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chapter 48
May 17, 2022
Stella gazed at Johan with clear blue eyes, hot and intense.
It’s as if sh
e’s looking at a long-lost lover she’s finally reunited with.
But then, shyly lowering her long lashes, Stella hid again behind the male priest.
The priest in front of her spoke up on her behalf.
“The Saintess is not used to the outside world, and she is very shy. I ask for your understanding.”
I discreetly examined Stella’s pure and innocent face.
I wasn’t mistaken.
No matter how I looked at her, she was indeed Estella Libertan.
Her long golden hair cascading like honey, her fresh and innocent features glowing like morning sunlight, her noble bearing like a princess locked in a tower—
She was exactly as I had seen her in my dream.
So that’s what the dream was trying to tell me.
Estella Libertan, whom I thought was dead, was alive.
But how could she be alive?
It was something I had never imagined.
Did the Duke and Duchess of Libertan deceive me?
But their grief over losing their daughter had been real.
What troubles me most is…
I glanced around at the others’ reactions.
It seemed no one else recognized Estella in the Saintess’s face.
That’s not a normal reaction.
They must all have seen Estella’s childhood portraits. Her looks were similar, even her name.
How is it that only I can recognize her?
I tried to think of possibilities.
Or maybe I’m just overreacting…
At that moment, Saintess Stella tugged at the priest’s sleeve and whispered softly.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have come.”
Her voice was just loud enough for everyone present to hear.
“There’s no such thing, Saintess. Everyone welcomes you here.”
“But… I feel like I’m making someone uncomfortable.”
Her downcast eyes briefly brushed against me.
Immediately, the priest and the others turned their eyes toward me.
Is she truly just shy, like the priest says?
I was about to smile and respond when—
“I did call for a priest,” Johan said before I could answer.
“Estelle’s health is fragile. She needs at least a high priest.”
He ignored the Saintess’s earlier words completely. Stella’s face brightened at his reply.
“The Duke of Blanchet is truly considerate.”
She covered her lips with her hand and gave a bashful laugh.
“Perhaps it was fate that brought me to House Blanchet.”
“Is that so?” Johan tilted his head slightly, as if puzzled.
“But I find your presence here unpleasant.”
“…Pardon?”
“That remark you made earlier—wasn’t it directed at me?”
Stella blinked in shock and clutched the priest’s sleeve.
“B-Berto…”
“It’s all right, Saintess. I will handle this.”
Priest Berto bowed respectfully to Johan.
“Did you not call upon us to treat the Duchess? Please don’t speak so harshly to the Saintess.”
“I find your response amusing.”
“What exactly is the problem—”
“Shall I list them one by one?” Johan smirked.
“What I made with you was not a request but a transaction. More bluntly, it was an order, even a threat.”
“…”
“And yet you spoke so openly, as if hoping no one would hear. Isn’t that laughable?”
“…”
“If you provoke me again, there will be consequences.”
Priest Berto clenched his fists, trembling, but in the end he apologized on the Saintess’s behalf.
“My apologies. This is the Saintess’s first visit to a noble household, and it seems she has caused misunderstanding. We will be more careful in the future.”
“There won’t be a next time.”
Johan swept me up into his arms and carried me inside the mansion.
Is it really okay to leave like this?
Behind us, I heard Stella’s flustered voice: “It’s fine, really. I should have behaved in a way that pleased the Duke more…”
Honestly, I could understand why the temple might feel wronged.
Even to me, Johan’s behavior seemed excessive.
Though I was shocked to see Estella in her face, the Saintess herself had done nothing wrong.
Handled poorly, rumors could spread that House Blanchet had insulted the Saintess they had so graciously invited.
Looking up at Johan, I asked,
“Were you that uncomfortable with the priests?”
“Why do you ask?”
“It’s just… normally, you wouldn’t have gone that far.”
Instead of answering, Johan looked at me and asked,
“Are you okay?”
“Me?”
“I wasn’t too bothered. But I could feel you were.”
I had tried to hide my discomfort, but clearly Johan had noticed.
“And the Saintess seemed to ignore you a little, greeting only me.”
It was something easy enough to dismiss.
Unlike at the Count of Hetel’s estate, the Saintess hadn’t been blatant. Most people would have let it slide.
But Johan didn’t.
Instead, he directly warned both the Saintess and the temple.
At that moment, I realized that from the instant I had seen her, I’d been uneasy.
“In situations like this, it’s better for me to step in than for you to. I have more leeway.”
His red eyes softened gently as they met mine.
“So if the Saintess makes you even slightly uncomfortable, tell me. Understood?”
I didn’t say things like I wasn’t uncomfortable or There was no need.
Instead, twisting my fingers nervously, I whispered softly,
“…Thank you.”
Treatment took place in my room.
Perhaps thanks to Johan’s stern warning, the Saintess was far more cautious.
When she unwrapped the bandages and examined my wound, her brows knitted in sorrow.
“Oh dear. Your ankle is badly injured. How did this happen?”
Looking at the wound on my ankle, I thought back. Before coming to the mansion, I had asked Johan about it.
“I hit it against the bedpost in my sleep.”
“That hard?”
