What the hell is going on in this country?
Now I'm in big trouble, just hearing the sound makes my stomach water.
As I was nervously running my fingers through my hair, the Pope asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“What do you mean, something big?”
Why are you asking that again...
How many times would you be willing to barge into a room with the Pope, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and even a Saintess without knocking?
'As expected, another disaster has struck.'
As expected.
“The disaster, the disaster has struck again! Cries for help are pouring in like mad from all over the capital!”
“What, the disaster is happening again? No, why is the disaster that stopped after the heresy was dismantled happening again!”
The Emperor shouted with a pale face.
He looked very shocked as he grabbed the back of his neck with trembling hands.
But unlike him, I didn't feel any emotional change.
'Well, it's not something that happens in just one or two days.'
I don't know why the disaster suddenly stopped or why it happened right at the moment when the heretics were defeated, but I didn't think it would last long in the first place.
“Where is the most critical area?”
“Yes... Yes?”
The servant, who was taken aback by my overly calm appearance compared to the urgent news, briefly lost his senses and shook his head before quickly opening his mouth.
“Although the entire capital was hit by the disaster, the most urgent place was Heden Street. A sudden storm swept in, and in less than 30 minutes, over a hundred and sixty people were killed...”
"All right."
I cut him off as if I didn't need to hear any more and spoke to the Pope.
“I think it would be better to take care of the situation first... How about we discuss this another time, Your Holiness?”
“Yes, I think that would be good too... Is that okay, Saintess? Isn’t this the first day off you’ve had in months?”
The Pope looked at me with a sad expression.
It seemed like he felt bad for me, having to suffer through work without even getting any benefit from my vacation.
Well, I thought the same thing.
This is my first precious vacation after working like a slave without rest for so long.
How could I not feel bad about giving up that vacation?
But the damage was too great to just say, 'I'm on vacation, so I'll skip this one. You guys figure out what happens if there's a storm or an earthquake. I'm off!'
And anyway, now I am the Saintess of this empire.
If times were calm, it might be okay, but in this situation, I was not in a position to dare take a vacation.
Even though he could not have been unaware of that fact, the Pope was thinking of me.
Since the words that come are sweet, the words that leave are bound to be sweet, too.
I smiled prettily and shook my head.
And then, just as I was about to open my mouth.
“What are you saying, Your Holiness? While so many of the people of the empire are in mourning, how can you say that the Saintess is sparing her rest? That is impossible!”
Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say...
I couldn't control the trembling corners of my lips and turned my head in the direction from which the sound came.
As expected, the Emperor was there. The Emperor was raising his voice, saying that the Saintess must be dispatched immediately, even though it was a vacation.
'Yeah, I knew it would be you.'
There can't be two people who only say such mean things.
When I glared at him with narrowed eyes, the Emperor flinched for a moment but then raised his chin proudly.
“No, did I say something wrong? As a Saintess, shouldn’t the safety of the people of the empire be your top priority? Yes?”
It was shameless of you to dare to seek sympathy for a topic that trampled on my vacation.
I cursed inwardly, but on the outside, I opened my mouth as if it was natural.
“Yes, Your Majesty. What’s so important about my vacation? The safety of the people of the Empire comes first.”
“Haha, you are indeed a Saintess. Well then, let’s go quickly. Time is running out!”
“Yes, then we will set off right away. Come on, Your Majesty.”
“Huh? Going? Why should I...”
“Why, Your Majesty? Have you forgotten?”
“Forgetting, what... GASP!”
He, who had been tilting his head repeatedly, suddenly covered his mouth.
“The Goddess said that he absolutely could not tolerate the fact that someone like the Emperor could guess the will of the Goddess and send innocent people to their deaths. That is why the Saintess’s powers are not being fully manifested.”
“Yes. The Goddess is very angry at the Emperor’s evil deeds. She has said that she will not fully develop the Saintess’s powers until the Emperor pays the price for the countless lives he has sent to their death.”
“Don’t just pass all the responsibility on to the Saintess and enjoy the luxury of living behind her back. Instead, take care of the people of the empire with your own hands.”
“Yes. If we wash away all the blood on the Emperor’s hands and remove the burden of the wronged souls on his shoulders, the Goddess will appease her anger and bless Catalonia once again.”
It seemed that he was only now recalling what the Crown Prince had once said.
I, who had been smiling, grabbed the Emperor's hand and left the reception room.
“Hey, wait a minute, Saintess! They say there are over a hundred and sixty casualties in this storm, but it’s too dangerous for luggage to go...!”
