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Chapter 47
With the countess’s permission, Kynan entered the room.
“I should be going now.”
I still had so many things I wanted to ask about Caius.
“Is something the matter?”
“I was supposed to go to the studio today, but I forgot.”
“Then it’s a shame, but we’ll continue next time. Alright, take care on your way back.”
Kynan bowed and, on his way out, our eyes met.
“When will I ever get to see you smile?”
The countess sighed. I had noticed before—she cared for Kynan a lot, unaware of the devil’s deception.
A pang of guilt shot through my chest.
“Ma’am, may I just quickly say goodbye to Kynan before returning?”
At the countess’s questioning look, I hastily explained.
“After hearing the countess, I felt grateful that he’s painting my portrait. I didn’t get a proper chance to thank him, so it’s been weighing on me.”
“Of course, go ahead. Don’t forget to ask him to paint me too.”
I left the reception room and hurried toward the main gate.
In the distance, I saw the red back of his head.
“Kynan!”
I called as I ran, and he turned.
“Why did you come all the way out here?”
“Huff… huff… just a moment.”
I gasped, my body recovering but my soul returning hadn’t restored my muscles or stamina.
After catching my breath, I asked him,
“Why are you leaving all of a sudden?”
“Caius called me. I’ll tell you the rest next time.”
“Can’t you spare just a little time to talk?”
“What is it?”
I pulled a bottle with yellow liquid from my pocket—it was my mother’s medicine from Chase.
“You know what this is?”
“The Crown Prince’s gift, huh.”
“Right.”
Kynan hesitated before finally speaking.
“Don’t get angry.”
“Just tell me.”
“It’s a demonic herb. Something like the Rika leaves of demons. So for humans, it’s poisonous. They probably diluted it to keep the countess alive.”
Caius had been right. Chase had deceived me, giving my mother poison.
“I couldn’t stop it. It was a deal between the Crown Prince and Caius. If I had tried to interfere, I might not even be able to meet you like this.”
He went on, explaining everything, but at this point, it didn’t matter to me.
“How can it be cured?”
“……”
Kynan avoided my gaze.
The way he reacted felt like a massive boulder had fallen and was crushing me.
“No… don’t tell me… there’s really no way? Answer me, Kynan. There has to be a way. How do we do it?”
“You need Rika medicine. But the main ingredient, Rika leaves, are already extinct.”
I rummaged through my pocket and pulled out the Rika leaves Artif had given me.
Kynan’s eyes widened as if they were lanterns.
“They’re tainted with magic. They no longer heal humans. Is there nothing untainted?”
I shook my head, but then hesitated. There were Rika leaves that hadn’t been tainted.
Yet I couldn’t ask Seth for them. He had already been killed in a past life because of me and was helping me even now.
Still… if there were untainted Rika leaves, I could heal my mother.
I bit my lip.
“Charlize?”
Kynan noticed my sudden silence and looked at me with concern.
“Are you alright?”
“Kynan.”
I needed Rika leaves—no matter the cost.
“I’ll become a saint once more.”
Even if the world judged me, even if God abandoned me, this time I would act for myself, for those I love.
I decided not to tell my family about the plan.
If I said I would become a saint to steal the Rika leaves, they would never allow it.
I couldn’t even tell Seth.
The moment I spoke, he would probably go get the leaves himself.
“Not Artif either…”
In the end, I had to solve this alone.
“Charl…”
A voice pulled me from my thoughts. I turned my head; though it was dark, Chase was sitting close enough that I could see his face.
“Bored?”
“No… I didn’t expect you’d bring me here to see this.”
Today was my mandatory date with Chase, and he had brought me to the opera.
We were watching “Saint Eluna.”
It was an opera so popular that no noble in the empire had missed it, but this was my first time seeing it with Chase.
“You remembered our past and promised not to leave me. So…”
A despicable human.
Since the day Chase tested whether I was Calix, he had been acting even more like Calix himself.
“I didn’t know it had been adapted so much.”
The actor portraying Eluna lifted a sword herself when cornered.
“I don’t think I ever actually wielded a sword like that.”
“That’s right. Your sword was me. They probably added this scene to glorify you even more.”
I was wrong. The day I confessed to him when the demon lord Calix set foot on this land, I had prepared for the expedition with a dagger.
There was no way Calix didn’t know.
It was laughable—I had been deceived by such a careless human all this time.
“How did you get the sword back?”
“……Does it matter? The important thing is we’re together again. Our love, which couldn’t bear fruit in our previous lives when you abandoned me, can finally blossom.”
“The soul fragments caused me to be born. What if the demon lord also appeared?”
“There’s no demon lord anymore. You sacrificed yourself and destroyed him.”
But demons remained in his place.
Even if we managed to stop Caius, another demon would eventually try to conquer humans.
“Demons still exist.”
“Sigh… Charl. Don’t worry about demons. Just be happy with me.”
“I have to enter the temple myself.”
“No.”
Chase cut me off.
“I won’t go like before. Your majesty didn’t return all my sacred power, so I have no abilities now.”
“Then why do you want to enter?”
“I want to heal my mother. My sacred power is special, maybe it will help.”
“I’m giving her medicine.”
I clutched the hem of my dress. Otherwise, I felt like I might pounce on Chase right then.
“It won’t cause seizures; she hasn’t gotten up on her own yet.”
“Even in the temple, there’s little I can do. Better to go to the pope…”
“In return, let’s get married.”
Chase looked unusually surprised at my words.
“Say that again.”
“I said, let’s get married.”
“……We need to book the venue first. Seems like we can’t leisurely watch the opera anymore.”
“Next year.”
Chase paused, looking down at me.
Were those really the eyes of a man in love, not rage?
“…You’re joking too much. I don’t like this kind of thing.”
“We originally planned to marry in two years. We’ll hold the ceremony after I join the temple and settle my position.”
Chase slumped back in his seat.
“The reward for you joining the temple is minimal, nothing in my hands yet.”
“One year sooner is still a gain.”
“Not enough. You will be mine anyway.”
“Then tell me what you want.”
Chase pondered, finally getting to the negotiating table.
“This is fine.”
Chase looked at the stage. Eluna and Calix, portrayed by actors, were sharing a kiss.
