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Chapter 10
…Aren’t we getting things backwards here?
I was the one who saved him.
But it was hard to scold him when his gaze was so straightforward.
As if he had just as many questions as Helicia, he asked without hesitation,
“I wanted to ask from the beginning—why did you save me?”
“Because I’m the Saintess. As you can see, I’m overflowing with love for humanity.”
In truth, she had saved him to survive herself—but there was no need to say that.
If he found out, like in her previous life, that her divine power would disappear, it would only get her killed.
Fortunately, he didn’t press further.
Instead, he stared at her intently and continued,
“Are Saintesses always kind to everyone like that?”
“On the surface, yes. That’s what the gods blessed us to do.”
“Oh… I see.”
She hadn’t exactly lied, but the way he accepted it so easily made it clear—he was still just a child.
Seizing the moment, Helicia confidently suggested,
“By the way, what do you think of the young Duke Repon from earlier? He’s only ten, but very mature.”
Instead of answering, Arpessian looked straight at her and asked,
“Don’t tell me you’re introducing him out of love for humanity too?”
“This one is personal. If I get sent to the Empire later, it’d be boring if I didn’t know anyone.”
“Are we acquaintances?”
“We know each other’s names, faces, and even secrets—doesn’t that count?”
Knowing who someone is was enough.
She subtly included her strength as a “secret,” but Arpessian didn’t seem to notice.
As she shrugged casually, he turned his head and cleared his throat.
“That… secret. Does the young Duke Repon know about it too?”
Good. That needed to be clarified.
Helicia quietly covered her mouth with one hand.
Standing on her tiptoes, she tilted her head slightly.
Arpessian slowly leaned closer.
Looking at him, Helicia smiled and whispered,
“Only you know.”
“No one else?”
“No. So you have to keep it a secret, okay?”
She wrinkled her nose playfully, wiggling her fingers.
Straightening up, Arpessian answered awkwardly, his tone softer than before,
“Well… more or less.”
Even as he said that, his voice was noticeably quieter.
“I wasn’t planning to tell anyone anyway. You must’ve had a reason for hiding it.”
“That’s a relief. I was wondering how I’d bury it otherwise.”
“…Bury what?”
When she simply smiled, he asked again in disbelief,
“You don’t mean a person, right?”
Instead of answering, Helicia maintained an innocent silence.
The terrace fell quiet.
For a moment, it felt like time had stopped—until a bird fluttered past, rustling the leaves.
As Arpessian stood frozen in confusion, Helicia smiled brightly and said,
“So anyway, when you’re with the young Duke, try to be a bit kinder. Maybe smile a little, like this.”
She pointed to the corners of her mouth as an example.
Arpessian frowned slightly, then nodded awkwardly.
“…Alright. I’ll try.”
The moment he answered, Lato’s quiet voice broke in,
“Lady Helicia. The High Priest appears to be looking for you.”
Sure enough, through the terrace window, Verdic could be seen searching around.
Considering she was the main figure of the day, it was only natural.
Adjusting her clothes roughly, Helicia rubbed the cracked terrace floor with her foot.
It felt wrong to just leave it like that.
Of course, no amount of rubbing would fix it—but no one would suspect her anyway.
Watching her, Arpessian muttered,
“So your real name really is Helicia.”
Helicia asked casually, still watching Verdic,
“Your Highness, you’re not injured anywhere, right?”
She needed to confirm.
Soon, there would be a birthday banquet for Arzen.
In all seventeen of her previous lives, Arpessian had never attended.
He was always injured from the carriage attack.
But this time, he was fine.
Still, things had gone wrong so many times before—it worried her.
Helicia stepped closer.
“Wait—what are you doing?”
Arpessian flinched.
As he stepped back, she grabbed him and stared into his eyes.
Avoiding her gaze, he asked,
“W-why are you looking at me like that?”
Even in the dim light, his face was red.
As she examined him, he covered his mouth awkwardly.
She had thought something was wrong, but his eyes were clear, his focus steady.
His breathing was even.
“Hmm… communication might be a bit lacking, but you can hear with both ears and speak just fine…”
His gaze, which had been wandering, fixed on her.
“Why are you suddenly inspecting my body?”
“Ten fingers, probably ten toes. You can walk fine. No broken legs.”
As she circled him, checking, Arpessian suddenly said,
“Wait… are you thinking about organ trafficking?”
“That’s a fresh angle. Not many people try to appeal with their organs. You must be confident in your liver or kidneys!”
“That’s not what I meant.”
“Still, instead of showing off your organs, try smiling in front of the young Duke.”
At the very least, Arpessian’s appearance was far from something that would invite scorn.
If he smiled, Dellas might feel less intimidated.
‘Come to think of it, I’ve never seen him smile.’
In her memories, he was always grimacing in pain or expressionless.
She couldn’t even imagine it.
Now that she thought about it, she became curious.
“I want to see it.”
Arpessian clenched and unclenched his hand awkwardly.
“Everyone says my face looks unpleasant.”
“Who said that? Which idiot—”
“His Majesty.”
“I respect that people have different tastes!”
That was close!
Helicia panicked internally but tilted her head calmly.
Cold sweat ran down her back.
To think the Emperor would say that to his own son.
The temple still had little authority.
A Saintess of low birth who had only been there ten days couldn’t afford to insult Emperor Pero.
Fortunately, Arpessian didn’t seem to notice anything.
He simply waited for her next words.
He should have been hurt—but he looked completely fine.
‘So they’ve crushed his self-esteem too… no wonder a rebellion happens.’
In a way, that made things easier.
If he were close to the Emperor, he might ignore others’ advice.
Helicia spoke firmly,
“At least the young Duke and I prefer smiles, so don’t worry.”
“How do you know that?”
“There are ways.”
She returned his sword.
He stared at it, holding it tightly with both hands like it was precious.
“If you’re curious, make sure you come to the banquet.”
“What banquet?”
“Prince Arzen’s birthday banquet. Is there another one coming up soon?”
As far as she remembered, there wasn’t—but things had already changed.
Only then did Arpessian let out a short sigh.
“Ah…”
Lato spoke again, urging her,
“Lady Helicia.”
Through the window, more priests had gathered around Verdic.
Helicia gave Arpessian a quick look, then calmly walked back toward the hall.
As Lato opened the terrace door, the noise of the hall rushed in.
The first person to spot her was Dellas.
“Lady Helicia, are you alright?”
He rushed over, his face full of worry, as if he might cry at any moment.
‘Anyone would think I got kidnapped.’
Dellas still looked at Arpessian with suspicion.
Good. This was the moment.
Helicia quickly nudged Arpessian’s side with her elbow.
Thanks to her earlier instructions, his lips slowly curved upward.
His sharp eyes softened slightly.
He definitely smiled…
“….”
“….”
But it looked like the terrifying smile of someone who had just killed a man.
And it was incredibly awkward.
