Chapter 195: The Hot Spring Village
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 195: The Hot Spring Village
I’m sick of it.
Ten years ago, while wandering the slums and begging for scraps, I met a certain priest.
– "Is this child the product of that unholy union?"
He was an inspector priest who had come to verify rumors that a priest who had fled after committing a sin had fathered a child with a follower.
Upon realizing that Constine possessed holy power, the inspector took her to the Grand Temple.
– "I brought her because I thought she might meet the conditions for the child Your Holiness is seeking."
"Lavender hair. It would be difficult to find a more suitable child than this."
The High Priest himself bestowed the name Constine upon her.
– "Do you have any siblings?"
– "I don't know."
– "If anyone asks from now on, tell them you were the third-born."
Before long, the Grand Temple grandly proclaimed to the entire Empire that they had found the true Saintess.
And so, the girl who had been a mere beggar in the slums usurped the position of the Saintess.
She knew better than anyone else that she was not the real Saintess.
However, Constine played her part to perfection at every moment.
At first, it was simply to stay alive, but as she grew, her greed to meet people's expectations intensified.
"Saintess! Please, bestow a blessing upon our daughter as well!"
"For insignificant people like us, the Saintess is our only hope!"
Living in constant fear of when the true Saintess might appear, Constine lived more purely and devoutly than anyone.
But in the end, I’m just a fraud wearing the mask of a Saintess.
Whenever she had to manifest holy power, she put on a performance using the power gathered by the High Priest and other priests, but even that was reaching its limit.
As the Saintess's influence began to wane over time, the High Priest started showing signs of impatience.
– "On your way to the North, stop at every major fief and bestow blessings upon the people. That is the only way the Saintess's pilgrimage will be properly known to the citizens of the Empire."
The High Priest didn't even permit the use of the Gates.
His instructions were to head North as loudly and conspicuously as possible.
"How annoying," Constine muttered to herself.
Do this, do that.
Do they still think I’m that child from the slums who does whatever they’re told?
She was utterly fed up with playing the puppet.
Should I just marry Duke Kyle?
If she escaped the clutches of the Grand Temple, could she live a free life?
A self-mocking smile spread across her lips.
The Grand Temple and the Saintess were clearly on the same side.
Even if she wanted to leave now, there was no way the High Priest would let her go.
If it were revealed that she was a fake, both the High Priest and Constine would be finished.
Duke Kyle supposedly liked her, but she couldn't tell if he wanted Constine herself or if he simply wanted to possess the Saintess.
Even if he did want Constine, what would that matter?
Everything he saw was a lie anyway.
As she clutched her throbbing head, the carriage came to a halt.
When Constine showed no reaction even after the carriage door opened, a priest cleared his throat.
"What is it?"
"It seems the people heard rumors of your arrival, Saintess. They are out on the road, wishing to pay their respects."
Every single village we pass is like this.
Constine swallowed a sigh.
Regardless, now was the time to faithfully perform her role as the Saintess.
Constine finally stepped out of the carriage.
"The Saintess has come out!"
"We greet the noble Saintess!"
A long line of people stood with expectant faces, hoping to receive even a single blessing from the Saintess.
I’m taking the Gate at the next fief.
No matter how much the High Priest threw a fit, she had reached her limit.
"May the Goddess's blessing be with you."
Constine forced the corners of her mouth up into a smile.
*
"Your Highness, are you not overexerting yourself?"
Perel looked at me with a worried gaze.
"You must be busy enough as it is, what with hosting guests..."
"It's fine. The ladies went to see the opera again today."
We were on our way to Porcelain Village to inspect the castle that was being converted into a hotel.
With the success of the opera, the number of tourists pouring in from Rondoris was steadily increasing, so I couldn't afford to be idle.
Fortunately, Elian and the Countess were completely obsessed with the opera.
Cecilia is with them, so it should be fine.
When I saw Cecilia briefly today, she looked like she had lost some weight.
– "Cecilia, are the Countess's etiquette lessons very difficult?"
– "Don't worry! I will surely overcome this trial and remain by Your Highness's side! I will be reborn as a truly perfect lady's maid, so you must never, ever replace me, okay?"
In response to my question about whether she was okay, the maid had offered a strangely solemn vow.
Seeing her point a finger at Norton, who was snickering beside her, it seemed she still had a long way to go...
Looking outside, a large castle soon came into view.
"We're already here? The Gates really are wonderful."
Why did we only just install something this great?
The five Gates installed in Blenheim were working perfectly.
