Chapter 25
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 25
Chapter Title: Taming the Tomboy Saintess Candidate
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"H-How dare you... do this to me right now..."
"Shut your mouth."
"Eek!"
As Robertus leaned his face in close, Aselina tried to pull back as far as she could.
But there was a bookshelf behind her and Robertus in front.
Trapped on both sides, all she could do was barely twist her head away to avoid his gaze.
His actions right now were utterly rude beyond belief. And Aselina knew that full well.
'W-What kind of man is this terrifying...!'
His massive frame towered at least two heads taller than her.
Robertus's gaze, sharp like a wolf's.
The overwhelming pressure from the Duke of the North completely crushed her spirit.
But the real reason she couldn't muster even a proper protest against him wasn't just that.
'He's too close, way too close...!'
Aselina, who had never even held a man's hand from outside her family, let alone dated.
For someone like her, with his face so close she could feel his breath, her mind went completely blank in this situation.
Thump, thump.
Unaware why her heart was pounding like mad, she cracked her eyes open just a sliver to check on Robertus,
"Look me in the eye."
"Eeeek!"
She locked eyes with him straight on and freaked out, quickly averting her gaze again.
"Do you understand? I'm going to teach you everything from start to finish. How a Saintess candidate should appeal to the voters, what makes a proper leader, the etiquette required in high society... All the virtues you'll need to become the Saintess, without missing a single one."
"Even if you say that so suddenly..."
"Didn't you beg me first to be your teacher? That's why I'm granting your request now. You should be happy."
"O-Okay, just please keep your distance..."
"Answer me!"
"A-Alright! I get it! Do whatever you want as my teacher or whatever! Just back off a little, please!"
"..."
As if the aggressive momentum from moments ago had been a lie, Robertus pulled away from Aselina as soon as she answered.
"Hoo, hoo..."
"...Good. With this, our deal is sealed."
"Y-You, how dare you..."
"Training starts tomorrow. Be back here at 8 a.m. sharp."
And without giving her a chance to protest, Robertus vanished just as suddenly as he'd arrived.
As soon as he left and the door to the Knight Order commander's office clicked shut,
Slide...
Aselina slid down against the bookshelf and collapsed completely onto the floor.
"...What in the world just happened...?"
She still couldn't grasp the reality of it.
Robertus had shown up out of nowhere, asked for her help, and offered to become her supporter in return.
Her joy at having him on her side lasted only a moment before he suddenly insisted on training her, cornered her, and forced an answer out of her.
Aselina finally began piecing together what had happened, bit by bit.
"T-That rude... How dare he, the commander of the Rose Knight Order, to me...!"
Belated fury erupted from her.
By any common sense, what Robertus had just done warranted throwing him in prison for blasphemy on the spot.
"Typical barbaric behavior from the head of the northerners! Beast! Savage!"
That's why she unleashed a torrent of insults at Robertus.
But her true feelings were somewhere else entirely.
There was no real venom in her criticisms of him.
She felt that disconnect herself.
A strange sensation where reason and her heart seemed to be playing apart.
Her mouth kept trash-talking Robertus vigorously,
But even now, after he'd left, her heart was still racing wildly.
"..."
Realizing her face was flushed red, Aselina covered it with both hands.
And as her vision went dark naturally,
Against the darkness inside her eyelids, Robertus's face—seen up close with her own eyes just moments ago—rose vividly once more.
Silver eyes sparkling in contrast to his deep black hair.
The faint dark circles under those eyes.
A nose bridge high and noble as the northern mountains.
Pale lips, ghostly skin.
Borrowing the phrase floating around high society lately, a cold beauty like the 'incarnation of decadence.'
-Honestly, looks-wise, he's my type...
"-Eep!"
Aselina jolted and snapped her eyes open.
"What kind of thought was that...?"
Now, she was more shocked by her own reaction to him than his sudden behavior.
She should be flustered, angry—but for some reason, she wasn't as mad as she thought she'd be...
Hugging her chest unconsciously amid the whirlwind of emotions,
"...What the heck is with that guy?"
She finally couldn't hold it in and blurted it out.
He strode quickly out of the commander's office, receiving salutes from the soldiers as he passed through the Rose Knight Order's main gate.
Only after putting enough distance that the building was out of sight,
"-Haaaaah..."
did he let out the breath he'd been holding in tension.
"In the end... it worked out, right?"
To secure Aselina's support, he was in a position where he should've bowed his head and begged.
But if he had, he'd be dragged around by her until the Assembly ended—and even after, if she became Saintess.
So from the moment he entered the office, he'd been watching for an opening to seize control, and when the moment came, he pounced.
And yet...
"...I might've put a bit too much emotion into it."
He'd struggled to avoid getting tangled up, but ended up allied with Aselina anyway—his frustration at that, mixed with the responsibility of turning this fool of a Saintess candidate into the real deal,
had made him corner her more harshly than intended.
Objectively speaking, his words and actions toward her were rude enough that she could demand a duel for 'insulting' her right then.
"Still, thanks to Aselina being more flustered than expected, I snuck in her agreement and got away with it. So, it worked."
Maybe she was the type who only knew how to bully others and was weak when the tables turned.
"Anyway, good. Time to get to work starting tomorrow."
He had two tasks for tomorrow.
First, obviously, starting Aselina's training.
"Gotta draw up a curriculum."
A curriculum to mold that Aselina into a perfect Saintess.
The next day, 8 a.m.
As promised, he returned to the Rose Knight Order's commander's office.
He and Aselina sat facing each other across the desk. And...
"...Who's that person standing behind you, Duke Bilheim?"
