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Chapter 07
A few days later, when she opened her eyes, she found herself in a strangely familiar place.
Ariadne swallowed a groan as she woke.
She vaguely remembered briefly regaining consciousness among many people.
The first thing that entered her vision was not her family or her fiancé, but rather the side profile of an unexpected person—the man she had tried to save in the forest, Kanin.
Kanin had the face of someone desperately waiting for her to wake up.
“Ugh…”
To Ariadne, who had woken up after three days, Kanin asked the same question again.
“I fixed you. You. Are you a saint?”
Although his grammar was off, there was a firm resolve, as if he was determined to finally get an answer this time.
Ariadne slowly began to recall what had happened.
A few days earlier, in the Bisen Forest.
Kanin was so startled by Ariadne suddenly jumping in front of him that, for a moment, he forgot he was dealing with a monster.
As he wondered how she could be so reckless, he also realized that without her, he would have already died twice.
He quickly subdued the two monsters in an instant.
Then he lifted Ariadne into his arms.
She was in a terrible state.
It looked as though she had refused to abandon him and had dragged him through the night, enduring severe hardship.
“….”
He had been deeply moved by the fact that she had not abandoned him, even though she easily could have.
But what shocked him even more was that she seemed to possess saint-like abilities.
It was rough and unrefined, but the power she held was clearly healing magic.
And that was precisely why he had come to the Empire where a saint was said to exist.
He had come as a last hope, like grasping at the final leaf of a dying tree, because the one he loved was on the brink of death.
He had come to request an audience with the saint of his country.
And then he had come face to face with Ariadne.
“…”
He looked down at the woman in his arms with a strange expression.
‘Her name was… Ariadne, wasn’t it?’
Then he recalled a conversation from before leaving the imperial palace.
[What was the saint’s name again?]
[“Ash Bliares,” I believe.]
The pronunciation of the foreign name, “Ashley Blaire(s),” had been difficult for the aide, so he had only managed to approximate it.
But it was clear that Ariadne and the saint did not share the same name.
‘There’s only supposed to be one saint. What is going on?’
He looked down at the woman lying motionless in confusion.
But there was no time to dwell on it. Ariadne’s injuries were severe.
He immediately headed toward the imperial palace.
The darkness receded, and the morning light began to illuminate the forest.
The imperial palace was bustling as it was being prepared for the hunting tournament.
On top of that, the foreign prince had gone missing, and the arrival of the saint had been delayed, causing confusion throughout the palace.
Fortunately, the saint and members of a count’s household had arrived that morning, but rumors were already spreading.
Many were curious as to why the eldest daughter of the count’s family, who was usually always by Saint Ashley’s side, had not accompanied her.
Even the palace workers gathered at the training ground were busy talking about it.
“I heard the eldest daughter of the count didn’t come this time.”
“Really?”
The worker cleaning the training grounds hesitated before continuing.
“Maybe the rumors are true.”
“Oh, I heard about that too. What kind of request could she have made to treat the saint like that?”
“Ah, that’s why the saint was also delayed, right?”
“I heard she was really cruel to her.”
“Good heavens. How could she do that to a saint?”
People gossiped, inflating the rumors about Ariadne.
Because it concerned the highly influential saint, the story spread even more widely.
Moreover, the saint was almost more revered than the emperor himself.
“So harsh…”
“She just had to fulfill one request from the saint…”
“She’s such a terrible older sister.”
They continued insulting her in unison.
Ariadne had become a full-fledged villain. That was how dangerous rumors were.
Regardless of truth, they could easily destroy a person.
“His Majesty the Emperor is arriving!”
At the sudden announcement, the chatter immediately died down.
Since the hunting tournament was a major national event, the emperor himself had come to inspect it.
Though it was largely for show, people still became tense at his presence.
They stopped what they were doing and bowed in unison toward the emperor.
Only after he waved his hand a few times did they return to their tasks, still glancing around nervously.
“Since His Majesty is here, will the saint also come?”
“I’m not sure. I heard she hasn’t fully recovered yet…”
People seemed to hope they might also catch a glimpse of the saint.
That was how significant the saint’s presence was to the empire.
Even if she did nothing special, simply seeing her was considered a blessing.
And as if answering that expectation—
“The Saint, Lady Ashley Blaire, is arriving!”
A loud voice echoed.
The scene changed immediately compared to the emperor’s arrival.
Unlike the stiff atmosphere before, everyone now looked around with reverent, admiring eyes, searching for her.
Ashley arrived with the count.
She had postponed the emperor’s request the previous day and was in a very bad mood.
Her saintly power had not fully recovered.
“….”
She greeted the crowd with a forced smile, but her expression was visibly uncomfortable, leading people to assume she was still ill.
But that was not the case.
Her body was perfectly fine—the problem was her saintly power.
On top of that—
[His Majesty requests your presence tonight. During the day, he also wishes for you to oversee the hunting preparations together.]
The servant who delivered the emperor’s message had said only that before leaving.
It could no longer be delayed.
Although her healing power was slowly returning, she wasn’t sure if it would be enough to satisfy the emperor.
Her expression could not possibly be bright under such concerns.
But no one else knew her thoughts.
“Saint!”
“Saint is here!”
Everyone was eager to see Ashley.
In truth, the so-called saint did nothing more than slightly ease the emperor’s illness, yet people attached enormous meaning to her.
They projected hopes onto her, as if she would truly heal them if they ever fell ill.
People rushed forward to greet her.
But that only lasted a moment.
She quickly moved toward the emperor and distanced herself from the crowd.
Ashley felt even more exhausted by the attention today.
The emperor welcomed her as if he had been waiting.
“Saint, are you feeling better?”
“Yes. Thanks to Your Majesty’s consideration…”
As Ashley trailed off, the count stepped in.
“Tonight, Ashley will accompany me to see Your Majesty.”
“Good. I’ve been waiting for you so much.”
At that, Ashley avoided his gaze and smiled awkwardly.
“About what time tonight…”
Just as the emperor was about to ask, the entrance to the training ground suddenly began to stir.
Frowning, the emperor stopped speaking and turned toward the noise.
“You— you cannot enter here like this!”
A man was striding into the training ground, carrying a woman in his arms.
He looked utterly disheveled.
His clothes were tattered and stained with blood, clear signs of recent combat.
Even so, his tall stature and noble, aristocratic face were strikingly noticeable.
Kanin entered, seemingly annoyed by those blocking his way, and quickly subdued them before walking deeper inside.
The emperor narrowed his eyes at the unfamiliar attire, then suddenly froze.
He immediately recognized who had entered so boldly.
“My God…”
But he was not the only one shocked.
Both the count and Ashley opened their mouths in disbelief.
They had recognized the woman in his arms as Ariadne.
The very Ariadne they had assumed to be dead had appeared—carried by Kanin, a foreign prince.
“Aria…?”
Before the count could even finish her name, the training ground erupted into chaos.
The emperor suddenly ran toward them, followed by numerous attendants.
An extraordinary scene unfolded.
The count and Ashley quickly followed.
Ariadne slowly opened her eyes, feeling slightly better.
Though her mind was still hazy and drowsy, she could tell the surroundings were in chaos.
“Ugh…”
Without even realizing she was standing before the emperor, she closed her eyes again.
And soon, she lost consciousness once more.
