As the lion and I were scheming, the carriage that had been running at high speed began to slow down little by little and then came to a complete stop.
“I guess they all came.”
After giving a warning to the lion, I quickly adjusted my clothes.
How can you check the behavior of a saint-impersonator entering the temple?
As I was laughing at myself, the knight's voice was heard from outside the carriage.
“We have arrived at the Great Temple, Saintess. May I open the door?”
“Yes, then.”
I answered coolly.
But inside, it was burning with tension.
That would be the case since it was a task that required deceiving the Pope.
Even though I decided to get help from the lion, I couldn't feel at ease.
I took several deep breaths to shake off the tension.
But such efforts were useless in the face of someone's appearance.
“Your Holiness.”
I opened my mouth wide when I saw the Pope standing in front of the main gate.
'Why did the Pope come here?'
He had not appeared at any public event for 13 years since the death of the 28th Saintess.
There were even rumors that he had an incurable disease, that his face was disfigured due to a curse from a goddess, and that he died with the Saintess.
'But you even came to greet me in person?'
I wasn't the only one who was dumbfounded; the Emperor arrived in a different carriage and ran towards me with wide eyes.
“Your Holiness, why did you even come out to me?”
But the Pope only looked at me with trembling eyes as if he had no regard for the Emperor or anything like that.
“Welcome, Princess Veloce.”
“It’s been a long time, Your Holiness. I heard that you were not in good health. I hope you are feeling better.”
“It’s natural for an old body to have some minor issues. It’s okay.”
He asked cautiously, smiling kindly.
“But... you received a revelation from the goddess Hethel?”
“Yes.”
I heard the lion's snort at my answer, which didn't even hesitate an inch, but I kept smiling.
'Yeah. Conscience, there's no such thing.'
The Pope seemed simply moved, unaware of my feelings.
“Oh, it’s been 13 years since a woman received revelation from the goddess. I thought something like this would never happen again...”
'You thought it would never happen again?'
I tilted my head.
The Saintess was an age-old presence that lasted for over two thousand years since the founding of Catalonia.
Although there had been a hiatus recently, no one thought that the lineage of Saints would end completely.
But why did he think that?
Was he simply shocked by his 13-year absence, or was he given some kind of prophecy as a priest?
That was when I was worried.
The Pope, holding my hand tightly and with reddened eyes, opened his eyes wide for a rare moment when he noticed the lion next to me.
“Is it...”
“Yes, he is the representative of the goddess.”
“Oh, I’ve heard a lot about it, but this is my first time seeing it in person.”
The lion raised its chin haughtily as if in awe of the Pope's awe-inspiring gaze.
'That's a bluff.'
For me, who knew full well how simple and pathetic the reality hidden beneath that terrifying appearance was, it was simply funny.
As I was laughing, the Pope cautiously opened his mouth.
“It is certainly a blessing that the Princess has returned with the messenger of the goddess. However, as you know, verification is necessary to ascend to the position of Saintess.”
“Yes, I know.”
“It’s a set procedure, so I hope you don’t feel offended.”
“Of course, Your Holiness.”
I smiled as if nothing had happened.
Although I was trembling with anxiety inside, I knew that if I showed such weakness in the face of a major fraud, I would surely be suspected.
The Pope nodded his head a couple of times, perhaps relieved by my appearance, and soon guided me to the temple.
Finally, as we arrived at the Mass room, the Pope gave instructions with a solemn expression.
“The candidate for sainthood must pay homage to the goddess Hethel.”
I knelt before the altar, wearing a white veil over my head.
On either side, the Emperor and dozens of priests stood guard.
As the solemn atmosphere continued, the Pope, standing before me with a tense face, muttered while sprinkling holy water from the chalice.
“O fearful goddess, this old servant welcomes the woman who has done your will. Please accept this woman as your daughter and save Catalonia and the Catalans who are suffering from the disaster.”
As the Pope finished speaking, I poked the side of the lion sitting next to me without anyone noticing.
And at that moment, a transparent white light covered my body.
At the same time, a soft voice came out of the Pope's teeth.
"Ah..."
That reaction, which seemed like both admiration and lament, made me feel uneasy.
'What? Didn't the pattern appear? I thought it was a success since the light was streaming out.'
I wanted to check it out myself, but the location where the pattern appeared was on the forehead.
There was no way to check with the naked eye without a mirror.
'But I can't just ask outright. It's driving me crazy.'
It was at that time that I was feeling anxious and pressing on the tender flesh under my fingernails.
