Chapter 21: Save the Saintess (1)

Although I couldn’t tell what he was thinking, an incredulous expression briefly flickered across the Duke’s face.

Well, of course, he’d find it absurd. A request to save the Saintess who is supposed to appear soon?

But,

‘What if I said, “I don’t love you anymore, Your Grace. Why don’t you meet someone else?”’

How would he react?

If I were to throw such a blunt statement at him, he might gather every reason under the sun to accuse me of being insolent. Or he might use his authority as a Duke to throw me into prison immediately.

Even if I managed to keep my head for now, leaving a bad impression would definitely lead to my death later with a 100% certainty. I’d end up raising another death flag and lose my head again!

‘It’s better to be honest and face this head-on in times like this.’

And tonight, the only ones who could save Rosetta from the beastmen were the Crown Prince or Xavier.

Several seconds passed, and Xavier’s previously composed face turned pale.

“Hah…”

“I know it sounds absurd, but it’s true.”

“Where did you hear such a thing?”

His lips, which had softened earlier, straightened into a firm line. He’s angry.

I pulled out the excuse I had prepared in advance.

“The truth is, I received an oracle.”

“An oracle?”

“I may not look it, but I have deep faith. I go to the temple to pray every weekend—for this country and for my parents.”

“You pray, my lady?”

“Yes.”

In reality, I’m someone who’s so far removed from faith that I don’t even know what the temple pillars look like. But in a world where gods exist, this kind of excuse works surprisingly well.

“At that time, I saw it clearly.”

“What exactly did you see?”

See? He’s already intrigued.

“While I was praying at the temple, a small, glowing scroll unfolded in my hands. It said that the ‘Saintess’ would appear at the Pins Clock Tower tonight.”

‘Well, technically, my phone lit up, and an e-book opened smoothly.’

It wasn’t a complete lie, but I still felt a pang of guilt.

As I watched his reaction nervously, the Duke glared at me with a terrifying expression.

“How do you know that?”

In an instant, his previously relaxed demeanor and gentle voice vanished.

‘Why is he speaking like that?’

“Your Grace, I’m just telling you what was written in the contract.”

“That’s not the point. How does the lady know about an undisclosed oracle?”

“What?”

‘What is he talking about? There was really such an oracle?’

I felt an unsettling chill, as if something had gone terribly wrong. At the same time, the image of a man in a black mask flashed through my mind.

That church brother I met in front of the office… did that priest receive the oracle and inform Xavier?

“Then, do you also know about the curse?”

Was the oracle about the Saintess and the curse? In the original story, there was no mention of an oracle about the Saintess appearing. This is driving me crazy.

“Well… I’m simply asking you to save the Saintess out of humanitarian concern… and for your sake as well, Your Grace.”

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew, and the Duke disappeared from my sight.

“Who sent you?”

Startled, I blinked, and his piercing green eyes glared down at me as if he were about to devour me.

“Y-Your Grace.”

Despite my call, Duke Xavier growled and whispered into my ear.

“Was it Crown Prince Arthur?”

“N-no!”

The murderous aura he exuded made every hair on my body stand on end.

Why bring up the Crown Prince, the protagonist?

“Or was it the extremist faction from the Beast Kingdom?”

“It’s nothing like that!”

The Duke rambled on about things I couldn’t understand.

“Your Grace, please snap out of it!”

His eyes were so fierce that I genuinely feared he might kill me on the spot.

‘I underestimated this.’

That’s right. This is a misery novel. A bloody, insane, R-rated misery novel where lunatics run rampant.

I barely managed to respond to the Duke.

“Your Grace, this was merely a contract. If you act like this over a mutually agreed-upon deal…”

“I must have been a fool to even consider you for a moment. I didn’t realize you approached me to kill me.”

‘What?’

His face twisted like that of a wounded beast. He ran a hand over his face and groaned in agony.

Why does the Duke look so hurt? I’m the one who’s scared here!

And who’s killing whom? Me, a trivial extra, taking down the ultimate villain?

It was so absurd that I retorted without thinking.

“Why would I try to kill you, Your Grace?”

“Isn’t it a ploy to lure me out under the pretext of saving the Saintess and hand me over to the Crown Prince or the Beast Kingdom’s Crown Prince?”

Things were spiraling out of control. This wasn’t part of my plan.

I never expected the Duke to interpret my actions this way.

“It’s a misunderstanding.”

“To think you discovered an undisclosed oracle known only to His Holiness the Pope. That’s quite a feat. Is that also a misunderstanding?”

The Duke was already twisted into a pretzel of suspicions.

“Let’s say I’m an assassin. Then wouldn’t it be easier for me to sneak in and deal with you quietly rather than going through all this trouble?”

