on her.
“Everett Gronji and Naz. Those two have dared to make a fool of me.”
It was long after sunset when the maid finally returned with Hugo to the temple.
Entering the drawing room, Hugo muttered something under his breath.
On the floor lay a torn dress, and Angelus lounged lazily on the sofa.
“Have you… been drinking?”
“Of course not. I can’t get drunk when there are pests that need to be taught a lesson.”
She ordered the maid to bring her a glass of cold water.
“What on earth have you been doing all day, that you didn’t show your face once?”
“I told you a few days ago I wouldn’t be at the temple today.”
“Oh, did you?”
The maid returned with water, looking disheveled and covered in sweat and dust.
“What a sight. Go prepare dinner at once. I’m hungry.”
“Yes, my lady.”
Once the door closed, Angelus immediately questioned Hugo.
“How did the task I gave you go?”
“You mean about Lady Gronji?”
“Yes. Did you find out anything?”
Hugo looked troubled.
“I placed a man to watch her, but he was discovered.”
“Discovered? Then just put another one on her.”
“I tried, but Lady Gronji has a shadow knight by her side now.”
“A shadow knight?”
“Yes, according to my man, he appeared to be trained like a proper knight.”
“A proper knight?”
“Yes. It’s rare for an official knight to serve as a shadow. He may be a private soldier of a high-ranking noble…”
