Chapter 20: Chapter 22

“Okay. If the Grand Duke asks me a question, I have to answer but….”

“But?”

“Before that, please listen to me first.”

“Okay.”

The Grand Duke nodded his head politely.

“Your Highness, what if Hestine’s symbol is fake?”

Silence passed.

Adelia waited patiently for the Grand Duke’s answer.

Finally, the Grand Duke’s lips moved slowly.

“Are you trying to say that the saint is fake, right now?”

The Grand Duke recognized the intent of her words at once. She saw doubt in his eyes.

Okay. I made you doubt, so it’s half a success. All that’s left now is how I can persuade him.

Adelia carefully raised her hand without taking her gaze away from the great Grand Duke and slowly untied the front of the dress.

Then the Grand Duke’s eyes widened.

Soon after, the eyes of the Grand Duke were colored with embarrassment.

“What are you doing-”

The Grand Duke’s face, who looked at Adelia blankly with a speechless expression, soon became serious.

The Grand Duke’s gaze was fixed on the symbol between her clavicle bones.

“This is the true symbol of God. This part can be proved by Cardinal Eustaf.” said Adelia after swallowing a dry saliva

The symbol engraved on her clavicle was definitely different from Hestine’s.

This meant that Hestine was a fake saint.

The Grand Duke was silent for a while.

She looked at the Grand Duke’s reaction with a nervous heart.

After a short wait, the tightly closed mouth of the Grand Duke opened.

He had an expression she had never seen before.

“Can you take responsibility for what you just said?”

The tension doubled with the heavy voice of the Grand Duke.

Without hesitation, she answered the Grand Duke’s question.

“Of course.”

The Grand Duke frowned with a troubled expression on his face.

“Then why didn’t you tell me right away? It would have been easier if the saint had been revealed at the place where the decision was made.”

Well, of course I didn’t want to be a saint. At that time, I didn’t even think about getting revenge because there’s a very high chance that if I follow the original story, I’ll end up going straight to the guillotine.

However, the situation has changed. They touched something they shouldn’t have touched. Not only that, but they lost even the minimum moral duty they should have as human beings. Only for their own benefit.

Maybe this is just the beginning. Who will be their next victim?

One thing is clear; I cannot just sit and watch on the sidelines.

She clenched her hands that she had neatly placed on her lap.

“Do you think Hestine did it alone?”

“What do you mean?”

“I think the Duke Valkyr and the temple were also involved in this.”

“It’s definitely too much to do alone.”

She could see the Grand Duke’s worries deepening. So, she immediately added an explanation.

As much as possible, she spoke provocative words so that the Grand Duke won’t just stand still.

“Maybe the Duke of Valkyr is plotting a rebellion.”

Sure enough, the Grand Duke’s face hardened even harder at the word rebellion.

“It’s not like there’s no possibility at all. Because the Duke of Valkyr produced a saint, his power soared without knowing how high it was.”

She nodded with a serious look.

That actually might be right since in the original story the Duke of Valkyr used Hestine to hit big.

“You asked me earlier why I didn’t come forward right away.”

“Yes.”

“If I had revealed it right on the spot as your highness said, only Hestine would have been punished.”

I don’t know if you’ll accept what I’m saying.

“God wanted me to bring out all those who defy her will. To do that, I had to wait.”

She put a lie in her mouth, without stuttering.

“Is this enough for an answer?”

The Grand Duke, who had been contemplating her words, opened his mouth.

“One last question.”

The Grand Duke’s blue eyes looked straight at me. Naturally, I had to nod my head.

“Why are you telling me this? No, I’ll change the question. Why do you want my help?”

I have to answer well here. Why is it him? If I had to explain the reason by adding all kinds of rhetoric, I could do it. But will the explanation work for the Great Grand Duke?

No.

After spending some time with him, she realized that he is hard to persuade.

so, the best way was to use the standard method.

She smiled bitterly and said to the great Grand Duke.

“The only one I can lean on right now is the Grand Duke.”

There was a twinkle in the Grand Duke’s eyes.

“In addition, your Highness is standing in opposition with the Duke Valkyr. So, I thought he wouldn’t harm me if he heard I am under your protection.”

In response to my reply, the Grand Duke left a plain comment.

“You’re honest.”

Hearing his comment, she raised the corners of her mouth and lowered her gaze.

