Chapter 120 …
The Saintess, the Queen, Bella
“Welcome, Saintess!”
As Bella stepped into the castle, the king greeted her with an excited face.
It seemed the council representatives had already arrived and were waiting.
When she entered the hall, the interior was so dazzling it was hard to tell whether this was meant to be negotiations or a party.
“What do you think, Saintess? I specially decorated the hall to celebrate your birth.”
Bella let out a quiet sigh inwardly. The king didn’t seem to consider the council representatives at all.
When Bella sat at the table and Hael stood behind her, the eyes of the queen and the council representatives turned toward Bella.
“You resemble the late king very much, Your Majesty.”
“Do I? Well, they say the Saintess is reborn with all the memories of her previous life, don’t they?”
The king burst into laughter at Bella’s barbed greeting. Fortunately, since she had tightened her throat and altered her voice, he didn’t seem to realize that the Saintess was Bella.
“I did not come to receive congratulations. Shall we get to the point?”
Bella pulled documents from her robe and spoke in a businesslike tone.
After reading through the papers, the king exhaled coldly, as if dumbfounded.
“If you’re going to hide something, hide it properly. And if you intend to reveal your true intentions, wouldn’t it be better to be honest, Saintess?”
Though the king sneered, Bella showed no reaction and silently waited for his answer.
Of course, he wouldn’t accept all of this. In fact, he probably couldn’t accept a single item.
“Well then, everyone, listen to what the temple is demanding of me—and decide whether I should grant it.”
With a mocking tone, the king crossed his legs and began reading Bella’s listed demands one by one.
“Anyone entering or leaving the temple must receive the temple’s permission. This takes precedence over the king’s orders.”
“…!”
Two council representatives inhaled sharply in shock. The demand was blatant from the start.
“Crimes committed by those affiliated with the temple shall be judged through holy trial.”
“……”
Bella and Hael stared straight ahead without the slightest agitation. They had expected this reaction.
As the king read each item, his anger steadily rose until he ground his teeth, while the council representatives glanced nervously around the icy atmosphere.
The queen, meanwhile, stared intently only at the Saintess.
“The selection of the Pope and cardinals shall be conducted entirely within the temple, and the royal family shall have no authority to depose the chosen Pope.”
After reading the final clause, the king tossed the document down.
“…So what is this? It seems the temple wants to say a very thorough farewell to the royal family?”
He waved his hand lightly, speaking with feigned casualness.
“Not at all. We merely wish to have autonomy like the other nobles.”
“Like the other nobles…”
The king slowly repeated her words and nodded.
No one present was unaware that this was simply a long-winded way of saying, ‘Grant the temple independence.’ And “like other nobles”? The king couldn’t hide his disbelief. Which noble stood above the king’s command? There had never been such a precedent.
“These demands will need revision. At this level, aren’t you practically proposing war?”
“I never expected all of this to be accepted. But in negotiations, one must start by asking for more than one truly wants.”
“Haha. This Saintess is quite worldly.”
“One must adapt to the world.”
At Bella’s smooth reply, the king’s snake-like eyes fixed on her and would not leave.
The voice was different, yet the manner of speaking reminded him of someone.
“Very well. Now that I understand the positions of the council and the temple, let us take some time to consider.”
With that, the king rose, ending the meeting for the day.
Even as he left, he stared intently at Bella—like a hunter gauging the moment to bite his prey.
Following behind him, the queen turned briefly and offered the Saintess a formal greeting. Bella returned it with a slight bow.
“It seems the gods have not completely abandoned us—seeing that they sent the Saintess here.”
At the queen’s words, Bella gave a small nod.
“Perhaps the gods sent me here to save Your Majesty.”
The queen’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Though the Saintess’s face was hidden behind a veil, she couldn’t shake the feeling that the Saintess was staring straight through her.
After the queen departed, the two council representatives awkwardly bowed to the Saintess and left as well.
It seemed that, since this was the first Saintess in a hundred years, no one quite knew how to treat her.
“Let’s return as well.”
At Bella’s words, Hael silently lifted the trailing hem of her elaborate robes and followed.
When they reached the guest room provided by the king, Bella dropped heavily onto the edge of the bed.
“Saintess. There are no suspicious objects or traces.”
“That’s a relief. The king is fairly clever.”
Bella threw off the cumbersome Saintess robes and changed into simple black clothing.
