Even If It Is Trampled And Broken - Chapter 7
Hestia took a deep breath and quickly returned to the table.
"Then I will go back to my room."
Hestia greeted them politely until the end so that no one could find her fault.
"Saintess, I will escort you to your room."
"I am Okay. Don't worry."
Bosswa asked Hestia to escort her as if she wanted to talk a little more, but she refused under her word and left the banquet hall alone. Hestia noticed Anette's long gaze behind her, but she didn't look back or ignore it.
Because she didn't feel the need to. Saintess Annette. At first glance, people would think that she was innocent, outspoken, and had the personality of a bright child. However, Hestia judged differently. Anette was more prudent than anyone else. With Hestia playing her game, Anette was sure to spend some time trying to read what she was up to.
Hestia returned to her room and closed the door. She belatedly lost strength in her legs and sat down with her back leaning against the door.
"...... I did it."
Sweat was beading on her forehead. She tried to look calm on the outside, but on the inside, she was so tense. It was only when she was left alone that the tension was relieved. As she looked down, her hand was trembling, so Hestia didn't even think to wipe the cold sweat. Hestia, who had crouched down in front of the door like that, curled up her lips and asked.
'From now on is important. Who first told the story of my death.'
It's just that one thing has changed from the past, and the atmosphere has become completely different. She doesn't ask for much. But at least...... she wants to instill in the public an image of leaving the temple on her own, rather than being kicked out. Only then will she be able to move a little more freely in the future? If Anette had sentenced her to death, as before her return, she would have spent her life looking out for others as if she were a criminal, as she had been in her previous life.
'I hate that Hestia wanted to take the lead in every situation as much as possible.'
After she managed to relieve her tension and take a breath, she went straight to her closet and took out her bag.
'Let's leave the temple first.'
If she continued to stay here, there was a high possibility that Anette's board would move as she wished. At first glance, the interests of Anette and the temple coincide. So, in her past life, the High Priests must have accepted Anette's proposal and pushed a candidate for her husband. And all their actions in the name of serving Hestia will be seen as 'goodwill' to the world. But no matter how others see it, it wasn't to Hestia.
In her last life, she was so afraid of dying that she couldn't think properly. So she did almost everything they told her, lest they harm her.
'It shouldn't have been.'
Hestia briefly regretted her belated regret. Anette and the Temple. Of the two, the priests were the least reliable, but that was not a reason to open up. If Anette is dubious, the intentions of the High Priests are visible in her eyes. They're the kind of people who throw her away as soon as she no use to them.
Hestia knew how useful she was to the temple. Didn't Anette, a 'new saintess' with strong power unlike Hestia, appear? Therefore, the temple would no longer need Hestia 'as a saintess'. In fact, she was more of a political loser now. So, even for the sake of tug-of-war with the Royal Family, the High Priests would want to keep her alive.
'Clergy can't get married anyway!'
If they marry Hestia to prolong her lifespan, she would naturally fall out of the divine. She can no longer be used as a saintess, but since she is made into a body blessed by the temple, she will be able to pay off her debts to the Royal Family. Besides, if that happens, Anette alone will be recorded as a saintess of this era. Anette can naturally stand above Hestia in the way that 'I saved your life.'
She will also be able to show her condescension to the shrine, where in the same sense she will need Hestia as her tool. So, the High Priests would gladly obey her will if Anette had found her way.
'I am the party! High priests were likely to focus only on the part where Hestia said 'I want to step down from her position as a saintess' anyway. So I'll urge you to get married.'
But only then does it flow in the same flow as her previous life. Hestia didn't want to do that this time. She cupped her head with both of her hands, then took a deep breath and straightened her back again. No matter how much she sighed, one unanswered question made her feel stuffy again.
'Any way you look at it, Anette...... I don't think the purpose is to keep me in check!'
Hestia's eyes shone quite sharply.
If her death is to become the fertilizer that further solidifies her position....... Anette, on her part, wouldn't have a reason to figure. Today, Hestia said only that she would die in a year. At this point, one thing was certain. Anette would sooner or later announce that there is a way to save Hestia in order to tip the tide. So she decided that Hestia needed to move her recruits out of her reach. She said, 'She made it clear that she was terminally ill anyway. No one can stop me when I say I want to spend the rest of my time with her family.' She didn't have much luggage to pack in the first place.
Although she was a Princess, she was almost forced to live her frugal life as a saintess and had very little of her goods or clothes. Hestia left her regalia, the most splendid garment she owned, unpacked.
She said she would never wear it, and she didn't want to wear it either.
"Anette...... They will try to kill me somehow."
She always turned away, but Hestia knew the reason better than anyone else. It is a burden to Anette that she is alive. When the high priests hear the oracle that Hestia will survive if she gets married, she will try to save Hestia no matter what. She appeals that even if Hestia loses her holy power, she can erase her debt to the Ellsworth royal family in that she put Hestia's life on hold, and she also did her best, earning the support of the King and people.
Cause you can make it strong in the past, because of such political reasons, Hestia's honor was put first, and a one-sided marriage was decided. It's meaningless just to keep her life.
Anette from her previous life aimed at that blind spot. After pushing Hestia into a situation where she had no choice but to marry, she made her death inevitable in the end. Hestia swallowed her sigh, counting in her past the list of suitors Anette and the high priests had pushed for her. The most influential of these was, of course, Stephan Cheretto.
'Because Anette even gave the blessing herself. But not Sir Stephen.'
Stephan eventually rejected and betrayed her. So she must find another suitable person before Stephan comes to court her. She'd die in a year anyway, so her divorce wouldn't have to be stipulated.
'Under any circumstances, I will not swear. Never.'
For nearly half of her life, she lived as a subordinate to the temple. But then having to depend on someone else for life is terrible.
'I need to find someone who will be my shield.'
Her condition was simple, She wanted what she wanted. Who wouldn't love themselves first? She said, 'I don't want to be heavy-hearted. After I die, I need someone who won't shed tears.'
The second condition is someone who will not betray her. It was a simple condition, but there were not too many of them that matched everything.
'But it's not like it doesn't exist.'
As soon as Hestia drew in her breath, she remembered a person's name.
"...... Aslan Kalati."
Along with the breath she held inside, the name of a strong man flowed out and scattered in the air. Even just thinking of him, Hestia felt her heart tighten, so she placed both of her hands on her left breast and pressed them gently.
"Did I still look like a dog wagging my tail when I saw the Princess?"
Memories that can never go back. Brilliant times and emotions were stained with misery in an instant...
At that time, his harsh words were still vivid in her ears.
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