TVIOWHFW 56

I did not miss the moment when Stella’s expression faltered.

“Saintess?”

She opened her eyes wide innocently as if she knew nothing, her gaze even seeming to worry about the saintess.

“Are you feeling unwell? Suddenly dropping your utensils…”

“Oh, that’s right.”

Stella quickly recovered her surprised, awkward expression.

“When did I drop my utensils? Seeing the two of you so picture-perfect, I must have unconsciously lost strength in my hand.”

She hurriedly picked up the utensils, offering an awkward smile.

“I apologize. I disturbed your lovely time together.”

Dropping utensils during a meal is considered unbecoming. However, given the exceptional circumstances, it was an understandable excuse to overlook.

‘As I expected.’

I smiled kindly at Stella.

“Then may I ask a favor of the saintess?”

“Me?”

“Yes, it’s a favor only you can grant right now.”

Stella frowned with concern.

“Given my position, I cannot just fulfill requests freely.”

“It’s okay if you refuse, if it’s difficult for you, saintess.”

The kind-hearted saintess would never casually refuse someone’s request.

‘Since Stella is the saintess who seems to have a green heart…’

She glanced nervously at the priest, then nodded decisively.

“If I can help, please ask anything. What is it?”

I returned Stella’s gift with a beautiful smile.

“Instead of this sacred object, please celebrate our future with the saintess.”

The saintess blinked slowly.

“Eh?”

“I understand your concern for me, but this sacred object is too precious a gift. There are people who need it more than I do.”

I looked at John, naturally resting my hand with the ring on the table.

“So, I’d rather have the saintess celebrate this meaningful moment now. It would make me incredibly happy to receive your congratulations.”

Stella hesitated, unable to answer immediately.

She looked at John stiffly, as if time had frozen, then he gently took her ringed hand and asked.

“Doesn’t that blessing matter less?”

“But at a wedding, we all receive the priest’s blessing.”

I smiled shyly like a bride.

“If the saintess congratulates us, it would feel like having a wedding we couldn’t hold ourselves.”

“A wedding feeling…”

John nodded as if lost in thought for a moment.

The saintess, who had given the gift so readily, hesitated to take it back.

‘Still, I guess I have no choice but to accept.’

Just as Stella’s excuse for dropping the utensils was appropriate, so was my reason.

It’s hard to argue later that I refused a gift given out of kindness.

“Still, it’s a gift prepared for you…”

“Of course, I’d love to have it, but I think receiving the saintess’s blessing now is more meaningful. It’s hard for me to find someone like you, saintess, at this destined moment.”

A true saintess would be accustomed to giving blessings and prayers.

‘That’s not something that requires divine power, so it’s not even an excuse to refuse.’

I looked worriedly at Stella’s face.

“Was my request unreasonable, saintess? I apologize.”

If I stayed still, I might seem like someone who wouldn’t want to celebrate.

‘What if she misunderstood me and said something strange?’

Stella fiddled nervously with the sacred object box.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

As the sunset faded late into the evening,

Duke and Duchess Libertan were moved from the prison to the execution site.

Officially, treason was to be publicly executed in front of the people. But the execution of the duke and duchess Libertan was carried out in secret.

The official reason was to prevent chaos among the citizens.

But the emperor knew the truth.

The secret reason was that the Duke Blanchet was secretly executing them to strip their status.

Fear shadowed the eyes of the duke and duchess Libertan, hanging on the gallows.

“I—I can’t die like this! Estelle, call Estelle! We’re doing this—”

As they struggled, the executioner grinned.

“Don’t worry too much. Once you burn, all such trivial thoughts will be completely gone.”

“We’re not the ones who will die like this…”

“Everyone says that… right before they die.”

Just as the executioner was about to set the fire at their feet,

“You will scream to be killed later!”

‘It’s said that, on the emperor’s order, they will automatically go out just before death.’

But until then, they would feel the pain of their bodies burning.

“Don’t worry.”

The executioner smiled wickedly as he was about to ignite the fire at their feet.

“Stop!”

A messenger from the emperor hurried from afar.

“Stop the execution!”

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

Stella pursed her pale lips, trembling slightly with exhaustion. The priest placed a hand on her shoulder in support.

“Saintess. Are you not feeling well yet?”

She lowered her long eyelashes and struggled to lift her face.

