The next day, Crown Prince Declan Garnazzo left the palace at dawn.
The distance from the castle to the shrine is about 30 minutes by carriage.
Normally, they would have left two hours later, since Shayne had time to prepare, but today, they couldn't afford to take it easy.
'She's a woman I can never relax with for even a moment.'
This was last night after they had stopped by the snowstorm site for the last time to resolve the issue.
“Let’s end it here for today. We need to conserve our stamina to go to Delucia tomorrow.”
“Huh? Wait a minute, where are we going?”
“Delucia.”
“What nonsense... That’s a contagious disease outbreak area!”
Shayne literally jumped.
As she said, Delucia was a place where a new infectious disease was spreading.
A terrible disease that starts with an acute fever, then a skin rash, then blisters spread all over the body, causing excruciating pain and eventually death.
There were some cases where the condition only progressed to the blister stage and was completely cured, but such cases accounted for less than 10%.
So it was natural to be scared.
But that doesn't mean he took Shayne to such a terrifying place without any preparation.
“You don’t have to worry too much because it’s not a disease that can be transmitted through the respiratory tract or simple contact. You just have to be careful not to let items used by the patient or objects contaminated with the bacteria touch the wound. We have also thoroughly prepared protective clothing.”
“But you never know! You might accidentally get hurt, or the suit might rip! Can you guarantee that such a thing won’t happen?”
“We have prepared thoroughly, but there is no such thing as perfect quarantine in this world, so I can’t guarantee anything...”
“Look at this, look at this! Your Highness knows it too. There is no such thing as perfect quarantine in the world. And yet you say I don’t need to worry?”
“What’s the point of worrying about getting sick? You have a lion.”
“How easy it is for you to say that. How do you know if Delton’s power will work or not? We haven’t even tried it!”
Shayne, who was shaking her chin in anxiety, tried to calm herself down and tried to persuade him.
“Let’s not do that. Let’s first get the patient out of the area and treat him as a test before going in. Yes?”
“That won’t do.”
"Why?"
“If we hastily move patients, the disease could spread to other regions, and in severe cases, even to the capital.”
“You just have to be careful not to let that happen! When will you be able to confidently say that it’s okay because it’s not transmitted through breathing or simple contact!”
“I can’t help but think of the worst-case scenario where the entire quarantine system could collapse.”
“No, so you’re saying I don’t have to assume the worst?”
Shayne, who had been jumping around excitedly, soon declared firmly.
“Oh, I don’t know. I can’t go. I can’t risk my life like that!”
“So are you saying that you will just watch the suffering of the imperial people?”
“No, why are you going so extreme... Then why don’t you just take Delton with you? I’m not going to use my powers anyway.”
“...”
“Yes, just take Delton! While I was filling my hungry stomach with just a single multigrain bread, he ate a lot of expensive fruits and fancy cookies, so you should pay that much! Right!”
“I told you. The one who uses supernatural powers is a lion, but the one who gives comfort to the people of the empire is a Saintess. Have you forgotten?”
“Ah, I don’t know, I don’t know! Anyway, I can’t go, so just know that. I’m not a noble person like Your Highness, so I have no intention of risking my life like that!”
Then she quickly got into the carriage and kept her mouth shut without saying a word until she arrived at the temple.
It was the same when they arrived at the temple.
Despite his request that "Delucia is a three-hour ride away by carriage, so we should leave a little earlier," Shayne just snorted and jumped out of the carriage without saying a word.
Seriously, he's never seen such a shameless person in his life.
Not only did she dare to commit the heinous crime of impersonating a Saintess, but she also refused to fulfill the conditions agreed upon in exchange for tolerating her crime.
He wishes he could have just exposed her outrageous lies right away.
But it couldn't be like that when looking at the people of the empire who were relieved just by Shayne stepping foot on the disaster site.
That's why they set out so early in the morning.
If Shayne really refuses to go, he'll need time to persuade her... no, at least threaten her.
Most people would have declared in a fit of anger that they would not go, but then, thinking back on their sins, they would have cried and reluctantly followed him, but in his eyes, Shayne did not seem to fall into the category of 'most people'.
And, as expected, his guess was correct.
“The Saintess is sick?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Ever since she returned to the temple yesterday, her face has not looked so good, and now she can’t even get up. I think she may have overdone it at the scene yesterday.”
The maid answered with a gloomy face.
It seemed that the compassionate Shayne had come forward with her imperfect body for the sake of the people of the empire, and had become worse in condition.
He clicked his tongue at that innocent thought and opened his mouth.
“First, I need to meet the Saint in person and talk to her.”
“But the Saintess is not in a position to meet anyone right now....”
With an embarrassed expression, he went in and asked for permission to go and ask about Shayne's doctor.
Even though it was clear that she was faking an illness, he had to ask permission to even have a conversation, let alone barge in and drag her out.
