To call her a villainess… (2)

"A divine beast..."

Eva's eyes opened as wide as a plate after noticing Demy.

The red panda opened and closed his mouth in a threatening manner, making her take about two steps back anxiously.

I quickly stood up.

"Demy, big bro is okay. Young lady Blanquer, you just caused a ruckus toward a priest in a temple. This is extremely disrespectful."

I calmly commented.

Eva flinched and looked up at me before the anger returned on her face.

"I know that, your highness. I am a bishop like you now. I too... I will definitely take you away, your highness!"

"I don't think you said that correctly."

"Ah. I am going to take his Royal Highness and the young lady away from you!"

"Your highness?"

Benjamin and Ganael, who were in the priest's office, must have heard the ruckus as they urgently opened the door and came out.

I smiled bitterly and looked toward them.

'Looks like I'll make them worry for no reason.'

– Tatap!

Eva must have had no desire to have her insolent act seen as she quickly pulled her robe over her head and started running toward the door.

I now noticed that she was wearing the heavy and luxurious formal attire of a bishop.

'That attire should be reserved for special occasions...'

'That is the young Duke's younger sister, young lady Eva Blanquer. I heard that she will be receiving the bishop ordination next week.'

The voice of a noble I heard at the dueling ground brushed through my mind.

It has been a week since then, so maybe Eva became a bishop today.

'She came to the Imperial Palace temple on her own to meet me on such a happy day?'

"Ahhh!"

Eva tripped on her formal attire and fell! I quickly started to mo-

– Tap!

"...Young lady Blanquer? What did you do?"

I heard a reliable voice. Eva raised her head in shock.

A mature woman, who was much taller than the young lady, was holding Eva's body with a sturdy hand to prevent her from falling.

The woman's short dark green hair slightly fluttered at the movement.

"Young Countess Moutet, why are you here..."

"His highness informed me of an emergency situation."

Vice Captain Élisabeth smiled and made eye contact with me.

I gently waved my hand and smiled. Eva jerked her head and glared at me.

This was the first time I pulled that decorative rope in the Confessional.

Of course, I never expected a little young lady like this to be the cause.

*

"Young lady Eva Blanquer. Did you know that your actions could be considered an attack toward the Riester Imperial family?"

Eva's face turned white at Vice Captain Élisabeth's stern questioning.

We were sitting on one side of the empty pews to chat.

To be more specific, Élisabeth was interrogating the suspect, Eva, as the Vice Captain of the Imperial Guard.

The temple was closed off with knights and Imperial Guard members standing at the door.

Benjamin and Ganael confirmed that I was fine two times before returning to the priest's office.

I poured the olive leaf tea that Benjamin had given me into three cups.

The light and savory fragrance rose up.

"I, that, why is that?!"

"Prince Jesse is a royal priest who has entered the palace to receive confessions from the Imperial family. He is also a guest of Romero, who is staying in Juliette Palace. You must have been aware that disrespecting Prince Jesse was insulting his Royal Highness, Prince Cédric. We just had the issue with the young Duke, after all."

The young Countess's grey eyes scarily sank down.

Eva started hiccuping once her brother, young Duke Robert Blanquer, was mentioned.

'Aigoo.'

"Hiccup. This is weird. Prince Jesse is a diplomatic hostage. Hiccup. According to my brother, Prince Jesse is bewitching the Imperial family and the Pair de Riester, hiccup. That is what he told me."

'I would have taken control of the Empire a long time ago if I had such skills.'

"Young lady Blanquer, I know this may seem rude, but may I ask your age?"

I spoke as gently as possible while handing Eva a tea cup.

She urgently took a gulp of the olive leaf tea.

I recommended that she stand up, curl her body forward and swallow the tea. The little girl obliged without any hesitation.

'She doesn't seem to have a bad personality.'

"Your hiccup has stopped, right?"

"Amazing... No, I am sixteen, your highness. I had my coming-of-age ceremony last week."

Eva started with an innocent mumble before finishing with a sharp glare on her face.

If she turned sixteen last week, she was basically born yesterday holding hands with Ganael.

She also seemed to be acting much younger than her age because she grew up as a noble with nobody telling her that she ever did anything wrong.

I let out a short sigh before exchanging glances with Vice Captain Élisabeth.

"Vice Captain Élisabeth, I would like to handle this issue with the young lady on my own if possible."

