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Chapter 8
At Dellas’s quick reply, Duke Repon simply turned his head as if he hadn’t heard. It was practically the same as giving permission.
Some nobles who had come late to greet Duke Repon seemed to have only heard the latter part of the conversation and chuckled among themselves.
“It seems she’s trying to introduce him to a priest. How adorable.”
A priest? That’s something amateurs would do.
Do they even know who I am?
I’ve prepared this perfectly.
Age difference: two years.
Same Estar Empire—no need to cross borders.
Visually compatible. Future-oriented personalities.
Dellas has red eyes, Arpessian has red hair!
Anyone could see they were destined to become soulmates.
‘They better not forget my contribution in connecting that destiny.’
As Helicia, eyes gleaming with thoughts of her future freedom, scanned the hall for Arpessian—
A gentle voice came from behind her.
“Saintess, are you busy?”
Turning toward the voice, she saw a man with a soft expression and a hint of practiced kindness.
Red hair. Purple eyes.
The Crown Prince of Estar—and the very reason Arpessian would later be sent to war in his place.
“I am Arzen Estar. I wished to greet you earlier, but only now have I had the chance.”
There was no need for an introduction—Helicia knew exactly who he was.
Especially with Arpessian standing beside him, glaring silently.
She had been looking for him anyway, though with that kind of expression, she wondered if he could even make friends.
With a face like that, even people who weren’t shy might become so.
As she hesitated, Arzen extended his hand with practiced elegance.
Helicia glanced briefly at his gloved hand.
‘Does the Estar royal family only teach etiquette after a certain age?’
Even if Arpessian had been neglected, the fact that he was sent to the coronation meant he wasn’t completely ignored.
‘How much attention does the royal family actually give him?’
As Helicia naturally placed her hand in his, Arzen lightly kissed it.
The people in the hall subtly reacted.
The Estar Empire held the greatest influence on the continent.
The Crown Prince’s actions carried weight.
Helicia spoke first, her voice clear and bright.
“If this is about helping with the attack on the Estar carriage on its way to the temple, it’s alright. I simply did what I should as the Saintess.”
Though her voice wasn’t loud, the hall stirred.
A royal carriage being attacked—on neutral ground, no less—was shocking.
Arzen, clearly not expecting her to reveal it so openly, looked flustered.
“N-not at all. Preventing such a disaster in advance is a great blessing.”
As his words spread, the murmurs grew urgent.
“The Saintess knew in advance and sent help?”
“You there—you look like part of the Estar army. Is that true?”
“Yes. Thanks to the Saintess’s message, we arrived early, though the attack had already begun.”
“Good heavens…”
The gazes directed at Helicia changed instantly.
Suspicion and dissatisfaction vanished, replaced by confusion and awe.
“God truly has sent us a Saintess this time.”
“Oh divine one…”
Some nobles quickly sought out priests.
Seeing the bright expressions of the clergy, it seemed discussions of donations had already begun.
It made sense—donating generously to the temple that saved a prince would also deflect suspicion.
Amidst all this, Arzen nudged Arpessian forward.
“You should express your gratitude, Arpessian.”
“…Thank you.”
As he bowed stiffly, more people began looking for priests.
A royal had bowed.
That alone proved the Saintess had truly aided the Empire.
And that meant the temple had the power to help anyone.
After his short thanks, Arzen added apologetically,
“My apologies, Saintess. Arpessian seems quite shaken from the attack. I should have ensured he was better trained in etiquette.”
Helicia clasped her hands together, looking sympathetic.
“An attack? I understand. If it were me, I’d be so scared I might start doing backflips in my sleep.”
At her words, Arpessian twitched as if he had something to say.
Meanwhile, Arzen waved his hands, misunderstanding her reaction.
“No, no. I’m grateful for your concern. I heard a holy knight assisted at the scene. His name was…”
“Lato Sevant.”
Arpessian cut in, speaking the name.
Behind Helicia, Lato made a slight movement.
Unaware, Arzen continued,
“There will soon be a banquet at the imperial palace for my 16th birthday. If you and Sir Lato are willing, would you visit Estar? We will welcome you grandly.”
Helicia had every intention of going.
If she went, Lato would follow—there was no need for another answer.
Still, she deliberately hesitated.
“I’m sorry. That’s not something I can decide…”
The temple wasn’t in a position to refuse any invitation.
If the royal family called, they had to go.
But today, the temple was flourishing.
Donations were already pouring in.
At a time like this, Estar could be made to give even more.
‘I need to earn bread money for Lato. He works hard—I should take care of him.’
And considering how many times she had died in her previous life, they owed her far more.
She had plenty of grievances against Arzen and Emperor Pero.
She intended to save up enough to live comfortably once she retired as Saintess.
At her hesitation, Arzen smiled reassuringly.
“I have already sent word to His Majesty. He has ordered that a generous donation be given as a token of gratitude.”
Judging by his confidence, it would be a significant amount.
Helicia smiled sweetly—almost capitalistically—at Dellas.
“That’s a relief! Since I’m also from the Estar Empire, I really want to go. Then I can see the young duke again too.”
Caught in her gaze, Dellas fidgeted shyly.
“I… I’d like to see you again as well.”
How gentle he is. Perfect as a friend for our Arpessian.
In contrast, Arpessian still looked tense.
As more nobles rushed to the priests, Arzen grew visibly uneasy.
If others offered larger donations, it would hurt the Empire’s pride.
Thanks to Helicia revealing the attack, it had turned into a competition.
“Then, excuse me for a moment.”
With a brief nod, Arzen quickly headed toward the priests.
Left behind, Arpessian stood stiffly like an angry stone.
Looking at Helicia, he asked bluntly,
“Who is Lato?”
“He’s very similar in name to my escort knight. About a 99.9% match? Let’s call the 0.1% margin of error—it sounds fancy.”
His gaze briefly shifted toward Dellas.
No, wrong direction. Lato isn’t over there.
A fleeting trace of disappointment crossed Arpessian’s face.
“The one I saw was much smaller.”
Helicia pulled Lato beside her.
“Our Lato is small enough to fit in your pocket. Very cute for a 14-year-old.”
In truth, Lato had a well-trained physique and could easily be mistaken for an adult—but that didn’t matter.
If Helicia said he was cute, then he was.
She playfully smacked his arm twice.
He let out a quiet groan.
Oops—too hard.
Quickly, she turned back to Arpessian.
“If a fellow servant of God helped you, it must have been such a chaotic—”
“Are you talking about me?”
“—I mean, it must have been very dangerous for the temple to intervene directly. I’m glad you’re safe, Your Highness.”
Helicia shook her head sympathetically.
Watching this, Dellas looked slightly confused.
Seizing the moment, Helicia gestured politely toward Arpessian.
“This is the one I mentioned. Even if he doesn’t look it, he’s actually very kind.”
He will be. Probably… ?
