I swallowed hard.
Surely, there was an invincible excuse prepared to overcome this crisis, but looking at those sincere eyes, my mouth just wouldn't open.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Should I be honest about it now since I got caught anyway?
Or, since I've already committed a scam, should I push it forward more shamelessly?
Unable to control my wavering mind, I soon let out a deep sigh.
'Wrong, I'm too conscientious.'
It's not like it was threats or torture, but it's just my sincerity that I can't overcome, so I'm considering confessing like this.
It seemed wrong to become the greatest conman who would go down in history.
“Please come in. This doesn’t seem like something we should discuss in the hallway.”
After I brought the Crown Prince into the room, I locked the door tightly.
Then I met his gaze with an expressionless face.
“Yes, that’s right. Actually, I’m not a Saintess.”
The Crown Prince's expression began to harden rapidly at my sudden announcement.
As I looked into those dark purple eyes that were shaking with confusion, a guilt I didn't even know existed came rushing back to me like a tidal wave.
I felt like something sharp was poking my chest, but I couldn't stop the confession once I started.
I told everything with a look of despair.
From the moment I was sacrificed and thrown into the lion's den to the moment, I impersonated a Saintess out of revenge against my father and even tricked the Pope with Delton's help, everything.
The Crown Prince, who had been listening to me with a stern face, let out a hollow laugh as soon as I finished speaking.
"Ha."
It's just a hollow laugh, but why does my heart feel so cold?
The Crown Prince's criticism flew over my head as I quietly lowered my gaze.
“All the people of the empire rejoiced at your appearance. They voluntarily offered sacrifices to the temple and donated money.”
“...”
“The fact that they willingly opened their own pockets when they had nothing to eat or drink was because they hoped that the Saintess would protect them, and it was an expression of gratitude to the goddess who sent them such a Saintess.”
His voice, which had been flowing out in a restrained manner as if suppressing his emotions, gradually became more agitated.
“Don’t you feel sorry for those imperial people? Don’t you feel ashamed? How could you lie to those who struggled to survive while rolling around in the fires of hell for 13 years...!”
His voice clearly showed how angry he was at the moment.
But strangely enough, the angrier he got, the more calm I became.
Until just a moment ago, my head, which had been constantly falling to the floor out of guilt, was now straightened up.
“It’s shameful behavior...”
I stared at him with indifferent eyes.
“Then should I just be hanged without any shame to be able to be blameless?”
“What did you just say?”
“The ignorant imperial people who mistakenly think I am a Saintess because of the hail that stopped by by chance, the deceitful lion who plans to leave his old age to me, and the father who claims that I ran away in fear of death and begs for severe punishment.”
As I was listing the circumstances at the time, my mouth turned askew.
“At that time, I was in a desperate situation. If I had not impersonated the Saintess, I would have been pushed to my death by my father. If you were to tell me, would you have been able to obediently reveal the truth in that situation?”
“...”
The Crown Prince stared at me for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words.
I looked him straight in the eye and said,
“I was just struggling to survive.”
Of course, I did not deny that I did it in a fit of rage after seeing that piece of trash not only offering me up as a sacrifice but also trying to kill me in the end.
But at the time, I had no other choice.
Because all circumstances were pushing me down the path of becoming a fake Saintess.
I met the Crown Prince's gaze with confidence, who was looking at me with his eyebrows slightly narrowed.
“And I don’t know why I should feel sorry for the people of the empire.”
“Ha, Princess.”
“Because I was born a noble, I devoted my entire life to the people of the empire. I reduced taxes, developed better farming tools, and paid attention to public safety to make life easier for the people of the territory. When the empire was in crisis, I generously gave away my wealth.”
“...”
“In the five years that I have been in charge of the Duke’s affairs, how many people in this capital have not received food, clothing, and medicine that I have provided? If we include the time when my grandfather, the former Duke of Veloce, was alive, the number would increase several times. And yet they...”
“What’s so hard about it? It’s obvious.”
“That’s right, all the common women who have been offered as sacrifices up until now were also someone’s precious daughters!”
“But that woman was born a noblewoman and lived a life of luxury before dying.”
“Yes, my nephew was born into a poor family and suffered all his life before he died! That’s a happy life.”
“That’s right. Many women die as sacrifices. There’s no need to pity them.”
