I Didn't Know I Was Secretly Dating the Emperor
��I really like how things are right now.”
In her first life, when Ivetta came of age, her prayer had been a modest one: I'll work myself to death, so please let me have at least as much happiness as everyone else.
The wish she made on that birthday never came true, but Ivetta's thoughts hadn't changed much.
Swallowing my guilt, I asked her carefully.
“Is there anything you want? Something more you'd like to have?”
It's awkward to call it compensation, but...
I wanted to give Ivetta some kind of reward. Even if she asked me to sponsor the orphanage for the rest of her life, I was prepared to do it.
After a moment of thought, Ivetta answered.
“Hmm. If I get too greedy, I feel like I'll be punished.”
Ivetta made the sign of the cross and whispered to me.
“Actually, I never believed in Minos. Isn't that strange, after living my whole life in a temple?”
The Saintess was an unbeliever.
This was something that had never once been mentioned in the original story.
When I looked visibly shocked, Ivetta offered a more detailed explanation.
“More precisely, it wasn't that I couldn't believe—it was that I didn't want to. If I believed in a god, then all the misfortune I'd suffered and witnessed would just become trials sent by Minos. I didn't have the energy left to resent anyone.”
In other words, she had chosen not to believe so she wouldn't have to resent anyone.
“Besides, Minos doesn't seem all that merciful or fair.”
Ivetta spoke without hesitation inside the Minos temple.
“But thanks to our sponsors, this is the first time I've wanted to believe in a god. You both felt like gifts Minos sent us. So if I had one wish...”
With her slightly swollen face, Ivetta smiled brightly and clasped her hands together.
“May the blessings of Minos be with both of your futures.”
It was a short prayer, but it was filled with sincerity—her genuine wish to bless the future of me and Everett.
The moment her prayer ended, a sacred pattern appeared on Ivetta's forehead.
It was a gentle symbol drawn in soft light, like the blessing a goddess would bestow upon her most cherished servant.
Ivetta, with her eyes closed, couldn't see it, but I saw it clearly.
What is this?
The pattern gradually grew brighter and larger, spreading until it covered the entire central courtyard of the temple.
The massive symbol appeared to be made of pure light, and the moment it touched me, all the lingering fatigue I still felt despite drinking the water Everett had given me completely vanished.
So this is the power of a Saintess.
I realized it instinctively.
At this very moment, Ivetta had awakened as the Saintess.
The light that had been illuminating the darkened temple slowly began to fade.
And then Ivetta collapsed right where she stood.
“Ivetta!”
I barely managed to catch her as she fell.
Due to her poor nutrition, Ivetta was shorter and thinner than average, but even so, my strength wasn't enough to hold her up properly.
I carefully lowered her to the ground.
I was about to call for Everett.
I started running toward the temple building but paused to look back at Ivetta, who lay there as peacefully as if she were simply sleeping.
Ivetta's awakening wasn't caused by the holy relic.
This made three times total—including the original story—that Ivetta had awakened her divine power.
And there was one thing all three occasions had in common.
Each time, it happened right after she prayed to Minos for something.
Ivetta had just confessed to me that she was an unbeliever.
Because she had no faith in Minos, her holy power hadn't manifested. But the moment she reached out to him, her awakening finally occurred.
The first time, her heart was probably too light to awaken power strong enough to make her a Saintess.
And this third and final time...
She must have prayed with all her heart that Minos's blessing would reach us, just as desperately as she had prayed in the face of death, filled with bitter regret.
I was grateful for Ivetta's heart.
And even more grateful that she had awakened as the Saintess.
I'm sorry for being the kind of person who feels relieved that my guilt has lessened first.
But my joy at her awakening was sincere.
It was a relief.
That her fate hadn't been twisted too far from its original path.
I ran with determined steps.
Because he had been watching Lina, who seemed unusually anxious today, Edwin's return to the palace was slightly delayed.
