Chapter 227: Division of Roles
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 227: Division of Roles
“Scrape every last bit of that bowl clean, sir. I’m not starting the meeting until you’ve finished it all.”
Demich crossed his arms, his expression set with grim determination.
Left with no choice, Loik finally accepted the bowl of stew. The knights stood by, literally waiting until he had drained every drop.
After the meeting finally concluded and he returned to his bedroom, Loik stood in the center of the room, staring blankly for a long time. The bed before him looked excessively large and desolate.
He hadn't been able to summon the courage to lie in it the night before, spending the entire night wide awake on the sofa instead.
— “Commander, please get some sleep. You look terrible.”
He recalled Hedrick’s solemn advice as the knight left the office after the meeting. It was never a good sign when the knights started getting anxious about their leader’s condition.
Ultimately, Loik forced himself to lie down on the bed. He had received a brief report that Annette’s party had arrived in Marhen.
‘I wonder if Annette is asleep by now.’
Closing his eyes, he tried to imagine lying there with her, but it wasn't long before he sat back up. He knew exactly why he couldn't sleep.
The bed didn't smell like her.
‘That sweet scent from her skin... it’s gone.’
He should have told them not to change the linens.
Loik ran a hand through his hair irritably, then suddenly remembered something and bolted upright. He headed straight for Annette’s dressing room.
As he opened the wardrobe, a familiar sweetness wafted over him. He pulled out the dress she had worn most recently. The fabric felt soft and smooth against his skin. Finally, his racing heart began to steady.
Carrying the dress back to the bed, Loik lay down and buried his face in the fabric.
‘Annette would hate it if I wrinkled her dress.’
She would have nagged him if she saw this. The thought of her arching her eyebrows with that adorable expression brought a faint smile to his lips. At the very least, it seemed he might be able to catch a few hours of sleep tonight.
Loik closed his eyes, clutching the dress tightly.
*
I woke up to the rustle of the duvet.
Perhaps it was because I was only lightly asleep, but even the sound of my own tossing and turning seemed unusually loud.
‘And I’d finally managed to drift off.’
I tried to force myself back to sleep, but my mind only grew clearer. Was it because I’d grown so accustomed to sleeping in Loik’s arms? Lying alone in this vast bed, the emptiness felt utterly foreign.
‘I wonder what Loik is doing right now.’
Whenever I struggled to sleep, he would pat me gently. He would pepper my face with tiny kisses as if he couldn't contain his love for me, wrapping his long legs around mine and holding me so tightly I felt like I might break.
When he whispered "I love you" into my ear over and over in that low voice, as if he couldn't bear it any longer, I would always drift off in an instant.
To think I can't sleep without my husband... is this normal?
I pressed a hand to my forehead, feeling flustered. Until now, I’d thought I was the one who had perfectly tamed Loik. But perhaps I was the one who had been tamed instead.
Realizing sleep was a lost cause, I finally got out of bed.
“Your Highness! Why are you out at this hour?”
Greg, who was standing guard outside the room, asked in surprise. At first, his bandit-like appearance had been a bit intimidating, but he was a knight of the 9th Division I’d grown quite close to.
“I couldn't sleep, so I thought I’d take a walk.”
“You can’t go out dressed so thinly.” Greg narrowed his eyes at my light attire.
“It’s much warmer here than in Blenheim, though.”
“Still, absolutely not. The Commander gave me strict instructions.”
It felt like autumn hadn't even arrived here yet. However, at Greg’s insistence, I wrapped a thick shawl around my shoulders before heading out.
I was making my way around the villa toward the back garden when I spotted a small silhouette sitting on a corner bench.
“...Saintess?”
Under the dim moonlight, Constine stood up, looking somewhat flustered.
“Why are you out at this hour?”
“I couldn't sleep,” came the quiet reply.
Constine, who had been so full of confidence even during the blessing ceremony, had become remarkably quiet since the incident at the Spring of Enlightenment. She must be feeling conflicted.
However, sensing something and actually discussing it openly were two different matters, so I found it difficult to strike up a conversation. It seemed better to give her some space.
“Well then, have a good night.”
I gave a slight nod to the hesitant Constine and turned to leave.
