The Tragedy of The Villainess

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“Lina!”

“Saintess!"

Seria blinked slowly against the backdrop of the high-pitched voice behind her.

"Are you serious?" (Seria)

“I'm serious.” (Lina)

“Are you sure you're not just saying that out of anger?” (Seria)

“No, I’m not.” (Lina)

Seria was hoping that Kalis would hear what she said. Lina was still not good at hiding her expression. And Seria was glad that she was exceptionally good at reading people's expressions.

Seria slowly closed her eyes and opened them.

“Then…I'll think about it.” (Seria)

“My lady!"

Seria looked down, startled.

Linon had grabbed her leg and was holding on to it. Wait, did Linon just call her ‘Lady’? Linon was disconcerted, which was unlike him. It seemed that he was so surprised that the appellation came naturally to him.

Seria pushed Linon away, who was grabbing her leg. Then she looked at Lina again.

"You've finished what you wanted to say?” (Seria)

"…Yes." (Lina)

Seria said with a blank look on her face.

“It’s about marriage, I hope you’re not playing with me….I'm not very patient. Lina."

"……."

Seria walked past Lina.

She naturally passed by Kalis, and there was a huge shock on his face. She stirred, thinking he was going to hug her again this time, but he averted his gaze when Abigail came out with a scowl.

After they left the building.

"Grand Duchess."

Linon asked in a voice more shaky than ever.

“Are you really going to marry the Saintess? Are you going to divorce His Highness?”

Seria glanced back. The priests were also very sensitive about her moods. And her expression was quite cold.

Thanks to that, there was no one behind her. She looked back at Linon and said,

"Am I crazy?"

"What?"

"I’m buying time. I want to confirm something.”

“I knew it.”

Linon said and smiled brightly. Then he crossed his arms and made a pose that covered his chest…

“Linon!"

He then fell backwards laughing and fainted. Abigail, who snatched Linon like the wind, shook her head.

“This man is very weak, young lady.”

It was late that day.

Seria marveled as she looked at her arms in the bathroom.

“I didn't expect the bruises to disappear so quickly.”

In just a few hours, the few yellow bruises had almost faded away.

At the Berg castle, there were people to help her with clothing and meals, but now no one attended to her bath here in the Great Temple. And helping with the bath was a very luxurious thing.

It took Seria longer than usual to take a bath herself because she was used to being taken care of by the servants.

Dressed in a thick, fluffy gown, I left the bathroom and walked to the bedroom.

Lesche was still asleep on the bed. She crawled into bed, trying to keep the noise down, but inwardly she was worried.

‘What should I tell him when he wakes up?’

She had threatened the priests that she can't marry a man who has children.

She even told Lina she would think about Lina’s marriage proposal.

Also….

Kalis said he would raise the child if it was Seria’s divine power.

‘It would be better if Lesche doesn’t hear those words.’

‘I wish I didn’t hear that myself.’

Earlier, she glanced back before entering her bedroom, the temple was bright and noisy, with lights on in the corridors. Numerous priests were on their feet in a frenzied effort to contain this major accident. It was noisy outside, but this bedroom was quiet.

Because Lesche had the right to relax in his quiet bedroom. In fact, there were a few times when she wished he could take some time off.

Seria tucked her arm a little more between Lesche’s neck and shoulder. Because his sacred power was drained from the measurement, he wouldn't wake up easily like he usually did.

Still, she hugged his face to her chest, taking utmost care not to wake him.

“Have a good dream.”

With a low whisper, she gently stroked Lesche’s hair with her hand. As she watched his hair casually tumble in her hand, she wondered whose divine power that made Lina pregnant.

Then, late at night, she finally fell asleep, and a few hours later.

Much sooner than she had originally expected, Lesche’s result came out.

***

"Did you hear that? The result is that it is not the divine power of His Highness!"

High Priest Jubelud’s voice was unusually high-pitched. When he saw Seria’s eyes turned round, he said, "Oh," and cleared his throat. Seeing how he had aged over the past few days, she could well imagine the hardships he was going through.

Still, Seria’s face was a little brightened at the news. High Priest Jubelud sat down across from Seria and continued speaking.