“Huh, how could that be for us? They’re all just trying to save face for their own families. ”
“Yes, that woman’s death is a symbol of the abolition of class. It shows that even the nobles can no longer avoid responsibility in the face of this disaster!”
I burst out laughing when I thought of those who gladly cheered my death.
“They are the ones who forgot all the graces and celebrated my death without any hesitation. Why should I think about them?”
The way I spoke like that sounded beyond confident.
The Crown Prince, who had been staring at me like that, slowly opened his mouth.
“As the Princess said, it is because the Princess is a noblewoman.”
It was a voice that was soft but had a strong will.
“The Princess and I are part of the ruling class. While the commoners struggle to get by on just one meal, we live in nice houses, wear nice clothes, eat nice food, and receive a good education. With the money earned by the people of the fiefdom, the people of the empire, work themselves to death all day long. With taxes.”
“...”
“It’s an unspoken contract. They take responsibility for our safety, and we take responsibility for theirs.”
“...”
“That’s why people like us have to step forward and block their path when a crisis like this one comes. We have to protect them. That’s the duty of the ruling class.”
I listened to the Crown Prince's words with an indifferent face, and then I pushed back my hair that had fallen past my shoulders in annoyance.
'Oh, I really hate it.'
I absolutely hated hearing those boring answers, those stereotypical lectures.
The reason why I am unable to readily refute this and remain silent is because that boring answer, that stereotypical admonition, was the right answer.
It was also a belief that I held in my heart my entire life.
I was momentarily speechless at the reemergence of an old creed that I thought I had completely erased from my heart, having been abandoned by my biological father and shunned by the people of the empire to which I had devoted my entire life.
But that was it.
However, that does not mean that the justice I once abandoned or my wounded heart will be healed.
“I won’t have that kind of obligation anymore.”
“Princess.”
“I am a life that barely survived after going to the brink of hell. I don’t want to waste my precious life, my life, on people who don’t care about me.”
Yes, I will now live entirely for myself. Not to improve someone else's treatment or enrich someone else's life, but only for my own happiness, my own joy.
The Crown Prince's expression hardened as if he was taken aback by my shameless promise disguised as honesty.
We met eyes in silence.
The first to break the eerily cold silence was the Crown Prince.
“You don’t seem to know your current situation, but now is not the time for you to be acting like a guest, Princess.”
His eyes, which had been blazing with fury just a moment ago, had now become dry and calm.
“In these critical times, impersonating a Saintess is tantamount to defrauding the empire. Don’t you know what the price will be?”
At that moment, two loud noises echoed within me.
Thud!
This is the sound of a heart sinking.
Flash!
And this was the sound of reason, which had been lost for a moment, returning to its place.
'This crazy...'
What on earth have you done?
If you accidentally let something slip, you should have quickly picked it up. Why are you suddenly trying to take care of your conscience and even dare to fight with the crown prince?
'What a stupid mouth!'
I felt like I wanted to crush that mouth that was moving around thoughtlessly.
'I'm going crazy, really.'
The punishment for the impersonator of a saint that the Crown Prince spoke of was obvious.
Capital punishment.
Even if you're lucky enough to get a reduced sentence, you'll still be in prison for the rest of your life.
'Wow, this is a real emergency.'
If it were me in the past, I might have thrown a tantrum and said, "It's so dirty, I'll just die!"
But after experiencing a near-death experience once, I couldn't dare say something like that, even as a joke.
'Even if I roll around in dog shit, living comes first.'
But now that the situation has come to this, I don't know how to save my life.
'Should I get down on my knees and beg?'
Yeah, that was the best we could do for now.
The Crown Prince was a man who cared deeply for the people of his empire, and fortunately, I was one of his people.
Although I was a sinner who had committed an unforgivable sin by his standards, doesn't the old saying say that you should hate the sin but not the sinner?
'Yes, since I have the qualifications, let's give it a try.'
It was at that moment that I, having gathered my thoughts, was about to kneel down with a determined expression.
“However, considering the circumstances, I will give you a special opportunity.”
“Yes, yes? If there’s a chance...”
“Remain a Saintess.”
Huh.
A rope came down from the sky.
'Wait, I haven't gotten on my knees yet?'
