"Saintess?"
Kalis, who had been given a new bandage by the doctor, raised his head. Eventually, his eyes opened lightly.
"…Kalis."
Lina was crying a lot as she walked in. It was High Priest Jubelud coming in after her… From the expression on High Priest Jubelud’s face, he could tell that something was wrong. Kalis sat up.
"Lina?"
“Saintess?"
“Leave.”
"Yes.”
The doctor and the priest rushed out. Lina, who was standing in front of the entrance to the bedroom with tears streaming down her face, put her face in her hands and cried. The High priest Jubelud was too complicated to speak.
Kalis asked.
"Lina, what's wrong?"
"I heard it all from Seria.”
"…What is it?"
"You lied to me. My child is not your divine power, is it?"
For a moment, Kalis’ eyes shook.
"Lina…”
"Answer me quickly. Be honest with me! Before you go to Seria!”
“Lina!"
Kalis hurried to seize Lina. High Priest Jubelud gave a small shake of his head. Kalis sighed.
“Lina, sit down. I didn't tell you the truth because I was afraid you would be shocked.”
Lina sat in bed, tears streaming down her face.
“You know from reading the Bible that a child of divine power is born. And since you're a saint, you've been exposed to that divine power. …"
"Don't change the subject!”
She didn’t need a theory that everyone knew. What she needed now was the truth. The truth that only she didn’t know.
Lina cried out with tears in her eyes.
“Whose child is it, then?”
No, the moment she asked the question, she felt it like she was hit with a bolt of lightning.
“Is it the child of Grand Duke Lesche?"
“It could be the "divine power" of His Highness Grand Duke Berg, Saintess.”
High Priest Jubelud spoke quietly, and corrected the word "divine power" with force. After hearing everything else that had been said, Lina slowly dropped her hand.
She didn't hear anything else.
The fact that it might be Seria’s divine power, rather than the fact that it might be Grand Duke Lesche’s child, bored into her ears like a lie.
“Seria’s divine power.”
Lina murmured in a daze.
"Why?"
“Lina….”
"She doesn't like me.”
"Saintess! Why do you say that?”
The High Priest was astonished. Lina was crying hysterically.
“She doesn’t like me, that's why she won't smile at me! I wanted to be her friend, but she has never liked me!"
"Saintess!"
Lina asked, burying her hands in her face as she cried aloud.
“I will ask you one thing. Kalis."
"…Lina."
"You said you would be responsible for my child, no matter whose child it is …"
"……."
Kalis’ words were a sturdy wall of support for Lina.
Lina was a Saint. The Saint that appeared in the oracle. She wasn't worried about practical issues like living expenses because she lived generously in this gorgeous great temple. Kalis’ words touched her heart warmly.
Lina thought that Kalis was serious about his feelings.
“Because if it’s the Grand Duke’s child, you’re afraid Seria will feel hurt, right?”
"……."
Kalis did not reply.
But these words were not cruel. Because Lina saw late that Kalis was crying while calling Seria’s name.
Then a thought occurred to her.
“If it’s Seria’s child, you want to raise her even more, right?”
"…Lina.”
“Kalis Haneton."
Lina gripped her hands tightly in her lap. She asked fiercely, tears trickling down her face.
“If you lie to me, I will never see you again. In the name of the Saint, I’ll declare Haneton an enemy.”
“Saintess!”
Declare Haneton an enemy in the name of the Saint? It was a supreme principle of the Priests, not to be in conflict with any of the seventeen families. At the mention of violating it, the High Priest cried out in surprise.
“What mad talk is this! Saintess..!"
“Please don't interrupt!”
Tears fell unstoppably down Lina's cheeks.
"Please don't say anything, please …."
"……."
"Just tell me the truth. Kalis Haneton."
Kalis slowly dropped his head.
"……."
The silence was enough of an answer. Lina felt as if her feet were hollow. She wiped her wet cheeks.
"When will Grand Duke Lesche’s divine power measurement be finished?"
“…We'll have the results in a few days.”
Lina jumped up from her seat. Why couldn’t people just tell her the truth? Not the priests, not Kalis, not Seria.. because she didn’t know anything about this world? So did they think it was okay to lie to her as they see fit?
How can people be so cruel and arrogant to her?
"I won't let it go your way. Kalis.”
"……."
And Lina left Kalis’s bedroom without turning back as if running away.
"Lina!"
“Saintess!"
***
“Stern, you look very pale.”
The priest said with trepidation.
Seria replied roughly.
“I'm dying.”
It was twice as difficult as purifying the contaminated land. The holy relic took more of the divine power than she expected. It was different from purification with the sacred power. She now understood why the priests had dissuaded her from taking it out. The priests must have fainted one after another, because this was the extent of her divine power after she gave the Blue Diamond to Tuban.
"The Grand Duke?”
