'Wow, have you ever seen such a loyal man?'
To be honest, I was a little bit embarrassed. As the party continued, everyone's attention was focused on Melina, and no one approached me to talk to me.
'When will we be able to worship you as a savior, calling you 'Saintess, Saintess?'
It was so frustrating to see Melina, who had more power than me, appear and treat me like I was invisible.
'Well, that's how all humans are.'
It was human nature to praise something out of ignorance when it benefited them, and then switch to something less useful or better when something appeared, completely forgetting all the help they had received up until then.
I had already experienced it, so there was no reason for me to feel betrayed now.
It was something I could just spit on and move on, saying, "I'm such a retard, running around with my feet swollen for those ignorant guys."
But I couldn't stand the fact that the person who replaced me was Melina.
It was truly a blow to my pride to see a child who had trusted in my father's affection and felt superior to me, the legitimate daughter, try to step on my back and get what she wanted.
But now that Melina had taken control of the hearts of all the Empire's people, there was no way for me to turn the tables.
Other than just finding out how Melina got those powers and what their source is, quickly.
But unexpectedly, the Crown Prince extended his hand, and thanks to him, I was able to avoid showing myself in a pitiful state in front of my half-sister whom I had punished.
I blankly stared at the Crown Prince, who was leading me with graceful movements.
He already had a handsome face, but today, his beauty shined even brighter.
His black hair looked like the night sky had descended, his long, dark purple eyes looked like violets were set into them, and his cool features looked like a carefully sculpted statue.
I looked at him as if I was possessed.
I felt like I was going to be blinded by that face that seemed to be shining like the sun, but I couldn't take my eyes off it.
How much time has passed like that?
Suddenly, a question crossed my mind.
'But why did you take care of me?'
The Crown Prince already knew that I was a fake Saintess.
Nevertheless, the only reason I was kept in the position of a Saintess was for the stability of the people of the empire.
So now that another person with powers has appeared, and that person's powers are stronger than mine, which is fake, it would be natural for my heart to lean towards them.
Unlike me, who is obviously a fake, Melina's true identity as a Saintess has not yet been revealed.
'But why me?'
Finally, I couldn't hold back my curiosity and asked the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, why did you help me?”
It was a simple question that omitted detailed explanations, but the Crown Prince seemed to have already read my mind and answered without hesitation.
“I know how much effort you have put into Catalonia over the past months. I don’t want to see that effort, that hard work, go to waste without any reward.”
At the Crown Prince's words, my feet, which had been moving smoothly, suddenly stopped.
There were murmurs here and there as if they were bewildered by my sudden actions, but I just stared blankly at the Crown Prince.
That's understandable, no one has ever said anything like that to me before.
Growing up, I was taught by my grandfather that as a nobleman, I should always fulfill my duties because I enjoyed things that others could not even imagine, so I lived my life focusing on the people's livelihood.
I prioritized the safety of my people over my own, and I wanted them to be as well-fed as I was, and I wanted them to be more affluent, even if not as well-off, than I was.
And that feeling was no different when I was a Saintess.
Of course, there were some misunderstandings in the beginning, but in reality, it was no different from the behavior of a child begging for affection.
I love you so much, why don't you love me?
I've been struggling to save you all my life, so why are you cheering my death?
Why don't you understand my heart?
A pledge made while feeling sad alone over unrequited love.
Yeah, fine. If you come out like that, I won't love you anymore.
I won't care anymore whether you're hungry or shivering from the cold.
Try to do well without me.
Let's see how well you live without me.
And yet, deep down, it is a twisted, no, in fact, blind, affection that cannot be let go and that hopes that they will regret it, regret it again and again and come to me begging, and be saddened by their unrequited feelings just like I did.
Yeah, actually, I never wanted them to be bothered.
I just hope they understand my heart and don't forget what I did for them.
But as always, they were selfish, and this time, when a better option presented itself, they coldly let go of my hand without even considering the hurt feelings they had caused me.
'But the Crown Prince knows about that?'
I couldn't even breathe properly because my chest was so tight and ticklish.
I stared blankly at the Crown Prince, breathing heavily, and then asked.
“If Melina is proven to be a true Saintess, will that change your mind?”
The Crown Prince, who had been looking down at me in silence for a moment at that question, opened his mouth.
“It doesn’t change. Regardless of whether she is a Saintess or not, this is your lot.”
He spoke calmly, pulled my waist, and moved his feet again.
“So, put those worries aside and focus on dancing. This is your stage.”
The Crown Prince's words, 'This is my stage', lit a fire in my heart that was parched with deprivation.