The Emperor, who was observing the situation from a few steps away, asked in an impatient voice.
“How is it, Your Holiness? Is Princess Veloce the reincarnation of the Saintess?”
Today, he was a very helpful person in many ways.
It was at that very moment that I was newly impressed by the Emperor's usefulness.
The Pope nodded, the corners of his lips trembling.
“It is the symbol of the goddess.”
“Well, then...”
“Yes, she is the woman sent by the goddess Hethel. She is a Saintess.”
"Ah!"
“It’s been 13 years, 13 years!”
“The goddess has finally given us a Saintess.”
Exclamations of admiration erupted here and there.
“I knew it. I’ve always felt something unusual whenever I see the Princess, and there’s a reason for that!”
The Emperor came closer, almost as if waiting, and looked at me, weeping.
“Thank you, Goddess. Thank you for giving me back Catalonia.”
The Pope knelt before the full-length statue of the goddess and bowed his head repeatedly.
And I...
“You worked hard. It was worth living in a cave for a thousand years eating only moss.”
“Yeah, you worked hard putting the iron plate on your face too.”
I whispered to myself and celebrated my first successful scam with the lion.
***
After the saintly verification was over, I went straight to the room I was assigned.
The Emperor and the pope, who were very excited about the appearance of the Saintess they had been eagerly awaiting, offered to have lunch, but the offer was declined.
'Is it because I came back from the dead, or is it because I became a Saintess that wasn't in my fortune, I'm really tired today.'
As I was walking down the hallway, rubbing the back of my neck, the temple maid who had been guiding me stopped in front of a door.
“This is the room the Saintess will use in the future. The Saintesses of the past have also used this room.”
Then she opened the door with a very confident face.
'What a great room this is.'
I became curious and stuck my head out and looked through the door...
‘...It’s white.’
It was a room that would drive anyone crazy, with nothing white, from the wallpaper, floor, furniture, bedding, and even curtains.
'Even though white is the color that comes to mind when you think of a Saintess, is it really necessary to make the entire room like this?'
The maid spoke with a confident expression, not knowing whether she knew how shocked I was or not.
“This room gets a lot of sunlight. There is no draft in the winter. The furniture and bedding are all top-notch. I’m sure you’ll be satisfied, but if there’s anything inconvenient, please let me know at any time. I’ll fix it right away...”
“First of all, please change the wallpaper and tiles, and change the furniture to unpainted wood. The wooden candle holders are a fire hazard, so please change them to brass. It would be nice to have one more single-seater sofa over here. And also...”
“Now, wait a minute, Saintess. You have so many complaints...!”
The maid ran to the desk in a hurry, took out a piece of paper, and began to write down what I said without thinking.
By the time she finished her dictation, a full ten minutes had passed.
“Huk, huk. Is it all over now, Saintess?”
“Yes, well. I think that’ll be enough for now.”
Actually, there were still some things I wanted to change, but since I wasn't going to be living here for long anyway, I decided to stop here.
“Just as you said, this room has a lot of natural light. I really like it.”
“Oh, yes... right?”
She nodded with a sheepish expression at my words, which I gave with a smile.
'You asked me to change everything from A to Z!'
It was obvious that she was thinking that way, but what could she do?
She was the one who told me to tell her whenever I felt uncomfortable.
The maid, who had been making an eerie expression while looking at me smiling brightly, clapped her hands together as if she had just remembered something.
“Oh, the desserts you requested have already been prepared on the table.”
“Thank you. Thank you for your hard work.”
“Thank you for your hard work. It is an honor to be able to serve the Saintess like this...”
Are you serious?
I think you hesitated a bit when you said it was an honor?
Her expression seemed to indicate that she was anticipating a rough future, but I didn't bother to criticize her.
“Yes, I’ll be counting on you in the future.”
“Yes, Saintess. Then I will come back to greet you at the dinner.”
Just then, she bowed her head and left the room.
Boom! Boom!
A loud noise rang out.
'What, what is it?'
I quickly turned my head, wondering if something had collapsed, and ended up bursting into laughter.
The lion couldn't stand it any longer and was running in a hurry towards the table where the dessert was.
I stared blankly at that desperate-looking back and thought seriously.
‘...Could it be that the lion is the reason why the goddess disappeared?’
Could it be that she hid because she simply did not have the confidence to turn that stubborn lion into a divine being?
No matter how much I thought about it, it seemed like a reasonable inference.
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