The Beloved Fake Saint

Chapter 10

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I decided to discuss Daisy’s transfer with Reihas in due time. After making myself presentable, I left the temple to wait for the carriage.

From the outside, Elium Temple looked like an ancient castle with many buildings. It was truly magnificent. White horses soon trotted up, drawing an ivory carriage bearing the emblem of Elium Temple. When the driver pulled the horses to a stop, a man who looked to be in his mid-thirties wearing silver armor approached me and held open the carriage door.

The burly man then bowed his head to me and said, “I am Sir Dwayne, Captain of the Second Order of Holy Knights. I will be escorting Your Holiness today.”

“I thank you for your service, Sir Dwayne,” I replied, climbing into the carriage.

The carriage was no town car, but it was far more comfortable than I’d expected. I leaned back into the fluffy velvet seat. I was on my way to represent Elium Temple at the birthday banquet of the crown prince. My position tonight was quite different from the other ladies who would be attending.

I could hear the clatter of horses’ hooves behind me as other carriages in the temple caravan followed behind us. The Second Order of Holy Knights, including Sir Dwayne, began marching to lead the parade. The carriage traveled at a moderate speed, and I took advantage of that time to look outside and examine the route leading out of the temple. It was my first time leaving the temple grounds and I realized it was much bigger than I thought. The horses weren’t exactly galloping, but it still took at least ten minutes for the carriage to reach the gate.

I’ll definitely need a horse when I leave the temple. I mentally added a horse to my escape checklist, wishing I had brought my notebook with me. Since the stables were not far from the main building, I planned to visit them and learn how to ride.

The temple must not have been in a remote location, because we soon pulled onto a busy street. People were crowded on both sides of the road, scattering flowers. A few of them were praying toward my carriage.

The saint. Beloved and worshiped by the people. A representative of the deities. And...

[Odyssey, the deity of love, is putting on airs.]

[Hessed, the deity of knowledge, is clearing his throat.]

[Monde, the deity of arts, is drawing a landscape painting.]

They seemed more like divas than gods to me.

“Are they even the real deal?” It sounded weird coming out of my mouth, but I couldn’t find a better expression.

The dialogue box flickered.

[Hessed, the deity of knowledge, is displeased.]

“Hey, I’m a fake saint. How do I know you’re not all fake deities too?”

I’d intentionally provoked them, just to see what might happen. Suddenly, I heard a roar of thunder and a flash of lightning struck from above. There were no other signs of a storm.

“Okay, I guess that’s proof enough.”

No messages appeared. I could almost see them pouting. I let out a chuckle. For some reason, I was feeling light as a feather. Well, who cares? I’d decided to accept them as “the real deal.”

Even if they were the almighty deities, they didn’t seem to be able to read my thoughts. They only reacted to things I said or did.

[Odyssey, the deity of love, wants to know why you are laughing.]

At least I still had some privacy.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I didn’t realize we had entered the palace grounds. The mahogany-colored structures were magnificent, much warmer than the gray walls of the temple and a bit larger. Crossing over an arched bridge, after passing countless changes of scenery, the carriage came to a stop in front of a grand hall reminiscent of an art museum.

So this is where the second love interest is, huh? I wasn’t terribly excited to meet him.

The hall looked like it had been built solely to hold concerts and banquets. Night had fallen and the place was crowded with people. When I got out of the carriage, the holy knights lined up and bowed to me. Holding the hem of my dress, I walked confidently along the blue carpet. I’d noticed the eyes of many knights and nobles following me, but I wasn’t nervous. In my previous life, I’d had to endure a constant barrage of scornful looks and harsh words in my father’s house. Compared to that, the curious gawking of strangers was almost refreshing.

Keep your head held high and your eyes straight forward. Straighten your back and look poised.

I knew how to protect myself, so I didn’t look shabby or weak.

I walked slowly into the banquet hall, without sparing the buzzing ladies and noblemen a single glance.

The orchestra was playing, and several servants roamed the room with trays, giving glasses of wine to the guests. I continued along the carpet, keeping my eyes focused on the two thrones sitting at the end of the path.

On one sat the emperor, in his mid-fifties with red hair that was going white under his rather heavy-looking crown. On the other sat the empress, a young blonde woman in her twenties.

Rauhen Jansen Elide, emperor of the Elide Empire. And the woman next to him was… Empress Rose Michaela Elide, his second wife and the daughter of Count Michael.

I noticed a young man standing next to the emperor, in full uniform and with a longsword at his waist. This must be the prince, the star of tonight’s banquet.

He looked every bit as strong and broad as Reihas.

Kyle Alexis Elide, who would one day be the emperor, had a cool head and an even colder heart that contrasted starkly with his fiery red hair and eyes. The real saint, Camilla, would eventually warm that heart a little. He had served the empire well thus far, as indicated by the numerous decorations on his navy-blue uniform.

Without a sound, I stood in front of the imperial family. Then, lifting the hem of my dress, I put one hand on my chest and bowed politely to them.

“It’s a pleasure to be here to congratulate His Highness on his twentieth birthday. May the blessings of Elium be with the imperial family.”

“Thank you, Saint Ariel,” said the emperor in a gentle voice. “Please, raise your head.”

I raised it slowly as I spoke. “I am here to offer congratulations on behalf of Elium and all the temples, as well as the nine deities.”

I glanced at the prince, who was frowning and could not be more obviously displeased. Clearly, he was not particularly fond of Ariel.

“In the beginning...” I began, as he looked at me with raised eyebrows.

But he wasn’t the only one watching me. This speech from the temple was a big deal. Everyone was looking at me.

“The almighty god created our world and his power diverged in nine directions. Oman, the deity of benevolence, blessed the empire and made it thrive. Hetos, the deity of justice, gave the people of the empire a wise leader to rule over them.”

Looking directly into the prince’s eyes, I continued solemnly, “The crown prince, born under the blessing of Ciel, the deity of destruction, serves the empire with brilliance and respect for the gods. His virtue will bring a glorious future to the empire, blessing it forevermore. As His Majesty’s vassals and partners, we, the members of Elium Temple sincerely congratulate you on your birthday, Your Highness. May the blessing of Ciel and all the nine deities be with Your Highness always.”

I breathed a sigh of relief. It was over, and there did not appear to be any flaw with the speech.

“And now...”

I bowed my head and held out both my hands together for the crown prince to take. I didn’t like the icy look in his eyes, but I could not dispense with formality.

After a long moment of silence, he put one hand on top of mine. His hand was large and strong. I could feel the weight of it pressing into my palm. It felt strange to touch a man I’d just met, but this custom was an essential part of the congratulatory blessing offered by the temple. I bowed down to kiss the back of his hand, making sure my lips barely touched his skin.

The nobles erupted in applause, celebrating the temple’s blessing.

Man, it’s humiliating to kiss someone’s hand in front of all these people. Why in the world did Ariel want to do this so badly?

When I raised my head to face Prince Kyle, he looked stiff as a board.

Hey, I don’t want to do this either.

His red lips moved ever so slightly.

“You—” he started.

Suddenly, I heard something explode and my vision turned white. Screams of terror soon filled the banquet hall.