Chapter 2

Carnike followed Duke Reinach and sat down at the table.

Only then did she notice the gifts the Emperor’s attendant had left behind, still sitting there untouched. Embarrassed, Carnike cleared her throat.

“I’ll have the table cleared.”

“No, there’s no need. I have a meeting with the officials soon, so I can’t stay long anyway. Besides, I came because there’s something important I need to tell you.”

Something important?

Carnike tilted her head and looked at the Duke.

Duke Reinach was a man whose position in the Haven Empire was second only to the Emperor. He was also the person who had taken care of Carnike when she had first arrived in the capital.

Thanks to the Duke, Carnike had been able to quickly learn the Imperial etiquette that demanded she practically not even breathe without permission. He had also helped her secretly enter Chellis without being noticed by others.

When he discovered that Carnike, just like the Saintesses before her, was an ordinary person who could not hear the oracle, he was also the one who taught her how to fabricate convincing oracles so that she would not lose her head.

In other words, he was an irreplaceable benefactor to Carnike and her lifeline within the Imperial Palace.

I don’t know why someone as important as the Duke is being so kind to someone like me, but… well, it’s certainly a good thing for me if I want to survive this place where one wrong step could mean death. And the Duke must have his own reasons, too.

Straightening her posture, Carnike looked at the Duke and asked,

“What is this important matter you wanted to tell me?”

The Duke let out a short sigh, looking troubled, before answering.

“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince is returning from his tour of the northern territories.”

Carnike’s large eyes blinked silently.

“The Crown Prince…?”

“Yes. Have you heard anything about His Imperial Highness?”

A strange expression briefly crossed Carnike’s face.

“I have, actually…”

“Really? What have you heard?”

Can I really tell him honestly?

After thinking it over carefully, Carnike composed herself once again.

“I happened to overhear some people whispering as I passed by. They said His Imperial Highness’s nickname is the ‘Ice Cliff.’”

After finishing, Carnike watched the Duke’s reaction for a moment.

The Crown Prince was the Emperor’s only son. No matter how free-spirited Carnike was, talking about a member of the Imperial family by his nickname probably wasn’t exactly appropriate.

Unexpectedly, however, the Duke merely let out a quiet chuckle instead of scolding her.

“Yes, what you heard is true. And that isn’t all. Some people even compare His Imperial Highness to an enraged dragon.”

How terrifying.

Carnike thought to herself.

The Duke wet his lips with his tongue, as though his mouth had gone dry, and then stared directly at her again.

“Do you know what that means?”

“It means His Imperial Highness is… a very frightening person?”

The Duke nodded.

At this point, Carnike became curious as well.

She understood that the Crown Prince was a frightening man. She also understood that he was currently away on a tour of the northern territories and would soon return.

But why was that important?

Well, of course it was important to the Imperial Family!

Surely there was no way a fake Saintess like herself would be expected to give him some sort of blessing…

“And there is one more thing you don’t know, Carnike.”

“What is it, Your Grace?”

“His Imperial Highness the Crown Prince greatly dislikes things such as Saintesses and oracles.”

Okay, that really is important.

Carnike thought.

“He… dislikes Saintesses?”

Carnike was bewildered and flustered, as though someone had suddenly walked up and given her a tap on the back of the head.

“That is correct. As you know, His Majesty the Emperor relies on the Saintess’s oracles for everything, but His Imperial Highness is different. He absolutely despises the corrupt bureaucratic nobles who bring in ordinary women who cannot even hear the oracles and insist on presenting them as Saintesses.”

“Then… will Your Grace also fall out of favor with His Imperial Highness? Because of me?”

Duke Reinach was the one pillar Carnike could rely on.

She was walking a terrifying tightrope where one wrong move could mean not merely humiliation, but losing her head. If Duke Reinach, who had looked after her like a father, disappeared…

That would be a real problem!

She did not even want to imagine it.

“What should I do, Your Grace? I’m not asking because I’m worried about my own safety… Well, of course I’m worried about that too.”

The Duke deliberately put on a bitter smile.

“What an honest girl you are.”

“Saying ‘I’m fine’ in a situation like this would just be pretending. But if there’s anything I can do to help you, I want to help. You’re practically the person who saved my life. If you were to suffer because of me, how could I live with myself?”

The expression on Duke Reinach’s face softened a little more. He was pleased by the sincerity in Carnike’s words.

“Actually, you don’t need to worry about me. His Imperial Highness will not severely reprimand me. But, Carnike, you are different.”

Carnike opened her eyes wide, wondering what he meant.

“I’m different?”

“Yes. Avoid His Imperial Highness as much as possible. Of course, on the day he arrives at the Imperial Palace, you will have to appear before His Imperial Highness and his entourage as the Saintess, but…”

The Duke trailed off for a moment before calmly patting the back of Carnike’s hand.

“After that, do not cross paths with His Imperial Highness. For your own safety, it would be best if you did not meet him until the day you leave this castle.”

“But why…?”

Carnike was about to ask when she suddenly realized how foolish her question was.

Hadn’t the Duke just told her? The Crown Prince hated the behavior of the corrupt bureaucratic nobles.

And the most prominent example of that was the matter concerning the Saintess.

Just like all the others, I’m a fake too. There’s no way His Imperial Highness is going to look kindly upon me…

The Duke, who had been carefully watching Carnike’s expression change, spoke.

“I’m glad to see you understand.”

Carnike swallowed hard and nodded.

“Don’t worry, Your Grace. His Imperial Highness? Surely not. Just as you told me, I’m already being careful not to run into the priests whenever possible. I’ll make sure to avoid him.”

Duke Reinach looked as though he had something else to say, but when Carnike even clenched her fists and firmly promised to do so, he did not add anything.

“Good. You’ve been doing well following my advice. Just keep doing that.”

Having finished speaking, the Duke stood up.

Carnike folded both hands politely as she had been taught and bowed her head as she saw him off.

The Crown Prince? What are the chances I’ll ever run into someone like that? The temple is quite far from the Imperial Palace itself. Unless he goes out of his way to search for me…

Looking back, that careless thought would prove to be the source of her troubles.

But at the time, Carnike had no idea what kind of person the Crown Prince truly was.

“Your Imperial Highness, the Imperial Palace is just ahead.”

At Commander Cullen’s words, the young man at the head of the procession fixed his gaze on the distant rooftops of the Imperial Palace.

It was a beautiful, clear day.

The bitter cold of the northern territories was nowhere to be found. The air in the capital, which was entering the season of barley harvest, was warm and filled with abundance.

Yet the gaze of the Crown Prince, Theophista Solimer, as he looked toward the Imperial Palace immersed in that prosperity, was anything but warm or gentle.

“What became of what I told you to look into?”

His voice was a pleasant, deep baritone, but his tone was cold, carrying a chill like an icy wind.

Cullen lowered his head slightly with disciplined composure before answering.

“I have learned that the Saintess who held the position before Your Highness departed on your tour has retired.”

A bitter smile appeared at the corner of Theophista’s mouth.

“Retired. Whoever came up with that excuse certainly knows how to scheme. So, who did they bring in as the new Saintess this time?”

“That is…”

Cullen trailed off.

Theophista turned toward him with his usual sharp gaze.

“Did I not ask who she is?”

“I beg Your Highness’s pardon for saying so, but I am told it is Duke Reinach.”

Theophista abruptly pulled on the reins of his slowly walking horse.

His brow furrowed as deeply as it possibly could.