Chapter 122….
The Act
“This is strange. The king said that Chay was killed. If he was killed, how could he have come back? Then, wasn’t the royal family’s intention simply the death of Duke Prelorde?”
Hael shook his head at Bella’s question. Having spent his entire life in the temple, it was quite difficult for him to accept what Bella suggested.
If the power of the curse wielded by the royal dynasty was, in fact, no different from the divine power granted by God, then it could only be seen as if God had abandoned the world.
“They must have expressed it that way because it was a curse,” Hael said.
“What would they need to do that for? If he were a being so terrifying that just seeing him would make you tremble, the correct thing would be to completely kill him, leaving no aftermath.”
“So, does that mean the curse placed on Duke Prelorde may not have been intended to harm him?”
Bella buried her face in her knees at Hael’s words. Just thinking of Chay made her chest ache, twisting uncomfortably.
Power has no morality. Therefore, the state Chay was in couldn’t be recklessly labeled a curse.
“It’s just speculation. But I want to check.”
“Even if that power was protecting the duke, it still killed and harmed people. A power that harms people… and you call it divine power?”
“I’ve seen two people die, coughing up blood from a curse, right before my eyes. And no matter how I think about it, neither of them were people God would ever love if He had eyes and ears.”
Bella clenched the sheet in her hands, crumpling the white fabric.
For them, the anger, hatred, sorrow, and pain of others were actually nutrients for joy. Could such a ‘curse’ even be called a curse? Only if it were God’s will.
“Count Tressy and Count Karl, right?”
“Yes. Regarding their deaths, I wouldn’t call it a curse.”
“According to the information I’ve gathered while working in the temple, there were a few deaths due to curses, but I’d dare say it’s hard to call them people who lived good lives.”
There weren’t many deaths from curses.
First, those who entered spaces meant only for the king’s bloodline without permission.
Second, those who broke oaths with the king.
If the result of the curse was death, why didn’t Chay Prelorde die, instead remaining as a ghost in the mansion?
Was it a failure of the curse?
Or, was what they thought a curse never a curse to begin with?
“I… saw one more person vomiting blood.”
“Who?”
Bella lifted her head at Hael’s question. Her violet eyes shone vividly.
“Bella Oshik.”
“…?”
Hael’s eyebrows rose in surprise at her absurd answer, but Bella spoke calmly.
“Honestly, I also vomited blood and passed out.”
“That was—!”
“I know. I didn’t die. But it’s clear that divine power can shock a person to the point of vomiting blood and collapsing.”
“….”
“That’s why we need to check. Did they really die because they met the curse’s conditions, or did they simply pay for their evildoing? Or, if not, did the royal family misuse the power God granted to protect the dynasty?”
“I will investigate, keeping all possibilities in mind.”
“If someone calls God’s power a curse, and uses that curse to harm someone God loves, then God would want to give the beloved person a chance.”
“A chance…?”
“A chance even if it means twisting the cause-and-effect that would cost a life, keeping the soul of the beloved tied to this world.”
At Bella’s words, the necklace on her chest briefly glowed red, though no one saw it.
The next day, the council representatives gathered at the negotiation table, keeping a wary eye on the king.
“Did you rest well last night?”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“That’s good to hear. But it seems the saintess is a bit late.”
The king propped his chin on his hand and crossed his legs.
Only the queen, who had observed him closely for years, could notice the lowly delight simmering beneath his otherwise impassive face.
He must have been killed by someone acting on his orders.
The queen’s expression darkened.
Glancing at her, the king’s lips curled into a cruel smile. The queen’s despair was always a pleasure to witness.
“Alright, let’s start negotiations without the latecomer.”
The king tapped the table to draw attention and received the newly drafted negotiation document from a nearby attendant.
The two council representatives looked around the hall tensely. Without allies like the temple, they could hardly imagine dealing with this mad king alone.
As horrifying thoughts of decapitation in the room filled their minds,
“I suppose I am a little late.”
The saintess appeared, accompanied by a paladin.
Seeing her perfectly fine, the king’s expression twisted with shock.
Bella secretly laughed at the king’s face, relieved that her veil hid her expression.
“King, it seems you forgot that I am God’s daughter.”
Her tone was polite, yet clearly condescending.
The king’s eyebrows twitched, but he did not reply.
No matter what, she was the saintess—a treasure of the royal house with unknown mystical powers. The king remained on edge.
“I don’t understand what you mean, but it is clear that you are late, saintess.”
“Ah, I had a restless night. I did receive the gift sent by the king, though.”
“…!”
Bella smiled and placed the box she had held into the center of the table. The king’s gaze wavered in surprise.
Neither she nor the king believed it would become a weakness.
“Thank you sincerely for your hospitality.”
When Bella opened the box, the face of an assassin appeared. The two council representatives leapt up in terror, stepping back, and even the queen covered her mouth in shock.
“Ha… ha ha…”
The king laughed wildly, pressing his forehead.
The responsibility was another matter. An assassination attempt inside the royal palace, even if not by the king, required accountability.
“Saintess, there was an assassination attempt. In the palace, no less.”
Hael’s calm voice settled heavily over the hall. Only then did the king stop laughing and close the box.
“Oh dear. This is entirely my fault. I should have paid more attention to security.”
“….”
“Still, I did not expect the daughter sent by God to be so ruthless. They would have believed it if I had merely said something happened.”
The king made a biting joke as he handed the box to an attendant, whose disgusted expression he barely masked. The mood at the table grew even colder.
“Evidence is always important.”
“Thorough, this saintess is.”
Bella nodded slightly and picked up the documents the king had prepared.
“So. Is this the royal family’s best offer for negotiation?”
Reading through, Bella exhaled lightly. The document was absurdly lacking provisions favorable to the temple. Conversely, nearly half of the council’s demands were accepted.
The king was clearly trying to curb the temple, bringing the council to his side first.
But the king did not realize:
“The council does not want to negotiate this way either.”
No fool would grasp a rotten vine thinking it was good.
Ridel, one of the council representatives, expressed displeasure first, pushing the negotiation paper away.
If the council and the royal family clashed, the king could still forcibly dissolve the council, guaranteeing their defeat. But the temple, by legitimacy alone, wielded power equal to the king. For the council, the temple was the ally they needed to secure, more than the royal family.
“Hmph, unexpected. I heard council members were very clever.”
“….”
The king was the one to break the tense stalemate.
Sighing lightly, he smiled softly at the saintess.
“Saintess.”
“I don’t know how to respond to this.”
“Then don’t respond, saintess.”
“…?”
A frown formed on Bella’s forehead. The king’s composure was not true composure.
Rather, it resembled the ease of someone pushed to the brink, who, having lost everything, acts as if mad.