“Is it obvious?”

“Of course, it shows, saintess.”

“I tried to do my best, but…”

Her eyes, curved like a crescent moon, looked pitiful.

“There’s no need to overexert yourself. You’re often ill anyway, and even during rest, unnecessary worries—”

The priest, visibly angry, suddenly stopped speaking.

Because John, standing beside her, radiated an intense presence. John silently looked at the priest with his crimson eyes.

The priest, sensing John’s gaze, awkwardly finished his words.

“I just wanted to say that you need rest, saintess…”

John, sitting elegantly with his legs crossed, nodded toward the priest.

“Why, are you still talking?”

“Oh, no. It’s just, as the priest’s assistant, I worry about the saintess.”

John sneered arrogantly.

“Go ahead, keep talking if you think you can.”

The priest’s face paled.

‘I thought he didn’t know about Bishop Berto.’

But judging by his reaction, he seemed to know quite well.

‘And yet, he was acting as if he didn’t.’

That surprised me even more. At that moment, Stella stepped up in defense of the priest.

“I want to honor your wish to celebrate their future, as you requested.”

Stella clasped her hands in prayer.

“I hope happiness continues for both of you.”

As Stella lowered her delicate long eyelashes, John turned his head to look at me.

His intense red eyes fixed on me.

His gaze burned with heat, as if exploring my lips.

My palms grew sweaty with nervousness. John suddenly smiled slyly and firmly held the nape of my neck, pulling me closer.

His handsome face drew near.

“Just hold on a little longer.”

In the blink of an eye, everything flowed naturally like water.

His firm thumb skillfully traced the edge of my jaw, adjusting my face’s angle.

The moment I saw the smile bloom at his lips—

His lips pressed down on mine.

‘This…’

A soft, moist sensation invaded through slightly parted lips.

It was an unprecedented thrill. John’s breath made my face even hotter.

Inside my mouth, John’s lips moved masterfully, stirring my insides, touching places I hadn’t even realized.

A strange sensation spread throughout my body.

I involuntarily clenched my toes, which had no reason to be tense. Surprised, I grasped John’s shoulders.

He let out a low laugh, his lips invading from my teeth to deeper places, marking them as his. The pace, which had been quick, slowed, and I found myself longing for him unknowingly.

It seemed John felt the same way.

He grasped my hair tightly, as if about to devour me, and swallowed my breath fiercely. My shoulders trembled under the overwhelming sensation.

“Joh… John.”

I thought he might misunderstand my attempt to push him away, but John held me even tighter and pursued me greedily.

It felt as if I would be devoured at any moment.

His soft lips moved expertly, controlling all my senses.

He took my breath away and playfully exhaled on my lips. John’s presence dominated every corner of my mind.

My toes tingled, and my head went blank.

I even forgot what I was about to say.

With my arms around John’s shoulders, I became dazed, lost in the sensation he gave me, staring at him vacantly.

I lost track of how much time had passed. When he finally pulled away, he gently brushed my disheveled hair and touched my lips with his thumb.

“You need to breathe.”

It was then I realized I hadn’t been breathing at all.

He hugged me as if finding my struggle adorable and gave a languid smile.

My heart was still pounding wildly.

Is John okay?

‘Am I the only one like this…?’

I quietly asked Stella, pressing my face against his chest.

“…Why did you suddenly kiss me?”

“You said you missed me, so I had to do at least this much.”

John whispered sweetly.

“That’s what makes it feel like a real wedding.”

His deep voice infiltrated my foggy mind.

Thump. My heart sank. My trembling fingers clenched the broad back that surrounded me.

“Exactly. It really feels like a wedding.”

I looked up at John.

The kiss earlier didn’t seem to bother him at all. His face, flushed with a faint blush, was so different from mine, still breathless and flustered.

Strangely, I felt a pang inside.

‘But John, they say that the more fake something is, the more obsessed the person becomes with what’s real…’

Are we truly becoming real…?

‘Or is this just because it’s fake?’

Just as I was about to smile casually and look at Stella, feeling shy—

Stella suddenly spun around hastily and staggered out without even checking her face. The last thing I saw was her flowing, gorgeous blonde hair.

Bang!

The sound of the wind closing the banquet hall’s door echoed.

“Saintess—!”

The remaining priest looked at us with a startled, reddened face.

