Stella gazed at John with clear, blue eyes, burning with intensity.
“Such a gazeā¦ like youāve met an ex-lover youāve long been apart from.”
Stella shyly lowered her long lashes again and hid behind the male priest once more.
The priest in front of Stella spoke on her behalf.
“Saintess is not accustomed to the outside world, so sheās very shy. Iād appreciate your patience.”
I studied Stellaās pure face without it showing on my own.
“Itās not that I misread it.”
No matter how I looked at her, Yes Stella Libertan was indeed Yes Stella Libertan.
Her long, honeyed blonde hair flowed in spirals, her features were as clear and innocent as morning light, and she held herself with the regal bearing of a princess in a crownāexactly as I had seen in my dream.
“Was that what the dream was trying to tell me?”
Yes Stella Libertan, who I had thought dead, was alive.
“How is she alive?”
It was something I had never even considered.
“Could it be that the Libertan couple deceived me?”
But the sorrow of the Libertan couple for their lost daughter was real.
“More than anything, what weighs on my mind isā”
I scanned the reactions around me.
Everyone seemed unable to recall Yes Stella when they looked at the Saintessās face.
“This isnāt a normal reaction.”
They must have seen Yes Stellaās childhood portrait. Similar in appearance, even the name matches.
“How is it that only I recognize her?”
I considered several possibilities.
“Or perhaps Iām overreacting right now.”
At that moment, Stella the Saint grasped the sleeve of the priest and whispered softly to him.
“It seems I came for nothing after all.”
To barely be audible for everyone present.
“That isnāt true, Saintess. Everyone is glad to see you.”
“But you seem uncomfortable, doesnāt it seem so?”
Stellaās downcast eyes brushed past me, and then everyone, including the priest, looked at my face.
“Is it really that I am as shy as the priest said?”
Just as I was about to respond with a smile,
“I did look for the priest, though,” John answered before me.
“Estelleās body is frail, and it seems weāll need someone of a high priest rank to come.”
That was a clean disregard for what the Saint had just said. Johnās answer brightened the Saintās expression.
“Sir Blanchet is such a thoughtful man.”
Stella lightly covered her mouth and smiled.
“Perhaps coming to Blanchet is a call of fate for me.”
“Is that so?” John tilted his head as if he didnāt understand.
“I donāt feel comfortable with the Saintess coming to my house.”
“Huh?”
“Wasnāt what you just said for me to hear?”
Stella blinked, not knowing what to do, and tugged at the priestās sleeve.
“Be, Bertoā¦”
“Itās all right, Saintess. Iāll handle it,” the Rector Berto responded to John with polite deference.
“Didnāt the Duke Blanchet ask us to treat the duchess? It would be problematic if you behave like this toward the Saintess.”
“Thatās ridiculous,” John said coolly.
“What on earth is the problemā”
“Shall I point out each thing one by one?” John twisted his lips into a grin.
“What I did was not a favor but a deal. Plainly stated, it was orders and coercion.”
“ā¦”
“To straight up say that, and hoped I wouldnāt hear itāthatās not funny.”
“ā¦”
“If you keep ignoring my feelings, it will cause trouble.”
Rector Bertoās mouth quivered as he clenched his fists. But he apologized to John on behalf of the Saintess.
“I’m sorry. It seems visiting a noble family caused a misunderstanding. We will be more careful from now on.”
“Next time there wonāt be.”
John pulled me into the mansion.
“Is it safe to go in like this?”
Behind us, Stellaās voice could be heard faintly: “Iām fine, I should have acted to please the Duke moreā¦”
Honestly, I could relate to a reason why the shrineās people were not convinced.
“Even I thought Johnās actions were a bit excessive.”
The Saintess appeared to me as Yes Stella, but she hadnāt done anything wrong.
If I had let this go, a rumor could spread that the Saintess who invited them was treated poorly at Blanchet Manor.
I looked up at John and asked:
“John. Were you uncomfortable because of the priests?”
“Why?”
“Because I donāt think John would react that far ordinarily when itās you.”
John did not answer, but instead looked at me with a gaze.
“Are you alright?”
“Me?”
“I wasnāt greatly uncomfortable. But I sensed you were uncomfortable.”
“Besides, it seemed like the Saintess treated you first and greeted me only.”
It was something easy to overlook. Like at Hettel Manor, the Saintess wasnāt overtly rude.
“But John didnāt brush it offā¦”
He stood up for me and warned the Saintess and the shrine.
At that moment, I realized I had been anxious since the moment I saw the Saintess.
“Sometimes, itās better if I step forward than you. There are many things I can use.”
The red eyes in front of me softened, curling gently.
“So, tell me if the Saintess makes you uncomfortable in the slightest. Okay?”
I didnāt say that I wasnāt uncomfortable or that there was no need for it.
I spoke to him in a whisper, twisting my delicate fingers.
“…Thank you.”
~Ā·~Ā·*Ā· . Ā·*Ā· . Ā·*Ā· . Ā·*Ā·~Ā·~
The treatment took place in my room.
Johnās warning had clearly sunk in, and the Saintess behaved even more cautiously.
As Stella untied the bandages and examined my wound, her eyebrows narrowed in a sad expression.
“Oh dear. You injured your ankle badly. How did this happenā¦”
As I looked at the ankle wound, I realized something anew.
Before ascending to the duchy, I had asked about the scar on my ankle cautiously.
“While you were asleep, you bumped into a bedpost, didnāt you?”
“You bumped it that hard?”
“My sleeping habit was worse than I thought.”
Honestly, hearing about my sleep habits was embarrassing, but there was something useful: I could tell that the scar from Libertan was different.
“Itās just how it happened, I suppose.”
“Fortunately, it seems we can heal it with divine power.”