"Will that be okay, your highness? I suggest that you inform her Majesty and give her an official sentence."

"No, she is too young."

"I am not young, I am an adult. Please don't talk like my brother!"

Eva scowled and glared at me with her brown eyes.

'I'm experiencing all sorts of new things after transmigrating here. Eunseo was a good girl and didn't act like this during puberty.'

"You are an adult by age. However, I am saying this because your mind has yet to mature, young lady Blanquer. You don't seem to be able to take responsibility for your actions yet."

"..."

I motioned toward the door with my eyes. Some buff young men were standing firm, waiting. They looked like grim reapers.

The child urgently turned away.

"Why did you do such a thing? I believe I have the right to at least know the reason."

I quietly asked. Eva clenched the tea cup as if she wanted to crush it.

Her red curly hair shifted down toward the ground.

"...I already informed you, your highness. It's because I hate you. I cannot become the young Duchess as I am the second child and I cannot marry his Royal Highness because I am his cousin. But..."

"But what?"

"The position of Religious Partner with his Royal Highness or young lady Sarnez seems difficult as well."

I closed my mouth for a moment. Too many thoughts filled my mind at once.

There were about a hundred things I wanted to say on the tip of my tongue but most of it went back down my throat.

"First of all, his Royal Highness is twenty four years old. He will be twenty five soon. Even if you were not cousins, I don't think it is appropriate for a sixteen year old to marry a twenty four year old."

I answered.

Christelle was only nineteen as well, but I decided to consider her an exception since an office worker who quit her job had transmigrated into her body.

She was an official couple with the Imperial Prince as well.

"Aren't sixteen year olds considered adults in the Holy Kingdom as well?"

"It is still not right. A twenty four year old marrying a sixteen year old? That twenty four year old is trash."

Eva's eyes opened wide at my comment.

Vice Captain Élisabeth, who had been silently drinking tea, immediately spat it out.

"Vice Captain Élisabeth, there is a waterfall pouring out of your mouth."

"Ahem. M, my apologies, your highness. I..."

The young Countess then spoke some gibberish before taking out a handkerchief and wiping her mouth and her uniform.

Thankfully, she seemed to be okay.

She then mumbled something about how she was the one who received the proposal. I had no idea what she was talking about so suddenly.

I started to scold Eva again.

"Furthermore, I have no interest in being his Royal Highness and young lady Sarnez's Religious Partner."

"Liar."

"It's the truth. It doesn't sound practical at all. As you mentioned, I am a diplomatic hostage. What member of the Imperial family would want to make such a relationship with someone like me? It is the same for the House of Sarnez. A family with their level of power and influence has no reason to welcome such a problem. There are plenty of talented Archbishops in the Empire."

"...Then… Then what about what is happening right now? There is nobody in the Imperial Capital who does not know that you went to the Summer Palace with his Royal Highness, her Majesty, and her Eminence. I also heard that you are currently supporting the two esteemed Holy Knights with ether right now your highness."

Eva argued back in a quiet voice.

'Mm.'

"That... That is because I am friends with the two of them. However, it is only temporary-"

"I knew it would be like this, your highness. I was told that it all starts with being friends. Friends then go on to become Religious Partners!"

The young lady teared up again and shouted in anger.

I had to retort that it wasn't always the case, but there were only two situations I was aware of. One was of the Cardinal and the Empress, while the other was of young lady Antoinette Duhem and priestess Marielle.

Both of them were cases of best friends becoming Religious Partners.

'Damn it.'

"That, ahem. Young lady Blanquer, is there a special reason you want to be so successful?"

Vice Captain Élisabeth, who had successfully cleaned the tea off of herself, asked.

Both Eva and I looked toward her at the same time.

"The Ducal House of Blanquer is a wealthy family. Not receiving the title would bring you a lot of benefits as well. Being the Religious Partner of an Imperial family member and a Pair de Riester will be no easy task. Although I am very satisfied with my life as a young Countess, not all heirs will be the same as me."

It was a calm and mature tone. I quietly looked at Eva.

Eva was silent for a moment before biting on her lips and breaking the silence.

"I wish for power."

'Oh.'

"I just thought it looked cool ever since I was young. My mother always said that the higher the position, the harder it was, but I wanted to rise as high as possible. I also have a desire to do well. However, I cannot become the young Duchess as my brother is there..."

