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CHAPTER 90…………………………………
: Like Walking on Thin Ice
Ten days had passed since I sent the divorce papers to Fritan.
During that time, I had meticulously planned to seize control of the Grand Temple. With Millie, the High Priest, and hundreds of palace knights under my command, I made a grand procession to the Grand Temple of Harun.
I gathered the 200 or so priests and priestesses of the Grand Temple into its largest hall, the Great Sanctuary.
Seeing a stranger seated above the High Priest, they frowned. They didn’t speak, but their faces were full of discontent.
At that moment, the High Priest, as if struggling to suppress humiliation, announced the emperor’s decree:
“From this hour onward, the Grand Temple will no longer serve the Holy Empire, but the Harun Imperial Palace, devoted solely to the glory and prosperity of the Harun Empire. The new head of the Grand Temple is Lady Rea.”
Shock and murmurs filled the Great Sanctuary. A young priest stepped forward to protest.
“By what right does she become the head of the Grand Temple?”
“Right?”
I sneered arrogantly, lifting my chin and looking down at the young priest.
“It is the emperor’s decree. What other qualification could be needed?”
At that moment, four palace knights immediately subdued the young priest and dragged him out of the Great Sanctuary.
“This is the head’s first command. Priests, go to the Small Sanctuary at the western end. Priestesses, go to the annex and begin forty days of confinement prayers for the Empire immediately!”
Despite the widespread opposition inside, I left without concern.
It looked like isolation, but in reality, it was evacuation. Mix would undoubtedly come to rescue me soon, and the first point of attack would be the palace and the Grand Temple. I had to separate the priests and priestesses as safely as possible from the attack zone while maintaining the appearance of strict control to deceive the emperor.
After leaving the Great Sanctuary, I headed to the now-empty residence of the Grand Priestess.
Originally modest and neat, I ordered it to be decorated as lavishly as possible. As a result, the residence became nearly as magnificent as the imperial palace.
Still, I found flaws.
“Is this all the curtain decorations? The bed sheets aren’t suitable either—change them immediately, Millie!”
“Yes, Lady Rea!”
“Get rid of that tacky candlestick too!”
As Millie moved to remove it, the priestess’s attendants froze.
“That candlestick is a precious heirloom passed down through generations of Grand Priestesses.”
“Is that so?”
I smiled wickedly.
“No wonder it looks so hideous! Millie, gather all the items she mentioned and shove them in the underground storage. Or just throw them out.”
The attendant’s face went pale, flustered by the situation not going as intended.
“I’ll take responsibility for removing them. I’ll move them to the annex so Lady Rea won’t notice.”
“Fine.”
I waved them off impatiently, and the attendants quickly gathered the treasures and left.
Millie quietly returned to the room after following them out.
“They’re all gone, Your Majesty.”
“Phew~”
I collapsed into a chair, the tension finally released.
“I thought I’d die of nervousness!”
“You acted surprisingly well. But you kept reminding me of someone…”
“I mixed the tones of Sister Hailey and Princess Shine appropriately.”
“Ah!!”
Millie bit her lip to suppress her laughter.
“What did you learn from the High Priest yesterday?”
“How to use healing energy to precisely diagnose a patient’s illness.”
“Oh~ so that’s possible!”
“When I return to Fritan, I’ll make full use of what I’ve learned this time.”
“Yes, Your Majesty. Please do.”
Tears welled in Millie’s eyes. Fritan—just hearing the name now filled her with longing.
At that moment, a palace knight entered with a knock.
“What is it?”
“The Emperor awaits in the Great Sanctuary.”
“Why?”
“The first guest has arrived.”
The emperor’s movements were faster than expected, but I had prepared thoroughly. The moment to play along and completely remove suspicion had come.
Dressed in ceremonial attire and wearing a long platinum wig, I entered the Great Sanctuary with dignity.
The emperor, waiting with a stranger at the altar, narrowed his eyes in surprise at my transformed appearance.
I coldly turned to the man beside him. He wore expensive clothing, but his pale, weak complexion suggested a long period of serious illness.
“Lie down on the altar.”
“What? Who do you think you are, telling me to lie down?”
The man scowled and glared fiercely, then spoke to the emperor as if pleading.
“I follow your command, Your Majesty, but how can we trust her? She’s clearly a crude trick to take our money.”
I frowned in irritation at his words.
“A suspicious man is not worthy of healing. If you don’t like it, step aside.”
The emperor laughed, trying to calm the situation.
“Do not be too offended. He is a top merchant in the empire. He said he’d pay twenty thousand gold just to have his illness cured.”
