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Chapter 86
The Saint Attacked the Duchess!
A priest, still not fully understanding the situation, asked with a bewildered expression:
“Did Lady Blanchet actually invite you all?”
“Yes. I heard the Saint arranged the gathering to officially apologize.”
“Since this is a meeting that will be important in society in the future, I wanted to witness it myself.”
The confused priest moved to relay the news to the Saint. But the visiting guests were not only the Marquis Albert and his wife.
Another nobleman arrived and asked the priests:
“This is the temple where the Saint will officially apologize, correct? Could you guide us there?”
The priests’ faces turned pale as they saw carriage after carriage arriving endlessly.
‘The Saint only invited Lady Blanchet, didn’t she?’
‘What on earth is going on?!’
Stella’s private prayer room.
In a luxurious room fit for a high-ranking noble lady, Stella was chatting with three noblewomen she was close to.
“Lady Blanchet is really over the top,” one noblewoman said in a frustrated voice.
“She knew it was a misunderstanding that would be hard for the Saint to explain, yet she intentionally stayed silent and let it spread. Especially since the Saint has no one to defend her…”
Currently, most people in society sided with the Saint.
Miru, the source of all the trouble, admitted her wrongdoing and took her own life, clearly stating in her will that the Saint was not at fault.
Since many people in the empire followed the Holy Nation, they didn’t want to see the Saint in a negative light.
Moreover, many were reluctant to completely overturn the existing bad reputation of Estelle.
Of course, there were a few who wondered just how incompetent the Saint must have been to be deceived by Miru.
Luigi, Stella’s devoted defender, was angry at Estelle for exactly that reason.
“In fact, I don’t like that Lady Blanchet kept rejecting the Saint’s invitations and only moved after His Majesty pleaded. That’s outright disrespect toward the Saint!”
“Don’t be too harsh. Misunderstandings can happen if feelings run deep,” one of the noblewomen cautioned.
“But Saint, Lady Blanchet is someone who owes her everything to the temple and to you! You should have known from the moment she called you her personal servant and had you treat her…”
Stella defended Estelle instead.
“Calling me a personal servant is too much of an exaggeration. I understand Luigi’s concern, but Lady Blanchet only sought my help because she was unwell. As a Saint, it is natural to help the sick.”
“But she cast us out immediately after being healed, refused to be friends, and yet you still helped her?”
Luigi’s anger toward Stella’s defense deepened.
“And then, she called you again when she was only slightly unwell. Without thanking you, she just criticized you…”
“Lady Blanchet said she wanted to teach me something…”
“Oh, come on! What right does Lady Blanchet have to lecture the Saint! She just wanted to use the Saint for her convenience and find faults without giving thanks! How is that different from treating her as a personal servant?”
The other noblewomen nodded in agreement with Luigi.
“Yes, that’s not normal. She took advantage of the Saint’s inexperience with the Empire to cause trouble.”
“Even seeing the Saint nearly accused falsely makes it obvious. She may think she’s clever, but we’ve seen through her intentions in high society.”
“Still, I want to trust Lady Blanchet. People don’t behave that maliciously,” Stella said gently.
Luigi sighed at Stella’s kind and stubborn response.
‘I’m really worried about her.’
Having lived mostly in the temple, Stella was excessively naive and unaware of human malice.
‘I have no choice but to protect her.’
“Even if the Saint acted rudely, she still saved Lady Blanchet’s life. Who treats their benefactor like that? People don’t even try to repay kindness—”
At that moment, a priest burst into the prayer room.
“Saint, your guest has arrived.”
“Ah, Lady Blanchet must have arrived,” Stella said, nodding and smiling, though a hint of fear lingered in her expression.
“Saint, shall I accompany you? Even Lady Blanchet won’t dare act improperly in front of me, Luigi Carstein, the flower of society.”
“Or we could all go together. We should see her face to know exactly what she was thinking when she treated the Saint that way.”
“No, it’s fine. If I need help, I’ll ask. Luigi gave me this bell so I can call for aid if necessary.”
Stella shook a small bell and smiled. Luigi was captivated by her composed demeanor.
‘The Saint is truly different. She’s genuine.’
Stella told the priest:
“Please guide me to where Lady Blanchet is.”
“I’m sorry, Saint, but your guest is not Lady Blanchet.”
“What?”
Another priest ran into the prayer room.
“Saint! The nobles have all arrived at once. I… I don’t understand what you meant by saying you would officially apologize to Lady Blanchet…”
Stella’s expression stiffened slightly.
“I… I don’t know anything about this.”
She hurried to the temple window. Outside, numerous carriages were lined up. Nobles gracefully descended from them.
‘Why are all these nobles here…?’
Among the many carriages, the most magnificent and beautiful one entered the temple. It proudly displayed the Blanchet family crest.
Estelle stepped down from the carriage, her platinum hair gleaming pink in the sunlight. She happily greeted the waiting nobles as if she were the main character.
‘…Estelle Libertan!’
Sensing her gaze, Estelle looked toward Stella and waved with a bright smile.
“Oh! It’s the Saint!”
“There she is! It’s actually my first time seeing the Saint today.”
Stella smiled kindly at the nobles’ reactions, but inwardly she was uneasy.
