The Tragedy of The Villainess

"Hello, Chief aide."

"Yes, hello."

A senior priest under High Priest Jubelud met with Linon. Perhaps it was because of the fiasco in the temple this morning, but the senior priest's face had aged considerably in the past few hours.

"Have you heard about today's results?"

"Of course I heard."

"Grand Duke Berg?"

"Yes, well. He was a little surprised."

Linon was very nervous about the change in Lesche's emotions. It was natural. Anyway, Lesche was really surprised to hear that news coming in so early this morning…

Seria was even more surprised.

She could even say that compared to when she had heard the news that the child of the Saintess could be her divine power, she was calmer.

Actually, it wasn't serenity by any means, but compared to of Lesche's aura when he first heard of the Saintess's appearance, which was more frosty than a glacier, it was more peaceful.

Linon's reaction was rather gratifying.

Although his head felt like exploding at the issue of the child, he was the chief aide to a Grand Duke who had had thousands of more head-splitting complications on his hands.

He could bear this much.

"Grand Duke, it's Linon. May I come in? Grand Duchess?"

Linon knocked lightly and went in, but the bedroom was empty. He immediately looked flustered.

"Where did they go?"

He heard a little later that Seria had gone to the measuring room. Linon couldn't help but panic.

"Why there? Isn't it already over?"

***

"Seria!"

Standing in front of the sacred power measuring room, Seria looked back. Lina hurried over and walked quickly towards Seria, only being stopped by the priests.

Lina's black eyes were trembling.

"It's really…it's really you…"

"Will you marry me?"

"……!"

Lina's eyes shook. Okay, so she probably wanted to payback for the lying Kalis did to her, but she didn't really want to marry Seria.

Of course, it was the same for Seria.

"I have no intention of marrying you." (Seria)

Lina's face turned bright red.

"Who would want to do that with you? I just said that on impulse..!" (Lina)

"I told you not to propose to me out of spite." (Seria)

"I told you not to be angry with me. …." (Lina)

"…Do you think this is anger?" (Seria)

The priest behind Seria cleared his throat. He must be nervous because he remembered how Seria made Abigail destroy the headquarters building when she pretended to be angry…

She thought about doing the same here, but she held back, considering the fact that Lina was pregnant.

"…Seria."

Lina's eyes filled with clear tears.

"Seria has nothing to lose. Seria has nothing to fear. I'm the only one who's worried about this divine power, the only one who's surprised and scared… But can't you understand that? You can be so calm because you have nothing to lose."

Lina's words about not having anything to lose suddenly reminded Seria of what she (Seria) had done a year ago. That time when she had resented God over and over again, pretending to be a heroine with a guaranteed happy ending who would get whatever she wanted.

However, she only spoke ill of God and fate, and never once did she turn the arrow of resentment on Lina.

"Lina."

That was the proof of her righteousness.

"But, why are you angry with me?"

"……."

"I didn't take anything from you."

"You did!"

"…..?"

Lina bit her lip and covered her face with her hands.

"What exactly do you think I took away? What?"

"Saintess."

The priest held out a handkerchief to Lina, telling her to stop. Lina, in tears, wiped her eyes with the handkerchief.

"What are you going to do about the child?"

Seria glanced at Lina's still flat stomach. Sacred Power. The child of divine power….

"I need to take the measurement test too."

"……?"

"Huh?"

"Stern?"

The counter-questions came from all sides simultaneously. The priest, who was sweating behind Seria, hurriedly stopped her.

"Stern, haven't the two of them already been measured? So it's automatic…."

"I don't believe it."

"Yes. I really don't understand the results either…If it's not the two of them, then there's only Stern."

Seria didn't speak to him further. She walked to the measurement room, pushing past the flustered high-ranking priests. They continued dissuading her.

"Stern. You already used too much divine power."

"I can take care of myself."

"Stern!"

Just looking at the huge measuring device, a groaning sound came out naturally. But she really couldn't believe it. Warmth spread through her as she placed her hands on the familiar holy object. On the arms visible under the fluttering long sleeves yellow bruises began to emerge anew.

Lina was tense as she watched, snuggled up against the windowpane.

***

The power measurement would take a long time.

Lesche stood with his arms crossed, silently gazing at the huge holy object visible in the windowpane. He couldn't see Seria, but he could tell that all that warm light was Seria's divine power, so it wasn't bad to look at it for so long.

The place where the giant relic was set up was specially designed, and the place where Lesche and Lina were standing was far away. So they didn't know they were opposite sides of each other. The tearful movement of High Priest Jubelud also played a part in this.

Of course, all the movements could not be blocked.

Thud. Thud.

Kalis Haneton came this way.

