As the once bustling garden fell into silence, the nanny, who had been blinking blankly, asked with a puzzled face.
“Oh, you’re not bare-faced? Do you put on makeup for an hour? That’s it?”
Even so, 'that'...
I could barely restrain my fist from reaching out as the words that stabbed my chest again followed the dry rag.
'You have to endure it, Shayne.'
But she was my nanny who raised me since I was a baby. How could I dare strike her?
I tried to keep my composure even though my body was shaking.
But.
“Oh, like that.”
Despite my efforts, someone still managed to pour oil on my burning heart.
“Who was that guy just now? Come out now!”
Finally losing my composure, I started swinging my fists wildly and went out to find the culprit.
“Henna, is that you? Or Jessie, is that you? Whoever you are, come out quickly! If you don’t come out, I’ll kill you all!”
“Gyaaaah!”
“Miss, calm down!”
“I’m not! I really am not!”
“Please save me, Miss!”
“Then who are you? Come out now!”
I chased after the servants, who were running away in fear with a fearful momentum.
How much time has passed like that?
Eventually, the culprit's name came out of someone's mouth.
“Oh, it was Maria, Miss! It was Maria! I saw it!”
"Hey!"
Maria's face turned pale as she saw me rushing at her, growling like an angry rhinoceros, after shouting at me for a moment at her shallow loyalty that showed no sign of camaraderie at all.
“You dare laugh at the face of a Saintess who has been hurt from running around day and night worrying about the empire? Alright, I’ll show you what kind of life I’ve been living. I’ll make your face look like a mop!”
“Gyaaaaah! Save me, Miss! I was wrong!”
“No need. Come here right now!”
I was chasing Maria at a frightening speed and finally caught her.
Then I stretched both cheeks and mouth without mercy and only let go when she was completely torn to pieces.
“Sob, sob. This is too much, Miss...”
As I was looking at Maria, who was crying and holding her flushed face, I snorted, and the nanny slowly approached me as if she was watching me closely.
“But, young lady, why are you here when you should be at the temple?”
I was holding my cheeks tightly, worried that I might end up like Maria.
I glared at her with bleary eyes, but I had no intention of reaching out to the nanny.
'Sigh, if I keep yapping here, I'll be the only one getting hurt.'
I let out a deep sigh and answered in a loud voice.
“I took a vacation.”
“Are you on vacation?”
“Yes, His Majesty has told me to rest for a few days as the journey from the West must have been tiring.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
The nanny clasped her hands together as if she was touched.
“I felt it when His Highness returned this ducal residence that he had won with his own money to young lady without any compensation. His Highness, I think you are a very considerate person. You seem like a perfect match for our young lady...”
“Swoop,” the nanny swallowed her saliva and asked in a quiet voice.
“I heard that you two are together every day. Did anything special happen?”
It seemed like the Crown Prince and I were hoping to develop some kind of romantic relationship.
Well, I was already of marriageable age, and the man I was dealing with was the Crown Prince, so it was only natural that she would be envious.
But for me, it was truly astonishing.
“...Nanny, I don’t want to live my whole life as a slave. I want to become free as soon as possible.”
“Huh? A slave?”
The nanny tilted her head as if to say, "What kind of nonsense is that?" but I had no intention of answering her further.
I couldn't waste my precious vacation time on such a worthless conversation.
“But how long do I have to stay here? The sun is a bit too hot. Shouldn’t we go inside soon?”
Then, my nanny patted my head with a look of pity on her face.
“Oh my, look at my mind. I didn’t think of that. Now, hurry up and get inside. Before your already-dry, rag-like skin gets any worse!”
“...”
I swallowed my tears as I listened to my nanny's words, which tore at my heart to the end.
As I entered the hallway with a tattered heart, a familiar smell suddenly wafted into my nostrils.
The smell of home instantly comforts my tired body and mind.
I couldn't control my drooping lips and quickly walked forward, eventually burying myself in the living room sofa.
'Ah, it's comfortable.'
Now it feels real that I'm back home. When I was selected as a volunteer and left home, I never dreamed of a situation like this...
As I was shaking with emotion, the kitchen staff asked cautiously.
“Miss, have you eaten by any chance?”
"Eat?"
“Yes, in fact, since you entered the temple, you have been living alone, so we don’t have any ingredients for the products you can eat. Even if we go shopping and prepare them now, it would probably take several hours..."
Seeing her at a loss made me feel even more sorry.
'Oh, if I had known this would happen, I would have told you in advance.'
I felt like I was trying to surprise her for no reason and ended up causing trouble.
“Don’t worry about it. I just had breakfast. Just give me a cup of tea. Kana, the flower tea you made yourself. I missed that so much when I was at the shrine.”
Only then did the darkness that had covered Kana's face disappear at my words.
“You too, young lady, you must have enjoyed some better tea at the temple.”
