Chapter 197: A Secret Promise
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 197: A Secret Promise
The workers who had chased after them raised their voices.
"A child is hurt!"
"Quick! Get some medicine! He’s been badly burned!"
Seeing the crowd gathered in front of the castle, a worker rushed over and laid the child down on a table.
"Waaaaah!"
The child wailed in agony.
Several people scrambled away, likely to fetch a doctor.
"What happened?"
As I approached, the gathered crowd parted to let me through.
"Your Highness! Please, save my child!"
The worker cried out, his face ashen with terror.
"We were working on the hot springs, and then...!"
It seemed the worker who brought the child had looked away for a moment while connecting the drainage pipes. The workers standing behind him hurriedly added a few words, explaining that the child had been playing and tampered with a pipe, causing a burst of scalding hot spring water.
The tender skin of the young child was severely scalded.
The boy shrieked, his cries bordering on convulsions from the pain.
The alcohol-induced fog in my head cleared instantly.
"Is there no doctor in this village?"
"Someone has already left to fetch the doctor from the neighboring village!"
"But he makes house calls so often, we don't know if he'll even be there...!"
"Sir Norton, clear everyone out except for the father."
Recognizing what I was planning, Norton looked flustered.
"But Your Highness, in a place like this..."
Norton turned to the knights and shouted, "Shield the table! Block their view!"
The quick-witted knights promptly dispersed the villagers and formed a tight circle around the table, cutting off all lines of sight.
The child’s father looked around at the knights, appearing terrified.
"It hurts a lot, doesn't it? Just bear with it for a little longer."
I stepped closer to the child.
As I reached out my hand, a faint cluster of white light immediately began to form.
I carefully placed my hand near his badly injured arm, and the light seeped into the wound as if being absorbed.
The child’s arm, where the skin had been raw and angry red, began to heal bit by bit until the injury vanished without a trace.
The child, who had been screaming until his voice went hoarse, stopped crying and looked around with a dazed, confused expression.
The father stood frozen, blinking in disbelief.
One of the knights standing like a wall to block the view quietly crossed himself.
Even Norton, who had seen the light once before, had eyes that wavered with intense emotion.
"So... so easily...!"
Perel muttered, his face etched with shock.
I’m amazed myself, so I can only imagine how they feel.
Seeing them all look at me with such reverence did make me feel a little proud.
"...T-This ignorant sinner greets the Saintess."
The worker, who had been staring blankly, took off his hat with trembling hands and fell to his knees.
"Please, stand up."
I hurriedly tried to stop him.
"As you can see, the fact that I possess holy power is a secret."
"No wonder... so that's why...!"
Only then did he seem to understand why I was still known as the fake Saintess.
"I would appreciate it if you kept the fact that I healed the child a secret as well."
"Even with such circumstances, you stepped forward for my child..."
The worker nodded vigorously.
"I will keep my mouth shut until the day I die!"
"Yes, thank you."
Eventually, the worker stood up, supported by a knight as if being hauled up, and cried out in a choked voice.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Your Highness!"
Even if the father kept quiet, people would find it strange if a child who was supposedly burned suddenly turned out perfectly fine.
"We will handle the cover-up on our end."
After consulting with Perel to resolve the issue, Norton called the worker over.
"Come here for a moment."
While the tense worker was being instructed by Norton, I approached the child.
"Hello there. What’s your name?"
"...Robbie."
Though shy, the child couldn't hide his curiosity as he looked at me. Perhaps because of his light brown hair, his face somehow reminded me of Raphael. His small, pale face was covered in dried tear tracks.
I obtained a towel soaked in water and began to wipe the child's face.
The boy carefully grabbed the hem of my dress and spoke.
"It doesn't hurt anymore."
It seemed his vocabulary was still too limited to say "thank you for healing me." Watching his little mouth move was adorable.
"Yes, I'm glad."
"The Saintess made it stop hurting."
"I'm not the Saintess; I'm the Grand Duchess."
The child blinked at my words and nodded, though he looked somewhat unconvinced.
Ultimately, feeling a prickle of guilt, I leaned in and whispered softly into his ear.
"Actually, I am the Saintess. But you mustn't let anyone else find out."
"Is it a secret?" Robbie asked, holding his breath.
"Yes. It’s a very important secret, so you’ll keep it for me, right, Robbie?"
"I'll never tell."
I put my index finger to my lips and said, "Shh," and Robbie mimicked me with his tiny, fern-like hand.