“Is that so?”
My eyes lit up, and I wore a friendly smile.
“Then let’s see if we can change your mind.”
I turned to the emperor.
“Please bring Count Stone and Knight Pallet from the palace dungeon.”
“Why them?”
“If those who appeared bloodied and broken recover before your eyes, even the merchant will stop doubting, right?”
“Good idea.”
The emperor agreed, and the merchant also consented, still eyeing me suspiciously.
“While waiting, have the merchant bring the payment for the treatment.”
“What?”
“My healing power doesn’t fully manifest unless money is present.”
Seeing my confident expression, the merchant reluctantly instructed his servants to bring the gold.
Soon, Robby and the Master were brought on stretchers into the Great Sanctuary. Seeing them looking like corpses made my heart sink, but I forced myself to remain calm.
“Place them on the altar.”
The servants laid them on the broad altar, and I extended my arms to draw up healing energy. Their bodies were in terrible condition from severe beating and dehydration.
Suppressing my anger, I shaped the energy into a small sphere and then enlarged it to reach the ceiling, making it dramatically visible.
“Whoa!!!”
The merchant gasped in awe, and the emperor watched with wide eyes.
I split the energy in two with my hands, raising them high. Strong winds swirled around me, blowing my hair and garments—a dramatic display for the two witnesses.
The moment my hands touched Robby and the Master, the healing energy surged into their bodies.
Moments later, the wind subsided, and I stepped back from the altar.
“Now, come closer and see for yourself.”
The emperor hesitated but approached the altar. The two who had looked like corpses now had rosy complexions, their injuries completely healed.
“Ugh…”
Robby’s eyelids twitched, and a groan escaped his lips before he slowly opened his eyes.
“Ah!!”
The merchant recoiled as if seeing the dead come back to life. After a faint smirk, I instructed the servants to move Robby and the Master to the recovery room.
With the altar now empty, I turned to the merchant.
“Now, shall you lie down on the altar?”
“Yes, Priestess.”
The merchant, full of trust, climbed onto the altar despite awkward steps. I extended my hands to examine his condition and frowned.
“Why? Is it a disease beyond your power?”
The merchant asked sadly.
“Tsk tsk. How messy must your life have been for your lower body to be in this state…”
I muttered, and his face flushed with shame.
“If you heal me, I swear never to approach a woman again. I won’t even look at one.”
“Hah! Dogs won’t even refuse their own waste.”
I scoffed, but still applied a bit of healing to relieve his lower body pain.
The merchant sighed in relief, and I stopped.
“…Priestess?”
“The payment hasn’t arrived yet, remember? My healing requires upfront payment.”
Just then, the merchant’s servant arrived with a bag of gold. He piled it before me.
“Here are the twenty thousand gold you requested.”
Now in control, I bargained.
“You have no choice. Initially, it would’ve been twenty thousand, but since I had to heal unnecessarily to remove your suspicion, it’s forty thousand.”
“Ah, I understand. Please just heal me.”
Including Robby and the Master’s treatment, he paid without complaint.
After confirming the money, I fully healed him. Standing firmly on his legs, the merchant left the Great Sanctuary delighted.
The emperor, seeing the healing firsthand, immediately calculated how to maximize my utility.
“Has the High Priest begun transmitting the secret technique to increase divine power?”
“The progress is slow without the Priestess, but it has started.”
“Now that the healing is proven, visitors will come soon. This is just the beginning, so manage your stamina.”
Suddenly, the emperor’s eyes gleamed, and he tried to caress my cheek.
“It’s a pity to use you only as a healer.”
I glared coldly.
“Do not touch me. The effect will diminish if a man’s hands interfere after the secret is transmitted.”
The emperor paused, then withdrew his hand.
“Even my mother Yurahel’s powerful healing disappeared during pregnancy. I don’t want to repeat that foolish mistake.”
Disappointed, he muttered to himself, glared at me, and left the Great Sanctuary.
I collapsed to the floor.
“Are you okay, Your Majesty?”
“I’m fine, Millie. I just released the tension.”
“If it weren’t for the secret technique, I shudder to think what the emperor might have done.”
“The High Priest cooperated to prevent that. Until Mix arrives, we’ll use this lie as a shield.”
I stood up, gathering my strength.
“How are Robby and the Master?”
“They’ve recovered. They were also briefed on your plan.”
“Thank goodness.”
Relieved at having survived this trial, I resolved to live each day cautiously, like walking on thin ice. My goal was survival—if I stayed alive, he would surely come to save me.