~·~·*· . ·*· . ·*· . ·*·~·~

The saintess hurried back to the temple.

“We decided that the saintess, feeling unwell, returned to the temple.”

“Did she use more divine power than usual?”

The priests worried about Stella, who looked paler than ever.

Stella leaned her head on another priest’s shoulder, her eyes filled with sorrow.

“I’m fine. I guess I was just startled by the unexpected situation.”

The priests nodded.

“It was an overly intense scene for the saintess. Duke Blanchet really… and you too, saintess… why—”

“We originally shared a vow kiss in front of the priests…”

“Oh! Still, doing that in front of such a pure and innocent saintess is inappropriate!”

The priest tried to comfort the stunned saintess.

“Maybe because they hadn’t married officially, they didn’t realize it was inappropriate. Please understand, saintess.”

At that moment, Stella opened her eyes wide, innocently.

“Didn’t you hold a wedding?”

“Yes. We are officially married, but we haven’t had a wedding ceremony.”

“…Even though you received the temple’s approval, why didn’t you hold the wedding?”

The priest smiled kindly at the pure, innocent saintess.

“Well, we each had our reasons. From what I heard, at that time, we didn’t intend to seek the temple’s approval.”

“Oh, my.”

“Actually, it’s also why it’s harder to understand Duke Blanchet’s feelings. Whether he proposed because he disliked us or not—”

“…”

“Duke Blanchet is a cruel man.”

“…”

“Since she’s the daughter of a fallen noble family, if he wishes, he could even invalidate the temple’s approval.”

The priest’s eyes flickered with a strange light, as if sensing the saintess’s piercing blue eyes.

‘That must be my misunderstanding.’

The saintess raised her noble, divine face, still pure despite her noble abilities.

Thanks to her innocent, beautiful heart, the gods granted her such strong divine power.

“I feel sorry for Duke Blanchet.”

The saintess lowered her head sadly.

“Maybe he’s acting out because he’s never truly fallen in love… and is treating women in a wrong way?”

“Perhaps so.”

“The divine blessing should follow him…”

By then, the saintess’s carriage arrived at the temple.

The priests greeted her warmly at the entrance and fussed over her excitedly as she stepped out.

“Saintess, was there anything unpleasant or difficult at Duke Blanchet’s estate?”

“I heard the Duchess is quite vicious…”

“Wasn’t Bishop Berto also severely punished for the duke’s wife’s vile tricks?”

The saintess gave them a pale smile.

“I was fine. There were some… difficult moments, but.”

“What do you mean, scolding the saintess who tried to heal herself with divine power! What exactly happened?”

“It’s nothing, no one’s fault.”

The saintess entered her room smiling, despite the priests’ concerns. A displeasing thought crossed her mind.

Especially her repulsive, smug face, smiling as if it belonged to her.

‘That can’t be.’

Just before arriving at her room, Stella’s lips trembled slightly.

The priest who had brought her asked her.

“Should I call another priest? Are you really okay alone?”

“I’m fine. I just need a moment to rest.”

In the center of the room was a large mirror.

Her elegant and noble reflection, Yes Stella, was reflected above it.

‘Now that it’s come to this, I have no choice but to find my place…’

Stella slowly lowered her long eyelashes.

Having temporarily borrowed the respect of the servants, the knights, and her husband’s love—

“Poor, pitiful person.”

Stella softly whispered a prayer.

‘To think I was mistaken, believing I had borrowed this position for a moment…’

It’s truly a sad and unfortunate situation.

Because only Yes Stella herself has the real qualification.

She smiled gently, praying with a divine face.

All the previous agitation vanished, leaving only her usual gentle and beautiful saintess appearance.

After carefully fixing her attire, Stella left the room again. There was something she needed to tell the priests.

“Saintess, I apologize for bothering you while you rest.”

At that moment, one of the priests hurriedly sought Stella.

“Duke Blanchet has sent a protest letter demanding that you be prevented from visiting his estate at all costs in the future.”

“…”

“From now on, even if you’re a saintess, if you try to enter Duke Blanchet’s estate without permission, there will be consequences. And the responsibility will fall not only on the saintess but also on the temple.”

Stella’s hand trembling slightly as she held the protest letter.

~·~·*· . ·**##^^##**· . ·*·~·~

Hey there, It’s Green Rose 😉

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!!