Chapter 129: The Kidnapping  

White doves glided peacefully across the square’s sky, and flowers—somehow procured despite the winter—adorned the square in vibrant and beautiful arrangements.  

But what stood out the most was the sheer number of people.  

“Xavier, who are all these people…?”  

I asked in astonishment, my voice trailing off. Xavier simply smiled softly without saying a word. Swallowing dryly, I turned my gaze back to the scene outside the window, captivated.  

“Your Grace, we’ve arrived.”  

At the coachman’s announcement, the carriage came to a smooth stop, and the door opened gracefully. As I stepped onto the carriage’s stairs, holding Xavier’s hand, an ear-splitting roar erupted from the massive crowd.  

“Waaaaah!”  

“Saintess!”  

The deafening cheers of tens of thousands of people reverberated like an explosion.  

Dazed, I descended the stairs. With every step I took forward, the crowd parted like the ebbing tide, creating a path for me.  

“Wow! It’s the Saintess!”  

“Blessings to the angelic one!”  

“Thank you so much!”  

Some reached out their hands, trying to touch mine, while others clasped their hands together in gratitude.  

Though the overwhelming welcome from the tearful crowd felt unfamiliar and surreal, my heart swelled with emotion.  

‘I never expected to receive such gratitude… This is so touching.’  

From afar, I could see the Emperor standing on the platform, looking at me with a satisfied expression.  

As the grand, ornately decorated platform drew closer, I noticed my father and mother waving from the VIP seats just below the platform.  

“Yuria!”  

My mother was shedding tears of joy, and my father, holding her in his arms, waved at me with a camera made from what looked like an expensive magic stone slung around his neck.  

“I’ll take lots of pictures of you!”  

I couldn’t help but laugh at his words. At the same time, the reporters around me began pressing their shutters, and the red flashes of the magic stone cameras lit up.  

In addition to the countless citizens, high-ranking nobles, Pope Melvin, the Crown Prince, and the Crown Princess were seated in the VIP section.  

The Crown Prince’s presence was a bit uncomfortable, but he gazed at me with his usual gentle eyes. Beside him, Rosetta sat with her head bowed low, her face obscured.  

‘She looks unusually drained. Is she unwell?’  

Though I was momentarily concerned, I brushed it off and ascended the steps to the platform.  

Emperor Charles spread his arms wide as he welcomed Xavier and me.  

“Welcome, Saintess.”  

“Your Majesty.”  

“Duke Xavier, you’re welcome as well.”  

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”  

The Emperor, beaming with genuine joy, gestured for the chief chamberlain to approach. The chamberlain stepped forward, holding a large cushion upon which rested an ornate tiara.  

“Xavier, is that a treasure?”  

“I heard it’s kept in the imperial treasury. That blue diamond tiara is said to be the treasure of treasures.”  

While we whispered to each other, the Emperor lifted the tiara high into the air.  

“I, the Emperor, hereby recognize the dedication and contributions of Saintess Yuria, who has protected the Empire from the plague, and bestow upon her this royal treasure.”  

Calming my wildly pounding heart, I slowly approached the Emperor.  

“Blessings and gratitude to the Saintess.”  

“Thank you, Your Majesty.”  

As I knelt and bowed my head, the tiara was placed gently on my head.  

When I lifted my head to face the crowd, the blue diamond sparkled brilliantly under the sunlight.  

“Waaaaah!”  

“Saintess! You’re so beautiful!”  

Cheers erupted from all directions.  

Clap.  

Xavier, who had been watching me with a proud smile, brought his hands together in a firm clap. The sound was quickly joined by others, and soon, thunderous applause filled the square. Even the Emperor joined in, clapping for me.  

The applause seemed endless, as if the world had been reduced to nothing but the sound of clapping.  

Looking at the crowd, I spoke with sincerity.  

“…Ah, I only wanted to help. Thank you.”  

“Saintess! Thank you!”  

“Thank you so much!”  

As if they had planned it, the citizens began approaching the front of the platform one by one. Each person laid a flower at my feet—a honeysuckle, the symbol of the goddess.  

Finally, Pope Melvin ascended the platform, carrying a little girl I had seen at the temple. The child, holding a honeysuckle with gold and silver hues, reached out her tiny hand to me.  

“Hello, Saintess. I’m Emma. Do you remember me?”  

“Yes, I remember you.”  

At my response, Emma’s face lit up with a radiant smile.  

“Saintess Yuria, do you know the meaning of the honeysuckle flower?”  

“Hmm, I’m not sure.”  

“The Pope said it means ‘a token of love.’ So, Emma loves you very much, Saintess.”  

“Thank you, Emma.”  

I was suddenly overwhelmed with emotion. Hot tears began to stream down my face.  

I bowed slightly in gratitude and turned to face the countless people before me, taking a deep breath.  

As all eyes focused on me, a hush fell over the square. The silence was so profound that I could hear my own breathing.  

“I’d like to thank the imperial family and the citizens of the Empire for arranging this occasion.”  

With tens of thousands listening intently, my fingertips trembled. Clenching my hands to steady them, I continued.  

“I’m truly happy to have fulfilled my duties as a Saintess. I only wish for everyone to live ordinary, happy lives. Thank you so much.”  

With those words, I bowed my head slightly.  

The square erupted with cheers, applause, and whistles that seemed to shake the very ground.  

Just as I lifted my head, my heart swelling with joy, it happened.  

In less than a second, the ground beneath me shifted.  

‘Huh? A blue wave?’  