Stella covered my ankle with a gentle smile. A white aura emanated from Stellaās hands and seeped into my ankle.
“Itās healing really easily.”
The formerly swollen ankle began to heal swiftly.
“Wow…”
Just touching it was warm and familiar, lifting my mood.
Stella pulled away and took a heavy, exhausted breath. Her long lashes trembled.
“Are you finding this difficult?”
But for all that, she didnāt sweat a drop.
The surrounding priests glanced at me and fussed over Stella in a very devoted manner.
“Saintess, are you overdoing it?”
“Thatās right. You collapsed while performing a miracle of healing, didnāt you?”
Stella dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief the priests handed her.
“Thatās enough,” she said.
“…Saintessā¦”
“As a Saintess, I must do what I must do,” Stella reassured John, smiling at him.
“Now, could the Duke Blanchet sit in front of me?”
Johnās gaze sharpened.
“Are you talking about me?”
“Yes. I think Duke Blanchet would also benefit from receiving my treatment.”
With those words, Stella spoke in a calm, gentle tone.
“Even if thereās nothing wrong with your body, itās good to have divine power healing for precaution. Thereās no harm in checking in advance.”
“ā¦”
“You donāt need to overthink it. If you hold my hands, I can check you right away.”
John folded his arms, gazing at Stella silently.
Right then, Rector Berto grabbed Stellaās shoulder and stepped in.
“Saint Stellaās healing abilities are the best within the shrine. She has divine power strong enough to overwhelm many archbishops.”
“So, should we get treated?”
“Nothing the Duke Blanchet worries about will come to pass. It seems the Saintess just wants to dispel a lingering discomfort from earlier, doesnāt she?”
Bertoās question prompted Stella to nod.
“Yes. Perhaps because of my earlier mistake, or for some other reasonā¦”
Stella let her long lashes fall as if lost in thought.
“I feel a deep wound inside the Duke Blanchet.”
“Thatās what Iām saying,” Berto exclaimed, staring at me with awe.
“And what about the Duchess? Do you think she believes it would be good to treat her husband, too?”
I felt as if the situation were repeating itself.
“Itās for treatment, after all.”
If I refused here, there might be rumors that the Saintessās attempt to heal would be seen as jealousy toward me, which wouldnāt do. But I couldnāt deny how I felt.
“Shouldnāt we ask the person most concerned rather than assuming?”
“If sheās willing to tell usā”
John asked the Saintess quietly, pressing his temple with his fingers.
“More importantly, is my wife’s treatment finished already?”
“Yes. Itās all done.”
“Are there any other painful areas besides the ankle? Exactly how did you treat it?”
Johnās cold words made Stella flinch at the corners of her mouth.
“Isnāt it common sense to focus on the patient in front of you rather than just examining me?”
“Even if you didnāt say it, Iāve just treated the Duchess completely, so Iām telling youā”
“Are you saying youāre not the Saintess?”
John asked Berto in a domineering tone, and Berto fell silent, with nothing more to say.
Only then did Stella smile sadly, looking at me.
“I treated someone who isnāt a believer for the first time, so I made a mistake. Itās because my own training was lacking. Were you uncomfortable?”
After all, treatment was done, so I could go along. But I didnāt want it to happen twice.
“Yes, I was uncomfortable.”
“…Really?”
“It seems my training is a bit lacking, too. My husband isnāt angry for no reason.”
I smiled at Stella warmly.
“I could overlook it, but if other noblewomen hear about it, it could be a disaster.”
Stella reacted as if she had been insulted.
“Thatās not possible. Iām so sorry. I never expected it would be so uncomfortableā¦”
A faint moisture formed in Stellaās lowered gaze. As the nearby priests prepared to react fearfully to the Saintessās delicate reaction, I pretended not to know anything and asked:
“Saintess, are you going to cry now?”
“Ah, Iā”
“Oh, youāre grateful to me to the point of tears.”
I clapped softly as if in admiration.
“Indeed, you possess a noble character. But thereās no need to be so grateful.”
Berto spoke to me.
“Duchess, isnāt it hard on the Saintess?”
“Is the Saintess troubled? Berto, youāre misunderstanding her.”
Berto looked incredulous.
“What is thatā”
“Itās not that the Saintess, who has always shown compassion, would cry at someone elseās pain or gratitude toward God.”
Stella looked at me blankly and finally spoke with difficulty.
“Saint Stella, isnāt Berto misunderstanding you?”
Stella looked at Berto with a sidelong glance and began to speak cautiously.
“ā¦Yes, thatās right.”
Bertoās face twisted, but Stellaās words did not waver.
“I cried out of gratitude toward the mistress.”
Hearing this, John let out a hollow laugh.
“Ha.”
Johnās merciless gaze fell on Berto.
” Didnāt you say you wouldnāt cause trouble anymore?”
“…”
“Exaggerating on your own and pressuring my wifeā”
Berto appeared puzzled and tried to explain.
“I was simply protecting Saint Stellaā”
“So you used her as a shield?”
A lone priest cannot shield the Saintess.
“…No.”
“Then what should you do?”
John rose elegantly and asked Stella beside Berto.
“Saint Stella, what do you think you should do about this?”
“Saint Stella, how do you think you should take responsibility for this?”
Stellaās eyes trembled in disbelief. Berto looked at the Saint with a pleading gaze.
“Saint…!”
Stellaās pink lips slowly moved.
“Iā”
~Ā·~Ā·*Ā· . Ā·**##^^##**Ā· . Ā·*Ā·~Ā·~
Hey there, Itās Green Rose š
Since I human I might have make some mistakes while translating so please if you find them let me know here in the comments or in the Discord group so I can correct them and be careful in the future so they do not repeat.
Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
~~~Next Chapter~~~
Next chapter will be released Tomorrow.
See you then!!