"Allow me to introduce myself once more, Lady Aselina. I am Eline Tramachi, daughter of Viscount Tramachi, serving as the personal maid to Robertus Bilheim, current head of the Bilheim Family."
Eline gracefully lifted the hem of her long skirt and curtsied to Aselina.
"Lord Robertus, why is she here?"
"For now, just say I brought her because I needed her."
"Hmmm..."
Eline's etiquette was impeccable, yet Aselina eyed her with clear displeasure.
"...Lord Robertus's maid, you say?"
"Yes. Due to the family affairs not being fully settled before and after the lord's ascension, I've unfortunately had to continue my duties as his personal maid even after the succession rite."
"Hmmmm..."
Her voice dripped with inexplicable pettiness.
Why was she acting like that all of a sudden?
"Anyway, fine. So, Lord Robertus, you're going to 'train' me?"
"That's right."
"Why should I accept your training?"
So, sheer momentum wasn't enough after all.
"Coldly speaking, it doesn't make sense. Setting aside whether you even have the right, what's supposedly wrong with me?"
"..."
Did she really not know her own flaws, or was she playing dumb...?
"...After leaving yesterday, I looked into you a bit."
"Oh? Me?"
"Yes. Especially your recent activities in high society."
"Hmmm. Must've had nothing better to do than dig into other people's business..."
"Archbishop Jerta."
"...!"
He could see her flinch.
"You remember what happened with him, right?"
"..."
"Two weeks ago, you had tea with him. Obviously to gain his support. Archbishop Jerta, the devout scholar who's dedicated his life to the faith. Securing someone as revered as him by the faithful would've given you an edge over Loretta among the central churchgoers, unlike the peripheral nobles where you're behind."
"...And?"
"But the tea party ended abruptly midway. I don't know the exact reason, but something in your words or actions must've rubbed him the wrong way. And three days later, he publicly declared support for Loretta."
"..."
Aselina bit her lower lip hard.
"And it's not just that incident, right? Every time you personally meet nobles or priests to ask for support, they act friendly on the spot, but later don't publicly back you."
She avoided his eyes.
"Shall I go on? You've probably overheard your so-called supporters trash-talking you behind your back more than once, despite all their flattery to your face."
"H-How do you know that?"
Obvious. If she acted toward others like she did to him, gossip was inevitable.
"Don't you get the feeling that people around you subtly look down on you? Society gossips shower Loretta with praise but slam you for not even knowing basic manners?"
"..."
Aselina looked confused.
Unsure whether to be offended or just baffled at how he knew.
Truthfully, if you knew what kind of person she was, this hypothesis wasn't hard to form.
It was natural for rudeness to breed negative reactions.
"...Hmph. W-Well, you did some homework. Not everything, but you got some of it right. So?"
"I can turn that negative public opinion around."
"! Really...? Ahem. W-Well, who knows."
Aselina coughed hastily and changed the subject.
Her reaction suggested she was aware of the vibes from others.
"So you're saying I should accept your 'training'?"
"Yes. Why did Archbishop Jerta take offense? Why don't nobles and priests like you? Why are your supporters dissatisfied?"
She tried to play it cool, but her wavering eyes showed she was coming around.
"I have those answers for you. And of course, how to win them over."
"..."
Aselina deep in thought. Almost there.
"One more thing. While you're training, I'll clean up your faction and hand it to you. Plus consulting on the PR war. In place of Duke Ferris."
"...Hmm."
Now, the clincher.
He leaned forward over the desk toward her.
"-I can make you the Saintess, Aselina."
"..."
"-Of course, all these benefits come on the condition that you act as guarantor in my negotiations with Count Pelkites over the debt."
He sat back in his chair and added.
"...Give me a moment to think."
She said that, but he already knew her answer.
Current polls had Aselina slightly behind Loretta.
For Aselina, desperate to become Saintess, rejecting an all-out push from the 'Black Viper'—who'd dramatically crushed high society's heavyweight Duke Ferris...
Ah, hated that nickname.
Anyway, the Duke of the North offering more than mere endorsement? No way she'd turn it down.
"...Fine. I'll give this training a shot."
A moment later, as expected, Aselina accepted.
"But first, one condition. If you use 'reorganizing my group' as an excuse to manipulate me like Duke Ferris tried..."
"No such plans."
"Hmph. Good. I'll be watching you closely anyway."
Finally smiling in satisfaction, Aselina extended her hand.
And he finally clasped it.
"Looking forward to working with you, Lord Robertus."
"Same here, Aselina Radain."
"So, shall we start the training right away?"
"Yeah. But first, one thing. Eline."
He took a sheet of paper from Eline.
"What's that?"
"A pledge. A written contract spelling out the terms I just offered."
He signed the bottom and handed it to her.
"No real legal power, of course... But putting it in writing should help us both stick to the 'deal.' Go ahead, read it and sign."
"Pretty cautious for a northerner."
"Think of it as a ritual."
Aselina smirked, took the document,
skimmed it quickly, and started signing.
"Not reading it closely?"
"I skimmed the gist. No legal clauses, just a formal pledge. So, sign and done."
"...Right."
He took it back, confirmed her signature.
"Then let's begin training. Lesson one: Never sign any document without reading it thoroughly."
"Pardon?"
Flash—
In that instant, the contract blazed with intense light.
"Wait..!"
The light split in two and flew toward Aselina.
It transformed into golden chokers that fastened around both their necks.
"W-What is this? Take it off right now!"
"Sadly, I can't either."
"What are you talking about?! Stop joking...!"
"Not a joke. The contract is sealed in the name of the gods..."
He waved the contract in her face for emphasis.
"Until the Saintess selection ends, you must submit to my training, Aselina Radain."