“……”

His sharp gaze narrowed before relaxing slightly.

“Historically, there have been individuals with deep faith who received personal oracles. Even the temple has officially acknowledged such cases, with results proving them true.”

Do you think I’d stake my life on this without doing that kind of research first?

“If you come with me tonight, you’ll meet the Saintess.”

As I mentioned before, the original story never described the nature of the curse afflicting the Duke.

Even if I don’t risk my life to explain the curse, Xavier Auguste would still need the Saintess.

“Are you saying the Saintess will truly appear at Pins Square tonight?”

The murderous aura dissipated from the Duke’s body, and his tone softened as well.

I rubbed my arms against the lingering chill and snapped at the Duke.

“If you don’t believe me, do as you please. But you’ll never find the Saintess.”

Xavier’s complexion darkened slightly. He was clearly conflicted.

“You’re not trying to kill me?”

“I told you I saw the oracle.”

“Then why did you come to me and not the Crown Prince?”

“Because the Crown Prince doesn’t even show his nose on the battlefield, while you’ve been fighting against the Beast Kingdom. I thought it would be better for you to save the Saintess. I wanted to help you. Please trust me.”

You need to be with Saintess Rosetta to prevent a war, and I need to part ways with you!

The Duke looked at me with slightly surprised eyes.

“Are you… being sincere?”

The ferocity in his expression eased.

“Well, it’s worth a shot. If it’s a lie, I’ll know soon enough.”

For some reason, his relieved expression left me feeling a bit uneasy, but that wasn’t the priority right now.

The Duke’s gaze softened slightly as he looked at me. Only then did I realize I was trembling like a leaf. Even the faintest trace of a Swordmaster’s murderous aura was too much for a mere young lady to endure.

“Ugh, I thought I was going to die.”

“My apologies.”

Perhaps he truly felt sorry, as the Duke retrieved a small vial of golden liquid from his desk drawer and handed it to me. As the liquid slid down my throat, a cool sensation spread, and the trembling stopped.

“You can heal as well?”

“It’s a potion imbued with holy power.”

“Oh.”

“I’m not someone who trusts others easily.”

“I see.”

“Now we’ll find out for sure—whether you’re genuinely trying to help me or if you’re a cunning assassin.”

“Why does it keep coming back to this?”

I’m not an assassin!

—Of course, I couldn’t say that aloud. Frustrated, I squinted at the Duke. I was feeling so wronged.

Regardless of my feelings, Duke Xavier leaned back against the bookshelf, arms crossed, staring at me.

‘Ugh, this is so uncomfortable.’

Then, my itchy back started to sting as if being poked.

‘My back! I can’t exactly take off my clothes to check here.’

I shifted my shoulders forward and back, only to meet his piercing teal gaze. It felt like lasers were shooting out of his eyes, so I quickly averted my gaze and pretended to look elsewhere.

Knock, knock.

After enduring the Duke’s gaze for several minutes, I perked up at the sound of a knock on the door.

“Come in.”

“You called for me, Your Grace.”

A man who looked like an unfinished sketch entered. He seemed to be one of the Duke’s attendants.

‘He’s so unremarkable.’

“Prepare the carriage immediately. Use a disguised one.”

“Yes, Your Grace. Where shall it go?”

The Duke glanced at me. It seemed he wanted me to answer.

“The clock tower in Pins Square.”

“Understood. I’ll prepare it right away.”

Without delay, the attendant left to carry out the Duke’s orders.

As twilight deepened and darkness fell, Duke Xavier, Rexton, and I boarded an entirely black carriage. The windows were tinted so darkly that the inside couldn’t be seen from outside.

‘But you can see outside from the inside.’

Curious, I rubbed the window, and the Duke casually remarked.

“The windows are specially treated.”

“Oh.”

“But how will the Saintess appear at the clock tower?”

Even the aide, Rexton, turned to look at me.

“‘Your Grace’s Saintess’ will jump into the square.”

At my words, Xavier’s brow twitched.

“Why do you keep calling her ‘Your Grace’s Saintess’?”

“Well, because Your Grace will save her. She’ll be of help to you, make your heart race, and do all sorts of future-oriented things. Hehe.”

Despite my cheerful response, Duke Xavier didn’t ask any more questions.

‘What are you going to do now that I’ve perfectly predicted the oracle’s content? Be grateful I’m introducing you to the woman you’ll fall in love with.’

Anyway, whether you take the KTX¹Korea Train Express, a high-speed rail system in South Korea, drive a car, or whatever—just get to Seoul.

Tonight, the novel’s beginning officially unfolds.

I felt a strange mix of excitement and fear.