The High Priest called for the others to come back in. The bishop, whose name was Justin, was sworn never to speak of what was said in the room before he left to survey the area.

Of course, the same was said to the Marquis since apparently he wasn’t supposed to know about the poisoning.

The sun was setting, so we all said our farewells and made our way to our carriages. I felt bad for the poor coachman who sat outside and waited for us all day. I'll make sure that Donna hands him a nice tip.

"My liege! I thought I had been abandoned," the man joked.

"My apologies for making you wait this long," I told him. "You'll be paid nicely for your services."

With that being said, the man helped me up into the carriage along with Donna. We were on our way back to the palace grounds. As the view of the town slowly disappeared, I grew increasingly anxious.

A lot of information was exchanged today. It was confirmed that Marquis Hannington and I never had that kind of relationship. A divorce or my wrongful death could impact the peace treaty between the two kingdoms. Also, the High Priest was super hesitant to allow a divorce between a concubine and the king.

That was until he realized that I could possibly be a Saintess.

What does a Saintess do, anyway?

Sighing, I took a glance at Donna, who was barely keeping her eyes open. I can't even let her know about the conversation. Is it because I may not be a Saintess? If becoming one will allow some peace and quiet for once, I'll gladly become a Saintess and uphold my responsibilities. If it turns out that I'm not one, I'll just find other options for divorce.

The carriage came to a stop. However, we were nowhere near the palace grounds. Donna looked out the window behind her to see if everything was alright. The coachman wasn't there.

"My lady, stay alert," she whispered. "I think this is a trap."

My anxiety heightened. That's not good.

"Stay in the carriage, my lady," Donna told me, getting out and surveying the area.

That little thirteen-year-old should be the last one trying to risk her life. I kept a close eye on her from the window…

And an arrow shot past my face, shattering the windows.

I braced myself from the glass and attempted to open the door to get out. It was locked. No, did Donna lock me in?

I ducked under the carriage seats as more arrows kept flying in. Was Donna in cahoots with the assassins? That can't be right. She's such a crybaby. Maybe she did the smartest thing and ran away to save herself.

Eventually, the arrows stopped. My head was spinning. Should I peek my head out? If I do, will I get shot at?

The carriage door opened, so I covered my head.

"Are you okay, my lady?" A male voice said.

Is this a trick? Are they trying to bait me out? The arrows sounded like they were brushed to the side as a figure shadowed over me.

"It's okay," he assured. "It's safe now. The assassins are gone."

I shivered ferociously as I slowly picked up my head, still not looking at the man. Tears were forming and falling down my cheeks. Wait, Donna…

"Where's Donna…?" I panicked.

"I'm sorry, who?" He asked.

"Your grace! We have a casualty!" another voice called out from outside.

My heart sank.

No. No, no, no.

I pushed the man away forcefully and rushed out of the carriage. There were men in armor surrounding a small body.

No, no, no!

I ran into a crowd of men. Some of the knights tried to pull me away from the scene, but I pushed them away, too. As I drew closer, my mouth went agape.

There was Donna, two arrows sticking out of her chest. It was deep in there.

"NOOOO!!" I screamed. "DONNA!"

The man in the carriage came rushing outside to the scene. He grabbed me by the arm and pulled me away.

"Let go of me! No! Save her!" I screamed at them. "Save Donna! Please!"

My heart pounded loudly from my chest. The man grabbed me by the shoulder and forced me to look at him. Midnight bluish-black hair, deep indigo eyes, and a very mature facial feature. He was beautiful.

"Her body's already growing cold," he said. "There's nothing we can do. I'm sorry."

"Don't give me that crap!" I yelled at him.

Whitish yellow light circled my hands as I pushed the man away again. He went quite a distance, but that wasn't my main concern.

I ran back over to Donna and kneeled beside her. My hands were still glowing. Is this the power of a Saintess? What do I even do with this?

I put both hands on Donna's chest while the light was still going. The wound was being plugged by the arrows, but the arrows were pulling themselves out of her chest and falling onto the ground. I expected blood to start pouring out, but nothing.

The light faded. Donna still lay there on the cold ground. When I scooped her up in my lap, however, her body was warm. My body shuttered.

"Oh…" I breathed. "Thank goodness."

Tears were falling on Donna's torso as I pulled her closer into a tight hug. She was unconscious but breathing.

The man, whom other men were calling his grace, slowly walked up to me and Donna, kneeling down to my level.

"Now that I had a proper look at your face," he began. "I'm now realizing your identity. My apologies for scaring you, my liege."

The other men jumped at the word 'liege' and quickly bowed in respect. I had no time for this. Donna may no longer be dying, but she's going to develop hypothermia in this cold. I waved for them all to stand.

"Rise, I don't need formalities right now," I spat. "I need a bed so my maid can lay her head."

"Yes, my liege," the man said. "I have extra room in my carriage if you would like to hitch a ride. Unfortunately, we aren't anywhere in the direction of the palace, and it's dark out. I can provide lodging for the both of you."

"It can't be helped now, can it?" I sighed. "Thank you for having me."

One of the men asked if they could carry Donna to the carriage. I denied. I don't trust anyone at the moment. Not even the man offered to provide a place to stay for the night.

He even offered to help me into the carriage. Denied.

We were now on our way to his estate. It was obvious that he was a noble. I'm not sure if he was one of the nobles who ousted Fantasia from her position years ago. It's a big risk being near him in general.

Donna's head was lying on my lap. She still wouldn't wake up. I gently ran my fingers through her hair and pushed the hair away from her eyes.

The nobleman had his arms and legs crossed. His eyes were closed, but I could tell he wasn't sleeping. He seemed more deep in thought.

"Thank you again," I said, finally breaking the silence.

"Don't mention it," he replied.

Well, someone's not adhering to etiquette.

It was fine, though. Donna says I should adhere to etiquette in and out of the palace. It was quite the crash course, but I was able to pick it up quickly. It was just a lot of beating around the bush. Not my cup of tea.

"Is there a reason why you weren't in a royal carriage, my liege?" He abruptly asked.

"I can't just give information to someone whom I don't even know their name," I answered.

"I'm surprised that you don't know anything about me."

"Believe it or not, I've only been in the palace and nowhere else."

"That doesn't explain why you have no knowledge of the main noble households in power. Doesn't the palace have a large collection of books in their library?"

"Indeed, they do. That doesn't mean I'm in the library."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to start."

I'm smiling at him, but my blood pressure is rising. If it weren't for Donna on my lap, I would've smacked him upside the head.

Patience, Diana. Happy thoughts.

"Damien Wolfgang Silvercrest," he finally answered. "Of the Silvercrest Dukedom."

I raised an eyebrow, “Never heard of you.”

“I didn’t expect you to.”

Wow, he has a comeback for everything, doesn’t he? He reminds me of those smart-ass customers who get under your skin on purpose just to get a reaction out of you. The difference is that they paid me to sleep with them. This guy is just doing it because he can.

“You let your guard down too early,” Damien said. “It’ll get you killed.”

“Thank you for the heads up,” I mocked. “I’ll be sure to keep my guard up around you.”

“Oh? Just me?”

“Yes, your men don’t seem like the type to get a rise out of their guests.”

“My apologies, I didn’t know telling the truth would make you angry.”

“Angry? Me? Of course not.”

“Good, I’m glad we can clear up the misunderstanding.”

Damien gave a sly smile and turned from my direction towards the window. I’m internally screaming in my head for the rest of the trip.