"On the Tshugan Plains, Stern was not very close to the Saintess. So it is most likely now Marquis Haneton's divine power.”

“I see.”

When Seria nodded her head, the High Priest looked at her with a sad expression.

"You didn't sleep well, did you?"

“I was a little nervous."

“I'm really sorry. After that unsavory incident that happened some time ago, I was doing my best to make sure that Stern and the Saintess didn't bump into each other…"

He with a sigh mixed in.

“I don't know why God would put everyone through such a trial.”

"It’s okay. I'm glad the child is not His Highness’s."

Although she replied lightly, she couldn't help but feel her body relax. It seemed that she had become quite nervous without realizing it. The High Priest didn't speak, but he stared at Seria with an expression of understanding.

“Marquis Haneton is also recovering his health quickly. He wasn't feeling too well, but he's a very strong man, and when he makes up his mind, he moves fast. He says he's been sleeping well lately, so if we wait a little longer, we should be able to measure his power.”

“Okay.”

“….Stern."

"Yes?”

The High Priest asked in an cautious voice.

"Will you be able to infuse your power to the holy relic again this time?”

“Yes. I'm sure I can.”

“I don’t really understand.”

"…Stern."

The eyes of the High Priest trembled like never before.

"What happened? Why did you suddenly have such strong divine power…”

***

"I heard that Stern has infused that large holy relic with divine power again?"

The High Priest nodded. A priest tilted his head.

"I don't really understand. Do you think it makes sense that she had such strong power?”

Just yesterday, there was another emergency meeting among the priests.

They were the most respected high priests on the continent. They weren’t far away from the temple because they were on a mission to clean up the contaminated land. In order to cleanse the contaminated land, the powerful divine power of the priests was very necessary.

Those with the strongest sacred power among the priests were naturally the high priests. They were always busy accumulating the divine power in the holy object. Instead, they spent a lot of time inside the temple preparing their bodies and minds and refining their divine power.

That was why former High Priest Amos, and now High Priest Jubelud, was busy running around on behalf of the other priests.

Because major incidents occurred one after another under such circumstances….

This meant that Seria Stern's strong divine power was as ridiculous a news as the Saintess had a child of divine power.

The priests recalled what they heard from High Priest Jubelud. It was about how Seria was able to increase her divine power in such a way.

“She discovered the Constellation Gold Mine, and her divine power increased dramatically in a strange way.”

The Constellation Gold Mine was precious, and Stern was precious.

The priests were convinced that a miracle had occurred when the precious things met.

“That's why Stern asked for the insignia.”

"I see.”

“Yes. She said that she wanted to keep praying to God because of her great divine power.”

“We've been slightly distracted by the meaning of Stern….”

"……."

They privately thought that Seria had realized a strong desire for honor as the price for discovering the Constellation Gold Mine. The priests cleared their throats.

"Just to be safe, please don't ever say those words in front of Stern."

"Of course. I don't want to see Stern upset again. You know that sword that the knight thrust into the floor in the conference hall? It won’t come out.”

"It won’t come out?"

“No. I told them from the beginning that they would have to tear down the stone slabs, remove the sword, and do some work on it…"

"……."

Choosing to remain silent, the priests shifted their gaze towards the holy relic again.

It was such a holy relic that even the high priests raised their heads. It was the secret property of the High Temple. It was a huge holy relic that could only be activated by absorbing the sacred power of the high priests who had raised it to the limit.

How could Stern be able to infuse divine power into such a holy object all by herself?

A priest murmured.

“Isn't that like two Saints combined?”

The High Priests nodded in agreement.

“The priests had gathered in a hurry with that in mind.”

“I don't know if I should say this, but..Grand Duke Berg is very lucky.”

"I think so too. His Highness can give half of the territory as a dowry to Stern.”

Despite this worldly conversation and laughter, the eyes of the priests looking up at the sacred relic were extremely pious. To be able to see the holy relic that was only activated once every several hundred years in front of their eyes like this was like a blessing from God, so it was natural.

So the priests did not notice.

"……."

Not far from them, in the corner, Lina was standing with her back against the wall.

"Two Saints combined?”

Lina's eyes sank.