She had laid traps to undermine Estelle, but if the situation changed, everything could go wrong.
‘What is this fake trying to do now?’
Stella’s expression remained calm.
‘I still don’t know her true intentions.’
But that didn’t matter. All Stella had to do was continue what she planned.
‘This is laying the foundation to uncover the temple’s secrets.’
As soon as Stella finished greeting, priests nearby approached me.
“Hello, Lady Blanchet. Thank you for coming to the temple.”
Perhaps because I brought many unexpected guests, the priests’ welcome was rather stiff. One priest, frowning slightly, said sternly:
“Lady Blanchet, even if the Saint formally invited you, bringing external guests indiscriminately violates the Holy Nation’s laws.”
“Me?”
“All the guests said they came at your invitation.”
I tilted my head in confusion and took out the letter Stella had sent.
It seems a minor misunderstanding arose between Lady Blanchet and me. It’s all my fault. Could you give me a chance to resolve it? As a Saint, I don’t mind enduring misunderstandings. But I fear false rumors spreading throughout the Empire might create new victims. If it’s difficult to come alone, you may bring those you rely on. I hope you trust me, as I take responsibility for all risks in the temple. – By the grace of Atea.
Stella had written the letter to subtly make me come alone. Most people would have come alone or with a few trusted guards.
‘But I’m not that kind of person.’
Stella’s ambiguity was her responsibility.
“The Saint said it’s okay to bring someone if it’s difficult to come alone, and she’s prepared the place, so I thought it’d be best to invite as many as possible.”
The priest reacted sharply to the letter.
“Lady Blanchet, according to this letter, should we believe you didn’t trust this temple?”
“It’s a misunderstanding! Why would I not trust the Saint or the temple? I, too, live under the light of Atea.”
‘Why would I trust you?’
Still, I smiled brightly.
“The Saint worried about misunderstandings spreading. So I thought inviting more people would best realize her goodwill quickly.”
“….”
“The date was tight, so I couldn’t consult the temple, but I hope you understand that this is in the Saint’s best interest.”
The priest hesitated, then spoke:
“B-but the Saint never said she would officially apologize to you. Yet all the nobles came thinking that…”
“Excuse me? The Saint said it was all her fault.”
It’s all my fault.
I pointed at the letter and smiled innocently.
“See? The Saint said it herself.”
“Th-that’s just a formality…”
“Then do you think the Saint lied?”
The priest’s expression hardened.
“N-no, of course not.”
“Then what’s the problem? The Saint I know is merciful and kind; she wouldn’t cling to misunderstandings created by her own letter.”
The priests stepped back hesitantly, and whispers ran through the nobles.
“So it’s true. The Saint did officially apologize here. I half-doubted it…”
“Yes. Even if it was a mistake, repeating mistakes like this means she’s unfit as a Saint…”
Hmm. Victory is mine.
“Lady Blanchet,”
A priest secretly called me to the temple garden.
“The Saint wishes to speak with you briefly before appearing in front of everyone.”
I left the main hall where everyone had gathered and went to the garden, near a small lake at the back of the temple.
Stella, gazing at the lake, noticed me and clasped her hands.
“Ah, Lady Blanchet, you’ve come.”
She faintly smiled.
“I didn’t expect you’d misunderstand my letter. I suppose I wrote it unclearly because I’m unfamiliar with noble etiquette.”
“Oh, did I misunderstand something again?”
“Yes. Many nobles came, contrary to my intentions, which was a bit surprising.”
I smiled at Stella.
“Oh dear, I feel so sorry.”
“That’s alright. It’s my fault for writing the letter poorly.”
She pointed to a quiet corner of the garden with a gentle smile.
“May I guide you around the garden briefly?”
“Of course.”
The temple garden was modest, unlike the grandeur of the Blanchet estate. But that made it feel more pure and innocent.
“This is where I first met Johan. I’m happy to finally show it to you.”
“Excuse me?”
I widened my eyes in surprise. Stella’s eyes widened in shock as well.
“Oh dear. I accidentally mentioned Johan’s name…”
Ding-
“I’m truly sorry if I upset you, Lady Blanchet.”
‘Huh?’
A strange jingle sounded near the Saint’s sleeve. Suddenly, Stella tripped on a nearby stone. Her delicate arms hit the ground, and her pure white dress was stained with dust.
“Oh! Saint!”
I heard the rushing footsteps of people coming from behind.
“Lady Blanchet, this is…”
Stella, in a pitiful posture, reached out to me. As she grabbed my dress, a sudden, unpleasant sensation rose in my throat.
‘Why now?’
Last time, holding hands had caused nothing like this.
“Saint, I—cough!”
I vomited blood at the corner of my mouth and fainted. I could hear the horrified voices of those rushing toward Stella and me.
Inside the main hall.
Marquis Albert waited impatiently with the Saint and Lady Blanchet.
‘When on earth are they going to apologize or explain?’
One of the nobles, who had hurriedly followed the priests, ran into the hall.
“Everyone, this is serious. The Saint may have attacked Lady Blanchet!”
“What?! What do you mean—”
“The Duchess, who was alone with the Saint, suddenly started vomiting blood!”
