"Wh, what is it? What, what just happened was..."
Someone shuddered and shouted. They had been looking around, trying to find the source of the vibrations just moments before.
But soon after, someone came running out of breath, and their curiosity was satisfied.
"Well, Valdina and their party have arrived too. They're heading straight to the villa right now!"
At this point, just before the First Prince's coronation, it is only natural that the First Prince's wife's maternal home, Valdina, would come.
On the surface.
But the situation was strange.
This coronation was a ceremony for the First Prince as an Empress, as well as a ceremony for the First Prince to welcome his new wife.
"Wow, the Emperor has arrived. The guards... and the Agemas too!"
“W-what?”
The young Emperor of Valdina, known as the Slayer of the Steppe.
And the notoriety of Agema, the bodyguard who follows him like a shadow, is widely spread across the continent.
"The news spread that the trust would be fulfilled at the coronation, so Valdina's side checked to see if the First Princess had been forced to accept the trust due to Katzen's pressure, and they said they needed to protect her...
Princess Medea is also the only Princess of Valdina.
So, in the midst of the power vacuum, it was reasonable for Valdina to protect the comatose First Prince.
The problem is that the justification they gave was actually for willingly allowing a ferocious lion into the cage.
The Emperor of Valdina was rumored to be very fond of his sister.
What if the reason he brought the Agemas here was to judge his ungrateful brother-in-law and his country?
The faces of the Katzen nobles instantly turned pale.
"Th, but still... what were the Saintess Guards doing? They should have stopped them...!"
"Oh... There was no choice. The director's inauguration and the coronation coincided, leaving a gap in the transfer of the castle's defense..."
At that moment, the Katzen nobles realized something painfully.
Katzen boasted that the nation's formidable power ultimately stemmed from the First Prince, Cesare. And simply because he was absent, the city allowed them to enter without a fight.
It was at this very moment that the Holy Nation and their party, the spark of all this controversy, arrived.
The sound of nervous swallowing could be heard from all around.
The time leading up to the coronation.
In the air of the city of Persepolis, invisible war clouds were slowly spreading.
***
A long line of cream-colored carriages stood in front of a white mansion, quite a distance from the city center. Rachel's face crumpled as she looked out the window.
"The coronation is just around the corner. Why are you throwing us in such a faraway place?"
Her red lips twisted nervously.
"Leniard, that old man is the Prince's grandfather, but he still looks at that girl Medea!"
“Hold on for now.”
Paul called out to her in a low voice.
"It's not too late to try again after the wedding."
He glanced at the chest in the corner of the room. Inside were cream-colored robes and gold coins.
"The First Prince also showed his sincerity. He even sent ceremonial clothes and gifts."
"With just a few chests?! That bitch Medea has received countless things!"
Rachel was furious.
How impressed Anastasia, the chief maid who helped Medea marry, must have been.
It was said that the list of all kinds of jewels and ornaments, golden roses, and war horses was so long that the parchment on which it was written dragged on the floor.
But now, all that lay before Rachel was a set of formal garments and a gold coin.
'Ha. Does this stupid woman think I'm in love, married to the First Prince?'
Paul looked at Rachel with pitiful eyes, wanting to be treated like a wife, and then swallowed a short sigh.
He winked at his subordinate.
"Saintess, look at this."
The black magician in priestly robes quickly took the robes out of the chest and held them out in front of Rachel.
"Just touch it. It's better than it looks."
The fabric was very soft, as if it were made of the finest silk.
The threads of the embroidered Katzen Imperial pattern were a bit rough compared to the texture, but it was definitely imperial.
"Is this the official attire worn by the Katzen Imperial Family? Medea. Is that girl wearing this, too?"
Rachel, like a shadow following Medea's footsteps, tried to compare herself to her in every single thing.
Her eyes were still filled with discontent.
"Medea didn't wear anything like this."
She still vividly remembered the wedding dress Medea wore on the day of her wedding in the central temple.
It was so dazzling, as if all the light in the sky had been brought to her. It was so dazzling that it hurt your eyes.
But the clothes in front of her now, far from being painful to the eyes, looked dull, like rice that had lost its vitality.