Yeah, this was my stage.
A place where my hard work and love over the years should be rewarded, a place where I should shine.
I held the hand of the Crown Prince, who was willing to become an ornament to make me shine, and showed off the dancing skills I had been practicing for a long time without holding back.
And when the music finally ended, there was a huge round of applause from those who had been staring at me as if in a trance.
I felt like I had gone from being a mere extra, not even a supporting actor, to a leading actor all of a sudden, to no one had even paid any attention to.
'The Crown Prince's influence is truly great.'
As I was smiling with satisfaction, the Emperor, who was sitting in the highest seat, applauded and laughed heartily.
“Saintess Veloce’s dancing skills are truly amazing. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such beautiful dance lines. Thanks to you, my eyes are feasted.”
It seems that my dancing was quite good, as the Emperor, who is known for being stingy with praise, praised me so highly.
That was when I felt proud.
“Well, is it time to see Saintess Melina’s dancing skills? I wonder what it would be like to see our Crown Prince and Saintess Melina dance.”
The Emperor secretly pressured the Crown Prince. In some ways, Melina had accomplished more than I had, but he seemed to be concerned that she might be hurt by being pushed around by me.
'Anyway, he's a person who doesn't really go. He didn't even look at me the whole party.'
I glared at the Emperor with fresh eyes, but in fact, it was natural for the Crown Prince and Melina to dance.
The original purpose of this party was to praise the hard work of the two Saintesses.
It was at that moment that I, who had been suppressing the irritation that suddenly welled up in me, was about to let go of the Crown Prince's hand.
“...?”
The Crown Prince tightly grabbed my hand as it slipped away.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do two songs because my ankle is bad. I twisted my ankle on the stairs today.”
Everyone, including me, could not hide our puzzlement at the Crown Prince's words.
That would be the case because just a moment ago, he was the Crown Prince who was showing off his graceful dancing skills.
How can I believe it when I saw it with my own two eyes?
But the Crown Prince spoke to Melina with an impudent face.
“It’s a shame I didn’t get the honor of asking you for your first dance. Still, I’m relieved that many gentlemen aspire to be the Saintess’s first partner.”
He said the words without any regret on his face, then grabbed my hand and left.
Melina's expression cracked as she stared blankly up at him, but he didn't seem to care at all.
To be honest, I was a little bit embarrassed. As the party continued, everyone's attention was focused on Melina, and no one approached me to talk to me.
'When will we be able to worship you as a savior, calling you 'Saintess, Saintess?'
It was so frustrating to see Melina, who had more power than me, appear and treat me like I was invisible.
'Well, that's how all humans are.'
It was human nature to praise something out of ignorance when it benefited them, and then switch to something less useful or better when something appeared, completely forgetting all the help they had received up until then.
I had already experienced it, so there was no reason for me to feel betrayed now.
It was something I could just spit on and move on, saying, "I'm such a retard, running around with my feet swollen for those ignorant guys."
But I couldn't stand the fact that the person who replaced me was Melina.
It was truly a blow to my pride to see a child who had trusted in my father's affection and felt superior to me, the legitimate daughter, try to step on my back and get what she wanted.
But now that Melina had taken control of the hearts of all the Empire's people, there was no way for me to turn the tables.
Other than just finding out how Melina got those powers and what their source is, quickly.
But unexpectedly, the Crown Prince extended his hand, and thanks to him, I was able to avoid showing myself in a pitiful state in front of my half-sister whom I had punished.
I blankly stared at the Crown Prince, who was leading me with graceful movements.
He already had a handsome face, but today, his beauty shined even brighter.
His black hair looked like the night sky had descended, his long, dark purple eyes looked like violets were set into them, and his cool features looked like a carefully sculpted statue.
I looked at him as if I was possessed.
I felt like I was going to be blinded by that face that seemed to be shining like the sun, but I couldn't take my eyes off it.
How much time has passed like that?
Suddenly, a question crossed my mind.
'But why did you take care of me?'
The Crown Prince already knew that I was a fake Saintess.
Nevertheless, the only reason I was kept in the position of a Saintess was for the stability of the people of the empire.
So now that another person with powers has appeared, and that person's powers are stronger than mine, which is fake, it would be natural for my heart to lean towards them.
Unlike me, who is obviously a fake, Melina's true identity as a Saintess has not yet been revealed.
'But why me?'
Finally, I couldn't hold back my curiosity and asked the Crown Prince.
“Your Highness, why did you help me?”
It was a simple question that omitted detailed explanations, but the Crown Prince seemed to have already read my mind and answered without hesitation.