“Hey, the storm scene, what’s the big deal? It’s just a little wind and rain, right? Of course, if you’re unlucky, a flying rock or a signboard might slice your forehead open and bleed profusely, or a huge tree might get stuck in your abdomen and kill you. But don’t worry, Your Majesty. The skilled temple doctor will be with you. Haha!”
I dragged the Emperor, who had become lost in thought, out of the reception room.
So we took the carriage and headed down Heden Street.
As it was a major disaster that caused over one hundred and sixty casualties in a short time, the atmosphere in the carriage was very heavy.
'We must not let the casualties increase any further...'
As I was trying to calm my nerves by rubbing the tender flesh under my fingernails, the carriage, which had been gradually slowing down, soon came to a complete stop.
“We have arrived at Heden Street.”
I opened the carriage door and jumped out as soon as I heard the knight's voice.
I couldn't wait until they opened the door for fear of how many casualties there might have been.
“Where should I go from here?”
I looked around anxiously, then suddenly had a puzzled expression on my face.
'What, why is it so quiet?'
The Heden Street that came into view was too quiet to be the scene of a disaster.
The fierce storm that had been raging was nowhere to be seen, and blue skies and clear sunshine were welcoming us.
Even the cries of the injured were not heard.
'What? Is it over already?'
As I tilted my head, I noticed a crowd of people gathered in the distance.
They were all staring at something with their mouths wide open.
'What are you looking at like that?'
I followed their gaze with a puzzled expression, but soon, my body froze.
There was a woman dressed in white, and her identity was none other than...
'Melina?'
Yes, it was definitely Melina, even though all I could see was her profile.
Because, whether it was good or bad, there was no way I could not recognize the family that had been living together under the same roof for over a dozen years.
'But why is she here...'
Why is a kid who should be cleaning the temple out here attracting people's attention?
It was at that very moment when I was just tilting my head because I couldn't understand.
“...”
Melina, who had noticed me, quietly met my gaze. Then, she quickly raised the corners of her lips.
It wasn't just a simple smile.
It was a smile full of laughter... no, a smile full of superiority. A smile full of superiority that surpassed me, a smile full of arrogance that showed me that I was no match for her.
It was the exact same smile that Melina always had when she was the illegitimate daughter of a former Duke and was showered with love by her father.
A smile that I had never seen before since I ascended to the throne as a Saintess and Melina's status was demoted to slavery.
At the reappearance of that smile, my expression hardened coldly.
Now I'm in big trouble, just hearing the sound makes my stomach water.
As I was nervously running my fingers through my hair, the Pope asked with a puzzled look on his face.
“What do you mean, something big?”
Why are you asking that again...
How many times would you be willing to barge into a room with the Pope, the Emperor, the Crown Prince, and even a Saintess without knocking?
'As expected, another disaster has struck.'
As expected.
“The disaster, the disaster has struck again! Cries for help are pouring in like mad from all over the capital!”
“What, the disaster is happening again? No, why is the disaster that stopped after the heresy was dismantled happening again!”
The Emperor shouted with a pale face.
He looked very shocked as he grabbed the back of his neck with trembling hands.
But unlike him, I didn't feel any emotional change.
'Well, it's not something that happens in just one or two days.'
I don't know why the disaster suddenly stopped or why it happened right at the moment when the heretics were defeated, but I didn't think it would last long in the first place.
“Where is the most critical area?”
“Yes... Yes?”
The servant, who was taken aback by my overly calm appearance compared to the urgent news, briefly lost his senses and shook his head before quickly opening his mouth.
“Although the entire capital was hit by the disaster, the most urgent place was Heden Street. A sudden storm swept in, and in less than 30 minutes, over a hundred and sixty people were killed...”
"All right."
I cut him off as if I didn't need to hear any more and spoke to the Pope.
“I think it would be better to take care of the situation first... How about we discuss this another time, Your Holiness?”
“Yes, I think that would be good too... Is that okay, Saintess? Isn’t this the first day off you’ve had in months?”
The Pope looked at me with a sad expression.
It seemed like he felt bad for me, having to suffer through work without even getting any benefit from my vacation.
Well, I thought the same thing.
This is my first precious vacation after working like a slave without rest for so long.
How could I not feel bad about giving up that vacation?
But the damage was too great to just say, 'I'm on vacation, so I'll skip this one. You guys figure out what happens if there's a storm or an earthquake. I'm off!'
And anyway, now I am the Saintess of this empire.
If times were calm, it might be okay, but in this situation, I was not in a position to dare take a vacation.
Even though he could not have been unaware of that fact, the Pope was thinking of me.
Since the words that come are sweet, the words that leave are bound to be sweet, too.
I smiled prettily and shook my head.
And then, just as I was about to open my mouth.