“Wait!” she called out urgently, catching me. “Your Highness, there is something I wish to say to you.”
As she spoke, she glanced briefly at Greg, who stood behind me with a sharp, watchful gaze.
“Sir Greg, could you give us a moment?”
Greg tightened his lips in disapproval but eventually nodded and stepped back several paces—just far enough to be out of earshot.
“Please, speak freely.”
I waited quietly for Constine, who seemed to be struggling to find the words. Suddenly, she dropped to her knees on the ground.
“Saintess! What are you doing? Please, stand up!”
Startled by her sudden action, I tried to help her up.
“I... I dared to steal your place,” she said, her voice trembling. “I deceived you and defiled the name of the Goddess.”
And there, with her knees pressed to the dirt, Constine began to confess her past. She told me how she had caught the High Priest’s eye and began acting as the Saintess, how she was trained, the ways she mimicked the role, and how the priests had used their holy power to aid her deception.
“The High Priest was terrified that the Temple’s authority would collapse. So he told me I had to become the people’s hope... and I truly believed him. If I had known Your Highness was the real Saintess...!”
Her voice rose with emotion, but when our eyes met, she flinched and cast her gaze downward.
“Of course, I still would have had to play the part. I was nothing more than a street urchin,” she whispered, her voice strained. “But I wouldn't have been so brazen as to try and lord it over you.”
She seemed to be reflecting on our first meeting, when she had ignored my greeting and pressured the child.
“It’s shameful, but until now, I truly thought I was following the Goddess’s will. I’ve only just realized how great an insult my actions were to both you and the Goddess.”
To receive such a confession, one so close to a formal penance... how long had she been preparing these words?
I let out a small sigh, and Constine’s shoulders trembled.
“Are you finished?”
Constine’s eyes darted around as she tried to gauge my intent.
“If you’re done, stand up now. The ground is cold.”
I pulled her by the arm, and after a moment’s hesitation, she reluctantly stood. Her body felt chilled; she must have been out here for quite a while.
“Saintess...!”
“The Saintess is still you, Constine. Not me.”
“I don’t want to be called the Saintess anymore.”
Constine’s eyes widened in shock at my words. To be honest, I wasn't angry with her. She was merely a puppet who had lived according to the High Priest’s whims.
In a way, I should be grateful. Thanks to Constine, Annette had been able to live her life away from the scrutiny of the Marquis, the High Priest, and the Imperial Family. If not for her, I would have had to endure all the hardships Constine faced in the original story.
‘The mere thought is terrifying.’
Furthermore, the Constine I saw in my dream was a priestess who served me. That alone gave me hope that we could still maintain a good relationship.
“I’ve lived as a ‘fake’ far longer than I’ve lived as a real Saintess. In the capital, my entire life was branded as a fraud,” I said calmly, trying to persuade her. “I only just managed to erase that brand after coming to the North. I have no desire to be called a Saintess again just because I’ve manifested holy power.”
I met her eyes. “More than anything, I am very happy with my life as the Grand Duchess of Blenheim. I don’t want this peace to be shattered.”
“But... won’t it be awkward for you if the truth comes out now?”
“It might. But I don’t think now is the time to reveal it, for both our sakes.”
“Still, isn't it too brazen of me to continue occupying this position?” Constine fidgeted, clearly unsure how to react.
“You saw what happened when the dragon appeared, didn't you? Between the dragon and everything else, the Grand Duke and I already have enough of a headache.”
If the fact that I was the Saintess became public, the entire North would be in an uproar. The Imperial Family and the Grand Temple would become even more bothersome than they already were.
“So, for the time being, I want to use you as my shield.”
I told her bluntly that I was using her.
“I understand what you mean.”
The sense of guilt seemed to ease slightly at my words, and Constine clasped her hands together.
“Until Your Highness completes your great task, I will continue to act as the Saintess. I will make sure no one ever finds out.”
“I know it’s an unfair burden to place on you.”
“Please, don’t think that at all,” Constine said, her gray eyes shining. “On the contrary, I am happy. It feels as though the Goddess has granted me a chance to atone for my sins.”
She offered a faint smile, as if a heavy weight had been lifted. Strangely, it felt like the first time I was seeing the real Constine, not the Saintess.