Rachel's arm, which D'Angel was holding, had turned red.
"I'm sorry, Miss Rachel."
D'Angel frowned with an apology, seeming a little surprised.
"By any chance, is it that the injury you received from the ghoul back then hasn't healed yet?"
It was a few weeks ago that Rachel had injured her arm in a ghoul attack.
'It's been a few weeks since the Saintess injured her arm in the attack... and the wound still hasn't completely healed?'
King Peleus and Agemas were almost at the stage of recovering after receiving Rachel's sacred power, but Rachel, who was the one who emitted the sacred power, was slow to heal.
"My body doesn't respond to holy energy. So I have no choice but to rely on medicine or my body's natural healing power."
Rachel raised her eyebrows and smiled sadly.
"If the Goddess gave me the ability to help countless people, and the only cost was that my wounds on my body would not heal, then I would be grateful."
Her warm voice and humble attitude, which seemed truly grateful, made it clear why the goddess had chosen a country girl from the outskirts to become a Saintess.
"Even so, you can't just leave the wound as it is. Why didn't you tell me earlier? If you had, I would have called a doctor and treated the wound."
If the saint gets hurt, Valdina will be held responsible. D'Angel's brow furrowed at the sensitive issue.
"Since the healing speed was slow anyway, and since we were in a foreign land, I couldn't just show him around. Besides, if the news spread that the representative of the Gods was injured, wouldn't morale drop?"
That's why His Majesty alone knew about it and personally bandaged it.
She lowered her eyes as if embarrassed.
Only then did D'Angel realize that she was a woman of marriageable age and he backed away awkwardly. He could understand why she couldn't reveal her body so easily.
"Actually, that's why I came to see Your Majesty today. I can't easily tell others._
Rachel glanced at Peleus.
The flared cheeks gave the impression that the secret she and the King had shared was not just a simple injury.
Unfortunately, Peleus was a man who neither knew nor thought to know about the secret flirting of the opposite sex.
"The royal physician. Sir Hertos, is tight-lipped. Miss Rachel need not worry about rumors spreading."
Without any change in expression, he offered a solution to Rachel's excuse.
"Ah, but, Your Majesty. You don't know how fatal a reputation can be to a woman's life. And I have to enter the temple soon, so it's even more sensitive. Your Majesty, please forgive me. The only person I can trust here is Your Majesty..."
Rachel blinked with wet eyelashes and looked very pitiful.
Having lost her entire family to ghouls, it would be natural for her to have blind faith in Peleus, who suppressed the Wave.
It was not strange that she was unable to adapt to the unfamiliar environment of the palace and would hover around the slightly familiar surroundings.
'But, His Majesty is displeased, so it can't be done. But I can't just leave the wound as it is...'
D'Angel was a little embarrassed by the situation, which both sides understood.
"Then I will help you."
At that moment, Medea, who had been listening to the conversation between the two, spoke.
Rachel paused. She looked surprised and confused by the unexpected suggestion.
"Why, you wouldn't trust me, the King's younger sister?"
"Oh, no. That can't be."
Rachel shook her head reflexively at Medea's question hitting the nail on the head.
"However... my wounds are dirty with blood and dirt. If Your Highness the Princess were to see them, you would be shocked."
"No way. Have you forgotten that Valdina has been at war all this time? I'm used to wrapping bandages. Come here."
Medea didn't even listen to Rachel's answer and just grabbed her by the arm.
"Lady Rachel, our King is braver and wiser than the knights, so you have nothing to worry about."
D'Angelo, who was worried that his carelessness might accidentally damage the young woman's reputation, was grateful and happy to hear Medea's words.
'Her Highness the Princess would take off her shoes and do anything for His Majesty, no matter what her thoughts were.'
"Then I will ask Your Highness."
"Well, it's okay..."
Medea led Rachel to a small side room off
the study.
"..."
Peleus stared blankly at his sister's back as she led the Saintess away.
***
The small room where the King took a break from his work was a closed room without a single window.
Click.
The door is closed.
There were only Medea and Rachel in the room.
"I, I spoke nonsense. I am ashamed to show such a bad appearance to Your Highness the Princess. So I will deal with it later-"
Rachel felt awkward about being left alone with just the two of them, so she tried to get away. But the Princess paid no attention.
"Try to undress the wound. I need to apply some medicine and bandage it."
"It must be ugly..."
"..."
Rachel, unable to overcome the pressure of silence, had no choice but to take off the bandage.
Her words about being attacked by a ghoul were not a lie.
A hideous wound was revealed as if the flesh had been dug into with a fingernail.
Medea looked at Rachel.
"Oh. The wound is quite deep. It must have hurt a lot."
Contrary to her soft voice, no emotion could be read from her green eyes.
Rachel was startled by the indifferent gaze that seemed to treat her like a piece of meat and asked.
"How can you do that?"
"..."
When Medea saw Rachel's harmless face, far from malicious, a dark memory she had forgotten rose up in her heart.
"Mother. I don't want to go to the palace. Can I stay by your side?"
"I'll stay by my father's side, I can protect my mother and Leah. Yes, then I will go."
He was only seven years old, a young age.
Lian was overly proud.
Even that death was so one-sided that Medea sometimes Imagined her son's last moments in the palace when he had drunk poison and died.
Lian, you must have found your foolish mother.
Did she writhe his small body and howl in fear?
How I wished you had died without so much pain.
"..."
Medea shuddered as if she could hear her son's last breath.
A fire suddenly burst into his calm eyes.
Underneath the invisible sleeve, the pain of her nails digging painfully cleared away the fog of the past.
Medea again gazed at the beautiful woman before her.
Rachel. In this life, she has not done anything yet.
But she was too dangerous a person to just ignore.
She took Medea's place and achievements without shedding a drop of blood.
'Even though she poisoned Lian, she gained the people's sympathy by being the Empress who was falsely accused.'
She is a snake hunter in sheep's clothing. If you let your guard down for even a moment, you will soon find yourself wrapped in her coils.
So when the opportunity comes, you have to take it.
'Behind this door are Peleus and D'Angel.'
It's hard to get rid of Rachel without getting caught by both of them.
But even if she couldn't convince them, since this was Valdina, Medea was confident that she could somehow manage the situation.
After a brief moment of contemplation, his green eyes cooled down.
It was when Medea adjusted the handle of the sharp dagger under her sleeve.
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