Chapter 74

Edelis wanted to meet with the Saintess immediately.

‘It’s not strange that the Saintess knows about the book. But why did she try to get it?’

If she had simply wanted to see it, it could have been handled through diplomatic channels. Of course, the Empress had refused her private request to see it, and she would likely have refused a diplomatic one as well. But still, to use a drastic method like kidnapping? Why go to such lengths to take the book when she wouldn’t even be able to see it?

‘…Unless she can read the book?’

If that was the case, just borrowing it for a short time wouldn’t be enough. Even if time stopped while the video played, she would still need time to find the place where the light burst from the book, read it, and confirm its contents. But the fact that no one around her had been able to read it so far bothered her.

‘Can she read it because she’s a Saintess? But I’m not a Saintess, and I read it. Or can a Saintess see everything? What is it?’

No matter how much she thought about it alone, she wouldn’t get an answer. She had to ask the Saintess. With that thought, she bolted up from her seat.

“Edelis?”

“Huh?”

She had completely forgotten that Lehan was sitting in front of her.

“I had a feeling the conversation wasn’t flowing.”

“S-sorry.”

Lehan playfully chided her with a hint of disappointment, but he quickly smiled and gave in to Edelis. He had no intention of scolding her, and as he had told her before, he was wrapped around her finger, so there was nothing he could do.

“Are you preoccupied with the Saintess?”

“…Yes, sorry.”

“Is there anything you want?”

She didn’t understand what Lehan’s question meant. There were many things she wanted. The most prominent one being a happy future. Before, she was just focused on surviving, but now she wanted to live happily.

‘But why is he asking that out of the blue when we’re talking about the Saintess?’

She stared at him, confused, and Lehan chuckled, offering a friendly example.

“We can execute her in front of everyone, or we can torment her until your anger subsides.”

“What?!”

“Ah, public execution might be a bit difficult. It could become a rallying point for her followers.”

“That’s true, but why are you suddenly talking about…”

Edelis hadn’t really thought that deeply about the Saintess. She suspected she had a hand in the Empress’s death in the book, but it was just a guess. Of course, she had no intention of letting her off the hook for trying to kidnap and kill her, but a public execution?

“She kidnapped you, didn’t she?”

“But we don’t have any evidence. We only have suspicions, not concrete proof.”

“You sometimes tend to forget who you are. The mere suspicion of kidnapping is enough.”

“Why?”

“You’re the Empress, aren’t you? We can create evidence and testimonies.”

“…You can’t do that.”

“The same goes for kidnapping you.”

“That’s true.”

Edelis had thought that since she had personally confirmed Berman Pasis was the culprit, he would be executed, and the Saintess, lacking clear evidence, would simply be sent back to the Holy Empire. But to say that they could just create evidence if there was none? It was a shocking way of thinking. She briefly wondered if the Empress in the book had been killed by the Emperor in the same way, but she quickly dismissed the thought. The events in the book were just that—in the book—and were completely different from the present.

“First, I want to get my book back.”

“Understood.”

“Is there a way?”

“We should at least try.”

How was he planning to find it? Edelis’s mind was filled with question marks.

“Is there anything else you want besides finding the book?”

“Hmm, I want to ask the Saintess why she kidnapped me.”

“Understood. Shall we go right now?”

“Should we?”

It was hard to wait any longer for something related to the book that had haunted her for nearly a decade. So, she immediately got up at Lehan’s suggestion, but even after she took a step, Lehan showed no sign of letting go of her hand.

“…Are you coming with me?”

“Yes.”

“Can’t I go alone?”

“…”

“Please? If you come with me, the Saintess might not answer me properly.”

“There’s a way to get a definite answer.”

Lehan said with a gentle smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. Edelis, sensing a dangerous undertone, spoke carefully.

“Is that a method that I can ask about?”

“Sometimes, it’s better not to know.”

“O-okay. I’ll try to have a peaceful conversation first.”

Was Lehan always like this? The atmosphere around him didn’t feel unfamiliar.

‘Where have I seen this before? It feels like a long time ago.’

From time to time, Lehan exuded an aura that was just like the Emperor from the book. The only difference was that Lehan was much more gentle with her than the Emperor was with the Saintess.

‘That’s right, when the Emperor killed the Empress. The Emperor had that kind of aura then.’

She was relieved that Lehan was on her side. But she also felt like she was missing something. Lehan’s voice reached her as she was struggling to remember what it was.

“Just in case, I’ll tell the guards outside to be on standby.”

“Guards?”

“One guard isn’t enough to put my mind at ease.”

“O-okay.”

Edelis didn’t say anything more, as she understood that he was worried about her.

“I’ll go to the office right after I’m done talking to the Saintess.”

“I will be waiting.”

Lehan kissed the back of Edelis’s hand that he was holding and let her go.

