IWBCAS 21

Chapter 21

The whole capital was in chaos.

Before, people used to talk in secret, but now they openly whispered about the Saint, the temple, and the missing Holy Grail.

The same was true in Count Phillon’s mansion.

As Reina walked down the hall, she overheard some maids whispering while cleaning.

“Did you hear that the Holy Grail kept in the royal palace disappeared?”

“Who doesn’t know that by now? That’s why there’s such a fuss.”

“Who could’ve done it? How did they break into the palace?”

“Maybe it was a master thief… or even someone from another principality.”

Reina gave a dry laugh as she listened.

‘The person who stole the Grail is right in front of you.’

They’d be shocked to find out that the one who took the Grail wasn’t a trained thief or a foreign spy, but just a young noble lady.

And if they knew the Holy Grail was under her bed this whole time, they might faint.

She had locked it up once, but thinking about it now, she figured she should put on another lock—just in case.

As Reina quietly walked away, the maids suddenly noticed her standing nearby.

“L-Lady Reina?!”

“It’s fine, go ahead and finish what you were saying.”

Reina waved her hand and walked away. The maids quickly closed their mouths and went back to scrubbing the floors.

After walking for a while, Reina was finally alone with Amy. Reina spoke quietly.

“…It really is a mess, huh?”

Amy, walking just ahead, answered with a worried look.

“Yes…”

“How bad is it?”

“The streets are full of soldiers looking for the Saint. If they see a young woman, they just drag her off and make her touch the foot of the Saint statue. The girl next door was taken too and only just came back…”

They were taking random people?

That sounded terrifying.

“But… this is the Count’s house. Who would dare touch a noble lady like you?!”

Reina nodded at Amy’s reassuring words.

“You’re right. I guess… I’ll just hide at home for a while.”

Reina sighed. Amy lowered her head, looking sorry.

“I’m sorry… I was the one who asked you to go to the temple that day.”

“No, it’s not your fault. Who could’ve known that would happen?”

How could Amy have known Reina would become the Saint?

Reina patted Amy’s shoulder.

As they passed through the lobby, Reina saw a group of soldiers, a knight, and a temple priest standing there.

The butler and a few servants were trying to block their way, looking troubled.

“A priest…? Why is there a priest and soldiers here?”

The uninvited visit gave Reina a bad feeling. She looked at them, confused.

Then, her eyes met the priest’s.

Something about his face seemed familiar.

‘Where have I seen him before…?’

Just as she wondered, the priest’s eyes widened, and he pointed straight at her.

“It’s her! Her face is exactly the same as the woman I saw that day!”

Reina instantly remembered the priest who had seen her fall on her butt in front of the Saint statue at the temple.

‘Crap… it’s that priest!’

Reina’s face twisted with frustration. She couldn’t figure out how he had found her here.

The butler, Maron, stepped forward to block the priest.

“Are you saying that our lady here looks like the Saint you saw at your temple?”

“Yes, I’m sure of it! I even remember seeing her at the New Year’s banquet.”

“……!!”

Reina froze.

Unlike the commoners who didn’t recognize her face, temple priests often attended noble and royal events. Even low-ranking ones had the chance to meet nobles.

‘I didn’t think someone from the temple would remember me…!’

The priest continued, sounding confident.

“At the temple, she wore a black hood and stood far away, so I wasn’t sure. But seeing her up close now, it’s her. That pale skin and pretty face—she’s the one!”

Maron turned to Reina and saw her pale face. She shook her head slightly. With a stiff expression, he faced the priest again.

“You must be mistaken. Why would our lady travel so far to your temple? If we need a priest, we contact the temple ourselves. You know that’s how nobles do it.”

“Yes, that’s true. It did seem odd… but can’t we just confirm it once?”

Then the knight standing next to the priest stepped in to pressure the butler as well.

“We’ll escort the young lady to the temple and bring her back safely once it’s clear she’s not the Saint.”

“We can’t hand over our lady based on something so uncertain!”

Maron tried his best, but it was clear he couldn’t win against both the knight and the priest.

“A-Are you okay, my lady?”

Amy whispered in a panic, but Reina didn’t have a good answer either.

‘What do I do…?’

This time, there was no way out.

There was a witness who recognized her face. And since they had brought soldiers to the Count’s house, it was clear they were serious.

If she went with them, it was only a matter of time before they found out she was the Saint.

Reina imagined her family name being ruined and herself being dragged around by Blair. Her mind went blank.

‘This is really the end…’

She shut her eyes tightly in despair.

Just then—

“Are you willing to take responsibility for your words?”

A voice, like a ray of hope, spoke up.

‘…Kahlheil?’

Reina turned to see Kahlheil, standing with his usual aloof expression, staring at the priest.

“W-Who are you?”

Kahlheil didn’t answer and walked straight to the priest.

Because Kahlheil was tall, the priest had to look up.

“I asked if you can take responsibility for what you said.”

“R-Responsibility?!”

The priest flinched, sensing a threat. Kahlheil looked down at him with suspicion.

“You recognized Lady Reina’s face, but not mine? Your eyes must be very unreliable.”

“D-Duke Kahlheil?!”

The knight and soldiers behind the priest quickly recognized him and bowed deeply.

“You’re Duke Kahlheil!”

“Sir Randerson, was it?”

“Yes, Your Grace! I didn’t expect you to remember someone like me…”

“You’re one of the Emperor’s personal knights. Of course I remember.”

Randerson looked touched that Kahlheil remembered his name.

“So what are you doing here?”

“His Majesty ordered us to find the Saint and the missing Holy Grail with everything we’ve got.”

“I see…”

Kahlheil crossed his arms and seemed to think. Randerson then asked carefully,

“Why have you come here, Your Grace?”

Kahlheil raised an eyebrow.

“Haven’t you heard the rumors about me and Lady Reina?”

“Rumors…?”

Randerson paused, then his eyes widened. He glanced at Reina and quickly looked away.

“Could it be…?”

“Just as you’re thinking.”

What is he talking about? Reina didn’t understand, but the two men seemed to. Randerson nodded knowingly.

The tense air relaxed a little.

“But Randerson.”

Kahlheil’s voice turned serious again.

“Can we really trust what this priest says?”

“Huh? What do you mean, Your Grace?”

“I heard the Saint was wearing all black that day. Doesn’t sound like a noble lady’s outfit, does it?”

“Well… that’s true, but maybe she was in disguise.”

Even though Randerson was being polite, he didn’t back down.

“Also, Lady Reina was under house arrest. How could she have traveled all the way to that faraway temple?”

Everyone knew Reina’s punishment had ended already, but they all stayed quiet to go along with the lie.

“Everything considered, it’s hard to believe she visited the temple. And this priest seems bad at recognizing faces.”

“T-That’s…”

“Unless… priests these days like to stare at women’s faces more than they should?”

The priest jumped, clearly flustered.

“N-No! I apologize for not recognizing you, Your Grace, but I never stared at women inappropriately!”

“And yet you recognized Lady Reina’s face but not mine…?”

Kahlheil dragged out his words and glanced at Reina.

“Though I admit, Lady Reina is quite beautiful…”

Oh wow. A compliment?

“…but most noble ladies are beautiful.”

Figures. Reina’s expression turned unimpressed.

“Also, have you ever seen a noble lady with tanned skin?”

The priest shut his mouth.

Everyone knew noble ladies paid for expensive skin care. Reina never even walked in the sun without Amy holding an umbrella over her.

“To force a noble to be dragged in for questioning is no small matter, Randerson. And you do know what kind of relationship I have with Lady Reina, don’t you? So be even more careful.”

To be continued.