"If you're going to wear a wedding dress while stealing someone else's husband, do you think they'll accept that? Be satisfied with the coronation ceremony. This alone will secure you the position of the Empress."
Even though she knew that Paul was right, Rachel was still upset.
"That's right, the ultimate victory is mine. You were so worried about the Golden Rule taboo, but nothing happened."
She proudly rolled up her sleeves in front of the mirror.
The hideous arm that looked like a black, dried-up tree branch was gone, and a white, thin arm was reflected in the mirror.
"Even after the second oracle was created, nothing happened! In fact, it was the Paladins' holy power that regenerated it."
"Look, you worry ball. Nothing's happening."
The goddess has long since turned her back on this world, so what meaning do the rules of the world she left behind have?
Rachel picked up the wedding garment, fitted it around her body, and looked at herself in the mirror.
Her blond hair flowed down her shoulders, and she even wore an ancient tiara stolen from the treasury of the central temple. Even her one-colored robes looked quite antique.
"Once you wear the Empress's tiara, you won't even think about weddings."
Paul added.
Yes, the Empress's tiara. That's what matters, after all.
Only then did Rachel raise the corners of her mouth.
The most important thing is that she will take away the position of Empress that Medea so desperately desired.
Well then, she can tolerate such trivial things now.
"The Marquis de Leniard has arrived."
At that time, the subordinate came and reported.
Rachel raised the corners of her mouth as she saw the carriage of Marquis Leniard parked outside the window.
"His Eminence Paul and Saintess Rachel, welcome to Katzen."
A stern, yet dignified old man stepped out of the carriage. He approached Rachel's carriage and greeted her.
The voice, the posture, the Marquis was doing his best to welcome her without any flaws.
But he never bowed down.
"You are the Marquis of Leniard, aren't you? I heard you are a loyal subject of this empire and a true relative of His Highness the First Prince."
Rachel smiled gracefully.
"Your Excellency, the Marquis's reputation is well known even in the Holy Land. He is said to be the most solid pillar who has supported His Highness the 1st Prince until now."
Rachel's voice was sweet and gentle like honey.
People used to be disarmed by this voice and kind face.
"..."
However, Marquis Leniard's expression remained fixed and did not change until the end.
Paul approached the Marquis and took his hand, pretending to be friendly.
"Even in the difficult circumstances of the First Prince being punished and refusing the oracle, it is all thanks to Your Excellency, the Marquis, that he was able to accomplish this. The goddess will surely reward your fervent faith."
"Well, if that's the will of the Goddess, then you know I have no choice but to follow it. What this old man actually believes and follows is of no concern to either the Goddess or the Vicar of the Pope."
The black magician, disguised as Paul, endured nausea and praised the awe of the old religion.
But his efforts were in vain as Marquis Leniard withdrew his hand and straightened his posture.
"The reason I have come here with this frail body is that I have something I wish to personally convey to Saintess Rachel. You are aware, my lord, that the First Prince has not yet awakened from his divine punishment."
"Ah."
Pretending not to show any exaggerated concern, Marquis Leniard continued.
"So even if the First Prince does not wake up on the day of the coronation, the coronation will proceed as scheduled.
"..."
"Rather than bestowing the crown, the official ceremony confirming the marriage between Saintess Rachel and His Highness the First Prince is the top priority."
Leniar continued his explanation without a hitch, adding that this marriage was for the sake of Katzen, the Holy Nation, and the stability of the continent in chaos.
Rachel couldn't understand such complicated etiquette even after hearing an explanation, and she had no intention of understanding it.
She laughed inwardly as she listened to the Marquis' words.
"Instead, the Saintess may declare herself on the oath stone. As I have already heard the late Emperor say, this is the ceremony that makes you the rightful companion of His Highness the First Prince and a member of the Katzen Imperial Family."
As soon as he finished speaking, Rachel's face was filled with joy.
"Of course, Your Excellency, I will make sure that no one is left in that glorious position."
Rachel answered sweetly.
Without realizing that the eyes of Marquis Leniard were quietly flashing.
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