At a reasonable distance from Lesche, he stopped. Without even averting his gaze in that direction, Lesche opened his mouth.

"Did you come here to continue the duel we had last time?"

Kalis' eyes flashed brightly.

"Yes, Grand Duke Berg."

The gloves flew at Lesche. Without looking away, Lesche snatched the gloves. After a quick glance at those familiar gloves, he dropped them on the floor and lightly trampled on the gloves with his shoes while smiling viciously. Of course, his eyes weren't smiling at all.

While they were this way, the other side was over there.

Of course, the high-ranking priests who had been following the two of them glanced at each other. It was at that moment that they timed it most perfectly to separate the two.

"Hey!"

One of the priests sucked in a breath. When the hell did she appear?

"Your Highness."

Abigail Orrien, who opened her eyes wide like a ghost, stopped in front of Lesche.

Lesche looked annoyed.

"Get out of my way."

"Yes."

The priests thought she would stop him, but surprisingly Abigail stepped aside obediently. Without any hesitation, Lesche stepped toward Kalis.

"What about the Lady?" (BiBi)

"……."

"Is there a problem?" (Lesche)

"……."

"She said no." (BiBi)

"……!"

It really was a specimen of a strong heart that the high priests could not even imagine.

Lesche shifted his gaze to Abigail, then he swept his hair roughly.

To be honest, Lesche wasn't sure how he could take that guy's neck without saying anything.

So, with Linon and Seria both absent, he decided now would be a good time.

However, if Seria sent them to Abigail, the situation would change. Because if the Grand Duke of Berg kills the Saintess's husband in the Great Temple, the rumor will spread. Perhaps Seria left her trusted knight here with this situation in mind to some extent.

"……."

Kalis also knew Abigail well. From the time he and Seria were engaged, Abigail had been Seria's most trusted knight. Ever since he and Seria had broken off their engagement, he could tell that the way Abigail looked at him was filled with murderous intent.

Abigail's sharp gaze was like those of a watcher observing everything. Needless to say, the priests were speechless at the unexpectedly reliable reassurance.

"Your Highness!"

Linon, who found Lesche late, ran over.

Gasp.

He saw Kalis a beat late, standing at a reasonable distance. Linon quietly grabbed the documents he was running with in his arms….

"Please take a look."

Gently flipping through the papers, Lesche raised an eyebrow.

"Have you already decided what to do with the child?" (Lesche)

"Yes, yes, Your Highness, why not?" (Linon)

"With all due respect, Grand Duke Berg." (Kalis)

Kalis's voice dropped sharply.

"I decided to raise the child in Hanetone."

At the same time, Linon took two steps back without realizing it.

"Ah. That crazy punk…!"

"……."

With a faint smile, Lesche folded the papers neatly and handed them back to Linon. Gritting his teeth, Lesche took off his gloves and punched Kalis hard on the face.

The high ranking priests who had been frozen in place gulped down their spit. Abigail glanced at the side of her waist.

Thanks to her qualification as a knight of Stern, she was able to wear a sword without restrictions in the temple.

In the blink of an eye, her sword disappeared, but her sword case was still on her waist….(*Lesche took Abigail's sword)

"……."

Red blood began to slowly spread over Kalis's eyes. He hit his head on the floor and felt as if a concussion had come lightly.

Then it was the sword that plunged mercilessly right into the side of Kalis's temple. Kalis's face, which had returned to that side, soon distorted into pain. Lesche's foot pressed mercilessly on his chest as if trying to shatter his bones.

"Should I shove it into your ear canal for you to hear it?" (Lesche)

Cough. Cough.

"Why can't this b*stard understand what I'm saying?" (Lesche)

Cough. Cough.

Kalis coughed in pain. The blood in his mouth leaked out and soaked his face.

Linon gestured earnestly for Abigail to help Kalis, but after glancing into Lesche's eyes, Abigail quickly put on an easy face.

Then, without hesitation, she shook her head slightly.

Linon was about to scream at that look that told him not to intervene.

At that moment, the sound of clacking shoes came from far away.

Only nobles, royalty, and the imperial family were allowed to walk around in this great temple wearing such worldly shoes, but unfortunately, only the saints and Stern were allowed to enter and leave this building.

Seria should still be in the measuring room with the holy object, so the sound of the shoes must have been the Saintess in the other corridor….

Even so, Linon could see how badly the Saintess cared for Marquis Haneton as he was her husband.

'He is not going to kill the Saintess, is he? I hope not.'

"…What are you doing?"

A voice that completely sounded like an angel's trumpet to Linon rang in the corridor.

"Lesche?"

Lesche's fist, which had been punching Kalis's face, stopped in the air.

***

It must be Seria's voice. Because no one can stop Lesche but Seria.