She blushed in embarrassment, then nodded.
“Then, please have some tea first. I’ll go shopping soon and prepare dinner.”
“Yeah, take your time.”
I shouted after her as she ran out of breath, then sat there blankly, looking around the house.
“Nothing has changed? It looks the same as when I left.”
“Of course. How can we touch it without your permission, young lady?”
The nanny, who had been laughing as if it was a natural thing, added as if she had remembered something belatedly.
“Oh, but I cleaned out the rooms that the Mushikan guy and the two women used. I don’t think you’ll be too happy if you see it.”
“As expected from our nanny. When you pretend, you pretend. You did a great job!”
When I gave a thumbs up, the nanny and servants burst into laughter.
As we were looking at each other and smiling, Kana brought out a flower tea.
“Okay, everyone, sit down. Let’s drink together.”
When I gestured for them to quickly sit down, the servants opened their eyes wide and waved their hands.
“Yes? Us?”
“How dare we...”
After all, in a country with a strict class system, nobles and servants couldn't sit across from each other and drink tea.
But so what?
We were the only ones in the mansion, and no one would point a finger at us as we sat across from each other, drinking tea or pouring drinks.
“What if it’s just us? Sit down quickly. The gentlemen, please sit down too.”
I had the servants and knights sit in the same place without any hesitation.
At first, they were awkward, but soon they became accustomed to me and started drinking flower tea comfortably, asking me questions.
“But, Miss, how did you become a Saintess?”
“I heard that you received a revelation directly from the goddess. What was it?”
“You said that Mushikan was the illegitimate child of His Excellency the Great? I thought he was too much of a scoundrel to be from the Veloce family, but it turns out he was right!”
“He have no conscience. He murdered the young lady’s father, and now he's offering up our young lady as a sacrifice! Are there really such trashy people?”
“That’s right. You said you eradicated the heretics this time? You said it was a group that even the imperial family and the temple didn’t know about. How did you discover it?”
“Please tell me more, okay?”
It seemed like there were a lot of questions that had piled up over time.
'If I tell you everything that's happened so far, I won't have anything left to say.'
I shook my head, but what could I do? My precious people are so curious that they're dying.
I willingly opened my mouth and told what had happened.
Of course, I had no choice but to mix in some lies because I had to keep the fact that I was a fake Saintess and that I had killed trash with my three-inch tongue a complete secret.
After chatting with them for a while, I spent a night at the Duke's residence for the first time in a long while and finally got ready to leave the next afternoon.
“You said you could rest for a few days, so why don’t you stay a little longer...”
“I’d like to do that too, but like I said, I brought this little kid with me. I need to take a look at him too.”
“But this is too fast. I wanted to make you an apple pie, which is what you like...”
“I can come and eat later. I’ll be back soon, so take care until then. Yes?”
I tried to comfort them by pretending to be calm, but their steps were still unsteady.
I hugged them one by one, who were shedding tears of regret, and wasted time before finally getting on the carriage.
'I should go and see Marca now.'
Of course, the temple will take good care of him as I asked the Pope to do yesterday, but he is still a child who came to a strange place overnight.
It was clear that he was very anxious.
I thought I had to meet Marca as soon as possible.
But contrary to such feelings, the carriage, which had been unable to gain speed, soon stopped completely and did not move at all.
'What, why aren't you moving? Is there a problem?'
As I tilted my head, the paladin approached me through the carriage window.
“I’m sorry, Saintess. The streets are so crowded that I think I’ll have to take a detour.”
“There were crowds? Why?”
Today is a day with no special events, so why are there so many people?
When I made a puzzled expression, the paladin answered with an embarrassed expression.
“I’m fine with that... Should I look into it and come back?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m curious. Can I ask you a favor?”
“Of course. I’ll be back soon, so please wait a moment.”
He answered immediately as if to say, “Is there any such thing?” Then he got off his horse and ran towards the crowd.
And then he came back shortly afterwards...
“Saintess, we are in trouble!”
His usually calm face had turned completely pale.
“What the heck? What on earth is going on? Did something big happen?”
I asked urgently, but his report did not continue.
“That’s it, that’s it, Your Ladyship...”
I stared at the knight who kept repeating those words with a frustrated face, and eventually, unable to overcome my frustration, I jumped out of the carriage.
'It'd be faster if I checked it myself.'
I pushed my way through the crowd, my robe pulled down low.
And then we discovered what had brought all these people together...
'Plant?'
Yes, it was a plant.
It was a huge thing, more than twice my height, with large leaves and thick vines intertwined haphazardly, something I had never seen in my 19 years of life.
With such a monstrous plant taking over the middle of the street, it is bound to attract people's attention.
But that wasn't all.
The long leaves, which resembled a cow's tongue, had writing on them, and the message was as follows:
The world is in chaos because the unauthorized have usurped the throne.
