Holy Sacrament Sacramontis.
"You want to use a holy relic? Does that make any sense!"
High Priest Paul slammed the table.
"How can the sacred objects of the Holy Land be used privately by a mere human being?"
However, he slyly covered up the fact that this 'mere human' was the most dignified Princess and Princess of the empire, one of only two on the continent.
According to what she recently relayed to the central shrine.
The princess of Valdina, who is about to get married, said she wanted to use the Holy Covenant Cup at the wedding banquet.
"You want to strengthen the sacred bond... how ridiculous! If you want to exchange things like the incantation, you should go back to your own country and do it. How dare you do such a dirty thing in our temple!"
Paul's words were quite a leap in logic.
In the first place, it was not a joint stock but a holy water.
Because the oath ceremony of sharing holy water was a legitimate precedent even in temples.
He just didn't want to allow anything to the Princess of Valdina, who was a thorn in his eye...
"Isn't that so?"
Paul sought sympathy from those around him.
"That's right. After turning the temple upside down once, that Princess must think she's special, right?"
"Your Holiness, what if you were to grant such an absurd request? You should show favoritism to a certain extent. Isn't that right?"
At least everyone agreed that Pope Benedict was generous to Medea in a way he had never shown before.
"Even when the Saint first descended, she did not grant such privileges. Does this not mean that she is superior to our Saint?"
The High Priests clapped their hands together fiercely.
But on the contrary, this only served to highlight how biased the Pope was in his treatment of Medea, leaving Rachel behind.
It was like trampling on Rachel's pride, which was already sad to be told to come in second.
Rachel barely managed to raise the corners of her lips as she silently cursed the Pope.
'The old fox is so happy that he doesn't even recognize the real Saintess.'
The Pope's fondness for Medea may be due to his instinctive affection for his representative.
"Your Holiness, we cannot allow that woman to act as she pleases. We must go back to His Majesty immediately."
"No, Your Holiness. Just let the Princess do whatever she wants."
Rachel raised her eyebrows and smiled pitifully.
"If we cause any more trouble, it will not be good for our temple. If this can help the princess get closer to the right intentions and things, wouldn't it be a joyous thing for a servant of the goddess?"
"Saintess..."
Even in this situation, Paul's face was moved by the Saint's heart that only cared for the Goddess.
In that way, all the High Priests returned.
It was a quiet night when everyone walking through the hallways of the temple had disappeared.
Squeak.
"Saintess? What brings you here at this hour?"
"Step back."
Rachel, who had previously brainwashed the temple knights guarding the sacred relics, entered the room of the sacred relics with ease.
"I found it, the cup of the covenant."
Each round goblet, shining with gold and silver, was engraved with a pattern of the ocean.
Rachel reached out her hand for the silver cup.
The inside of the silver glass was clear and clean like a mirror.
Rachel took the vial from her bosom and dropped it into the silver goblet.
"This is a poison made from the darkness of the beginning. No antidote works. If you want to end it without a sound, there is nothing more perfect than this."
This colorless, odorless poison slowly hardens the heart through the blood vessels.
"You fall into a state of lyricism within half a day, and after a day, you stop breathing."
It was the moment to put down the silver cup that was evenly coated with poison.
"Ahh!"
Rachel almost dropped the silver cup as she suddenly felt a burning pain in her right hand.
She barely managed to put the glass back down, holding onto her trembling arms.
Even at that moment, her hands felt like they were burning. The tips of her fingers had turned black.
'What...!'
Rachel's beautiful eyes trembled greatly.
Even if she brainwashed the gatekeeper guarding the front, she shouldn't make a fuss and wake everyone in the temple.
"Euuuup..!"
Blood gushed from her bitten lips as she tried to hold back a scream.
The black spot that started at the tip of her index finger quickly spread throughout her hand.
"Ugh, ugh, Mwah!! (What is this)!!"
The black waves quickly spread, even engulfing the black magic mark on her palm.
An indescribable, disgusting stench emanated from the place where it spread like black ink dropped on water.
Rachel's bruised skin split open. Her hands were rotting away.
"Ugh, ugh!"
Rachel collapsed on the floor in excruciating pain, her body writhing.
She didn't even have time to worry about her cream-colored robes getting dirty.
Red tears flowed from her bloodshot eyes.
"You never know what kind of karma will come to a taboo that goes against the golden rule of this world."
It was the beginning of the punishment that the Golden Rule brought down.
***
Princess Valdina's Palace.
A white dress, carefully taken out of a velvet box, was fully revealed.
"Oh my god..."
Everyone in the Princess's palace was truly speechless.
"I think this is the first time I've seen such a beautiful dress, Madame Deboire. You are truly a master."
"Of course? Do you think my fame was just built on nothing?"
Madame Deboir snapped haughtily.
She was from a small country but had a reputation as one of the continent's top fashion designers.
Medea knew her too.
'In my last life, she refused to make Rachel's dress.'
Eventually, when Jason, in anger, destroyed Deboire's business, she disappeared completely.
In any case, what is certain is that, embracing all the fussiness, each new work by Madame Deboir changed the fashion of the continent.
And in this life, Cesare sent her to Medea.
As a tailor who makes wedding dresses.