He nodded, trying hard to hide his displeasure.
If she ultimately refuses to meet with him, he thinks he should really consider reporting her.
No matter how much Shayne was needed for the stability of the empire's people, it would be meaningless if she did not step forward in this situation.
Fortunately, it seemed like such an unfortunate incident would not occur.
“The Holy Lady wishes to see Your Highness. Please come inside.”
At the maid's words, he strode into the room and saw Shayne, dressed in a white dressing gown, leaning against the headboard with a weary expression, her lovely red hair hanging down to one side.
Her face was rough and she looked like a sick person.
“I would like to speak to the Saintess alone, so please step out for a moment.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the maidservant, who had greeted them politely, left the room, Shayne spoke first in a dying voice.
“You have arrived, Your Highness? Please forgive me for having to sit here to greet you as I am not feeling well.”
“Stop pretending to be a patient.”
The Crown Prince, his eyebrows furrowed, approached her.
“I’m not the kind of person who wouldn’t have enough sense to not even notice that the Princess is faking an illness.”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the color disappeared from Shayne's face.
The Crown Prince, who had been looking at Shayne with tired eyes as she straightened her posture with her mouth pouting, opened her mouth again.
“Are you really not going to Delucia?”
“I told you yesterday. My life is too precious to visit an area where an infectious disease is spreading.”
“If you don’t go, the only future you have left is hanging?”
“Death by hanging, or death by plague.”
Shayne took it harshly.
“Anyway, I’m not going. I heard that if you contract that contagious disease, it causes the pus to flow all over your body? I heard it’s so painful that you’ll beg to be killed rather than saved... Ugh, I’d rather die a nice death by hanging.”
The Crown Prince burst into laughter. It was the first time in his life that he had seen a nobleman so openly save his body.
“If it were known that a daughter of the noble Veloce family had deceived the empire with such lies, it would be a stain on the family’s name.”
“Huh, what does it matter what happens to my family after I die?”
Shayne turned her head.
'No matter how much you threaten me, I will go to Delucia on my own two feet.'
But that resolute attitude didn't last even a minute.
“I don’t think it matters.”
“...?”
“Because the Duke of Veloce, the one you wanted to take revenge on by daring to commit such a fraud against the Empire, will be restored to his status.”
Bam!
Shayne's determination was cracked.
It was a face she could not even see when she was told that her own neck was being hung on the scaffold.
The Crown Prince, sensing victory, pursed his lips.
The distance from the castle to the shrine is about 30 minutes by carriage.
Normally, they would have left two hours later, since Shayne had time to prepare, but today, they couldn't afford to take it easy.
'She's a woman I can never relax with for even a moment.'
This was last night after they had stopped by the snowstorm site for the last time to resolve the issue.
“Let’s end it here for today. We need to conserve our stamina to go to Delucia tomorrow.”
“Huh? Wait a minute, where are we going?”
“Delucia.”
“What nonsense... That’s a contagious disease outbreak area!”
Shayne literally jumped.
As she said, Delucia was a place where a new infectious disease was spreading.
A terrible disease that starts with an acute fever, then a skin rash, then blisters spread all over the body, causing excruciating pain and eventually death.
There were some cases where the condition only progressed to the blister stage and was completely cured, but such cases accounted for less than 10%.
So it was natural to be scared.
But that doesn't mean he took Shayne to such a terrifying place without any preparation.
“You don’t have to worry too much because it’s not a disease that can be transmitted through the respiratory tract or simple contact. You just have to be careful not to let items used by the patient or objects contaminated with the bacteria touch the wound. We have also thoroughly prepared protective clothing.”
“But you never know! You might accidentally get hurt, or the suit might rip! Can you guarantee that such a thing won’t happen?”
“We have prepared thoroughly, but there is no such thing as perfect quarantine in this world, so I can’t guarantee anything...”
“Look at this, look at this! Your Highness knows it too. There is no such thing as perfect quarantine in the world. And yet you say I don’t need to worry?”
“What’s the point of worrying about getting sick? You have a lion.”
“How easy it is for you to say that. How do you know if Delton’s power will work or not? We haven’t even tried it!”
Shayne, who was shaking her chin in anxiety, tried to calm herself down and tried to persuade him.
“Let’s not do that. Let’s first get the patient out of the area and treat him as a test before going in. Yes?”
“That won’t do.”
"Why?"
“If we hastily move patients, the disease could spread to other regions, and in severe cases, even to the capital.”
“You just have to be careful not to let that happen! When will you be able to confidently say that it’s okay because it’s not transmitted through breathing or simple contact!”
“I can’t help but think of the worst-case scenario where the entire quarantine system could collapse.”
“No, so you’re saying I don’t have to assume the worst?”
Shayne, who had been jumping around excitedly, soon declared firmly.
“Oh, I don’t know. I can’t go. I can’t risk my life like that!”