“Oh, you’re not bare-faced? Do you put on makeup for an hour? That’s it?”
Even so, 'that'...
I could barely restrain my fist from reaching out as the words that stabbed my chest again followed the dry rag.
'You have to endure it, Shayne.'
But she was my nanny who raised me since I was a baby. How could I dare strike her?
I tried to keep my composure even though my body was shaking.
But.
“Oh, like that.”
Despite my efforts, someone still managed to pour oil on my burning heart.
“Who was that guy just now? Come out now!”
Finally losing my composure, I started swinging my fists wildly and went out to find the culprit.
“Henna, is that you? Or Jessie, is that you? Whoever you are, come out quickly! If you don’t come out, I’ll kill you all!”
“Gyaaaah!”
“Miss, calm down!”
“I’m not! I really am not!”
“Please save me, Miss!”
“Then who are you? Come out now!”
I chased after the servants, who were running away in fear with a fearful momentum.
How much time has passed like that?
Eventually, the culprit's name came out of someone's mouth.
“Oh, it was Maria, Miss! It was Maria! I saw it!”
"Hey!"
Maria's face turned pale as she saw me rushing at her, growling like an angry rhinoceros, after shouting at me for a moment at her shallow loyalty that showed no sign of camaraderie at all.
“You dare laugh at the face of a Saintess who has been hurt from running around day and night worrying about the empire? Alright, I’ll show you what kind of life I’ve been living. I’ll make your face look like a mop!”
“Gyaaaaah! Save me, Miss! I was wrong!”
“No need. Come here right now!”
I was chasing Maria at a frightening speed and finally caught her.
Then I stretched both cheeks and mouth without mercy and only let go when she was completely torn to pieces.
“Sob, sob. This is too much, Miss...”
As I was looking at Maria, who was crying and holding her flushed face, I snorted, and the nanny slowly approached me as if she was watching me closely.
“But, young lady, why are you here when you should be at the temple?”
I was holding my cheeks tightly, worried that I might end up like Maria.
I glared at her with bleary eyes, but I had no intention of reaching out to the nanny.
'Sigh, if I keep yapping here, I'll be the only one getting hurt.'
I let out a deep sigh and answered in a loud voice.
“I took a vacation.”
“Are you on vacation?”
“Yes, His Majesty has told me to rest for a few days as the journey from the West must have been tiring.”
“Oh my, thank you.”
The nanny clasped her hands together as if she was touched.
“I felt it when His Highness returned this ducal residence that he had won with his own money to young lady without any compensation. His Highness, I think you are a very considerate person. You seem like a perfect match for our young lady...”
“Swoop,” the nanny swallowed her saliva and asked in a quiet voice.
“I heard that you two are together every day. Did anything special happen?”
It seemed like the Crown Prince and I were hoping to develop some kind of romantic relationship.
Well, I was already of marriageable age, and the man I was dealing with was the Crown Prince, so it was only natural that she would be envious.
But for me, it was truly astonishing.
“...Nanny, I don’t want to live my whole life as a slave. I want to become free as soon as possible.”
“Huh? A slave?”
The nanny tilted her head as if to say, "What kind of nonsense is that?" but I had no intention of answering her further.
I couldn't waste my precious vacation time on such a worthless conversation.
“But how long do I have to stay here? The sun is a bit too hot. Shouldn’t we go inside soon?”
Then, my nanny patted my head with a look of pity on her face.
“Oh my, look at my mind. I didn’t think of that. Now, hurry up and get inside. Before your already-dry, rag-like skin gets any worse!”
“...”
I swallowed my tears as I listened to my nanny's words, which tore at my heart to the end.
As I entered the hallway with a tattered heart, a familiar smell suddenly wafted into my nostrils.
The smell of home instantly comforts my tired body and mind.
I couldn't control my drooping lips and quickly walked forward, eventually burying myself in the living room sofa.
'Ah, it's comfortable.'
Now it feels real that I'm back home. When I was selected as a volunteer and left home, I never dreamed of a situation like this...
As I was shaking with emotion, the kitchen staff asked cautiously.
“Miss, have you eaten by any chance?”
"Eat?"
“Yes, in fact, since you entered the temple, you have been living alone, so we don’t have any ingredients for the products you can eat. Even if we go shopping and prepare them now, it would probably take several hours..."
Seeing her at a loss made me feel even more sorry.
'Oh, if I had known this would happen, I would have told you in advance.'
I felt like I was trying to surprise her for no reason and ended up causing trouble.
“Don’t worry about it. I just had breakfast. Just give me a cup of tea. Kana, the flower tea you made yourself. I missed that so much when I was at the shrine.”
Only then did the darkness that had covered Kana's face disappear at my words.
“You too, young lady, you must have enjoyed some better tea at the temple.”
She blushed in embarrassment, then nodded.