I remembered it taking well over half a day just to get to Sablang Village, where the Pogen Temple was located.
This time, it took less than half an hour to reach Porcelain, the village right next to it.
It was just as I was stepping out of the carriage with Norton's escort.
"Her Highness the Consort has arrived!"
"Everyone, stop working!"
Workers who had been busy here and there flocked toward us.
Perhaps because of the tents and barracks lined up around the castle, the village looked larger than I had expected.
"You're all working very hard."
It was while I was receiving greetings from the people who looked at the Grand Duchess with curiosity.
"Oh? You are...?"
There stood the elder of Sablang Village, the one who had guided me at the Pogen Temple and acted like a fanatic.
"To think you would remember me...!"
The elder's eyes sparkled with deep emotion.
"Why is the elder of Sablang here?"
Perel answered in his stead.
"We have quite a few workers brought in from Sablang because we were short-handed."
I had heard that they struggled to pull workers from all over because they were trying to complete the repairs in a short period.
"Thanks to the grace Your Highness bestowed upon us, you have no idea how much better our village has become to live in!"
As the elder shouted boastfully, the workers who had come over from Sablang each added a word of their own.
"Thanks to the Snow Wine, the village has grown three times its size!"
"Life has become so much better!"
"And to think you even built a Gate nearby! Now the children can even attend school!"
I had been happy to receive reports that the standard of living in the surrounding villages had improved significantly thanks to the Snow Wine.
Once the hotel was established, life in Porcelain would become even better.
The faces of the villagers, who said they worked without feeling tired at the thought of the crowds that would come, were full of anticipation.
Perhaps thanks to that spirit, the castle was being transformed into a surprisingly magnificent hotel.
When I first saw it, it looked like nothing but a ruin.
"The interior is also nearing completion."
Evan, the head of the merchant guild in charge of the interior decoration of the guest rooms, guided me through the rooms with a bit of nervousness.
Just as I had requested, the furniture was arranged in a way that was both luxurious and clean.
"Excellent. It was worth entrusting this to Evan."
At those words, the young merchant guild leader gave an embarrassed smile.
Even though a mountain of orders had flooded in as soon as the Snow Wine business started, Evan had handled them systematically without panicking.
Evan also deserved a lot of credit for how quickly Sablang Village had regained its stability.
That's why my trust in Evan has skyrocketed.
Entrusting him with the task of filling the hotel's interior was also an excellent choice.
Evan and his staff had managed to source high-quality furniture properly in a short amount of time.
To lose such talented employees—the head of that Iris Trading Company or whatever was beyond pathetic; it was almost pitiable.
Well, it worked out well for me.
Finally, I headed to the bathroom, which I was most curious about.
A large bathtub crafted from white marble and gold was boasting its presence.
"It wasn't easy to source marble bathtubs all at once, so we are moving as quickly as possible."
"Yes. Even if it takes time, make sure to fill them with tubs at least this size."
"Shall we turn on the water?"
When I nodded, the administrator in charge of the hotel turned on the water himself.
Along with milky white steam, hot spring water began to flow out.
"A hotel where hot spring water comes out in every room—it's going to be a huge sensation."
Evan beamed, saying that many nobles were already hearing rumors and asking about it.
I found out later, but the hot spring behind the Pogen Temple was just one of many in the Pogen Mountains.
– "Your Highness, there seems to be an issue where hot spring water comes out when the taps are turned on in some rooms, so repairs will be necessary."
– "Hot spring water comes out in the rooms?"
At first, I was flustered by the news that hot spring water was leaking in.
But deciding to properly pipe the water in so that guests could enjoy hot springs in every room was a great decision, even if I did say so myself.
Once the hotel is finished, I should come and stay here with Loik.
The administrators were now so quick on the uptake that I didn't even need to take care of the small details.
It was when I left the castle with a proud heart.
The residents of Porcelain Village were waiting for me, each holding a bottle of various sizes.
One woman, who had gathered her courage, stepped closer to me.
"Your Highness, please, try a taste of this!"
"What is this?"
When the woman opened the lid of the bottle, the sweet scent of alcohol wafted out.
"It's cherry wine that has been made in our family for generations."
"Cherry wine?"
"It's a fruit wine made by preserving crushed cherries in sugar."
"Is that so? Shall I have a taste?"
Just as the woman's face brightened and she hurriedly began to pour the cherry wine into a glass...
"Your Highness, I believe it would be best if you did not drink that."
Norton, standing close by, leaned in slightly and spoke in a voice only I could hear.