“So are you saying that you will just watch the suffering of the imperial people?”
“No, why are you going so extreme... Then why don’t you just take Delton with you? I’m not going to use my powers anyway.”
“...”
“Yes, just take Delton! While I was filling my hungry stomach with just a single multigrain bread, he ate a lot of expensive fruits and fancy cookies, so you should pay that much! Right!”
“I told you. The one who uses supernatural powers is a lion, but the one who gives comfort to the people of the empire is a Saintess. Have you forgotten?”
“Ah, I don’t know, I don’t know! Anyway, I can’t go, so just know that. I’m not a noble person like Your Highness, so I have no intention of risking my life like that!”
Then she quickly got into the carriage and kept her mouth shut without saying a word until she arrived at the temple.
It was the same when they arrived at the temple.
Despite his request that "Delucia is a three-hour ride away by carriage, so we should leave a little earlier," Shayne just snorted and jumped out of the carriage without saying a word.
Seriously, he's never seen such a shameless person in his life.
Not only did she dare to commit the heinous crime of impersonating a Saintess, but she also refused to fulfill the conditions agreed upon in exchange for tolerating her crime.
He wishes he could have just exposed her outrageous lies right away.
But it couldn't be like that when looking at the people of the empire who were relieved just by Shayne stepping foot on the disaster site.
That's why they set out so early in the morning.
If Shayne really refuses to go, he'll need time to persuade her... no, at least threaten her.
Most people would have declared in a fit of anger that they would not go, but then, thinking back on their sins, they would have cried and reluctantly followed him, but in his eyes, Shayne did not seem to fall into the category of 'most people'.
And, as expected, his guess was correct.
“The Saintess is sick?”
“Yes, Your Highness. Ever since she returned to the temple yesterday, her face has not looked so good, and now she can’t even get up. I think she may have overdone it at the scene yesterday.”
The maid answered with a gloomy face.
It seemed that the compassionate Shayne had come forward with her imperfect body for the sake of the people of the empire, and had become worse in condition.
He clicked his tongue at that innocent thought and opened his mouth.
“First, I need to meet the Saint in person and talk to her.”
“But the Saintess is not in a position to meet anyone right now....”
With an embarrassed expression, he went in and asked for permission to go and ask about Shayne's doctor.
Even though it was clear that she was faking an illness, he had to ask permission to even have a conversation, let alone barge in and drag her out.
He nodded, trying hard to hide his displeasure.
If she ultimately refuses to meet with him, he thinks he should really consider reporting her.
No matter how much Shayne was needed for the stability of the empire's people, it would be meaningless if she did not step forward in this situation.
Fortunately, it seemed like such an unfortunate incident would not occur.
“The Holy Lady wishes to see Your Highness. Please come inside.”
At the maid's words, he strode into the room and saw Shayne, dressed in a white dressing gown, leaning against the headboard with a weary expression, her lovely red hair hanging down to one side.
Her face was rough and she looked like a sick person.
“I would like to speak to the Saintess alone, so please step out for a moment.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
As the maidservant, who had greeted them politely, left the room, Shayne spoke first in a dying voice.
“You have arrived, Your Highness? Please forgive me for having to sit here to greet you as I am not feeling well.”
“Stop pretending to be a patient.”
The Crown Prince, his eyebrows furrowed, approached her.
“I’m not the kind of person who wouldn’t have enough sense to not even notice that the Princess is faking an illness.”
As soon as he finished speaking, all the color disappeared from Shayne's face.
The Crown Prince, who had been looking at Shayne with tired eyes as she straightened her posture with her mouth pouting, opened her mouth again.
“Are you really not going to Delucia?”
“I told you yesterday. My life is too precious to visit an area where an infectious disease is spreading.”
“If you don’t go, the only future you have left is hanging?”
“Death by hanging, or death by plague.”
Shayne took it harshly.
“Anyway, I’m not going. I heard that if you contract that contagious disease, it causes the pus to flow all over your body? I heard it’s so painful that you’ll beg to be killed rather than saved... Ugh, I’d rather die a nice death by hanging.”
The Crown Prince burst into laughter. It was the first time in his life that he had seen a nobleman so openly save his body.
“If it were known that a daughter of the noble Veloce family had deceived the empire with such lies, it would be a stain on the family’s name.”
“Huh, what does it matter what happens to my family after I die?”
Shayne turned her head.
'No matter how much you threaten me, I will go to Delucia on my own two feet.'
But that resolute attitude didn't last even a minute.
“I don’t think it matters.”
“...?”
“Because the Duke of Veloce, the one you wanted to take revenge on by daring to commit such a fraud against the Empire, will be restored to his status.”
Bam!
Shayne's determination was cracked.
It was a face she could not even see when she was told that her own neck was being hung on the scaffold.
The Crown Prince, sensing victory, pursed his lips.
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