Chapter 04
The subordinate looked at me nervously.
“U-Um, well, should I… call you ma’am?”
“Ma’am?! What are you talking about!”
I shouted, my face turning pale, and the poor guy stammered more.
“But… since you’re the captain’s lover…”
“No, I told you already—it’s not like that!”
“Huh? Then, d-did you just… spend the night together?”
“Quiet.”
Ian raised his hand.
The subordinate and I both instantly fell silent.
****
Ian slowly rubbed his forehead.
He didn’t say a word, but I could tell—
He was really angry.
‘Of course he is.’
He looked like someone who could easily charm hundreds of women, but in truth, Ian was a virgin.
He had kept himself pure all his life to become a cardinal.
Now, not only did it look like he’d lost his virginity to some random woman who came out of nowhere,
but the entire empire had been informed through the newspaper!
Lucian said seriously,
“This was definitely planned. There’s no way this happened so fast unless someone was behind it.”
“Ha…”
Ian let out a dry laugh as he stared at the photo.
The picture showed a brown-haired woman and a silver-haired man in what clearly looked like a very intimate situation.
“They got me good.”
Ian spoke through clenched teeth.
The newspaper crumpled in his hand with a sharp sound. Lucian spoke cautiously.
“Captain… Even though it’s not true, the photo looks too convincing…”
“Right. Denying it now will only make us look worse.”
Ian slowly turned his head toward me.
His eyes were cold as ice. Just looking at them made my spine freeze.
“This is trouble for both of us, Saintess.”
“……”
“You and I—looks like everyone believes we’ve spent the night together.”
His teeth made a grinding noise.
‘This is a nightmare.’
Even though he still called me “Saintess,” I could feel the sarcasm in it.
‘If this keeps up… I’ll really get taken away.’
To the special underground torture chamber for the Holy Knights!
I couldn’t let that happen.
I looked up at Ian with the most innocent and sincere face I could make.
“You must be so upset… I can feel that even Elune, our god, is grieving over this. Captain, let’s calm down and try to find a solution together.”
“You…”
“Yes, Captain?”
“You really reek of a scammer.”
“……”
Oops. I guess my holy act wasn’t convincing enough.
“I’m shocked too! Who took the photo in that short moment and sent it to the press?! They must be 100% crazy!”
I acted furious—well, I was furious—and talked like I was ranting out of pure anger.
But my eyes were constantly watching Ian for his reaction.
I had to prove I wasn’t in on this whole setup.
‘From the outside, it really looks like I’m in on it. And honestly, I probably am.’
The voice that gave me this mission echoed in my head again.
The one who called me “Number 76.”
****
“Lady.”
Ian lowered his hand and slowly rolled his neck side to side.
The cracking sounds were terrifying.
I quickly responded.
“Yes, Ian.”
“If it weren’t for what we just discussed, I would’ve considered you an enemy and thrown you in the dungeon.”
Gulp.
I swallowed hard.
Honestly, if I were Ian, I would’ve yelled for guards to arrest this intruder immediately.
Ian sighed.
“But, Saintess, you’ve succeeded in making me trust you… for now.”
Huh?
My eyes widened in hope.
“Since you mentioned ‘that information,’ I’m convinced you really are the Saintess. Anyway, the truth will be clear in a week.”
He meant the upcoming Saintess verification ceremony.
I nodded.
“Thank you for trusting me, Ian.”
“But things are already so messed up.”
I heard his teeth grinding again as he said “so”.
I pretended not to notice the anger in his eyes.
“So, for now, you’ll have to stay with me, Saintess.”
“I… I have to?”
“Of course. We need to coordinate our story and shut down this cursed scandal.”
****
Meanwhile, the capital of the Rehart Empire was in chaos.
“Unbelievable!”
“What in the world happened?!”
Ladies everywhere were screaming as they clutched their newspapers.
“The Captain has a woman? I feel faint…”
“Such an indecent photo! I thought he’d always be everyone’s perfect knight!”
Some even brought the photo close to their faces to examine it.
“But who is the woman? I’ve never seen her in high society before!”
“Could she be a foreigner?! Did he get into trouble with someone from outside?!”
“If he was going to lose his purity, he should’ve chosen someone from our empire!”
“Who is this lady?!”
The gossip reached the royal palace in no time.
****
“What’s this all about?”
Emperor Rashid, the young ruler of the Rehart Empire, smiled faintly.
“So, my little brother finally got himself a woman.”
The Duke of Brierte, the finance minister, shook his head.
“I never thought the righteous and perfect Captain would get into such a scandal…”
Rashid laughed.
“Well, the capital’s going to be noisy for a while. I should thank him for throwing the people a juicy bone.”
“Still, Your Majesty, this will affect the upcoming cardinal selection. There will likely be some big changes.”
Rashid shrugged slowly.
“A shame, but the rules are clear. A believer who loses their purity can’t rise to the highest rank.”
“Truly unfortunate. The Holy Knights’ Captain was the strongest candidate, and now he’s out… all because of a woman.”
“Haha. Life’s full of surprises.”
His laughter echoed through the council chamber.
****
Back at the barracks, after sending the subordinate away, only Lucian, Ian, and I remained in the room.
“The newspaper has already spread all over the capital. Retrieving copies now is pointless, Captain,” Lucian said grimly.
Ian nodded slowly.
“Then I only have two options left.”
“First, I expose the Saintess as a fraud who was planted to bring me down.”
Gulp.
I swallowed again.
Honestly, that was Ian’s best move right now.
Even torture wouldn’t be out of the question if it meant getting me to admit I was a con artist sneaking into his room.
‘And to be fair… that’s pretty much the truth.’
“That would be the easiest path for me, Saintess.”
Ian gave me a crooked smile. I tried to stay calm.
“…You said that was the first option. Is there a second?”
“Of course.”
“Please tell me.”
I spoke with all the desperation I could manage.
But instead of giving me a straight answer, Ian said something totally off-topic.
“No matter how I think about it, this is annoying. I can’t believe you’re actually the Saintess.”
He sounded displeased, but based on his tone, I could tell—
Ian believed me, at least a little.
I let out a quiet sigh of relief.
‘Mentioning the late emperor’s remains really worked.’
That moment must have convinced Ian to give me a chance.
Without that, I’d already be locked up.
Ian looked at me with his usual calm confidence. Staying composed even now seemed like one of his skills.
“No one’s going to believe the Saintess appeared in my bed, of all places.”
“You’re right. I wonder what Elune was thinking, dropping me there… haha…”
Ian shrugged.
“Guess we’ll have to go with option two.”
Finally! I waited eagerly.
“We admit that you and I are in a relationship.”
“Yes, anything’s better than option one. I mean, that idea is definitely― Wait, WHAT?!”
Ian chuckled, clearly enjoying my shocked reaction.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
“Wait a minute! How did it turn into that? Shouldn’t we fight back against the rumors?! Nothing even happened between us! Why give in to those filthy— I mean, sleazy journalists?!”
“Because rumors are too powerful to fight, Saintess.”
