Chapter 41: I Became the Heroine’s Master

I nearly choked on the cookie I was eating and started coughing violently, clutching my chest. Rosetta, startled, quickly handed me a nearby water bottle.  

“Here’s some water! Are you okay? Oh no.”  

“Cough, a maid?”  

“I’d be happy to serve as even a simple maid by your side, Saintess!”  

Was she serious? In the original story, trying to save the heroine had backfired on me before, and now she wanted me to make her my maid?  

“Saintess, please speak to Lord Melvin about this for me.”  

Still, Rosetta’s pitiful expression tugged at my heart. She was only 17, stuck in the countryside—of course, she must feel stifled.  

‘It’s already too late to turn back.’  

If I ignored Rosetta now, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself. After all, I had inadvertently taken something she should have had. And since she was the one asking for it, wouldn’t it be okay?  

Looking into her sparkling dark eyes, I asked seriously, 

“Are you really okay with this?”  

“Yes! …If you hadn’t saved me that day, I would’ve become food for lizard beastmen or, by now, a noble’s slave. I want to repay your kindness!”  

“I see. If that’s truly what you want, Rosetta, then alright.”  

“Oh, thank you so much!”  

“But I don’t want you to be just a maid.”  

“What do you mean?”  

“Be my lady-in-waiting instead.”  

“L-lady-in-waiting?”  

Rosetta’s face turned as red as a blooming rose. Tears, like pearls, rolled down her blushing cheeks.  

“Since I’m getting married soon, I’ll need someone by my side. Maya won’t be able to handle everything alone. And how could I treat a friend who’s like a younger sister to me as just a maid?”  

“Saintess…”  

Rosetta began sobbing, her shoulders trembling.  

“Sob.”  

Making the heroine a mere maid felt uncomfortable anyway.  

While ladies-in-waiting were typically recruited from lower nobility, it wasn’t uncommon for a duchess to bring her trusted attendants along when she married. It shouldn’t be an issue.  

Most importantly, this way, the original story wouldn’t completely betray me, right?  

I hesitated for a moment before reaching out to Rosetta and calling her name softly.  

“Rosetta.”  

“Yes?”  

“Let’s take care of each other from now on.”  

“Saintess!”  

Biting her lower lip, Rosetta stood up, approached me, and buried her face in my lap.  

“I’ll do my very best. Just watch me.”  

“Pfft, I feel reassured already.”  

Rosetta, her cheeks still flushed, smiled brightly. Then, as if struck by a sudden thought, her eyes widened.  

“Oh, but Saintess.”  

“Yes?”  

“Are you getting married?”  

“Ah.”  

My face instantly heated up.  

“Oh my, really? Are you serious?”  

“…Yes. I’m marrying Duke Auguste.”  

Her eyes grew even wider, and her jaw dropped as she froze in place. After blinking rapidly, she let out a delighted chirp.  

“Oh my goodness, congratulations! Though our Saintess is giving up too much!”  

“Haha, even if it’s just flattery, it makes me feel a little better.”  

“You’ll be so busy now, but I’m so glad I’ll be able to help you.”  

“Indeed.”  

At least now I had a reliable ally to bring to the Duke’s residence. It wasn’t a bad choice. With Maya, who was my age, and Rosetta, who, despite being younger, felt like an older sister in her reliability, life there would be more enjoyable.  

We chatted away, losing track of time. It was a delightful afternoon.  

When it was time to send Rosetta back to the temple, I handed her a letter. It was addressed to Joshua Melvin Grave, the Pope, asking him to allow Rosetta to stay with me.  

＊  

To officially bring Rosetta, a commoner, on as a lady-in-waiting, there was one formality to address. Since only nobles could serve as ladies-in-waiting, I consulted my mother about Rosetta.  

“If we register her under a branch family, there won’t be any issues. That’s what everyone does.”  

It was a common practice among nobles who wanted to sponsor someone without formally adopting them into the main family. Maya, the daughter of our former butler, had been raised by my father but was still technically of lower noble birth.  

“Thank you, Mother.”  

“But Yuria, it’s time to get your wedding dress fitted, isn’t it?”  

“Oh, that’s right.”  

“The Duke said he’s free this weekend. I’ve already made an appointment at the boutique.”  

“Understood.”  

“My daughter is going to be the most beautiful bride in the world, I’m sure of it.”  

“Hehe.”  

Mother smiled brightly and gently patted my back.  

A few days later, I received a reply from Pope Melvin.  

[If the Saintess is willing to take care of Rosetta, I can rest easy. And congratulations on your upcoming marriage. Thank you for graciously accepting that rascal Xavier. Though it’s shameless of me, I entrust him to you. Once preparations are complete, I will send Rosetta to the Graham household. – Pope Joshua Melvin Grave.]  

＊  

Inside the pristine marble halls of the Crown Prince’s palace, Crown Prince Arthur de Fabian’s gaze fell on a wedding invitation.  