The thought barely crossed my mind before the platform floor opened into a black void, and the ground beneath me gave way. My body plunged into the darkness.  

“Aaaah!”  

“Yuria!”  

The last thing I saw was Xavier’s pale, stricken face as he reached out for me, his hand outstretched toward my falling form.  

＊  

The Saintess’s scream and the Duke’s anguished roar echoed through the square.  

The square fell into an eerie silence, as if doused with cold water. Only Xavier’s desperate cries for Yuria shattered the stillness.  

“Yuria! Yuriaaa!”  

The black hole that had swallowed the Saintess vanished without a trace.  

In its place, a single green piece of paper fluttered upward from the force of the void’s disappearance, drifting slowly downward.  

Xavier rushed forward and snatched it out of the air.  

“!”  

The Emperor, the Crown Prince, and Count Graham and his wife all scrambled onto the platform in a frenzy.  

“What is it, Duke Xavier?”  

“……”  

Xavier couldn’t answer, his body trembling as he struggled to contain his fury.  

The Emperor took the green paper from Xavier’s hand and read the silver-embossed words aloud for all to hear.  

“The Saintess is with me. Lucas Lacuni, King of Moirai.”  

The square erupted into chaos.  

“Those damned Beast Kingdom savages! After everything the Saintess did for them, they kidnapped her?”  

“Let’s invade the Beast Kingdom! They should’ve been destroyed long ago! How dare they kidnap our Saintess!”  

The crowd, which had been filled with gratitude moments ago, seethed with rage.  

Count Douglas Graham, supporting the trembling Naomi, climbed onto the platform with a pale face and muttered blankly.  

“Oh, Yuria…”  

“Xavier—no, Duke! Please, save our Yuria!”  

Naomi, clutching Xavier’s arm, pleaded tearfully before fainting.  

“Naomi!”  

Douglas caught her as imperial healers rushed to carry her away on a stretcher.  

“Xavier, please.”  

“Yes, Father.”  

Douglas hesitated for a moment, his gaze lingering on the spot where Yuria had vanished, before following the healers carrying Naomi.  

The square, once overflowing with love and gratitude, had transformed into a storm of confusion, anger, and hatred.  

“I told you, Your Majesty. We should’ve dealt with them long ago.”  

“Arthur.”  

The Emperor, his face grim, and Xavier, his expression pale, turned to see Crown Prince Arthur approach with a somber look.  

“Your Highness. Finding my wife, Yuria, comes first.”  

“Don’t pretend to be so noble when you’re itching to go after Lucas yourself.”  

Arthur smirked mockingly, his tone biting.  

“Duke Xavier, what were you doing by her side? Are you even her husband?”  

“Watch your words, Your Highness.”  

“I’m only saying this because I’m worried about the Saintess.”  

Arthur, his chin raised in defiance, turned to the Emperor and spoke firmly.  

“Your Majesty, this is the perfect opportunity to subjugate the Beast Kingdom. We have all the justification we need. You even hold the evidence in your hand.”  

Arthur gestured to the green paper in the Emperor’s hand. The silver embossing was unmistakably a hallmark of the Moirai royal family.  

“That’s true. But…”  

The Emperor hesitated. The green paper was solid evidence, yet something felt off.  

Such an abduction could only have been accomplished with a portal, requiring advanced technology and expertise.  

“Arthur, the Beast Kingdom doesn’t possess portal technology. We can’t act rashly.”  

“They recently discovered a massive magic stone mine. They’ve undoubtedly developed portal technology, Your Majesty.”  

“Is that true? Most magic stone mines are reported to the Empire.”  

The Emperor’s eyes widened in shock.  

“Yes, Your Majesty. Duke Xavier is aware of this as well, aren’t you? The recent discovery of a magic stone mine in Moirai?”  

Arthur’s gaze bore into Xavier, daring him to speak.  

“Is it true, Duke Xavier?”  

The Emperor’s golden eyes sharpened as he looked at Xavier.  

Xavier was torn. Arthur wasn’t wrong.  

“I’m not sure if they’ve developed portal technology, but it’s true that a new magic stone mine was recently discovered.”  

“There you have it.”  

The Emperor pressed his lips into a thin line, then roared to the crowd.  

“All high-ranking nobles, gather immediately for an emergency council meeting! Citizens, disperse for the Saintess’s sake!”  

The commotion in the square began to subside. Under the command of the imperial guards, the citizens reluctantly started to disperse, though cries for the Saintess continued to echo.  

Standing amidst the chaos, Xavier struggled to keep his fraying sanity intact. His eyes remained fixed on the spot where Yuria had vanished.  

Among the scattered flowers lay Yuria’s handbag, abandoned.  

‘She disappeared right before my eyes again!’  

Xavier clenched the bag tightly, his teal eyes filled with anguish. Inside, he found a portable portal device and a holy power patch with a drawing of Kiki the cat. Stuffing the patch into his pocket, he grabbed the portal device.  

“Duke Xavier, what are you doing?”  

The Emperor, preparing to convene the emergency council, addressed Xavier, whose face was emotionless.  

“I’m going to kill the King of Moirai.”  

“Xavier!”  

The dangerous glint in Xavier’s teal eyes betrayed his lost composure. A murderous aura rippled around him, emanating from his entire being.  

Beep.  

As he pressed the activation button, a blue wave opened into a swirling abyss. Without hesitation, Xavier stepped into the portal.  

“Xavier Auguste! Stop—!”  

The Emperor’s shout was cut off as the portal closed, leaving Xavier’s departure irreversible.