Chapter 087………………
I ended up hearing from someone else the story I had tried so hard to forget.
And not even from someone from Melissa, but from a complete stranger I had never met before.
He told me not to trust the person by my side.
Had he seen Amy meeting Jace?
If that were the case, it must have looked like I didn’t even realize that the person right next to me wasn’t on my side.
I didn’t know whether that man was simply perceptive enough to notice that Melissa and I stood on different sides, or if the princess had tipped him off—but it wasn’t like I could call back someone who had already disappeared down the corridor to ask.
Even if I did, it wouldn’t change anything.
How helpless must I have looked for him to tell me that?
If it wasn’t the princess who told him, then she hadn’t brought him to her side for no reason.
That thought crossed my mind.
I couldn’t wipe the bitter smile from my face.
I wasn’t shocked. Perhaps I had already been preparing myself.
Even so, I briefly fell into shabby thoughts—wondering if Amy was being used like me, if it wasn’t her will, but something she was forced to do.
But it was all speculation and wishful thinking. I couldn’t reach a clear answer yet.
I let my gaze linger on the garden beyond the lined corridor pillars, then looked down at the letter the man had left me.
A letter.
Did he still have something to say after yesterday?
With a faint sense of curiosity, I opened it.
To the Saintess,
Yesterday was so hectic that I couldn’t properly greet you, so I write to you now instead. Thanks to you, I have come to understand the path I must take.
Your words yesterday made me feel many things. And perhaps… I thought you might be like me.
Because of something I happened to learn, I wanted to be of some help, even if only a little.
I hope you like my gift.
A gift. What could the princess possibly give me as a gift?
I heard footsteps behind me and quickly tucked the letter away.
The moment I hid it in my sleeve, a voice called out to me.
“Saintess.”
Jace. It was him.
“So it was you, Sir Knight.”
I turned around, pretending not to be startled, and he smiled at me.
He rarely showed much expression—except once yesterday, when he had whispered in my ear.
The memory sent a chill down my spine.
“I thought you’d come looking for me.”
Jace strode up to me and gave a slight bow.
“Perhaps you really are different, Saintess.”
“What is it you’re trying to say?”
“Is it because you’re not a merciful saint?”
“……”
“You heard that a plague is spreading, and yet you’re pretending not to know.”
“Do others know as well? They didn’t seem to.”
“Well… who knows whether they know or are pretending not to. What matters is that the plague is still spreading.”
There was no trace of sorrow in his smile.
Only certainty—that I was unlike the saintesses before me.
Meeting his gaze at eye level, I asked,
“Are you sure? That there’s really a plague?”
“Yes.”
“Where is it spreading?”
He grinned again.
He didn’t even try to hide that he was testing me.
Why was this man doing this to me?
Just then—
A voice from my memory surfaced.
“Milady, may I go somewhere tomorrow for a bit?”
“I heard. You’re going to see your sister.”
“Yes! I’ll be back quickly.”
“You can take your time. Stay a few days if you like.”
“No! I don’t even have a place to stay, so I’ll come right back.”
It was a conversation with Luna, a servant from the Grand Duke’s household.
It had never come to mind before—yet now it felt as if someone was forcing me to remember.
“Marie, Luna is going to see her family. Pack something for her.”
“Milady.”
“Yes?”
“She’s probably going to her sister’s grave.”
“……”
“Her sister was her only family… and she died a long time ago.”
I had heard that Luna’s home had burned down.
And that she had entered the Grand Duke’s household at a young age because she had nowhere else to go.
But I hadn’t known her sister had died.
Only then did I learn—from the head maid—that the reason Luna went back to that place once a year, even though nothing remained, was to visit her sister’s grave.
“Was the fire an accident?”
“Luna’s sister died of a plague long ago. The house was burned to dispose of the body.”
At the time, I had been shocked to hear that the house had been set on fire just to burn a corpse.
They said it was a decision made by the villagers, because the disease was highly contagious and it might be dangerous for Luna to stay there.
Only now did I remember.
Jace, standing before me, stared down at me.
As if he could read the answer on my face, he shrugged.
“It seems I don’t even need to tell you—you already know where it is.”
“……”
“Did Lady Gloria tell you?”
“Since when… since when has the plague been spreading?”
“Well… I only heard about it myself.”
“……”
“What will you choose, Saintess? The predetermined pilgrimage—or the Grand Duke of Ferdian?”
At his words, I immediately frowned.
He didn’t mention the Grand Duchy of the Helen Kingdom—he mentioned Cardin.
Before I could respond, Jace continued.
“If you go to the Grand Duchy, I’ll help you. For example, you could say you’ll bring a Melissa priest along to assist them.”
In other words, skip the next pilgrimage and head straight to the temple.
“The princess will cover your place in the next pilgrimage as much as possible.”
Ah… Jace was aiming for everything at once—the relic, the ritual, and Cardin.
He wasn’t even pretending to be on my side anymore.
When I first heard about the plague from him, I had dismissed it as a lie.
That had been nothing more than self-deception.
It wasn’t that I didn’t want to see people suffering from a plague.
I had simply wanted to throw away the mission given to me as quickly as possible.
Because I was afraid of wavering.
Afraid that the beliefs I held until just a few days ago would clash with that mission.
Afraid that my duty as a saintess would collide with my desire to abandon that very role.
And afraid that I might choose the latter.
That I would be the one to make that choice.
I didn’t even want to face that conflict, so I convinced myself he was lying and turned away from the truth.
I thought that if I ignored the plague and returned to the temple to uncover the ritual, I might stop the tragedy sooner.
But if the plague was real… I feared I would have to take a long detour.
That was what scared me.
I no longer had any firm beliefs left—but there was no hesitation in my choice.
Because it was the people of the Grand Duchy.
No one else.
I heard approaching footsteps and looked past Jace’s shoulder.
It was Alec.
He stiffened for a moment when he saw Jace and me facing each other, then quickly relaxed.
Then, for just a brief instant, he gave me a short nod—as if to reassure me.
It seemed he had succeeded in securing the relic.
Jace followed my gaze and turned his head as well.
“Saintess.”
As he stepped closer, I slowly closed and opened my eyes.
I looked at Jace—but called out to Alec.
“Commander. We need to go to the Grand Duchy of the Helen Kingdom immediately.”
Alec’s eyes widened in surprise. He glanced between me and Jace before replying,
“May I ask why you wish to go there so suddenly?”
Jace answered in my stead.
“They say a plague is spreading.”
“In the Helen Kingdom?”
“Yes. So I will head to Melissa right away and—”
“Commander.”
“Yes, Saintess.”
“I’ll go to the Grand Duchy with Sir Jace right away.”
Jace snapped his head toward me, trying to read my intent. A faint crease formed on his face.
Now it’s your turn, Jace, to figure me out.
Why I’ve chosen to go to the Grand Duchy with you.