Surely, there was an invincible excuse prepared to overcome this crisis, but looking at those sincere eyes, my mouth just wouldn't open.
'This is driving me crazy.'
Should I be honest about it now since I got caught anyway?
Or, since I've already committed a scam, should I push it forward more shamelessly?
Unable to control my wavering mind, I soon let out a deep sigh.
'Wrong, I'm too conscientious.'
It's not like it was threats or torture, but it's just my sincerity that I can't overcome, so I'm considering confessing like this.
It seemed wrong to become the greatest conman who would go down in history.
“Please come in. This doesn’t seem like something we should discuss in the hallway.”
After I brought the Crown Prince into the room, I locked the door tightly.
Then I met his gaze with an expressionless face.
“Yes, that’s right. Actually, I’m not a Saintess.”
The Crown Prince's expression began to harden rapidly at my sudden announcement.
As I looked into those dark purple eyes that were shaking with confusion, a guilt I didn't even know existed came rushing back to me like a tidal wave.
I felt like something sharp was poking my chest, but I couldn't stop the confession once I started.
I told everything with a look of despair.
From the moment I was sacrificed and thrown into the lion's den to the moment, I impersonated a Saintess out of revenge against my father and even tricked the Pope with Delton's help, everything.
The Crown Prince, who had been listening to me with a stern face, let out a hollow laugh as soon as I finished speaking.
"Ha."
It's just a hollow laugh, but why does my heart feel so cold?
The Crown Prince's criticism flew over my head as I quietly lowered my gaze.
“All the people of the empire rejoiced at your appearance. They voluntarily offered sacrifices to the temple and donated money.”
“...”
“The fact that they willingly opened their own pockets when they had nothing to eat or drink was because they hoped that the Saintess would protect them, and it was an expression of gratitude to the goddess who sent them such a Saintess.”
His voice, which had been flowing out in a restrained manner as if suppressing his emotions, gradually became more agitated.
“Don’t you feel sorry for those imperial people? Don’t you feel ashamed? How could you lie to those who struggled to survive while rolling around in the fires of hell for 13 years...!”
His voice clearly showed how angry he was at the moment.
But strangely enough, the angrier he got, the more calm I became.
Until just a moment ago, my head, which had been constantly falling to the floor out of guilt, was now straightened up.
“It’s shameful behavior...”
I stared at him with indifferent eyes.
“Then should I just be hanged without any shame to be able to be blameless?”
“What did you just say?”
“The ignorant imperial people who mistakenly think I am a Saintess because of the hail that stopped by by chance, the deceitful lion who plans to leave his old age to me, and the father who claims that I ran away in fear of death and begs for severe punishment.”
As I was listing the circumstances at the time, my mouth turned askew.
“At that time, I was in a desperate situation. If I had not impersonated the Saintess, I would have been pushed to my death by my father. If you were to tell me, would you have been able to obediently reveal the truth in that situation?”
“...”
The Crown Prince stared at me for a moment, seemingly at a loss for words.
I looked him straight in the eye and said,
“I was just struggling to survive.”
Of course, I did not deny that I did it in a fit of rage after seeing that piece of trash not only offering me up as a sacrifice but also trying to kill me in the end.
But at the time, I had no other choice.
Because all circumstances were pushing me down the path of becoming a fake Saintess.
I met the Crown Prince's gaze with confidence, who was looking at me with his eyebrows slightly narrowed.
“And I don’t know why I should feel sorry for the people of the empire.”
“Ha, Princess.”
“Because I was born a noble, I devoted my entire life to the people of the empire. I reduced taxes, developed better farming tools, and paid attention to public safety to make life easier for the people of the territory. When the empire was in crisis, I generously gave away my wealth.”
“...”
“In the five years that I have been in charge of the Duke’s affairs, how many people in this capital have not received food, clothing, and medicine that I have provided? If we include the time when my grandfather, the former Duke of Veloce, was alive, the number would increase several times. And yet they...”
“What’s so hard about it? It’s obvious.”
“That’s right, all the common women who have been offered as sacrifices up until now were also someone’s precious daughters!”
“But that woman was born a noblewoman and lived a life of luxury before dying.”
“Yes, my nephew was born into a poor family and suffered all his life before he died! That’s a happy life.”