"Is it a promise?"
I held out my pinky, and Robbie hooked his finger firmly around mine.
"Promise!"
"Thank you, Robbie."
I gently stroked the head of the cute boy, who now wore a solemn expression.
It would be too much to give any more warnings to a child who was just injured.
In the end, I could only hope that Robbie would keep the secret well.
The worker wrapped Robbie in a blanket and headed back. To avoid suspicion regarding the sudden recovery, they reportedly had the child examined by the doctor who arrived late to the village.
"We managed to deceive them for the most part, but it seemed the workers from Sablang Village already knew."
Since the residents of Sablang already knew I was the Saintess.
"Still, everyone is keeping the secret remarkably well."
"It is likely due to their extraordinary faith."
Once the situation had settled down, the intoxication finally began to hit me in waves.
"I think I drank too much."
Norton’s expression immediately turned concerned.
"I will escort you back to the castle at once."
"Sir Norton, you’re not worried about me; you’re worried about my drinking habits, aren't you?"
"..."
"See? Your response was a beat late again."
I wanted to ease Norton’s worries, but I failed to get into the carriage immediately.
"I think I'll feel sick if I ride it right now."
I just wanted to lie down somewhere for a moment.
"If it's a place for Her Highness to rest...!"
Evan reacted quickly to my murmur and began scanning the surroundings.
"Would you like to come to our home?"
One of the ladies who had been helping clear the glasses chimed in tentatively. She pointed toward a small, cozy-looking house nearby.
*
Loik irritably crumpled the letter in his hand.
It was a letter sent directly from the High Priest in his own name. It stated that the Saintess had departed on a pilgrimage of blessing to Pogen Temple, and requested that he ensure her stay was comfortable.
"Where is the Saintess now?"
"I am told she arrived in Eonveld today."
Since Perel, the chief aide, had followed Annette, a poor subordinate aide had to deal with the Grand Duke directly. He answered with a nervous face.
"She is moving much faster than scheduled."
The Saintess, who they thought would cross the Empire by carriage, had taken a Gate and crossed over to the neighboring territory of Eonveld in one breath. Using a Gate during a pilgrimage?
How very like a fake Saintess.
"At this rate, she will likely arrive at the Second Wall by tomorrow."
"Does she think the Grand Duke's Castle is some village inn?"
It seemed just about anyone thought they could barge in these days.
However, it was difficult to openly ignore a letter from the High Priest. Despite the friction between the High Priest and the Empress, the Grand Temple still held significant symbolic power within the Empire. Above all, he could not give the Grand Temple any excuse to interfere with Blenheim in the future.
Loik let out a sigh laced with anger.
How dare a mere fake Saintess set foot here?
Because of her, the victim, Annette, had to live while hiding the fact that she was the real Saintess.
The High Priest’s intentions were transparent, given that the destination was Pogen Temple. Since Priest Venemus had entered eternal rest, not a single proper administrator, let alone a successor, had been sent to Pogen Temple. It was so neglected that Miel, a low-ranking priest, had been acting as a mere gatekeeper.
Furthermore, the letter included a request to support the priest currently at Pogen Temple.
It’s been ages since that priest moved his residence to the Grand Duke’s Castle.
It was clear how little the Grand Temple cared about the North. Sending the Saintess to the North now was undoubtedly a move to keep Annette in check.
They must be terrified that the Empress will pull Annette to her side.
Annette would surely find it difficult if she knew the Saintess was coming.
Should I just blockade the territory so she can't enter?
But he couldn't lock the gates when Annette had worked so hard to attract tourists.
Regardless, the High Priest’s reason for sending the Saintess was clear. He wanted to stand Annette next to the "real Saintess" they had manufactured and humiliate her. When the Saintess appeared, the people of the territory would naturally be reminded of Annette, who had been branded a fake.
And yet, he couldn't reveal the truth that Annette was the real Saintess either.
This is becoming a headache.
Moreover, there were quite a few priests following the Saintess. If Annette were to encounter them, there was a high probability that one of them would notice she possessed holy power.
"Has the Consort not departed yet?"
Only after asking did Loik realize he had asked the aide the same question three times already.
Swallowing hard, the aide hurriedly left the office, saying he would check once more.
I miss her. I haven't seen her all day...
He was feeling gloomy all by himself when the aide returned a moment later, unable to hide his awkwardness.
"Your Grace, it seems Her Highness the Consort will not be able to return to the castle today."