"Medea, there's something you need to know first."
Cesare tried hard to suppress his emotions and calmly changed the subject.
He hoped Medea wouldn't be anxious.
He hoped she wouldn't feel like she had exposed her weaknesses, nor would she perceive him as an enemy who needed to be guarded against.
"Saint. Representative of the Goddess. Or Child of Prophecy. Does any of these sound familiar?"
"What?"
"If you didn't know, you should know from now on. They are all referring to you, Medea."
Since you're already on the board, you're bound to lose without even knowing who you are.
"What are you talking about?"
Medea stopped at Cesare's words and quietly fixed her gaze on him.
"Do you know about the Shadeia tribe?"
Shadeia.
At the familiar word, she unconsciously touched her necklace.
It was given to her by an old man she met in the Swamp of Gluttony village.
"The Shadeia tribe was the first humans to convey the will of the gods for generations. Among them, the Priestesses were called prophets and representatives of the gods. In the end, they were destroyed and disappeared due to the persecution and disaster of the Holy Nation."
Cesare also abducted one of the priests who was attending today.
Coincidentally, he was the disciple of the central seat of the Golden Tower who had once healed Samon's broken leg and carried out Rachel's orders most closely.
That's how he found out.
"To revive the darkness of the beginning, the Shadeia tribe, chosen by the goddess, had to be destroyed first."
Medea was dumbfounded.
"So..."
In her past life, Rachel's actions, which had been after everything Medea had, meshed together like the teeth of a cogwheel.
"So that's why you tried to take it all away."
Her achievements, her husband, and even her children. Everything.
It turns out that she wasn't the only one who felt robbed.
"Cesare, how do you know Shadeia?"
"It was the Priestess of Shadeia who told me about the dawn's fall. It was the only way to lift the curse."
'That curse too... was it planned...?'
Medea took a deep breath.
She knows.
How much Cesare, the First Prince of Katzen, struggled to survive and rise to this position.
At the end of all that misery.
Even the fact that he was eventually swept up in the schemes of the black magicians and ended up with a limited lifespan made a corner of her heart ache.
Could this be because of the strange sense of kinship that Medea, too, was consumed as fuel to fuel the ambitions of others?
"...The black magicians, do you believe what they say?"
Tears that had not yet been contained in her wet eyes flowed down.
Cesare quietly wiped it away.
"There is no reason not to believe it."
A casual tone. A monotonous, low voice.
The enormity of what had happened tonight seemed like nothing when shr listened to him talk.
Medea rolled her eyes slightly.
'What I saw a little while ago, too.'
Could this have been a part of the past seen by the child of prophecy?
Medea clenched her fist.
"What did you see today?"
For a moment, Cesare, who was caught off guard, stopped.
"Can you really believe that I lived one life and came back?"
He muttered quietly.
"Yes."
"..."
"Medea, what you saw may be the power of the child of prophecy. The primordial agent was said to be powerful enough to encompass the present, the future, and the past."
Cesare tapped the necklace around Medea's neck.
While she was unconscious, the necklace was still sparkling.
"Yes, that makes sense. You can understand."
Medea forced the corners of her lips upward.
"Why can't I accept you?"
One time was enough to strangle one's family out of blind love.
"I can't repeat this again. So you give up, too. As I promised, I will fulfill the responsibilities this marriage requires. But as far as feelings..."
But Medea couldn't continue speaking as his arms quietly held her.
The embrace was wide and strong, just like in a fantasy.
If she buried her head, the world would fade away, and she felt like she could easily hide part of herself from the dangers that were targeting her
'Like before...'
So much so that she couldn't help but think.
'I wish you'd hug me so tightly that I'd be crushed.:
"Medea."
At that moment, a low voice rang out.
"It's okay if you don't love me."
Cesare looked down at the green eyes looking up at him with a start.
Her slender body, curled up as if running away, could not even fit into his arms.
"I'll do that."
How did she bear the weight of all these memories on these shoulders?
'Did you say you were definitely going to survive?'
It was his utter arrogance.
He simply existed on the orbits of the stars that Medea had changed.
"I will make you Emperor."
Cesare now knows the meaning of Medea's promise.
What a big gamble that must have been for her.
She had been thoroughly betrayed by Jason. How much agony and fear must she have endured before reaching out to him?
"Dea, just stay here. By my side."
He can now fully understand that this solid, unbreakable wall was meant to protect Medea herself.
So don't be impatient.
"I fill it with love and desire."
"..."
"I will repay all the unfulfilled grudges, even every single tear you shed."
The heat alternated with the cold.