“That’s right. Many women die as sacrifices. There’s no need to pity them.”
“Huh, how could that be for us? They’re all just trying to save face for their own families. ”
“Yes, that woman’s death is a symbol of the abolition of class. It shows that even the nobles can no longer avoid responsibility in the face of this disaster!”
I burst out laughing when I thought of those who gladly cheered my death.
“They are the ones who forgot all the graces and celebrated my death without any hesitation. Why should I think about them?”
The way I spoke like that sounded beyond confident.
The Crown Prince, who had been staring at me like that, slowly opened his mouth.
“As the Princess said, it is because the Princess is a noblewoman.”
It was a voice that was soft but had a strong will.
“The Princess and I are part of the ruling class. While the commoners struggle to get by on just one meal, we live in nice houses, wear nice clothes, eat nice food, and receive a good education. With the money earned by the people of the fiefdom, the people of the empire, work themselves to death all day long. With taxes.”
“...”
“It’s an unspoken contract. They take responsibility for our safety, and we take responsibility for theirs.”
“...”
“That’s why people like us have to step forward and block their path when a crisis like this one comes. We have to protect them. That’s the duty of the ruling class.”
I listened to the Crown Prince's words with an indifferent face, and then I pushed back my hair that had fallen past my shoulders in annoyance.
'Oh, I really hate it.'
I absolutely hated hearing those boring answers, those stereotypical lectures.
The reason why I am unable to readily refute this and remain silent is because that boring answer, that stereotypical admonition, was the right answer.
It was also a belief that I held in my heart my entire life.
I was momentarily speechless at the reemergence of an old creed that I thought I had completely erased from my heart, having been abandoned by my biological father and shunned by the people of the empire to which I had devoted my entire life.
But that was it.
However, that does not mean that the justice I once abandoned or my wounded heart will be healed.
“I won’t have that kind of obligation anymore.”
“Princess.”
“I am a life that barely survived after going to the brink of hell. I don’t want to waste my precious life, my life, on people who don’t care about me.”
Yes, I will now live entirely for myself. Not to improve someone else's treatment or enrich someone else's life, but only for my own happiness, my own joy.
The Crown Prince's expression hardened as if he was taken aback by my shameless promise disguised as honesty.
We met eyes in silence.
The first to break the eerily cold silence was the Crown Prince.
“You don’t seem to know your current situation, but now is not the time for you to be acting like a guest, Princess.”
His eyes, which had been blazing with fury just a moment ago, had now become dry and calm.
“In these critical times, impersonating a Saintess is tantamount to defrauding the empire. Don’t you know what the price will be?”
At that moment, two loud noises echoed within me.
Thud!
This is the sound of a heart sinking.
Flash!
And this was the sound of reason, which had been lost for a moment, returning to its place.
'This crazy...'
What on earth have you done?
If you accidentally let something slip, you should have quickly picked it up. Why are you suddenly trying to take care of your conscience and even dare to fight with the crown prince?
'What a stupid mouth!'
I felt like I wanted to crush that mouth that was moving around thoughtlessly.
'I'm going crazy, really.'
The punishment for the impersonator of a saint that the Crown Prince spoke of was obvious.
Capital punishment.
Even if you're lucky enough to get a reduced sentence, you'll still be in prison for the rest of your life.
'Wow, this is a real emergency.'
If it were me in the past, I might have thrown a tantrum and said, "It's so dirty, I'll just die!"
But after experiencing a near-death experience once, I couldn't dare say something like that, even as a joke.
'Even if I roll around in dog shit, living comes first.'
But now that the situation has come to this, I don't know how to save my life.
'Should I get down on my knees and beg?'
Yeah, that was the best we could do for now.
The Crown Prince was a man who cared deeply for the people of his empire, and fortunately, I was one of his people.
Although I was a sinner who had committed an unforgivable sin by his standards, doesn't the old saying say that you should hate the sin but not the sinner?
'Yes, since I have the qualifications, let's give it a try.'
It was at that moment that I, having gathered my thoughts, was about to kneel down with a determined expression.
“However, considering the circumstances, I will give you a special opportunity.”
“Yes, yes? If there’s a chance...”
“Remain a Saintess.”
Huh.
A rope came down from the sky.
'Wait, I haven't gotten on my knees yet?'
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