“So, the Saintess is finally getting married.”  

The invitation specified the date of the upcoming ceremony.  

“Your Highness.”  

Count Willem, the Crown Prince’s confidant, called out in a subdued voice to the Empire’s ‘Little Sun.’ Of all people, he knew best how much the Crown Prince desired the Saintess.  

Though Arthur appeared calm, Willem’s years of serving him allowed him to sense the icy rage beneath his composed exterior.  

“It’s alright. I don’t have to be the Saintess’s first husband.”  

“But, Your Highness, the divine will surely dictates that the Saintess’s rightful place is by your side. Didn’t you foresee the Saintess’s emergence even before the secret revelation was delivered? This is the will of the heavens!”  

“I merely happened upon her while visiting the late Empress’s grave.”  

“Your Highness!”  

Arthur’s golden eyes darkened.  

It had happened in the past.  

On the anniversary of his mother’s death, Arthur had gone to Pins and, by chance, saved the Saintess, eventually marrying her.  

But for some reason, he had been sent back in time to the day before his mother’s death anniversary.  

And not just any day—the very day he had killed Xavier Auguste and conquered the Beast Kingdom!  

‘Why was I sent back? I had achieved everything I wanted!’  

The grinding of Arthur’s teeth echoed through the office. Count Willem flinched but remained silent.  

When Arthur awoke, much had changed. The Saintess, her position, everything.  

The Saintess was no longer his.  

Though she was of low birth, Rosetta had been a Saintess and, most importantly, believed in him unwaveringly.  

After he saved her in Pins, she had devoted herself to repaying him, doing anything he asked without hesitation.  

With her dark eyes gazing up at him, she had whispered love and pledged loyalty every day and night.  

‘Your Highness, don’t worry. I’m here. I’ll make your dreams come true. I’ll destroy those Beastmen who killed your mother.’  

To Arthur, she had been a reliable sword.  

But now? Why had he been sent back?  

Suppressing his rising anger, Arthur tried to reclaim his victory by returning to Pins on the same day as before.  

But in Pins, he hadn’t met Rosetta.  

Instead, he encountered Yuria Graham, the daughter of Baron Graham—a figure who barely existed in his previous life.  

Now, Rosetta was no longer the Saintess. Somehow, Yuria Graham had taken her place.  

‘What kind of divine joke is this?’  

Out of nostalgia, he had invited Rosetta to the victory banquet. Seeing her had briefly stirred old memories, but she no longer held any significance to him. She was just an ordinary woman now, and utterly useless.  

Meanwhile, Xavier Auguste, who should have been dead, was alive and had claimed the Saintess’s side at the banquet.  

Before his return, Xavier had been consumed by his love for Rosetta, to the point of madness. He had ultimately committed treason, opposing Arthur’s plan to annihilate the Beast Kingdom and even allying with them to march on the Imperial Palace.  

Arthur remembered that day vividly.  

The burning teal eyes of Xavier as he stood beside Rosetta.  

How dare he lust after the Crown Prince’s wife?  

‘Rosetta!’  

‘Xavier, you fool!’  

Rosetta, without hesitation, had used her powers for Arthur’s sake. She drained Xavier of his golden holy power, leaving him staggering. Arthur had seized the opportunity to strike Xavier down.  

Even as Xavier collapsed, bleeding, his eyes remained fixed on Rosetta, his outstretched hand grasping at empty air.  

But then, something unexpected happened.  

Where Xavier had fallen, there wasn’t a man but a beast.  

‘A mere beast!’  

Arthur clenched his fist atop his desk, shaking off his thoughts, and turned to Count Willem.  

“How is General Jude’s situation progressing?”  

The Crown Prince’s abrupt change of topic left Willem no choice but to bow and respond.  

“Margaret has successfully infiltrated the Auguste household. She’s a clever girl and will do well.”  

“She’d better. Good work.”  

“However, Your Highness, can you truly trust General Jude? She’s reckless and overly emotional.”  

Willem doubted Jude, who lacked noble status and often acted impulsively. She was useful on the battlefield but unreliable elsewhere.  

“I’m aware. All Jude needs to do is create an opportunity for our agent to enter the Duke’s residence. Her role is both genuine and a pretext.”  

“Then why involve her at all, Your Highness?”  

Arthur smiled coldly, lifting the gilded wedding invitation. His movements were elegant, and even Willem couldn’t deny the Crown Prince’s beauty, despite the chill in his expression.  

“That’s precisely why. General Jude isn’t particularly intelligent, and that makes her all the more useful.”  

Willem’s face lit up with understanding.  

“Love is a deep, sticky swamp of desire. Those who flounder in it often do the most unpredictable things.”  

Arthur tore the invitation in half and tossed it into the trash.  

“Things that will ruin not only themselves but also Xavier Auguste.”  

“Ah.”  

“All we need to do is wait.”  

A satisfied smile spread across Willem’s face at last.