MVS 17

Chapter: 17

Holding the hand of a trembling little worm still paralyzed by fear, and looking at Sieta’s face as she smiled bravely through it all…
Vicente sank quietly into thought.

Rosiate von Ariache would never blindly follow the words of someone unproven.

No one knew that better than Vicente himself.

And yet—Sieta, still so young, believed that Rosiate would at least listen to her words and act accordingly.

There had only been two chances in which Sieta von Ariache could truly prove herself.

Capturing the Blue Tiger.

And drinking the Blue Nightmare, wandering at death’s door.

The Blue Tiger, however… only increased the likelihood that Rosiate would become wary of Sieta instead.

Viewed coldly, it was an act that brought no benefit—neither to Sieta herself, nor to Rosiate.

Which meant—

“The poison she drank…”

Vicente’s expression shifted, as something came to mind.

Very,

very—

“That even our adorable daughter would stage such a thing herself…”

As if tracing back a long-missed memory.

In a gentle voice so soft no one else could hear, he murmured the words.

What was reflected in his eyes now was no longer Sieta.

Anything lacking substance or justification—she cut away without mercy.

Amid the phantom sound of black hair fluttering—

Vicente whispered, as if on the verge of tears.

“To think she would go that far…”

Bearing my face, and resembling my love so closely.

Not long after Sieta returned from the temple to the imperial palace… rumors spread rapidly throughout the court.

They said that Princess Sieta had stubbornly insisted on taking a certain boy as her attendant.

“Considering the previous business matter as well… it seems Her Highness is still young, easily swayed by sentiment. Quite different from His Majesty the Emperor, who is always so stern.”

The ministers, naturally, did not welcome this development.

To them, the authority of the church clearly stood in opposition to imperial power—but the temple’s personnel were still figures deserving respect and reverence.

“Perhaps she simply does not yet understand how the world works.”

While subtly belittling Sieta and praising the Emperor, the nobles watched Rosiate closely, anticipating her reaction.

After all, until recently, Rosiate von Ariache had not been particularly fond of her only daughter.

However, Rosiate merely—

“Hm.”

Listened to their words with eyes devoid of enthusiasm.

Neither affirming nor denying them.

As a result, the disparaging opinions about Sieta were naturally dismissed as nothing more than the ignorant whim of a child.

And just like that, they faded away.

It was a side of events Sieta herself never came to know.

Sieta, who could not care less about being gossiped about by anyone other than Rosiate—the original story’s protagonist—was instead horrified by the state of the male lead, Rashita’s body.

‘What a bunch of trash humans.’

No matter how much they prioritized their own interests, this went too far.

How could they think to exploit a child however they pleased, without even properly registering him?

The skin on the tips of the boy’s fingers was cracked.

And the results of the medical examination conducted immediately after bringing Rashita to the imperial palace were devastating.

Malnutrition. Clear signs of prolonged abuse. A warning to be especially cautious about his health.

To an orphaned child barely eight years old, the temple had been merciless.

‘And the real problem is… this isn’t even the end.’

Why had the male lead—destined to become a saint—remained bound despite being treated like garbage?

The reason was—

“Don’t worry.”

Grit.

Grinding her teeth as if this were happening to herself, Sieta spoke to Rashita.

“I’ll free those shackles, no matter what.”

Rashita froze in shock for a long moment.

Then, blinking those gray eyes, he asked her,

“H-how… would you do that?”

‘Ah.’

Indeed, it wasn’t something the current Sieta should realistically know.

“Huh? Well…”

She hesitated briefly, then decided to brazen it out.

“Because you’re stronger.”

“…What?”

Ignoring Rashita’s incredulous response—

“If you’re stronger but still stuck in the temple,”

Sieta continued shamelessly, voicing both her guess and conviction.

“There must be a reason, right? Something like having your divine power sealed. To the point you can’t even use it properly.”

Of course, Sieta knew.

Strength alone didn’t decide everything.