"Madam, thank you for your efforts."
Madame Deboire blushed and answered in the Princess's calm voice.
"...I don't think I'll ever put this much effort into a single dress again in my life."
This wedding dress was a work of art born from the combination of the First Prince's icy blade, the golden chest he gave her, and curiosity about the Princess who was the subject of the oracle.
It's not often that the trifecta of fear, money, and inspiration comes together so perfectly.
"..."
Medea gazed blankly at the masterpiece that Madame Deboire had created.
It was the first time that the words 'pure white wedding dress' felt real.
"You don't like it...?"
Madame Deboire grew anxious when the Princess did not respond.
'Am I too intoxicated by my own inspiration?'
"No. It's beautiful."
Medea shook her head.
In fact, even if the dress had not been this beautiful, or this splendid and majestic, Medea would have been more or less satisfied.
Maybe it was because she was burned by an overly hot fire in her past life.
Neither the wedding nor the wedding dress meant much to her.
For her, who had run away from Jason and never even had a proper engagement, a wedding dress was nothing more than a vain luxury that she could never have.
"Hmm! It might feel a bit excessive, but all the embroidery here has meaning."
Madame Deboire spoke urgently at the client's lukewarm response.
"The laurel at the hem of the skirt symbolizes the legitimacy of your lineage, the rose on the sleeve symbolizes your unchanging affection, and the golden sun on the chest symbolizes that His Highness is your one and only rightful companion."
Madame Deboire pointed to the gold embroidery that shone brightly in the light.
"To be honest, I dare say that I am the only one who can elevate His Highness the First Prince's difficult orders into art."
Medea paused for a moment and then asked.
"His Highness, no, did the First Prince give you a special order?"
"Yes!"
Madame Deboire grumbled involuntarily.
Do you think it would be easy to blend all those symbols into one dress without losing any of its majesty?
'How difficult are you going to make a love confession that can be concluded with just one word?!'
"I never dreamed that the First Prince would be like this. If I had known, I would have run away long ago before I even received the request. Hah, yup. I sometimes talk nonsense because I'm overworked."
Neril and Madame Pinatelli, the head maid, were speechless as they watched Madame Deboire hastily covering her mouth.
It's not often that a man pays such detailed attention to his bride's wedding dress, but has there ever been a precedent for a royal to show such overt and direct affection?
Medea also burst into laughter, even though she was dumbfounded.
Even when she bore Jason two children, she was not treated as his rightful consort.
But Cesare was anxious to enhance her prestige even before the wedding.
He didn't even care what it would make him look like.
"I will make you the most enviable bride in the world."
It seemed as if she was hearing that confident voice again.
“Ahaha.”
A faint laughter spread. Neril's eyes widened.
Her master was smiling brightly.
***
"Well then, I will take my leave now."
Madame Deboir only then felt relieved, as she considered Medea's reaction to be quite satisfactory.
"After finishing the gabon, you will be more beautiful than now."
She paused as she was about to leave. She thought she saw someone familiar in the hallway of the Princess's palace.
'That silhouette is... the Count of Kensington...?'
Madame Deboire traveled to and from the palace at the request of the Katzen royal family.
So the Count of Kensington, who was a confidant of Perdiccas II, also knew him.
"Why are you doing that?"
"No. I must have seen it wrong. That can't be happening."
There is no way that the Emperor's confidant, who lost his life in an unfortunate manner, would be in this Valdina, so far away.
Madame Deboire shook her head and soon left.
And a little while later, she left.
"My lord."
Kensington approached Medea.
"I almost got caught."
"Yes. She's a clothes maker, so she has a keen eye for detail."
Medea stared at the back of Madame Deboire as she walked away.
"Kensington. As I said, you don't have to follow me. If you go to Katzen, that madam might not be the only one who recognizes you."
Kensington was the one who died in Katzen.
For him, who had barely escaped the Emperor's grasp, to return there was no different from stepping into a tiger's den.
"Isn't there still a Red Fox group in Katzen? You can contact them through them. Your safety is my top priority."
"Yes, Sir. Your Highness's safety is of the utmost importance."
Kensington smiled.
"Katzen is a place I know better than anyone else on this continent, where I was born and raised. Will God not allow me to assist in Your Highness's great cause?"
"..."
If Kensington, who knows the inside story of the Katzen royal family and nobles, is there, Medea will have a much easier time.
'But that would make Kensington more dangerous,'
Kensington smiled at Medea's face, which had become even more expressionless.
Unlike his former master, his current master was genuinely concerned about his well-being.
"Don't worry. I'm not so sloppy as to be easily caught, and even if I am, there's always a way out."
How many murders and silences has he committed while leading the Red Foxes?
Katzen, once his homeland, was no exception.
"Your Highness said that you would make the First Prince the supreme ruler of Katzen. I would like to witness that moment at my lord's side."
No, to be more honest, he wanted to be there closely to witness the moment of downfall, when his old master's desires were crushed and shattered.
He had a desire that was too faint to be called revenge, and too vague to be called longing.
Ever since his old master betrayed him, always.
***
Holy Sacrament Sacramontis.
The wedding day of Valdina and Katzen, who turned the continent upside down, has dawned.
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