“But it’s still not enough. Pretending to be a Saint will give you a lot of enemies not only inside the temple but also throughout the empire.”

That is something I can only guess.

“Besides, as you said, even if it is true that the saint has made up the divine symbol. How can I believe that your symbol is not made up?”

As expected, he is not an easy person.

She bit her tongue and looked into the Grand Duke’s blue eyes.

“Even if the Cardinal Eustaf proves that yours is the original symbol of God, how would I know that it is ‘real’? What if you also conspired with Cardinal Eustaf?”

He was now hoping she would show more solid evidence.

I’ve come all the way here. Now that this has come, I have to show my ability. I’m not sure if that ‘power’ will work the way I want it to….

“Your Highness must already know.”

“What do I know?”

“My power.”

She felt her heart beating violently with tension.

She wish time would stop….

– My child. You need me again. If so, I should happily lend my strength.

The voice that she heard during the test to determine the saint resounded in her head.

The moment she thought it was a very friendly voice, the movements outside the window began to slowly stop.

It was not long before the time stopped completely.

She quickly looked at the Grand Duke.

I have to show the Grand Duke my ability, but if his time also stops, it’s meaningless.

Soon after, she met the blue eyes of the Grand Duke who doubted her.

“Success!”

A voice filled with joy came out of my mouth.

She quickly hid her smile.

“Hmm…. Would this be enough to prove it?”

The Grand Duke looked around for a moment and then burst out laughing.

“You lied.”

She noticed that he was talking about what happened at the Marquis of Sorne.

When she escaped from Sorne’s mansion, she stopped the time and the Grand Duke witnessed it.

“The Grand Duke was also deceived by my lies.”

At my words, the Grand Duke ran his rough hand through his head.

Now all she could do is wait for the Grand Duke’s answer.

“I can’t help but believe you.”

At that, she breathed a sigh of relief.

Did I, do it?

“… Will you help me?”

“Before that, I want to ask you something.”

She nodded vigorously.

She was willing to answer anything if she could borrow his power.

“Did you buy a slave with black hair 15 years ago?”

Except for these kinds of questions, of course.

“… Why are you asking that?”

“There is something I want to check.”

She desperately thought of the ‘evil deeds’ she had committed before she possessed the body.

She swallowed my saliva.

‘Why are you asking this?’

She observed the Grand Duke’s expression and gauged the intent of him asking her this question.

Even so, she couldn’t figure out anything.

“I’m telling you in advance, but you better not lie.”

For a moment, she clicked my tongue without the Grand Duke knowing.

“I’ve been to the slave market, but I’ve never bought a slave.”

Even if she was an ugly duckling, Adelia was a nobleman who inherited the blood of a marquis.

“Are you sure?”

The blue eyes stared at her as if they were penetrating her.

“… I’m honestly not sure. It’s a memory from a long time ago.”

“Right.”

The Grand Duke withdrew his gaze with a look of regret.

She tried to make excuses just in case he would continue his interrogation.

“I am also deeply reflecting on my past inappropriate behavior. At that time, I was at an age where I needed my family’s attention….”

It was unfair to make excuses like this, even though it wasn’t something I did.

At that time, an unexpected word from the Grand Duke was heard.

“I’ll help you.”

“What?”

While making excuses, she closed her mouth and stared at the Grand Duke blankly.

I hope I didn’t hear it wrong….

“Let me join you in your plans.”

She was stunned because the answer she wanted came out so easily.

“… thank you.”

As the embarrassment subsided, she shed tears of joy inside.

Then the Grand Duke asked her in a calm voice.

“First of all, I want to hear your future plans.”

She opened my mouth after a short consideration.

“We need to figure out first how far their play will go and we need to collect more evidence.”

Proof that Hestine is fake.

I can’t just say that Hestine is a fake and I’m the real one. So, I had to find out.

What will be the benefits of the Duke of Valkyr and the temple with Hestine as the saint?

“If the temple colluded with the Duke of Valkyr, there would be related documents left.”

First of all, I have to find the documents containing their secret agreement. By the way, how does Hestine have such a strong divine power? If she is not a saint, what is the source of her enormous divine power?

“I can roughly guess what kind of plans you made. Your evidence is not enough to bring it up.”

She got out of her thoughts and smiled softly and nodded.

“It would be nice if you received a title.”