“I took him to his bedroom. He's still resting.”
She had a few Stern-like experiences with holy objects, though not as big as that huge measuring device. When the divine power in the body sensed the sacred object, it felt like soft, warm air surrounding the body. It meant that they would fall asleep immediately.
"He must be tired, he just needs a good night's sleep."
On her way to the bedroom, Seria saw Linon, who looked pale. He followed her as he described the incident where Kalis had just hugged her as an unprecedented heart attack.
“Grand Duchess. I didn't know the Great Temple was such a dangerous place.”
"It wasn't always like this. Because the people here now are in a bit of a mess….."
"I'd rather see the demons of the manor."
Linon said in a weeping voice, covering his face with his hands. Seria felt like she had to leave as soon as possible for his sake.
"Seria!"
Shw heard Lina's voice. Linon lifted his head with a wary look in his eyes. She chined lightly at Abigail and she stepped back appropriately.
Seeing Lina's face, her eyes opened a little wider. Her face was a mess of tears. Lina stood in front of Seria and rubbed the edges of her eyes.
“I knew everything.”
Seria knew it intuitively.
“It’s unknown whose divine power this is in my stomach."
Lina said with tears streaming down her face.
“Why didn't you tell me? Did you have fun watching me not knowing anything?”
Seria crossed her arms and looked at Lina briefly and replied.
"We don't know whose divine power it is that's in your belly and that’s why we're testing it."
"……."
"Is this what you wanted me to say?"
Lina eventually bowed her head, sobbing.
Seria sighed. So did Lina. It was an absurd situation, and (Lina) she wanted to be angry somewhere. But it was ridiculous that it was her (Seria)… (Seria) She had never been pregnant, but she learned how big the mood swings change when a person is pregnant.
She wasn't going to forgive Kalis for the rest of her life, and she wasn't going to get involved with Lina either. But apart from this decision, it did give her this level of consideration. Actually, there was no reason for her to be so straightforward and dare to play the bad guy.
She wasn't going to feel better even if she said that.
In fact, it seemed to be another consideration due to the hope that it might not be Lesche’s divine power.
“If you want to take it out on someone, take it out on God, not me.”
To be honest, she didn’t even know who Lina's God was, but she was the one who firmly believed that Lina was a Saint.
At the sound of Seria’s cold voice, Lina seemed to come to her senses. She bit her lip and said.
“Don’t be angry with me.
Tears were constantly streaming down from Lina's eyes.
“I'm the one who should be angry. This child could be Seria’s, or even Grand Duke Lesche’s.”
"What did Baron Ison teach you?”
Seria lifted an eyebrow.
"Who taught you to call my husband's name without permission?"
"…….."
As had been the case earlier, Lina had a tendency to need to hear cold voices to get her attention. She tightened her clouded expression and spoke again.
"It may be the divine power of His Highness the Grand Duke."
“So?”
“Then Seria and His Highness will take the child and adopt it?"
“It won’t be a child with no future, and he should be well publicized and raised well as a child of the divine power in the Grand Temple, so why would I?"
The words were tinged with aggression, but Lina was surprisingly not offended. Rather, she slumped. Tears trickled down her downcast face.
“Seria, if it’s your divine power…. Kalis says he wants to raise it. He wants to raise it because it’s your child."
Seria’s ears perked up involuntarily. Because she was afraid that Lesche might overhear this conversation.
But fortunately there was no one but the priests passing by.
"Has Kalis really lost his mind…?"
Lina said, sobbing.
“But that's not for Kalis to decide. It’s up to me.”
"You will have to settle your own affairs."
‘Don't drag me into this.’
She was about to turn around when she saw the priests coming for Lina.
Lina grabbed Seria’s hand.
“I can't see my divine power partner marrying anyone else.”
"……?"
Linon was sucking in a breath next to Seria. He didn't usually interrupt the conversation, but what Lina just said sounded pretty shocking to him as well.
“I'm very sorry to interrupt you while you're talking, Saintess. I am Berg's chief aide. If I may be so bold, the position of Grand Duchess of Berg is not one that can be obtained by remarriage or children."
Lina struck Linon with a sharp glare. Tears fell from Lina's eyes as if she had turned on a faucet in the process.
“I'm tired of going back to where Seria belongs. Why would I want to live in the shell of a shadow of you? Why are you so arrogant?"
At the time, Seria couldn't hear any of the angry conversation between Lina and Kalis, so she couldn't understand why Lina was crying so much. So…
She couldn't understand what the hell Lina was trying to say.
“So, what do you want from me?”
‘What does she want to say?’
Just in time, High Priest Jubelud and Kalis were seen walking in a hurry from afar.
Lina cried out with tears streaming down her face and shouted.
"If this child is Seria's divine power, divorce Grand Duke Berg and marry me."