"You don't have to do anything."
Whether it was from his eyes looking at her, or from his whispering voice.
Or maybe it was the small kisses that were sprinkled along her jawline, Medea couldn't tell.
"Don't bother. Just give me a chance to prove myself, just give it to me, Dea."
His voice was hoarse as he kissed her temple.
Before she knew it, tears flowed down her cheeks.
"I am..."
Medea looked up.
The decorations in the room caught her eye without her noticing.
A sweet scent tickling the tip of his nose, gorgeous candles, and roses in full bloom.
Only then did Medea realize that today was the first night.
Cesare noticed Medea's stiff body and gently stroked her back.
"Don't worry. When you accept me, that will be our first time."
I will always be here, knocking on your door, giving you presents, and trying to see your smile.
Then one day. If you miss me, too, then open the door.
I will continue to wait here for you.
***
Central temple, the Pope's office.
"What happened last night?"
"Why?"
"It's just that the atmosphere is strange. It's strangely noisy. The knights are standing around, too."
The guests who attended the wedding felt the turbulent atmosphere of the castle town that had become subtle in just one day.
"Since I'm here, I wanted to see His Holiness, or at least the High Priest, and receive his blessings, but I heard that I can't even meet him."
"Besides, leaving the temple so quickly like this? The atmosphere of the enjoyable banquet yesterday hasn't even faded yet, so it feels like I'm being kicked out."
"You must have eaten too much of the World Tree to know what's different, but this is a holy country. And it's the central temple. He just had to enjoy the pleasures of humans for a day or so in the sacred temple. He must have to go back to the place of prayer."
Anyway, at the point where even those who grumble leave the Holy land one by one, Pope Benedict shook his head.
Since last night, the nights at the central temple have been noisy yet quiet.
The High Priests were still in shock at the truth that had been revealed, and the knights of the temple were busy searching the temple, looking for traces and clues of the fake Saintess.
"Your Holiness. His Majesty the Emperor of Valdina, His Highness the Princess, and the First Prince of Katzen have entered."
But even though he was refusing all the visitors, he had to meet the current guest.
So much so that they even put aside the fact that the Princess of Valdina was the true Saintess they had been searching for.
Because there was a problem that needed to be solved, but was too shameful to even mention.
"Your Majesty. I beg you, I, Pope, humbly beg you, please, to allow us to personally officiate at the execution of the sinner Rachel."
"..."
Holy Nation had no choice.
Rachel's existence and her treatment had to be kept utmost secret.
Not only did the black magician infiltrate the central temple, the sanctuary of the Catholic Church.
If it were known that she had risen to the status of a Saintess and was striding around the temple, the already shaky faith of the continent wouId surely crumble like fallen leaves in the autumn wind.
"Does the Holy Nation not have any shame? And yet, do you think you are qualified to speak of God?"
When D'Angel shouted in amazement, the priests could not raise their heads in shame.
At that moment, the Pope bowed.
"I know that it is a presumptuous request to ask of Her Highness the Princess, who is the victim. However, as leaders of the old religion, we must rectify this disgrace with our own hands. We cannot allow the name of the goddess to be mocked by the hands of the wicked any longer."
"..."
"So, I beg you. Just this once, please give Holy Nation a chance to pay the price for his sins."
The Pope, bowing down, looked pitiful.
When Medea received the dragon's oracle, she remembered the favor the old man had shown her.
Medea answered calmly.
"Your Holiness, please do as you say. However, I have a request to make as well."
"Please ask. I will do my best as a Pope."
"I hope that the existence of the new Saintess will not be revealed to the continent. I do not wish to be treated or treated as a Saintess."
Then the High Priests who were beside the Pope suddenly stood up, as if they were in a state of shock.
"Oh, why? Your Highness, the Princess, the Holy Nation has finally found a real Saintess..."
"How can you not reveal the divine status bestowed upon you by the Goddess?"
"Isn't the one who holds the title of Saintess the one you were trying to find while persecuting the Shadeia tribe?"
The High Priests were embarrassed by Medea's remark, but they could not easily give up.
"Ha, but even so, the Saintess I have waited for so long...."
"Was it this sticky when you tried to sacrifice that 'Saintess'?"
Thud-!
At that moment, they flinched at the loud noise that resonated.
'How do I do that...'
They shivered as they saw the stone chair kicked by the First Prince fly lightly like a wooden chair and roll on the floor.
"Does the will of the goddess even exist in the first place? Then why did the oracle target the real Saintess?"
The High Priests were speechless at the Prince's sharp question.
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