“Your sleep habits are worse than I thought.”
It had been embarrassing to hear, but at least I learned something—this scar wasn’t from Libertan.
“It just happened by accident.”
“Luckily, I should be able to heal it with divine power.”
Smiling warmly, Stella cupped my ankle in her hands.
A white glow seeped from her palms into my ankle.
It heals so easily.
The swelling quickly subsided.
“Wow…”
The warmth was soothing and strangely familiar, lifting my spirits.
When Stella withdrew her hands, she panted heavily, her long lashes trembling.
Is she exhausted?
Yet she wasn’t sweating at all.
The priests around her fussed over her anxiously.
“Saintess, are you sure you didn’t overdo it?”
“Yes, you’ve collapsed before after performing miracles of healing.”
Stella dabbed her eyes with the handkerchief they handed her.
“This much is fine.”
“Saintess…”
“It’s my duty as Saintess.”
Reassuring the priests, Stella turned to Johan with a smile.
“Now, Duke of Blanchet, would you sit before me?”
Johan’s eyes sharpened.
“Are you speaking to me?”
“Yes. I think you should also receive my treatment.”
She answered sweetly, her face serene.
“Even if nothing seems wrong, it’s good to undergo divine examination. It never hurts to check in advance.”
“…”
“It’s simple. Just hold my hands, and I can see right away.”
Johan folded his arms and regarded her in silence.
At that moment, Priest Berto placed a hand on Stella’s shoulder and interjected.
“The Saintess’s healing ability is the most outstanding in the temple. Her divine power surpasses that of most cardinals.”
“So you’re saying I should be treated?”
“There is nothing to fear. I believe the Saintess only wishes to ease the discomfort from earlier. Isn’t that right?”
Stella nodded.
“Yes. Partly because I made a mistake earlier, but also because…”
She lowered her lashes sorrowfully.
“I feel a deep wound inside the Duke of Blanchet.”
“Oh…” Priest Berto looked at me, amazed.
“What do you think, Duchess? Wouldn’t it be good for your husband to be treated?”
It felt like déjà vu.
It’s only for healing.
If I refused, people might say I was jealous of the Saintess.
But it did leave a bad taste.
“Shouldn’t you ask the person himself, rather than me?”
“Even so, if you encouraged—”
Johan cut him off, rubbing his temple.
“Before that—has my wife’s treatment been completed?”
“Yes, it’s done.”
“Nothing else wrong besides her ankle? How exactly did you treat it?”
At Johan’s cold tone, Stella’s lips trembled.
“Shouldn’t you prioritize the patient before you over me?”
“The Saintess only left it unspoken because she had already healed the Duchess.”
“Are you the Saintess, then?”
Johan crossed his legs, looming over Berto. The priest clamped his mouth shut.
At last, Stella gave me a sorrowful smile.
“I’ve never treated a non-believer before, so I made a mistake. It’s my lack of discipline. Were you very uncomfortable?”
I could have brushed it aside—my treatment was done.
But once was enough. Twice, no.
“Yes, I was uncomfortable.”
“…What?”
“Like you said, Saintess, you seem a little lacking in discipline. My husband wasn’t angry for no reason.”
I smiled brightly at her.
“I can overlook it, but if other noblewomen hear, it could cause a scandal.”
Stella reacted as if I had cursed her.
“Th-That can’t be… I-I’m so sorry. I didn’t realize it troubled you that much…”
Tears welled faintly in her eyes. The nearby priests bristled at the sight of their precious Saintess in distress, but I feigned ignorance.
“Saintess, are you about to cry?”
“Ah, I… I…”
“Oh, you must be moved with gratitude toward me. That’s why you’re crying.”
I clapped softly in admiration.
“As expected, you truly are of noble character. But you don’t need to be so grateful.”
Priest Berto protested.
“Duchess, can’t you see the Saintess is distressed?”
“Distressed? You misunderstand her, Priest Berto.”
He looked baffled.
“What do you mean—”
“A noble Saintess wouldn’t cry just because she was flustered by someone’s words. She only sheds tears from compassion or gratitude to God. That’s what the scriptures say, isn’t it?”
Berto gulped nervously.
“Th-That is…”
“Saintess, isn’t that right? Priest Berto misunderstood you.”
Stella glanced sideways at Berto, then reluctantly answered.
“…Yes, that’s right.”
His face twisted, but her words stood.
“I was crying out of gratitude to the Duchess.”
Johan, who had been silently watching, let out a dry laugh.
“Ha.”
His scarlet eyes burned into Berto.
“You said you wouldn’t cause trouble.”
“…”
“And yet you over-interpreted, pushing blame onto my wife.”
Berto paled, scrambling to explain.
“I only meant to defend the Saintess—”
“So you’re saying it’s the Saintess’s fault, then?”
A mere priest couldn’t use the Saintess as a shield.
“…No, that’s not what I—”
“Then what should you be doing?”
Johan rose gracefully and addressed the Saintess behind him.
“Saintess, how do you think responsibility for this matter should be taken?”
Stella’s eyes trembled in disbelief. Berto looked at her like a drowning man reaching for a lifeline.
“Saintess…!”
Her pink lips parted slowly.
“I…”