Especially in this era, where status mattered far more than in the 21st century.

But Rashita, perhaps having no desire left to refute her childish reasoning, only said,

“…Is that so.”

At any rate, he seemed to accept her answer.

Acceptance didn’t last long.

With nothing left to do, an unbearable awkwardness settled between Sieta and Rashita.

‘This is awkward. Way too awkward.’

Just as Sieta was thinking she should find something—anything—to fill the silence—

“There’s… something more important.”

After hesitating for quite a while, Rashita finally asked,

“Bringing me here… did it benefit Your Highness in any way?”

Behind his words was the question of whether she had gained anything at all—rather than simply burdening herself with loss.

Objectively speaking, it was true: the disadvantages far outweighed the advantages.

There was no real reason for Sieta to protect Rashita while earning the hostility of the priests.

Treatment?

That was something he could receive from his father, the Pope.

Rashita, with barely any background to speak of, had no reason to be rescued and cared for.

The real reason she saved him was—

‘Because you’re the male lead, and might purge me in the future, so I need to earn your favor.’

…But there was no way she could say that.

So Sieta gave a convenient excuse.

“I don’t have anyone on my side in this palace!”

Rashita instinctively doubted his ears.

And when it seemed he hadn’t misheard, he asked again,

“…What?”

Faced with the sudden, heavy confession, Rashita’s face filled with confusion—

But Sieta continued chattering on.

“There are a lot of ears listening in the imperial palace. But I don’t have a single base of support.”

Seeing that Rashita was too flustered to respond, she explained more bluntly.

“So, like—everyone’s on my mom’s side.”

She brushed back her silver hair and shrugged.

“That means everything I do gets reported. Every single move.”

She hadn’t confirmed it outright, but it was probably true.

Hadn’t Rosiate always acted as if she knew exactly where Sieta was?

As Rashita hesitated, unsure how to respond, Sieta—

“So.”

Smiling decisively,

“You’ll be on my side, right?”

She held out her hand to him.

At that confident yet bittersweet smile, Rashita stared at Sieta as if spellbound.

At the way her violet eyes curved and gleamed—

Until that smile finally faded.

For quite a long time.

After agonizing over it for a long while, Sieta finally reached a difficult conclusion.

The “shackles” engraved upon Rashita’s body were invisible to the naked eye.

But they unquestionably existed.

Their purpose was to suppress his divine power.

The priests wanted absolute control over Rashita, who had no status or backing to protect him.

And the way to neutralize those shackles was—

A pendant infused with high-level magic.

In fact, it was the very item the original female lead had painstakingly obtained overseas to unlock the male lead’s power.

‘The problem is… at this point in time, it’s in Rosiate’s study.’

Why?

Simple. In Rosiate’s secret library were countless items—legal and illegal alike—that she deemed “useful.”

There was no way a pendant that amplified a mage’s abilities wouldn’t be there.

‘And it wasn’t just one, either.’

Unlike the heroine who struggled to obtain a single pendant to help the male lead, Rosiate had used them almost like consumables.

Sieta recalled how she had nearly been caught by Rosiate in the secret library just recently.

Thinking about it made her—

‘I never wanted to go near that place again.’

But the truth was—

Rosiate’s secret library was far too useful to ignore.

As a mere princess who hadn’t even completed her education, there were limits to what Sieta could obtain.

‘And now, I have the male lead with me.’

Then it was only right that she be the one to free his shackles.

Couldn’t she just secretly dispose of Rashita instead, without removing them?

That was true.

Even if it meant standing opposed to her mother—

The current male lead, Rashita, was nothing more than an abused child.

‘But what if I try to kill him… and fail?’

…She could already hear the sound of karmic snowballs rolling downhill.

Unless she could guarantee success, her only real option was to treat him well—for now.

Letting out a deep sigh, Sieta began to carefully consider how she could once again infiltrate Rosiate’s library—quietly, and without being detected.