“I know how much effort you have put into Catalonia over the past months. I don’t want to see that effort, that hard work, go to waste without any reward.”
At the Crown Prince's words, my feet, which had been moving smoothly, suddenly stopped.
There were murmurs here and there as if they were bewildered by my sudden actions, but I just stared blankly at the Crown Prince.
That's understandable, no one has ever said anything like that to me before.
Growing up, I was taught by my grandfather that as a nobleman, I should always fulfill my duties because I enjoyed things that others could not even imagine, so I lived my life focusing on the people's livelihood.
I prioritized the safety of my people over my own, and I wanted them to be as well-fed as I was, and I wanted them to be more affluent, even if not as well-off, than I was.
And that feeling was no different when I was a Saintess.
Of course, there were some misunderstandings in the beginning, but in reality, it was no different from the behavior of a child begging for affection.
I love you so much, why don't you love me?
I've been struggling to save you all my life, so why are you cheering my death?
Why don't you understand my heart?
A pledge made while feeling sad alone over unrequited love.
Yeah, fine. If you come out like that, I won't love you anymore.
I won't care anymore whether you're hungry or shivering from the cold.
Try to do well without me.
Let's see how well you live without me.
And yet, deep down, it is a twisted, no, in fact, blind, affection that cannot be let go and that hopes that they will regret it, regret it again and again and come to me begging, and be saddened by their unrequited feelings just like I did.
Yeah, actually, I never wanted them to be bothered.
I just hope they understand my heart and don't forget what I did for them.
But as always, they were selfish, and this time, when a better option presented itself, they coldly let go of my hand without even considering the hurt feelings they had caused me.
'But the Crown Prince knows about that?'
I couldn't even breathe properly because my chest was so tight and ticklish.
I stared blankly at the Crown Prince, breathing heavily, and then asked.
“If Melina is proven to be a true Saintess, will that change your mind?”
The Crown Prince, who had been looking down at me in silence for a moment at that question, opened his mouth.
“It doesn’t change. Regardless of whether she is a Saintess or not, this is your lot.”
He spoke calmly, pulled my waist, and moved his feet again.
“So, put those worries aside and focus on dancing. This is your stage.”
***
The Crown Prince's words, 'This is my stage', lit a fire in my heart that was parched with deprivation.
Yeah, this was my stage.
A place where my hard work and love over the years should be rewarded, a place where I should shine.
I held the hand of the Crown Prince, who was willing to become an ornament to make me shine, and showed off the dancing skills I had been practicing for a long time without holding back.
And when the music finally ended, there was a huge round of applause from those who had been staring at me as if in a trance.
I felt like I had gone from being a mere extra, not even a supporting actor, to a leading actor all of a sudden, to no one had even paid any attention to.
'The Crown Prince's influence is truly great.'
As I was smiling with satisfaction, the Emperor, who was sitting in the highest seat, applauded and laughed heartily.
“Saintess Veloce’s dancing skills are truly amazing. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen such beautiful dance lines. Thanks to you, my eyes are feasted.”
It seems that my dancing was quite good, as the Emperor, who is known for being stingy with praise, praised me so highly.
That was when I felt proud.
“Well, is it time to see Saintess Melina’s dancing skills? I wonder what it would be like to see our Crown Prince and Saintess Melina dance.”
The Emperor secretly pressured the Crown Prince. In some ways, Melina had accomplished more than I had, but he seemed to be concerned that she might be hurt by being pushed around by me.
'Anyway, he's a person who doesn't really go. He didn't even look at me the whole party.'
I glared at the Emperor with fresh eyes, but in fact, it was natural for the Crown Prince and Melina to dance.
The original purpose of this party was to praise the hard work of the two Saintesses.
It was at that moment that I, who had been suppressing the irritation that suddenly welled up in me, was about to let go of the Crown Prince's hand.
“...?”
The Crown Prince tightly grabbed my hand as it slipped away.
“I’m sorry, but I don’t think I can do two songs because my ankle is bad. I twisted my ankle on the stairs today.”
Everyone, including me, could not hide our puzzlement at the Crown Prince's words.
That would be the case because just a moment ago, he was the Crown Prince who was showing off his graceful dancing skills.
How can I believe it when I saw it with my own two eyes?
But the Crown Prince spoke to Melina with an impudent face.
“It’s a shame I didn’t get the honor of asking you for your first dance. Still, I’m relieved that many gentlemen aspire to be the Saintess’s first partner.”
He said the words without any regret on his face, then grabbed my hand and left.
Melina's expression cracked as she stared blankly up at him, but he didn't seem to care at all.
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