“What are you saying, Your Holiness? While so many of the people of the empire are in mourning, how can you say that the Saintess is sparing her rest? That is impossible!”
Yeah, that's exactly what I was going to say...
I couldn't control the trembling corners of my lips and turned my head in the direction from which the sound came.
As expected, the Emperor was there. The Emperor was raising his voice, saying that the Saintess must be dispatched immediately, even though it was a vacation.
'Yeah, I knew it would be you.'
There can't be two people who only say such mean things.
When I glared at him with narrowed eyes, the Emperor flinched for a moment but then raised his chin proudly.
“No, did I say something wrong? As a Saintess, shouldn’t the safety of the people of the empire be your top priority? Yes?”
It was shameless of you to dare to seek sympathy for a topic that trampled on my vacation.
I cursed inwardly, but on the outside, I opened my mouth as if it was natural.
“Yes, Your Majesty. What’s so important about my vacation? The safety of the people of the Empire comes first.”
“Haha, you are indeed a Saintess. Well then, let’s go quickly. Time is running out!”
“Yes, then we will set off right away. Come on, Your Majesty.”
“Huh? Going? Why should I...”
“Why, Your Majesty? Have you forgotten?”
“Forgetting, what... GASP!”
He, who had been tilting his head repeatedly, suddenly covered his mouth.
“The Goddess said that he absolutely could not tolerate the fact that someone like the Emperor could guess the will of the Goddess and send innocent people to their deaths. That is why the Saintess’s powers are not being fully manifested.”
“Yes. The Goddess is very angry at the Emperor’s evil deeds. She has said that she will not fully develop the Saintess’s powers until the Emperor pays the price for the countless lives he has sent to their death.”
“Don’t just pass all the responsibility on to the Saintess and enjoy the luxury of living behind her back. Instead, take care of the people of the empire with your own hands.”
“Yes. If we wash away all the blood on the Emperor’s hands and remove the burden of the wronged souls on his shoulders, the Goddess will appease her anger and bless Catalonia once again.”
It seemed that he was only now recalling what the Crown Prince had once said.
I, who had been smiling, grabbed the Emperor's hand and left the reception room.
“Hey, wait a minute, Saintess! They say there are over a hundred and sixty casualties in this storm, but it’s too dangerous for luggage to go...!”
“Hey, the storm scene, what’s the big deal? It’s just a little wind and rain, right? Of course, if you’re unlucky, a flying rock or a signboard might slice your forehead open and bleed profusely, or a huge tree might get stuck in your abdomen and kill you. But don’t worry, Your Majesty. The skilled temple doctor will be with you. Haha!”
I dragged the Emperor, who had become lost in thought, out of the reception room.
***
So we took the carriage and headed down Heden Street.
As it was a major disaster that caused over one hundred and sixty casualties in a short time, the atmosphere in the carriage was very heavy.
'We must not let the casualties increase any further...'
As I was trying to calm my nerves by rubbing the tender flesh under my fingernails, the carriage, which had been gradually slowing down, soon came to a complete stop.
“We have arrived at Heden Street.”
I opened the carriage door and jumped out as soon as I heard the knight's voice.
I couldn't wait until they opened the door for fear of how many casualties there might have been.
“Where should I go from here?”
I looked around anxiously, then suddenly had a puzzled expression on my face.
'What, why is it so quiet?'
The Heden Street that came into view was too quiet to be the scene of a disaster.
The fierce storm that had been raging was nowhere to be seen, and blue skies and clear sunshine were welcoming us.
Even the cries of the injured were not heard.
'What? Is it over already?'
As I tilted my head, I noticed a crowd of people gathered in the distance.
They were all staring at something with their mouths wide open.
'What are you looking at like that?'
I followed their gaze with a puzzled expression, but soon, my body froze.
There was a woman dressed in white, and her identity was none other than...
'Melina?'
Yes, it was definitely Melina, even though all I could see was her profile.
Because, whether it was good or bad, there was no way I could not recognize the family that had been living together under the same roof for over a dozen years.
'But why is she here...'
Why is a kid who should be cleaning the temple out here attracting people's attention?
It was at that very moment when I was just tilting my head because I couldn't understand.
“...”
Melina, who had noticed me, quietly met my gaze. Then, she quickly raised the corners of her lips.
It wasn't just a simple smile.
It was a smile full of laughter... no, a smile full of superiority. A smile full of superiority that surpassed me, a smile full of arrogance that showed me that I was no match for her.
It was the exact same smile that Melina always had when she was the illegitimate daughter of a former Duke and was showered with love by her father.
A smile that I had never seen before since I ascended to the throne as a Saintess and Melina's status was demoted to slavery.
At the reappearance of that smile, my expression hardened coldly.
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