***

The small, remote palace, which had been empty until she was kidnapped, was now under heavy guard. The guards immediately figured out who Edelis was the moment they saw her. They had only seen her from a distance, but there was only one person in the palace who could lead ten knights.

“Your Majesty!”

“Thank you for your hard work. I’m just going in for a moment.”

“Yes! You can come out whenever you’re ready!”

“Thank you.”

As the tightly closed door opened and Edelis entered, she saw the Saintess sitting on a chair by the window, looking outside. It seemed she had been through a lot before she arrived, as she was stripped of all her jewelry and looked incredibly plain.

“I’ll go in alone.”

“Yes, if anything happens, just call, and we’ll come running immediately.”

“That’s reassuring.”

Edelis smiled, and the guard’s face turned bright red. And the Saintess, who had been glaring at him with displeasure, spoke as soon as the door closed.

“I wondered when you would come.”

“Pasis, and now you. Everyone’s getting short with me.”

“And who are you to talk?”

The Saintess laughed mockingly. But since it was the Saintess who had leg irons on, it felt even more bizarre.

“I’m the Empress of the Cronad Empire.”

“Exactly. Why are you still the Empress?”

“…Still? What do you mean by that?”

“You know.”

Edelis’s eyes trembled at the Saintess’s words, which sounded like a sigh. ‘Still’ meant she wasn’t supposed to be the Empress. Edelis’s voice trembled, as if her suspicion was true.

“Because… I’m already dead?”

In truth, Edelis hadn’t grasped the entire content of the book. Many parts were missing. But what she knew for certain was that the Empress was going to die, and at a very young age. Thinking back to the video, the Empress’s appearance at the time of her death was not so different from Edelis’s current appearance.

“…”

The Saintess didn’t answer Edelis’s question, but just smiled with her lips curled up. She didn’t give a clear yes or no, but for Edelis, that was enough of an answer. And when she remembered the Saintess’s intention behind the question, goosebumps ran up her spine at the smile.

‘How can she smile like that while asking why I’m not dead yet?’

“Where is the book?”

“I don’t know? You shouldn’t be asking me that.”

“Can you see the book?”

“Only the owner of the book can read it.”

“So, can you read the book?!”

“The owner of the book would be able to read it.”

The Saintess’s answers were off-topic. As a result, Edelis got nothing.

“Where did you get the book?”

“You don’t seem to understand the situation properly. Is there a reason why I should answer?”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand the situation, not me. I’m the only one who can answer your questions, aren’t I? So, shouldn’t you answer mine?”

That’s right, for now, only the Saintess seemed to have the answers to the questions about the book. So, in order to get information about the book, she would have to answer first.

“That’s true.”

When Edelis readily admitted it, the Saintess smiled leisurely. It was a winner’s smile. The same smile she had when Edelis was being dragged away, a smile on the face of the Saintess who was in the Emperor’s arms.

‘But.’

It would be true if she wanted to get an answer to her questions. But the tables had already turned, and a completely different reality from the book was unfolding.

“Alright, where did you get the book? There’s no way you could have gotten it…”

“You’re the one who doesn’t understand the situation, Elaine Ryned.”

“What?”

“The reason I’m asking about the book is because it had a big impact on my life. But so what?”

It was true that it had a big impact on her life. If it weren’t for the book, she wouldn’t have lived in fear for nearly a decade. She wouldn’t have gone to the colosseum, which she had no interest in, just to meet Lehan.

“Then you should answer my question!”

“No, Elaine Ryned.”

The Saintess was visibly displeased at being called by her name instead of ‘Saintess.’ But Edelis had no intention of treating her as such. No other Saintess who had appeared in the Empire would have ever directly or indirectly tried to kill someone with ill will.

“The moment you asked about the book, you as good as admitted you were the client. A normal person would be claiming their innocence.”

“Is that important right now?”

“It is to me. I don’t know about you, who is confined in the palace, waiting for the Holy Empire to rescue you.”

The Saintess’s face twisted at Edelis’s sarcastic words.

“This is the situation you’re failing to grasp. In the end, you’re confined in the palace, and I’m the Empress of this country. And you are under suspicion of having commissioned the murder of the Empress.”

Edelis calmly explained the situation to the Saintess as if she were talking to a child. How much the current situation was against the Saintess and how much advantage Edelis had.

“…You fake!”

“I’ve been the Empress from the beginning. Lehan asked me to marry him, and I had a coronation as the Empress. So you can’t call me a fake, can you?”

“I don’t know what you did after you got the book, but the Empress’s position was never yours!”

“If it’s not my position, then whose is it? Should I ask Lehan?”

Are you going to put someone else in this position instead of me? Edelis spoke with confidence because she knew the answer.

“Alright, do you understand the situation now? In the book, I might have died at your hands, but in reality, that’s not the case at all.”

That’s the current situation. So, shouldn’t you be the one to answer my questions?