If the king had tried any shallow tricks in the guest room and been caught, it would only cause problems—so there was likely nothing tampered with here.
“Isn’t it customary to lend an entire castle to a distinguished guest?”
“He probably guided us to the main palace guest room so he could keep us close and under watch.”
“I see. Then will it hinder us from moving as we intend?”
They had to go to the queen’s palace tonight, and being housed in the main palace could make movement inconvenient.
But that wasn’t a problem for Bella.
“It’s fine. I’ve observed and learned quite a bit—and Hael will help, won’t he?”
“…Was that directed at me?”
“You climb through windows too. I thought windows were the main entrance.”
Bella grinned and flung the window open.
There was one thing she had learned while staying at the mansion:
Love the window like a door.
“Huh?”
Hael’s eyes widened.
Where Bella had been standing moments ago, only a cold wind now blew.
Thud.
A hand suddenly appeared over the window frame.
“What kind of Saintess travels by climbing through windows?”
Following behind Bella along the wall, Hael asked in disbelief.
“And you’re a holy knight.”
“….”
He had no reply.
If anything, a holy knight scaling walls might be even stranger.
Having secretly slipped out of the main palace, the two were now climbing the queen’s palace wall under the bright moon. Thanks to Hael, they were able to avoid the guards’ eyes.
“Wow. I never thought I’d be entering through a window too.”
“…I apologize for that time.”
When Hael belatedly apologized, Bella cheerfully tilted her head as if it were nothing.
“No need to apologize. Everyone except me uses windows.”
Finally arriving at the door—no, the window—Bella lightly hopped onto the sill and knocked gently.
As harmlessly and politely as possible.
The soft sound spread quietly into the room.
The queen, who had been reviewing the inner palace budget documents before bed, turned around in surprise.
“Your Majesty.”
“…Bella?”
After quickly checking her surroundings, the queen hurriedly opened the window and ushered Bella and Hael inside.
“I heard about the temple’s negotiation. I came to ask Your Majesty’s thoughts on the matter.”
Bella spoke with a serious expression, but the queen ignored that and seated Bella by the warmest fireplace.
“That was far too dangerous and reckless.”
“But I got to see Your Majesty like this.”
“So, what reason drove you to climb the wall just to see me?”
“Are you helping the temple gain independence in order to bring about the royal family’s downfall—even at the cost of a dishonorable death?”
“You know me well, Bella.”
With a bitter smile, the queen placed warm tea into Bella’s and Hael’s hands.
Since Bella had brought Hael, it wasn’t hard to deduce how she had disguised herself as the Saintess to enter the castle.
“Do you wish to die, Your Majesty?”
“Of course not. But rather than live miserably, I wanted to at least do something to lessen that misery myself.”
“So if you can live, you want to live?”
“Of course.”
Of course, she would not be able to survive. And she must not survive.
This scandal was simple, sensational, and unmistakable. The spark would soon become a wildfire that would engulf the royal palace.
And if that wildfire failed to kill the queen, the uprising would effectively be a failure.
Therefore, the queen had to be eliminated by this revolution.
“Those gathered in the square will likely try to put Your Majesty on the execution platform before the king. After all, they gathered because of Your Majesty’s scandal.”
“That’s probably true.”
“I’ll help you escape to Arle.”
“…I don’t want that.”
“Your Majesty.”
More precisely, she couldn’t.
Because of the queen’s scandal, the people had already turned against her, and Arle would surely cast her out for the sake of the family.
There was no refuge.
Only a cliff to leap from.
“I am a sinner. I ascended to the queen’s seat bearing the sins of my ancestors. Can I really evade punishment simply because the crime was not directly mine?”
Bella watched the queen staring bleakly into the fireplace. Then she crossed her arms and spoke with a slight tilt of her head.
“You haven’t apologized yet.”
“…?”
The queen blinked rapidly in confusion as their eyes met.
“You were planning to die without apologizing?”
At Bella’s piercing words, the queen finally buried her face in her hands.
“I intended for my death—for my disgrace—to serve as that apology.”
“No. Apologize. Live—and apologize. For your ancestors’ sins.”
To that pitiful soul who had clung to sanity and remained alone in this world for a hundred years because of you.
To the proud Prellode, who never hesitated to step onto the battlefield for the sake of the nation.