“Then, please have some tea first. I’ll go shopping soon and prepare dinner.”
“Yeah, take your time.”
I shouted after her as she ran out of breath, then sat there blankly, looking around the house.
“Nothing has changed? It looks the same as when I left.”
“Of course. How can we touch it without your permission, young lady?”
The nanny, who had been laughing as if it was a natural thing, added as if she had remembered something belatedly.
“Oh, but I cleaned out the rooms that the Mushikan guy and the two women used. I don’t think you’ll be too happy if you see it.”
“As expected from our nanny. When you pretend, you pretend. You did a great job!”
When I gave a thumbs up, the nanny and servants burst into laughter.
As we were looking at each other and smiling, Kana brought out a flower tea.
“Okay, everyone, sit down. Let’s drink together.”
When I gestured for them to quickly sit down, the servants opened their eyes wide and waved their hands.
“Yes? Us?”
“How dare we...”
After all, in a country with a strict class system, nobles and servants couldn't sit across from each other and drink tea.
But so what?
We were the only ones in the mansion, and no one would point a finger at us as we sat across from each other, drinking tea or pouring drinks.
“What if it’s just us? Sit down quickly. The gentlemen, please sit down too.”
I had the servants and knights sit in the same place without any hesitation.
At first, they were awkward, but soon they became accustomed to me and started drinking flower tea comfortably, asking me questions.
“But, Miss, how did you become a Saintess?”
“I heard that you received a revelation directly from the goddess. What was it?”
“You said that Mushikan was the illegitimate child of His Excellency the Great? I thought he was too much of a scoundrel to be from the Veloce family, but it turns out he was right!”
“He have no conscience. He murdered the young lady’s father, and now he's offering up our young lady as a sacrifice! Are there really such trashy people?”
“That’s right. You said you eradicated the heretics this time? You said it was a group that even the imperial family and the temple didn’t know about. How did you discover it?”
“Please tell me more, okay?”
It seemed like there were a lot of questions that had piled up over time.
'If I tell you everything that's happened so far, I won't have anything left to say.'
I shook my head, but what could I do? My precious people are so curious that they're dying.
I willingly opened my mouth and told what had happened.
Of course, I had no choice but to mix in some lies because I had to keep the fact that I was a fake Saintess and that I had killed trash with my three-inch tongue a complete secret.
After chatting with them for a while, I spent a night at the Duke's residence for the first time in a long while and finally got ready to leave the next afternoon.
“You said you could rest for a few days, so why don’t you stay a little longer...”
“I’d like to do that too, but like I said, I brought this little kid with me. I need to take a look at him too.”
“But this is too fast. I wanted to make you an apple pie, which is what you like...”
“I can come and eat later. I’ll be back soon, so take care until then. Yes?”
I tried to comfort them by pretending to be calm, but their steps were still unsteady.
I hugged them one by one, who were shedding tears of regret, and wasted time before finally getting on the carriage.
'I should go and see Marca now.'
Of course, the temple will take good care of him as I asked the Pope to do yesterday, but he is still a child who came to a strange place overnight.
It was clear that he was very anxious.
I thought I had to meet Marca as soon as possible.
But contrary to such feelings, the carriage, which had been unable to gain speed, soon stopped completely and did not move at all.
'What, why aren't you moving? Is there a problem?'
As I tilted my head, the paladin approached me through the carriage window.
“I’m sorry, Saintess. The streets are so crowded that I think I’ll have to take a detour.”
“There were crowds? Why?”
Today is a day with no special events, so why are there so many people?
When I made a puzzled expression, the paladin answered with an embarrassed expression.
“I’m fine with that... Should I look into it and come back?”
“I’m sorry to bother you, but I’m curious. Can I ask you a favor?”
“Of course. I’ll be back soon, so please wait a moment.”
He answered immediately as if to say, “Is there any such thing?” Then he got off his horse and ran towards the crowd.
And then he came back shortly afterwards...
“Saintess, we are in trouble!”
His usually calm face had turned completely pale.
“What the heck? What on earth is going on? Did something big happen?”
I asked urgently, but his report did not continue.
“That’s it, that’s it, Your Ladyship...”
I stared at the knight who kept repeating those words with a frustrated face, and eventually, unable to overcome my frustration, I jumped out of the carriage.
'It'd be faster if I checked it myself.'
I pushed my way through the crowd, my robe pulled down low.
And then we discovered what had brought all these people together...
'Plant?'
Yes, it was a plant.
It was a huge thing, more than twice my height, with large leaves and thick vines intertwined haphazardly, something I had never seen in my 19 years of life.
With such a monstrous plant taking over the middle of the street, it is bound to attract people's attention.
But that wasn't all.
The long leaves, which resembled a cow's tongue, had writing on them, and the message was as follows:
The world is in chaos because the unauthorized have usurped the throne.
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