It was right when Edwin, having confirmed that Lina was talking with Ivetta in the central courtyard, was about to activate his scroll late.
He felt a powerful wave of energy sweep through the entire small temple.
And the source of that wave was exactly where Lina was.
It didn't feel dangerous, but Edwin immediately ran toward her location.
What on earth just happened?
The moment he stepped out of the temple entrance, he saw a brilliant light brightening the night as if it were day.
It was so dazzling that even Edwin had to close his eyes.
He paused for a moment until his eyes adjusted to the light.
That was when he nearly collided with Nancy, who came running from the opposite direction.
Nancy had reflexively closed her eyes when everything suddenly grew bright, which almost caused the collision.
“Are you alright?”
Edwin instinctively moved at the sound of someone approaching and caught Nancy, who had nearly been knocked flying after running straight into him.
Fortunately, the child seemed only startled and not hurt.
“Yes, I'm fine.”
On the contrary, she seemed delighted to see Edwin and asked excitedly.
“Did you see it too, Sponsor Uncle?”
“See what?”
Nancy puffed out her chest proudly.
“Ivetta unnie has become the Saintess.”
“What?”
For a moment, Edwin thought he must have misheard.
But he had heard correctly.
“Ivetta is the Saintess?”
In response to Edwin's question, Nancy explained in a jumbled rush.
“I was sleeping, but unnie appeared in my dream. Minos gave her his blessing.”
So the enormous wave of power I felt was divine energy.
He hadn't realized it immediately because it wasn't healing or blessing power—it was divine power in its purest form.
“And then he told us. That unnie is the Saintess.”
“Who is ‘us’?”
After sorting through the child's scattered explanation, this is what Edwin understood:
The “us” Nancy referred to meant everyone who possessed even the slightest amount of divine power.
All of them had the same dream.
A dream in which Minos blessed Ivetta.
Minos had announced the awakening of his beloved child in a most dramatic fashion.
“Of all times...”
Festivals would break out in every Minos temple across the continent, but Edwin felt a headache coming on.
He had already resolved to purge the corruption from the temples because of this very matter.
Although the temples had lost much public support by turning their backs on the empire during the long war, they still held the position of the primary faith.
The majority of the empire's citizens were believers.
Even without a Saintess, they had been a troublesome opponent for Edwin.
Nevertheless, he had been determined to root out the corrupt temple no matter how long it took.
He had confidence that he could accomplish it, even if it required time.
But now a Saintess had appeared.
The entire situation would be overturned.
The High Priest is going to be ecstatic and run wild.
Of all possible moments.
The appearance of a Saintess or Saint had always been the temple's strongest card.
Edwin harbored irreverent thoughts toward the statue of Minos.
First, I must secure the Saintess's safety.
High Priest Havellot was already on his way after the temple inspection.
The Saintess had a friendly relationship with them, but one could never be too sure.
She might choose to side with the temple.
If the Saintess fell into the temple's hands, there would be nothing he could do from that point on.
Edwin took Nancy with him and headed toward the central courtyard where Lina and Ivetta were.
“Ed!”
Not long after, he ran into Lina, who had been coming to find him.
She must have run all the way here; Lina was panting as she spoke.
“Ivetta collapsed.”
She was so flustered and it was so dark that she hadn't noticed Nancy.
At the news that Ivetta had collapsed, Nancy's eyes filled with tears.
“Is my unnie sick? Where is she?”
Lina, finally noticing Nancy, hurriedly tried to soothe the child.
“I said that wrong. She didn't collapse—she just seems to have fallen asleep.”
It wasn't very effective, though.
“Unnieeee!”
Nancy started running in the direction Lina had come from.
And the moment she spotted Ivetta, she grabbed her arm and whimpered.
“Unnie, does it hurt a lot?”
“She just fell asleep for a bit. She'll wake up soon. Should we wait a little so your sister can rest?”
After repeating that it was just ordinary sleep, Nancy's tears finally stopped.
“Nancy?”
Ivetta opened her eyes.