The little girl frowned. Vice Captain Élisabeth and I exchanged profound glances.

"Young lady Blanquer, then was the reason you glared at me after the duel..."

"Excuse me?"

"Was it because I prevented his Royal Highness from killing the young Duke? Were you angry that you lost an opportunity to push your brother out of his position?"

"I, I am not such a cruel person!"

Eva raised her voice. She seemed to feel extremely wronged.

Vice Captain Élisabeth and I got swept up in the mood and immediately apologized.

'Sorry, I've seen too many shady tactics in politics.'

"Although my brother is mean to me, he is still my brother. Yes, there are many times where he embarrasses me and I feel that his actions are shameful, but he will be scolded quite a bit by our parents when we return to the territory."

"Your brother is mean to you?"

I immediately asked back. The young lady had a complicated look on her face for the first time since coming here.

"It's nothing much, your highness."

"No, please tell me. I won't tell anybody else."

– Squeeeee.

Demy, who had been lying down on the ground, wagged his tail and tapped my leg at that moment.

He seemed to be bored. I lifted him up and placed him on my knee before noticing that Eva was staring at him.

She seemed to be curious about the divine beast since she was a priestess before she was a noble.

'Demy is super cute, so I'm sure she is extremely curious.'

"He likes it when you give him either. Imagine that you are making a flower blossom at your fingertip."

Eva hesitated before reaching out her small hand.

She probably wanted to talk to Demy, but her pride prevented her from asking first.

– Shaaaaaaaaaaaa...

– Screeeech

An ether orb the size of a candy rose up around the young lady's fingertip.

I supported Demy's warm belly as he stood up on his hind legs.

He pushed at Eva's finger, which was glowing gold, with his front paw.

"Isn't he cute? He also eats fruit and flowers."

"My goodness."

Eva innocently gasped in admiration.

Right now, she looked completely innocent unlike when she was talking about wanting power.

I gently smiled as the little girl looked at Demy and I before biting down on her lips.

"It really is no big deal, your highness. It's just that… My brother just teases me for being wicked."

"The young Duke says that about you?"

"It started when I was four years old. You're wicked so you can be mean to the servants. You are wicked so you don't need to apologize. You are wicked so everybody will listen to whatever you want if you scream. Things like that."

"..."

I slowly reached my hand back and grabbed Vice Captain Élisabeth's arm.

She looked ready to pull her sword out and kill the young Duke at any moment.

"Did your parents not say anything to the young Duke?"

I barely managed to feign calmness as I asked.

"Our parents are always busy, so they are not very close to the two of us. However, I think that my brother must have seen correctly, since he is nine years older than me."

Eva's voice sounded a bit weak.

The young girl was looking at the now empty bottle she had tried to splash in my face.

"I also believe that I am wicked."

I clenched my teeth.

'How long did that son of a bitch brainwash this kid for?!'

*

Cédric Riester and Christelle de Sarnez were seated across from each other in the Romero Palace reception room at that time.

A single sentence was spreading like wildfire throughout the Imperial Palace.

The Imperial Prince had never welcomed an unfamiliar noble into his palace.

Sir Johann Geens, his Holy Knight instructor, priest Sand, and even Prince Jesse Venetiaan, whose honor the Imperial Prince went out of his way to protect. had never been invited to Romero.

This was getting the attendants of Romero Palace extremely riled up.

David, the Chief Attendant, sternly scolded them, telling them to stop talking nonsense and wake up, but they were too busy talking in the distance about how this was an auspicious day for the Empire. They were wondering when the wedding would take place.

All of this was taking place because they did not know the true relationship between the man and the woman.

"What is it that you have to say?"

The Imperial Prince asked in a low voice.

He didn't even go through the formalities of offering her a drink, but Christelle didn't seem to care.

David was tactful in his place, bringing her and the Imperial Prince a 'light coffee with ice' and a hot black coffee respectively.

Christelle slowly started speaking.

"I stated that I came to get my handkerchief, your Royal Highness."

"The real reason."

"The Annual Prayer Meeting."

The pair of orange eyes on the other side sparkled sharply.

The main character smiled in a refreshing manner.

"How about the two of us come to an agreement before going there, your Royal Highness?"

—

Translator's Comments

Oops, this comment was for this chapter. Pfft when Eva said she's going to take Jesse away…